NAD: Boss Katana 100 MkII

TheRustyStarman

stupid dumb Tremonti fanboy
Joined
Nov 4, 2021
Messages
60
I bought a Boss Katana 100 a couple days ago on Sweetwater and it should be arriving sometime today.

Actually just kidding it literally just got here as I was typing this out lmao

I honestly didn't look into it much more than some demos and reviews, but people give them such high praise I went ahead and got one. I felt I needed a new legit amplifier since my old Fender Mustang III hasn't worked in years, and I don't know if I can rely on my Pod HD500X for every performance I might be doing over the next couple years. Not every place will have a decent sound system to plug into with XLR.

I know there's a software Boss includes that will be useful for tweaking patches and perhaps recording, but I imagine there'll be a bit of a learning curve. Anyone else have a Katana? Any tips or tricks, or advice for using the amp and software?

Also any recommendations for image-sharing sites? I'd like to post pics for this and my Tremonti mods
 
I had the Katana and the software package. I had no issues that I recall. I do recommend the software be used in a Windows 10 platform or lower. I do not think they have updated drivers for Windows 11. (No idea how it works on apple.) The software package pretty much makes all the knobs and buttons obsolete as you can click, point and drag every control point from the computer. If you change something in the software, it changes in the amp with no latency. Just make sure you save your work.
 
I had the Katana and the software package. I had no issues that I recall. I do recommend the software be used in a Windows 10 platform or lower. I do not think they have updated drivers for Windows 11. (No idea how it works on apple.) The software package pretty much makes all the knobs and buttons obsolete as you can click, point and drag every control point from the computer. If you change something in the software, it changes in the amp with no latency. Just make sure you save your work.
I use mine with Apple, but pretty sure it works with Win11.

I happily use a Kat 100 Mk2 as my only real amp. The GA-FC is a must to get the most out of it. Don’t be afraid of Tone Studio, and defn go in and use the global eq to tame its known fizziness. There’s lots of great patches out there too.

I play at .5 watts at home, 50 for rehearsals/shows. Never needed to take it to 100.
 
I use mine with Apple, but pretty sure it works with Win11.

I happily use a Kat 100 Mk2 as my only real amp. The GA-FC is a must to get the most out of it. Don’t be afraid of Tone Studio, and defn go in and use the global eq to tame its known fizziness. There’s lots of great patches out there too.

I play at .5 watts at home, 50 for rehearsals/shows. Never needed to take it to 100.
I did find during my first impressions with the amp that it had a very noticeable brightness with both of my guitars, so I'm guessing I'll probably end up using the software to either download other people's patches or learn how to shape tones better. Maybe it's a problem when using it on .5 watts? It started becoming more rounded out when I started using headphones (and discovered the presence knob lol). I'll have to spend some time getting familiar with the Tone Studio in the next couple days. The footswitch is something I'll probably get down the line too
 
I did find during my first impressions with the amp that it had a very noticeable brightness with both of my guitars, so I'm guessing I'll probably end up using the software to either download other people's patches or learn how to shape tones better. Maybe it's a problem when using it on .5 watts? It started becoming more rounded out when I started using headphones (and discovered the presence knob lol). I'll have to spend some time getting familiar with the Tone Studio in the next couple days. The footswitch is something I'll probably get down the line too
Any speaker needs burn-in, but do mess with the global EQ - it’s not tied to any particular patch.
 
Any speaker needs burn-in, but do mess with the global EQ - it’s not tied to any particular patch.
I'll keep that in mind, I'll be trying to break it in over the next few days. I plan on diving into the software tomorrow as my day project.

I'll be sure to get back to y'all with a review or deeper thoughts or whatever down the line!
 
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