To my ears, the Boss Katana sounds better than the Dual Rectifier, it gets the same tone but with less of the high-end fizzyness that the Dual Rectifier seems to suffer from, the Katana sounds like it has a bit more bottom-end too.
While I dont agree with that 100% in regards to this demo, I think if you were trying to get agressive tone out of single coils or p90's the Kat would for sure sound better. I love p90's, but they can sure get harsh and fizzy sounding if you push them real hard through the wrong signal chain.
Thanks for the comparison. If you still have one or both amps and haven't already tried it, I recommend turning down the onboard gain on each to about half that much and would set a boost like a Boss SD-1 or Tubescreamer in front of each of the amps to greatly tighten up and give clarity to the sound.
My pleasure! Yeah, as far as pure tight high gain I've moved over to the EVH 5150 III EL34. That Triple Crown 100w next to the DR still might be my favorite amp overall just because of its versatility and features. Thanks!
I bought one of these a week ago and have only been working on brown sound mode / it will never get that in your face tube tone , but, with MAJOR EQ'ing ... it is a great amp for price point / oh and great demo video BTW !!
@RS yeah, quite a few people don't. The sucker can get loyd and sound amazing for sure. I'd take it over quite a few tube amps too. But, it's still not a tube amp and it shows at medium sized gigs. Especially at higher gain crunch settings.
WOW. Mind = blown. I am a TUBE guy. I hate simulations and every solid state that I have heard except this. I HAVE to get one of these. I used Engls for 20 years -- I was such an early customer of Engl that I bought mine from the first shipment of amps that Engl sent to america and the amp was made in West Germany. (Yes, I regret selling it) Then I started using Black Star amps. Laugh if you want, they are cheap and sound good. And you don't have to worry about the damn think breaking, or being stolen. Well, you do, but no one goes through as much trouble to steal a Black Star as they do an Engl. Now I have to get one of these. You sold me, dude! The audio is great in the sense that you CAN hear it well, but you feel like you are in the room. That Katana MK II sounds great, dude. Nice video! Thanks.
Maybe you haven't listened to enough amps then. For the most part, the Boss Nextone amps are far better, and more versatile, than the Katana. Bias amps are pretty good too. For the vintage route the Fender Tonemaster series is a great alternative to heavy tube amps. The H&K Black Spirit is another SS amp that can blow the doors off the Katana. Once you have enough power, the advantages of tube amps start to melt away. The Katana is nice, but it is far from the best option out there in the SS/modeling world.
The katana over all has better clarity but the mesa can be cleared up as well..I've listen to alot of the katana artist heads and can dial it in way easier to play than the high gain tube amps..I just ordered a katana artist to sit on top of my Marshall stack to see how good it will sound with 2 cabinets on it in a live setting..
The biggest difference between the two is that the artist has the controls at the front of the head and not on top. The artist has the additional controls: for cab resonance, global eq, contour, solo The artist has the air feel controls at the back for the line out. Personally, I'd stick with what you have unless you're playing live, in which case I'd get the Artist mkii combo for the speaker and better built cab.
I hate having to spend so much time with my Katana to get an OK sound that needs a laptop to adjust the amp. I like a good analog amp that can be easily adjusted without a laptop especially for live when you need to make adjustments for the room on the fly. I'm considering selling my Katana actually.
I have had this debate so many times. Originally owned katana 50 mki. Liked it alot then wanted to upgrade when mkii came out. Sold my 50 and bought the mkii head. Now I didn't like it, wasn't good with my cabs to my ears, I lost the sounds I liked with the 50...much regret. Sold the head and bought the artist, has to be the best a katana gets right? I actually still wasn't a huge fan over time and sold it said i'm done with katanas. My biggest gripe was not being able to get a tone I loved without using a damn laptop...and here I am now debating picking up a used katana 100 mkii again, but only cuz they are cheap and I think I preferred this amp best in its cheaper, lighter stock/default speaker form. Its a love hate relationship for sure
I have the opposite problem and ended up selling my old 5150 combo amp. It seems to just be me, but I've always had issues getting a tube amp to sound the same every time I adjust more than 1 of and knobs on the amp
Waza Craft speakers are probably the Best part of the artists, I don't see why to listen a probably vintage 30 cabinet that probably it's very bright even tho the cabinet it's very big for a single 12" speaker.
@CreepyCat. hahaha, well to be fair....I didn't compare the Triple Crown because it beat the s*** out of the other two. By far my favorite amp of all time. In full honesty, it just kind of made me sick because of how good the katana was at $400.00 versus the $2600 dual rec
@@steves12stringsI have a katana head into a 4x10 that’s hilariously good for what I have in it. And Im looking for a second general use amp for jamming with freinds that come over and trying to convince myself on a California tweed and here I am thinking my best option is another damn katana lol
Thanks! Brown sound, gain at 3 o'clock, bass at 10, mids 10-11, treb 3, modern cab, red 2 tone, red boost or tubescreamer, a little delay and reverb. It's been a while but this is a good starting point. Cheers!
Brown sound, gain at 3 o'clock, bass at 10, mids 10-11, treb 3, modern cab, red 2 tone, red boost or tubescreamer, a little delay and reverb. It's been a while but this is a good starting point.
Speaking from experience, pretty damn good. I did a mix of V30 and GREENBACK speakers as I tend to play more classic rock and alternative than just straight metal.
Not very good. I had a KTN100 head running through a 1960 cab 280w. Celestions don't handle the Katana's power very well. The Boss speakers in the combos are ceramic. Way better.
I'd love to but I've since sold the Katana. I believe I had the Brown sound, gain at 2 o'clock, bass at 12, mids at 10, treble at 2. Red 2 cab with deep resonance. Very slight chorus and the red boost at noon. That should at least get you close.
The Katana cant beat a Dual Rectifier at is own game... neither can most tube amps. But the Katana can get you most of the way there, as well as beat the Dual Rectifier at doing a good many other tones. If you compare the Katana to most high end tube amps, be it Fender or Vox or Marshal, you pretty much end up with the same conclusion.
Probably in a mix...it would be hard to tell....by itself the Boogie wins for clarity....hearing every note when strummed. But in a live performance the Boogie will cut through and be heard above the drummer etc.
the problem i have with this vid is, you say you have the treble on the katana only at 3? do u mean 3 o clock or 3 on the dial? because is the treble is way lower than the mesa, or if tge eqs are randomly set, of course ones sound better than the other. you should have at least tried to eq the same.
The mesa sounds better to me honestly. Always will. But the Kitana is more versatile and compact. Always a compromise to be found, and theres nothing wrong with that
Well, that really depends. The Mesa is absolutely superior but it is 4x or more the price. The feel of the DR is legendary. But, I don't think you can find a better value per dollar than the Artist mkii. It sounds great and has so many modern features that would take years to fully appreciate. The video pretty much sums up everything else.
@@markdemars7366 hmmm, do you have an example of the sound you're trying to achieve? This may not be the best example for a tight "sharpness" but I promise you this Katana Artist Mkii can definitely do it. Just takes a while to dial in. Have you tried some of JB Aubry's or Juca Nery's patches as a start before tweaking to your liking?
They both sound like crap in this context. It comes across as a wall of ugly noise. Bear in mind I’m not an oboe player, I grew up on Hendrix and Blackmore and Iommi. That said, the Mesa sounds ‘better’ at chording in this context… but surprisingly, the Katana sounds better for single line playing! The distortion is more integrated, sounds less like a layered-on thing.
@@steves12strings Interested in hearing your settings for this video too, it sounds great. Lots of mid range and chugs nicely. I am still trying to find the perfect tone from my Artist 100, as it can sometimes sound too digital and harsh. What settings did you use for this vid?
Brown sound gain at least 2 o'clock/ bass 9-10 o clock/ mids noon/ treb 1-2 o'clock/ overdrive tube screamer /gain 0/ tone to taste/ level 50 or higher/ 7 band eq in effects loop adjust to taste. Same with noise gate. All effects you can pull from the built in tone studio software Make sure in the chain the od is in front, not in the effects loop which is default iirc. Also be aware that the physical knob adjusts gain not level for that pedal so set it in the software then leave it alone once you're unplugged.
@@bfree45 sorry I'm just now seeing this. It's been a while now but I think brown sound, gain at least dialed to 3/4 up, red boost all the way up, modern, a little delay and reverb, red cab. Hope this helps!
And that is why I sold my tube amps and now run two Artists in stereo.
Excellent choice!
To my ears, the Boss Katana sounds better than the Dual Rectifier, it gets the same tone but with less of the high-end fizzyness that the Dual Rectifier seems to suffer from, the Katana sounds like it has a bit more bottom-end too.
nice
While I dont agree with that 100% in regards to this demo, I think if you were trying to get agressive tone out of single coils or p90's the Kat would for sure sound better. I love p90's, but they can sure get harsh and fizzy sounding if you push them real hard through the wrong signal chain.
@@ChiefThundrecockno, opposite
Thanks for the comparison. If you still have one or both amps and haven't already tried it, I recommend turning down the onboard gain on each to about half that much and would set a boost like a Boss SD-1 or Tubescreamer in front of each of the amps to greatly tighten up and give clarity to the sound.
Both of these have new homes now but thanks for the tip! 🙂
Now THIS is the comparison I was needing!
Awesome! Glad to be of some help!
Thanks for making this video. 5150 MK3 is my fav high gain amp but Katana is nice for the price!
My pleasure! Yeah, as far as pure tight high gain I've moved over to the EVH 5150 III EL34. That Triple Crown 100w next to the DR still might be my favorite amp overall just because of its versatility and features. Thanks!
I bought one of these a week ago and have only been working on brown sound mode / it will never get that in your face tube tone , but, with MAJOR EQ'ing ... it is a great amp for price point / oh and great demo video BTW !!
Thank you and I totally agree!
@RS yeah, quite a few people don't. The sucker can get loyd and sound amazing for sure. I'd take it over quite a few tube amps too. But, it's still not a tube amp and it shows at medium sized gigs. Especially at higher gain crunch settings.
WOW. Mind = blown. I am a TUBE guy. I hate simulations and every solid state that I have heard except this. I HAVE to get one of these. I used Engls for 20 years -- I was such an early customer of Engl that I bought mine from the first shipment of amps that Engl sent to america and the amp was made in West Germany. (Yes, I regret selling it) Then I started using Black Star amps. Laugh if you want, they are cheap and sound good. And you don't have to worry about the damn think breaking, or being stolen. Well, you do, but no one goes through as much trouble to steal a Black Star as they do an Engl.
Now I have to get one of these. You sold me, dude! The audio is great in the sense that you CAN hear it well, but you feel like you are in the room. That Katana MK II sounds great, dude. Nice video! Thanks.
Maybe you haven't listened to enough amps then. For the most part, the Boss Nextone amps are far better, and more versatile, than the Katana. Bias amps are pretty good too. For the vintage route the Fender Tonemaster series is a great alternative to heavy tube amps. The H&K Black Spirit is another SS amp that can blow the doors off the Katana. Once you have enough power, the advantages of tube amps start to melt away.
The Katana is nice, but it is far from the best option out there in the SS/modeling world.
The katana over all has better clarity but the mesa can be cleared up as well..I've listen to alot of the katana artist heads and can dial it in way easier to play than the high gain tube amps..I just ordered a katana artist to sit on top of my Marshall stack to see how good it will sound with 2 cabinets on it in a live setting..
Hi I have boss katana head mk2 100 watt, should I change it and get the artist version head?
The biggest difference between the two is that the artist has the controls at the front of the head and not on top.
The artist has the additional controls: for cab resonance, global eq, contour, solo
The artist has the air feel controls at the back for the line out.
Personally, I'd stick with what you have unless you're playing live, in which case I'd get the Artist mkii combo for the speaker and better built cab.
I hate having to spend so much time with my Katana to get an OK sound that needs a laptop to adjust the amp. I like a good analog amp that can be easily adjusted without a laptop especially for live when you need to make adjustments for the room on the fly. I'm considering selling my Katana actually.
I have had this debate so many times. Originally owned katana 50 mki. Liked it alot then wanted to upgrade when mkii came out. Sold my 50 and bought the mkii head. Now I didn't like it, wasn't good with my cabs to my ears, I lost the sounds I liked with the 50...much regret. Sold the head and bought the artist, has to be the best a katana gets right? I actually still wasn't a huge fan over time and sold it said i'm done with katanas. My biggest gripe was not being able to get a tone I loved without using a damn laptop...and here I am now debating picking up a used katana 100 mkii again, but only cuz they are cheap and I think I preferred this amp best in its cheaper, lighter stock/default speaker form. Its a love hate relationship for sure
@@DKprojects9 maybe use a pedal next time?
I have the opposite problem and ended up selling my old 5150 combo amp. It seems to just be me, but I've always had issues getting a tube amp to sound the same every time I adjust more than 1 of and knobs on the amp
Waza Craft speakers are probably the Best part of the artists, I don't see why to listen a probably vintage 30 cabinet that probably it's very bright even tho the cabinet it's very big for a single 12" speaker.
You have my two dream amps, the recto and the triple crown, and you’re fucking about with a budget modeling amp. FML
@CreepyCat. hahaha, well to be fair....I didn't compare the Triple Crown because it beat the s*** out of the other two. By far my favorite amp of all time. In full honesty, it just kind of made me sick because of how good the katana was at $400.00 versus the $2600 dual rec
@@steves12stringsI have a katana head into a 4x10 that’s hilariously good for what I have in it. And Im looking for a second general use amp for jamming with freinds that come over and trying to convince myself on a California tweed and here I am thinking my best option is another damn katana lol
Hi. Great video! Would you mind sharing any tips on how to dial in that Rectifier tone on the Boss Katana? Thanks!
Thanks! Brown sound, gain at 3 o'clock, bass at 10, mids 10-11, treb 3, modern cab, red 2 tone, red boost or tubescreamer, a little delay and reverb. It's been a while but this is a good starting point. Cheers!
@@steves12strings Thanks!
You were just using the front panel on the katana, right? No deep editing with tone studio?
It's been a while but from what I remember I hadn't even touched the Tone Studio yet.
@@steves12strings thank you man.
Can you give us a link to the patch for the katana? Thanks
I'd love to but this is a few years old and I didn't make a patch.
@@steves12strings can you tell more or less settings wise what you did?
Brown sound, gain at 3 o'clock, bass at 10, mids 10-11, treb 3, modern cab, red 2 tone, red boost or tubescreamer, a little delay and reverb. It's been a while but this is a good starting point.
@@steves12strings thanks man. Appreciate it. PS- yes that is an EXCELLENT start. ;)
@@steves12strings just to clarify, bro, the 10 on the bass was 10 o'clock, not diming the control, right? Thanks. Subscribed :)
Man i wonderr just how good the katana would sound connected to a 4x12 vintage cab
Speaking from experience, pretty damn good. I did a mix of V30 and GREENBACK speakers as I tend to play more classic rock and alternative than just straight metal.
Not very good. I had a KTN100 head running through a 1960 cab 280w.
Celestions don't handle the Katana's power very well. The Boss speakers in the combos are ceramic. Way better.
Sounds Excellent into my late 90s laney iommi can. 👍
There are 9 different katanas. Which one are you referring to?
Woah sounds awesome can i have a link to the patch please?
Thanks! I actually did this on the spot but I'll see what I can do!
Awesome! Care to share the patch you're using in this video?
I'd love to but I've since sold the Katana. I believe I had the Brown sound, gain at 2 o'clock, bass at 12, mids at 10, treble at 2. Red 2 cab with deep resonance. Very slight chorus and the red boost at noon. That should at least get you close.
@@steves12strings I'm curious, did you trade up for something else? Or simply simplifying the inventory? Lol
@@Nickraculous I went with the Kemper Stage and powered Kabinet. Pricey combination but very much worth it to me.
@@Nickraculous but yeah, I sold all of my other amps and pedals to simplify and save my back lol
@@steves12strings yeah dude that sounds like an awesome setup
The Katana cant beat a Dual Rectifier at is own game... neither can most tube amps. But the Katana can get you most of the way there, as well as beat the Dual Rectifier at doing a good many other tones. If you compare the Katana to most high end tube amps, be it Fender or Vox or Marshal, you pretty much end up with the same conclusion.
For the price take the Katana.
You talking 1 k difference for hardly any sound difference.
Dont forget these phone samples sound 1 dimensional also.
Exactly. And it's at least a $2k difference now which is wild.
both sound good i guess
I agree 👍
Probably in a mix...it would be hard to tell....by itself the Boogie wins for clarity....hearing every note when strummed. But in a live performance the Boogie will cut through and be heard above the drummer etc.
The Katana has far more headroom than a 100w tube head. New vs Old Tech. At full wattage the Katana is dangerously loud.
the problem i have with this vid is, you say you have the treble on the katana only at 3?
do u mean 3 o clock or 3 on the dial?
because is the treble is way lower than the mesa, or if tge eqs are randomly set, of course ones sound better than the other.
you should have at least tried to eq the same.
3 o'clock. They were EQ'd as close as I could possibly get them.
The mesa sounds better to me honestly. Always will. But the Kitana is more versatile and compact. Always a compromise to be found, and theres nothing wrong with that
Is your patch available for download?
Sorry, this was a while back and I didn't save the patch. Check the comments for the general settings I had at the time. Cheers
Katana wins....hands down...easily...
how do you feel the Katana holds up against the Mesa in person?
Well, that really depends. The Mesa is absolutely superior but it is 4x or more the price. The feel of the DR is legendary. But, I don't think you can find a better value per dollar than the Artist mkii. It sounds great and has so many modern features that would take years to fully appreciate. The video pretty much sums up everything else.
I think the Katana sounds synthetic AF and doesn’t “chug” I mean, it chugs, but isn’t sharp and doesn’t chop, more mush mush
@@markdemars7366 sharp mush? you’re not making any sense
@@markdemars7366 hmmm, do you have an example of the sound you're trying to achieve? This may not be the best example for a tight "sharpness" but I promise you this Katana Artist Mkii can definitely do it. Just takes a while to dial in. Have you tried some of JB Aubry's or Juca Nery's patches as a start before tweaking to your liking?
I’d like it to chug, like Ola 😎
They both sound like crap in this context. It comes across as a wall of ugly noise. Bear in mind I’m not an oboe player, I grew up on Hendrix and Blackmore and Iommi. That said, the Mesa sounds ‘better’ at chording in this context… but surprisingly, the Katana sounds better for single line playing! The distortion is more integrated, sounds less like a layered-on thing.
katana 6/10 Mesa 9.4/10. this is my opinion but for the price the katana>mesa
I'd call that a fair sum up.
Yea I'd tend to agree. considering the Mesa costs like 3x the amount of the Katana and is IMO one of the finest high gain amps ever created
I’m not getting anywhere near that chunk no matter what settings I put it to.
Incredibly sh*tty so far the Katana
I'm willing to try and help you get the sound you want my man. Just comment with a link to a sound you're trying to get.
@@steves12strings Think “Ola” choppy style. I’ve actually found a few tones I like ok, just haven’t figured this thing out yet
@@steves12strings Interested in hearing your settings for this video too, it sounds great. Lots of mid range and chugs nicely. I am still trying to find the perfect tone from my Artist 100, as it can sometimes sound too digital and harsh. What settings did you use for this vid?
Brown sound gain at least 2 o'clock/ bass 9-10 o clock/ mids noon/ treb 1-2 o'clock/ overdrive tube screamer /gain 0/ tone to taste/ level 50 or higher/ 7 band eq in effects loop adjust to taste. Same with noise gate.
All effects you can pull from the built in tone studio software
Make sure in the chain the od is in front, not in the effects loop which is default iirc. Also be aware that the physical knob adjusts gain not level for that pedal so set it in the software then leave it alone once you're unplugged.
@@bfree45 sorry I'm just now seeing this. It's been a while now but I think brown sound, gain at least dialed to 3/4 up, red boost all the way up, modern, a little delay and reverb, red cab. Hope this helps!
The mesa kills the artist
Mesas are crap anyway a flubby mess
Interesting take.
It's sounds like it is personal between you and Mesa.