When Boss Built A £4500 Amp - Boss Waza Craft Amplifier
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- In todays video Paul Drew and James Ivey from The Studio Rats are looking at the Boss WAZA Craft 150 WATT Guitar Amp.
The BOSS Waza Amp Head is a rugged 150-watt amp born of the same innovative spirit used in pursuit of the ideal rock sound from the beginning of the rock era. The Waza Amp Head and companion cabinets are rooted in the long history of rock amp development and offer the original sound of the very first rock stack amp.
In addition, consistent with the evolution of the ideal rock sound, the BOSS engineers have also discovered their own interpretation, which is called the “Waza Brown Sound.” While the Waza Amp Head was born in the spirit of historic innovation, it offers expressiveness ranging from vintage to Waza Brown with modern expandability and reliability. BOSS breaks new ground in the amp market to realize the ideal rock sound.
The Studio Rats are core band members Paul Drew on guitar/production/mixing, drummer James Ivey and Dan Hawkins on bass. They collaborate with singers and musicians to produce radio-ready songs.
I own this amplifier and the 2x12 cab. The Brown Sound and Legacy capsules are amazing. The internal amplifier is actually my favorite. All 3 amps are distinct from each other. If you can find a deal on this thing (demo, refurbished, or used) I highly recommend it. Extremely versatile, expressive, and some of the best clean tones you’ll find on the market. The built in reverb is great. The real treasure though is how well this thing takes pedals. I just love that the controls are simple. Plug in, turn some knobs, and play. No needs to program presets, no waiting for tubes to warm up, no waiting on loading screens. It’s instant on as well, as soon as you flip the power it’s ready to play through. Seriously go demo one and feel for yourself how great this thing is.
I remember this being advertised. It's clear they learned a lot from this and applied it to stuff like the Katana.
Yep, great loss leader. and they’ve probably made more money from the Katana than they ever hoped to make from this.
I saw a demo video on these a few years ago, and they said that it is NOT a digital Amp. Solid State, yes, but descrete analogue circuitry and Class A/B Power amp. Much like the Nextone. I cold be wrong on the power amp part, but I'm pretty sure the circuitry is analogue.
I have the OG head and Waza 212. I absolutely love it as a clean pedal Platform and just a clean sound
I only have the Mk2 50w(lol)
while it does sound great on the distortion side of things, the cleans are just so nice and satisfying
I would be bold to say it’s the best tone I’ve heard from you guys! Sounded epic for sure! 🔥 🔥
Cheers Dan
Man, this amp sounds amazing! Solid state amps are underrated for sure
That's because purists say things and swear by tubes, while their pedals, that they also consider magic, are solid state.
Agreed
No,tube amps are overrated
Solid States can't go over soft rock ... try them for heavy metal and sweep picking 😂
Nothing sounds like a plexi...except a Kemper profiling a plexi lol.
I have the gt core. The technology is here. It sounds better than any modeler I've owned.
Oh my god. Those tones sound amazing!!! Why am I just hearing about this amp now?!?!
Oh dear... just bought the 75 Watt head after seeing it on sale for just over a grand brand new.... plus the 212 cab which was going for 600 quid also brand new. People are just clearing out stock of the last ones on the shelf so they can put the capital into flogging something else. I've got all the katanas but find the whole business of having to connect them to a computer to find out what settings you had for various patches just annoying, especially in a gig situation. So like a zombie I clicked. The appeal was that all I ever really wanted was a reliable amp with Clean, Crunch, Lead and Mental and that's exactly what this is. I'm hoping the Brown sound is like the lovely chewy one I've grown to love on the Katanas. :). August 2024.
The capsules are the Rolland. You can buy them and put them in the Roland amp. Witch are a boatload of money too.
You can see how the Waza led to the Katana and the Nextone series. The Nextone seems to be a more direct lineage from the Waza. I would love to see a side by side comparison of these 3, particularly the Nextone Special w/ the Waza blueback speaker. The Nextone seems to be a more direct lineage from the Waza than the Katana.
HELL YEAH! This video is awesome!! Thanks for sharing 👍 you sound fantastic!
Very cool amp. I didn't pay much attention to these when they came out because it was way out of my budget. Apparently you can use the tone capsules from the Roland Blues Cubes as well. Very cool. Very expensive but very cool.
You might be right about the capsules but I did ask and apparently it’s only the Steve Via one.
Was always curious what these were like! Look forward to seeing the Vai module. Cheers
You and me both
Just picked up the 150 on Reverb, can’t wait for it to arrive.
Yeah, they didn’t mention there was a 75 Watt one
I remember when this was first announced everyone thought it was a joke. Solid state amp for 3,000+!? But holy smokes it sounds outstanding
Love it. I can see a scramble to pick ‘em up if they are being discontinued - £2.5k price tag or not.
Yeah they are built like tanks as well.
They’ve been out for years and can’t get rid of them lol
Wow, very interesting. I did not know. Great review of this beast!, thank you! You guys rock!
This is one of the best amps ever! I wanted the 75 watt head when they first came out, but couldn't swing the expense.
Apparently all of them were 150 watts and because they didn’t sell that well Boss took them all back and reduced the 150 to 75watts.
You Gentlemen Rock! I'm a big fan of Boss products, and I think you are too!!!
Cheers Mark
Really nice sounding amp both clean and overdriven. Did it feel like a tube amp ?. Also impressed with the sound of the Tele, would like to know what pickups are in it ?. Good review as always.
It felt great. I’m afraid I don’t know what’s in the Tele sorry.
Thank you for your reply. Keep up the good work.
I like my waza headphone for practicing. The sounds are good enough. It makes me play more, that’s the main thing.
I remember when this came out, the price definitely got a lot of people talking. Never got to play one, but I always thought the tone in videos was spectacular.
1:34-2:18 sounds so bad ass. You should make some instructional videos on some of that playing. It’s great
Cheers fella
It sounds... perfect
Pretty good isn’t it.
Sounds amazing to me. Obviously, I wanted one when it came out but it was a little pricey for just this simple bedroom player.
I think you’ll find them for a bargain price soon.
So THIS is why the Katana amps are so damn good. Can't believe it was hiding in plain sight this whole time!
Would make a great Tonex preset pack addition 😊
Totally
BOSS needs to bring this back, with a better price.
They did. It is called the Katana….
Roland cut their teeth on their early 80s SS Cube amps (Orange Tolex) I still have my Cube 60 in perfect condition and will always LOVE their cleans and how well it takes any pedal. The OD channel is also quite good. And real spring Reverb. LOUD as a The Who concert too. LOL Roland and Boss have always been STRONG players and got a very big chunk of whatever markets they compete in. Glad to see they still have that drive!
I remember this being hilarious when it came out.
I tried to find out, but the Roland cube capsules should fit in there not available information on Google, but they’re pretty much the same thing and since they own the same company, I’m thinking they fit
That first crunch Channel with reverb has Rabea written all over it
Did. you see, that Tim Pierce chose a Paul Drew preset in his last video?
I did see that, it was cool to see.
Hey, that's really cool!
Nice video. Can you do a comparison with the Katana 100?
Possibly!
I found my dream amp!
I can't afford a Waza but this makes me question if I want to continue trying and failing to get the sounds I want out of tube amps or just sell my Marshall and my 1st generation Katana and pick up an Artist head and cab. I like the fact that they recreated the Greenbacks for the Artist.
The artist head is fantastic
@@TheStudioRats The Artist Combo is only $30.00 more and you get a $225.00 Boss Waza Speaker! The Combo even has Speaker outputs if you want to run something like a 4x12 cab, so it's kind of a Head too. Two Combos in "Stereo Link" mode would be Badass AF pushing cabs or not🤘
I find it difficult to imagine an amp that makes less sense than this amp. I mean, kudos to them for trying I guess but I thought this was weird when it came out. Now it just seems really strange.
I'm on the hunt fellas.sounds really great to my ears.
I was surprised at how great it was too.
Man... I've just tested this yesterday.
This is the granddaddy of katana
Sounds pretty good to me!
Agreed
I'd like to hear that Steve Vai tone capsule!
That truly waza bad ar$e sound.. now I can see, here where katana got it's genetics..
I would think that they took all the circuitry from this, and installed it into the MKII?
That thing is badass. If you want to bitch about solid state/digitat amps/rigs,,you've never listened to Dimebag Darrell, Iron Maiden (Somewhere in time) Boston 3rd stage etc.
Next to Fender Boss makes the best Reverb(opinions may vary).
I want it dammit...
Never seen this amp either - after I watched this video one popped up on my ebay feed for £2662!!!!
very neat thing, but the stereo reverb tossed on after the fact kind of threw me off
I'm waiting for Boss to design and market an ultra compact version of the mkii Katana, that's just the head unit alone. No cabinet or external speaker. Maybe change the controls back to this old school style layout. If they kept the price around $799 and used ALL the best features from the various Boss/Katana models in one Super Katana system, I believe it'd do real well. Get the geek squad to design it so it comes with its own dedicated tablet that uses bluetooth connectivity. That way the Tone Studio is already set up for the consumer to use. I still see plenty of youtubers reviewing Katanas that have absolutely no clue what they're doing? They need to find a way to have the tone studio up and running already, for computer illiterate people.
That’s why I returned the katana,out of the box it sucks and the last thing I want is something else that I need to use the internet for
wish someone would do a review and comparison of the waza cabinet
we will
Marshall JVM410 gives you four channels with independent EQ’s for each channel.
Could you imagine this integrated with something like the GX100 for pre/post effects and controlling amp channel switching?…🤔
Yes absolutely
Remember when the advertising came out and I was interested then the price was announced I was like nope.
Exactly!😂
Alright for a millionaire beginner! I also have a very expensive amp that I don't like, but at least it has valves. It reminds me of the end of the 90s when everyone was buying adats, basic digi drums etc and after 5 years you couldn't give them away.
Sounds like the Katana to me.
The idea that solid state is less expensive no longer applies.
That's a nice looking Epiphone 335/dot in the background... How do the Epiphones hold up against a Gibson 335?
We did a vid on that subject about a year and a half ago.
@@TheStudioRats cheers will have a search
In my opinion... Today this amp is ridiculous... But its only my opinion. Have a nice day!!!
Funny how this didn’t sell but the Katana that’s based off the waza sold like hot cakes the price difference might have something to do with it 😆
I kmow this amp, i see the advertisemnet, and ola englund has try it....but there r nowhere in Indonesia....wth!!!! I wanna try it pls BOSS
Hey guys. Really looking forward to James's Budda Tone X Captures!....Wow, what a tone form the Waza!
Coming out Thursday
This sounds exacly like a tube amp.
Andertons did a video on this when it first came out. I remember them being unimpressed
It’s all about how you dial it in.
@@TheStudioRats It was not a criticism. Just a recollection.
Funny how messages come across. I didn’t take it as a criticism, I just remember them saying how hard it was to dial in.
@@TheStudioRats All good 🙂
This amp retails for $2,249.. are you saying you bought two of them?
The matching cabinet costs around £1,200.
As I said, when it came out it was £3178 plus the cab at £1223 is £4410 unless you want to be pedantic about £90
@@TheStudioRats- Anyone who says they’re a pedant is surely just plain wrong.
My music technology lecturer at university was a Dr Murphy. I never did forgive him.
Sreve Vai module? Very Synergy.
Yep
Hi. What color and model is that Strat?
Daphne blue and it’s a CS lush closet classic.
Is that really digital? I have a feeling that it is fully analog solid state amp.
Who has the answer. EDIT: It is analog NOT digital.
It is full analog....
Use to own one.
@@solonasdeimezis1004 Some arguments against analog here in chat. I think it is time for Studio Rats to contact BOSS and ask what is the truth.
I also think that BOSS should send me one of the amps. 😀
All the boss amps post 2014 (blues cube, katana and nextone) have analogue pre and power amps, but with a fully digital DSP heart for drive, effects, reverb, etc. in between. Effects loops are driven by additional AD converters. Even when people swore black and blue that the 2014+ blues cube was analogue, probably due to boss' marketing language that leads people to over state the effects of the FET preamp and class AB power amp, i've seen inside all these amps and the boss CODEC and DSP chips are there to see. The service manual for the blues cube clearly shows the ADA CODEC and DSP blocks between the pre and power amps. IMO the big difference between these amps and and other modellers is that Boss use guitar speakers and cabs to avoid total reliance on IRs and cab sims (except for line/usb out of course). This is what's made the blues cube a success with it's excellent speaker. However these amps being digital shouldn't detract from the excellent job that boss have done with bringing high quality guitar amp tones to the low-tier consumer market. It's great not having to spend big $$$ on a high end modeller to be able to enjoy the benefits of digital amp modelling done well
@solonasdeimezis1004 I believe full analog also. I have one.
It's analogue. As is the katana. I don't know why idiots keep insisting that they're digital
I'm in L O V E!
It’s a cracking amp
Can it roar like a plexi? Or modded 800? With nice warm tone and depth? Sure, all them transistor amps sound beautiful clean. But thats about all they excels at. Who really sits there all day and plays only clean on a 100 watt half stack? A Marshall it will never be.
Some of us prefer to use pedals for gain sounds and not necessarily the Marshall sound.
This amp was developed so they could then produce the Katana's from this...
I don’t like it for the price. I personally would just get a Katana Artist.
The high end amp nobody asked for or wanted. Those "tube-like" modules were not a very good idea and looked like a money grab. They could have built a an amp parameter application to do the same thing as those modules.
There were plenty of alternatives at that price from handwired 100W 1959x Plexi to Axe-Fx, Mesa Mark V, etc.
They could have made the Waza amp more versatile, not everyone wants the "brown sound".
Looks cool though. I see them listed around US $2K or less, one available now for $1,100 + shipping. Still not worth it, even with an additional module. IMO
They got them used for about $1000 and even that feels over priced
I think 1k is the right price for what it is.
As a tube amp man, i can tell just listening that this amp is synthetic feeling. Inexperienced wont know though
Really? Are you sure you could actually pick out solid state vs tube amps in a blind test?
I got the katana bc I couldn’t afford this amp years ago. Stupid greasy tone on this one
It sure is.
150 Watts?
Are they out of their f-ing minds??
It’s LOUD
4k for a digital solid state amp????😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱you can buy a monster 100 watts soldano head for less.ehh hellooooo🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
I know!
Solid state break up, I don't like.
You probably own a squire and fender mustang lol
@@vinny943have your ears checked. You probably have hearing problems.
@@vinny943 lol
Said guy who probably uses pedals for his drive sounds.
When you buy didgital ,Good luck getting it repaired, All amps tear up sooner or later.
True, but the software is probably the thing you want to worry about. On the hardware front you may not be able to repair it quite so easily, but parts for solid state and valve amps are constantly going out of production and the expertise needed to know what to do in order to find an alternative way to resolve that issue is pretty rare.
If nobody updates the software package needed for you to use all the features and/or the manufacturer stops hosting files with custom presets on their servers to save money you're going to lose a significant amount of functionality.
Warning: below this disclaimer I ended up writing a speculative essay about how I would like to see digital amplifier and effects processing develop. It's not meant to be contentious, it's just a bit of an info dump.
I think digital actually has more scope for longevity than other technologies, but in order for that to happen you're going to need open source solutions using an internationally agreed set of system requirements.
Given that digital technology creates a scenario in which pretty much all devices contain interchangeable components you could basically treat it like a PC. Eventually I believe that a committed group of enthusiasts are going to band together to essentially create a platform intended solely for the purpose of doing DSP that runs on something similar to a Raspberry Pi computer.
In theory all the OS needs to be able to do is efficiently route commands to avoid processor throttling and retrieve data from an SD card/SSD for settings and loading programs into memory.
Once you've reached that point if anything goes wrong with it you can just restore to a backup image from the last time that you hooked it up to your PC, or replace the components with off the shelf parts.
If you're wondering why you wouldn't just use a PC at that point then I think it's worth pointing out that you could be using a PC for all your gigs and recordings already. If you've already recorded a session with all the sounds done with plugins and DSP then there's nothing to stop you from copying all of the effects parameters and click track to a new session and having all the sounds you need for the song available with automation so that any switching between effects and/or playing a backing track (if you're more into keeping it live and authentic then that backing track doesn't need to be more than some samples and maybe some double tracking for when you're going for a big sound. Obviously it wouldn't look great if you stop and the riff is still going, so any doubling effects should be side-chained so that they only make sound when the live guitar is playing and mute very shortly afterwards. It's much less embarrassing.).
TL,DR: I'm really excited for the potential for open source approaches to digital amplification and effects because outside of a few instances there aren't really a lot of efforts to preserve the functionality of these devices beyond the point where the companies suspend support for them. With more and more features being accessible only through editing programs, the most recent generation of hardware is at risk of being rendered useless as the compatibility of the units isn't adapted for new operating systems.