Is Katana still king? Or will the Fender take the crown? Fender Champion 50XL vs Boss Katana 50
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
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👆 So, is the Boss Katana still king? Rabea and Pete find out. Which do you prefer - The Fender Champion 50XL - bit.ly/2qtso12 or the Boss Katana 50 - bit.ly/2PI9mCg
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Rabea is playing an Ibanez S621QW - bit.ly/2zvvnu3
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#Andertons #Katana50 #Fender
You guys should start your own RUclips channel with just you playing... no talking... just playing, for hours and hours... great stuff
I agree with the no talking.
heyy ola
I personally like Bea and Pete talking 🤓
Great, more people telling them what to do.
The Jams of Anderton's TV
Just grabbed my guitar and jammed along with that intro there the 3 of us had a great time.....we should do this again some time
Chris Neary hahahah
Lol great
You are so right. We three are the best of buds.
I think I will join the band..
lol
+1 for using fairly priced and good guitars :-)
Chappers and the Captain would have used a PRS Custom 24 and a Fender Custom shop Strat.
Guitar choice doesnt affect the amp comparison
@@metalpuppet5798 It kinda does though.. Most folks that buy one of these amps would not be playing a '59 strat.. ;)
@@metalpuppet5798 - In my limited experience, some amps are forgiving of mediocre to junk pickups and some are not. I agree with the OP.
The Quantum pickups in the low/mid Ibz are win
The clean Katana channel is modelled on a JC 120. The crunch channel is modelled on a Bassman. Turn the gain down on the crunch, and the volume right up, and you get those classic Fender cleans. Hope this helps.
Yea sure 😂😅
Thank You
That’s how I run the Katana to get cleans. Gain all the way down and volume all the way up. You get that nice Hendrix “clean crunch.”
30% booster on green works nicely with these settings too...
Isn't it great that nobody has toxic opinions on here? ;)
I really like the white cables. You can see what you are plugged into. Sometimes it is hard to see. This makes it easy. Thanks!
Based on that idea they should each have their own color, like light blue and orange, or green and yellow
@@fritsvanzanten3573 Good point.. Perhaps Anderton's is listening???
Yeh, I like my cables to be colourful, it's quite handy to have a sort of colour coding if you run an effects loop. I've bought great quality green/blue/red/yellow/purple guitar cables online at Visiosound. They're their own brand of cables and they're a great price. They are well worth checking out. 👍
@@JammyGit
I use little colored tie wraps just at the plugs at both ends, so that's the only thing you can see what's what. On a dark stage I find it better and ecstatically more pleasing to have black cables lying around. You just have to cable route them a bit so you won't trip over them.
Ernie ball cables FTW
Power control on the Katana is a superb feature in my opinion - as someone who pretty much only plays at home.
well, both have transistor poweramps, though. So, basically the "power control" is just a second master volume, really, since modern poweramp transistors should never actually reach the point of being pushed into clipping and therefore have a strictly linear response on the master volume. It basically is just a labeling thing for guitarists who have grown accustomed to those powersoaks on valve amps, where they actually do something, tonewise. (On another note: the amount of volume that pushes the speaker might very well influence the tone, though. Very lightweight neodym magnet speakers probably will sound way better than heavyweight oldschool celestions, and on very low volumes both might sound worse than an Impuls Response Plugin).
In other words: just use the master volume with any transistor poweramp, really. You can even take one of those hybrid mini heads (valve in preamp / transistor in poweramp) and just run them out of the sent of the fx loop and into a IR plugin. Its no witchcraft, really.
Totally agree, I found that function KEY when I need to play in my bedroom at low volume. Unfortunately I live in a flat, so I need to be very quiet!
That's the whole reason I'm buying the amp in a few months, that and the versatility of tones you can get though the thing.
0.5 mode is great.
You dont need a power control on a solid state amp. The sound does not change when using the master volume, like it does on valve amps. I find it weird that they even put that power control on the katana, since it seriously is nothing but useless.
Pete is magnificently talented. And I am ever surprised at Bea's skill. He's a metalhead that can throw down jazz, blues, rock, and folk with anyone. Such enjoyable videos. It's just a shame London is so far away. Andertons would be have all my business.
Trevor Reniger which part is magnificently brilliant playing in this video?
Plus he’s a great drummer! And just seems like an overall good dude
They aren’t based in London. I travelled pretty far to visit Andertons recently. Great store, worth a litre trip.
Guildford ... about 35 minutes out of London Waterloo station
Sto Osam I’ll bet these froods know where their towels are. That hoopy Ford Prefect claims to be from Guildford, but it turns out that he is from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse.
I'm glad Chappers didn't do this review. It's nice to hear an amp without a wall of gain.
Exactly
J Bolo. Chapters is not as good as he used to be. He doesn't play much anymore between business and family, apparently.
Agree 100 %!!!
I think they understand their capabilities, i love pete and rabea but it must be sad for chappers to read all these comparison comments
and 12 fret bend, same licks, boring shred
I'm willing to bet that 0.5w setting sells more Katanas than all the other features combined. If Fender was trying to steal some thunder from Boss with this amp, i think they may have barked up the wrong tree by chasing the consumer who gigs with a modelling amp. If youre gigging a modeling amp, odds are youre practicing with the same amp. I cant really work out who the Fender is for.
Great playing and banter as usual from Bea & DP. Cheers guys!
Except that Fender's modelling amps are not the Champion series but the Mustang GTs, which if I'm not mistaken are more expensive than comparable Boss Katana amps. The Champions are less versatile, with about a dozen set amp voicings and a small selection of onboard effects.
I actually even gig with the 0.5W setting on :D
Except the fender gt's are absolute garbage. I bought the low wattage gt first, hopping on the fender amp bandwagon, and returned it within a week. Amp models were shite. Everything sounded Hi-Fi and like it was in a cardboard box. Let alone the android app was buggy as crap, not anywhere near public release ready. Returned it within a week and got the katana 50, and a great pair of studio headphones for the same money. Best decision ever. I cant sing the praises of the Katana more. And this was before the market was flooded with Katana reviews.
John Borchardt The new firmware of the Mustang GT is supposed to offer massive improvements - but I am with you, I would also opt for the Katana, given the overall package.
Katana is still King to people who
Live in an apartment
Have small children
Married to someone who hasnt suffered hearing loss.
Has a neighbor
Has a roommate
Is not Chappers
Wants to own 1 amplifier affordably.
Fender is the new King of...everyone else?
The amp shootout is nice. But I'm here for Pete and Rabea!
Agreed, they are awesome.
Rabea + Pete = instant click :D
Parcevaux Florent same here lol
Finally someone takes the clean tone of an amp to the test. Thanks. You two should record an album together. Great playing. Goes to shoe you. Doesn’t matter the guitar or amp. Real playing is what counts.
I bought the Fender on the basis of this review. I play blues, mostly clean through a Fender Vibrolux, sometimes with some mild crunch. I've been thinking about the Katana for a small practice amp for some time but I don't need the heap of effects. I'm glad I didn't make up my mind sooner :)
I have the Katana too, but got the Fender for the same reason. Just kept both...I prefer the Fender. :)
If you like playing blues than there is small tubes amp by Fender, I forgot the nama I think it was Blues Junior. It was considered to be the best for blues.
See Rhett Shull review.
anything with gain = katana is better
clean shimmery stuff= fender
Not the most shocking result is it?
@@SixString_J5 didnt say it was shocking did I?
@@skippityblippity8656 No you didn't. The sarcasm was not aimed at you. I even 'liked' your comment. Cheers!
@@SixString_J5 well if thats the case im sorry for my overreaction
have a good one
Well, it does surprise me when I see civilised conversations in a RUclips comment section haha
Damn it, i own a Katana 50 - with the Katana you have to use the model you like most and then adjust the gain! For crunch: I use brown sound with low gain, then add the in-built tube overdrive pedal for hi-gain
for me, Fender win on clean channel, but Katana win on versatility.
well written comment!
Agreed!
Yeah, I think this sums it up well.
You want nice interesting cleans on the Katana, use the acoustic voicing on your electric guitar. You're welcome!
Setuja borr
As always, a solid video from these gents! Quick FYI To those saying the Katana loses in the clean department, the use of the power amp stage (always max it out on the Katana) and sneaky amps as opposed to the stock will easily get it to the level of the Fender cleans in this video. I say this not as a Katana owner (although I am) but as a studio owner/engineer who has a Rivera era Fender Twin II, one of the rarest Twins ever made. When using the Katana as noted above you would be surprised how close it can get! Regardless of what one prefers, it's great that the consumer has so many choices these days. Thanks lads for this video!
Got mine today and it nails the Fender clean tone 100%. Has that hard but warm attack on the treble and a deep but not flubby bass. You can play it as quietly as you like as it's solid state so no need for a voltage drop switch. The effects are really good and the only time you get the fizz (that all other solid state and modeling amps have) is on the Brit setting + distortion and high gain. Every other voice is fantastic. It's also dead simple to use, no menus or tiny LCD displays or apps. Just a few choices on the front panel knobs. I love it. As I said before, I usually play clean/crunch on a fender 68 Vibrolux and don't need 100+ effects. I honestly don't think anyone else does either. This amp is a perfect quiet practice substitute.
Just an update for fairness. I was muting all the strings and testing the slapback on the reverb and noticed that the reverb continues on forever as a sort of background rumble until you play another note. This is not an issue as it doesn't happen when playing normally. I searched around and only found two other posts that mention this, but not many people own the amp yet and I suppose not many of them would necessarily post. I'd be interested to see if Anderton's can replicate this
Amp, guitar, and a lead for around 400? Sounds like Merry Christmas ...
The Fender is awesome, gorgeous sound.
Unbelievable how good these two are!
You mean the amps or Pete and Bea?
@@ChrisBlackTV yes.
Rabea and Pete! A great start to the week!
That double bend at 2:42 had me laughing right along with Pete. TASTY.
Compared the Champion 40 this weekend with the katana 50, and I understand all the love for the Katana, it is a very good sounding and versatile amp (Boss digital effects are perfect) However one aspect can’t beat the Fender and that’s definitely its crystal clean sound! Still need to test how different the sound of the Champion 50 XL is.
I come back to listen to that intro groove periodically. It’s so funky I can smell it over the internet!
I wasn't too surprised. With the work Fender have put in to the Tonemaster amps and the new range of pedals, they definitely have a team their that knows solid state tone.
This confirms my in-store impressions: when the Boss sounds awesome, it sounds "no more questions, I'll buy one" awesome. It isn't as sweet overall (or as easy to use) as the Fender GT series, but when it clicks, you don't want to change a thing.
Wow. That intro jam had an ATOMIC ASSLOAD of groove!!!
Lovely jam performed by lovely people
You could make a delicious sandwich with that jam
davidf2281 PB(Pete and Bea) and Jam!
D Peters I like it! PBJ...
There's got to be an A/B switch laying around somewhere!
To my ears the Fender wins on all tones. Not sure why all the surprise the Champion XD was killer. Thumbs up for these two guitars, finally something people might use. Lastly, this demo was a lot of fun, you guys are great together.
Champ XD was a tube (or a hybrid, depending on who you talk to) though.
@@ryanteacher8134 Fender Super Champ XD/X2 was/is tube-amps. Fender Champions are transistor-amps.
@@MrBossei They're full tube, but they've got some modelling that happens in the voicing stage before it hits the pre-amp tubes, and of course it has digital effects. To some people that means it must not sound good.
@@jamesclose2792 Yep. And they sound really good. Especially on the clean channel which is pure Fender-tone.
@@MrBossei & @James Close
The Super Champ XD and X2 aren't "real" full tube amps, they are hybrids. The 12ax7 in them isn't for the preamp, it's the phase inverter for the power section. They are full tube power section, with a transistor w/ digital effects preamp.
Remember there's no tubes in the preamp, the only full tube super champ on the market, is the original one from the 80s
two years later and I can still listen to Pete and Rabea jam all day
I have a Boss Katana 50wt and love it. But after this vid I will look into the Fender amp. I loved the clean tones. I may even dual them up for fun. Use the fender for clean and katana for gain. At the price point, well worth the experiment.
I'm 5 years late to this party, but wow- what a fantastic video. This is exactly the kind of video I've been looking for: a genuine, unbiased comparison of these two amps with a spontaneous back-and-forth and immediate reactions and thoughts; I love it.
Just bought the Boss Katana 50 and it’s killer for the money! Don’t say the Fender is better!! 🙈🙈🙈 Still think the Boss is ridiculous 🔥🔥🎸😍
The Boss is a nice amp for the money and pack full of 100 Boss effects
radialdrift 58
I prefer the Boss Katana. The Fender sounds... sort of muddy to my ears through my speakers.
@@patrickmaszun8906 I think that's more the Ibanez's fault than the Fender's.
But the Katana is still better.
I just got the Fender, but I mainly play clean. If I was into distorted tones I’d go for the katana.
I'd have to say Fender for cleans and the Katana for higher gains stuff. Playing high gain metal stuff you NEED to have a low, high, _and mid_ controls!
Plus the versatility of all those Boss effects is super nice to have with the Katanas. Not to mention all the customization when you plug it into a PC!
Also, you can get a 12" speaker with the 50watt Katana, whereas with the Fender you don't get a 12" below the 100watt version.
"Playing high gain metal stuff you NEED to have a low, high, and mid controls!"
Nope, you actually really don't.
@@isodoubIet Well yeah you don't NEED it. I just meant if you want it to sound good. Especially in a mix.
@@niclastname Again, you are wrong. You don't need a mid knob. In fact, a bass-treble only circuit such as James allows for MORE mid control than the usual FMV tone stack.
With the FMV (which is in traditional Fenders and Marshalls etc) you basically have a choice of scooped or more scooped. "Flat" (ish) eq is achieved only with mids at 10 and both bass and treble at 0. With James (or something similar) you can actually create a mid boost. If you want a mid boost with your usual, say, JCM800, you'll need an EQ pedal.
That's a whole lot of talent in one room.
You guys are not allowed to be this good. It hurts our egos. Thanks for the great, informative video!
Came into this video with my mind already made up on the katana. Left the video wanting the fender. HOWEVER, as a katana owner myself, I'd like to make 2 suggestions.
1. Try this comparison with a used katana. The stock speakers break in wonderfully, all the harshness and pokiness of mine is gone after a few months of heavy use.
2. Keep the master pinned to it's max setting and use the channel volume and gain knobs to control the volume instead. You'd be surprised how much of a difference in tone it makes.
All that being said though, as a comparison between the two brand new amps being used as any amp typically would, I greatly preferred the sound of the fender and if it came down to it, I'd buy that one over the katana.
As someone who owns a Katana and has used an original Champion, (which this looks like a rebrand of) the Champion really loses out in a gain setting. The lack of a mid control really neuters it imo. Any sort of high gain gets muddy pretty quick. Takes pedals well, though.
Edit: it seems they HAVE actually changed the gain section. My point on the muddiness still stands though.
I can definitely hear the harshness of a new speaker in that Kat.. I own a Kat too, and use the Per Channel EQ in a very meaningful way for almost all my channels.. I wonder what kind of tweaking you can do with the fender??
I have a feeling they're using the floor model katana which probably is already broken in. They said they just took the fender out of the box, though.
.@@ArthurStephenHicks Given the physics of speakers the Fender will sound even better when it's been broken in
@@gavinw8835 "The lack of a mid control really neuters it imo"
A James tone stack lacks a mid control and it's basically objectively superior to the Fender/Marshall 3-band tone stacks used in most amps. The James allows for a mid boost. Typical 3-band tone stacks do not.
Without a doubt the main difference is with the speaker. I have worked at Celestion in the past and different speakers in the same cab make almost as much difference as the amp driving it. Great to see a budget amp with a more up market speaker in it and the guys in Ipswich, and China, do great job of building those drivers.
I love the genuine surprise you both had for how well the Fender performed. That, more than anything, sold me on the product. Also, kudo's for using affordable guitars!! TY TY TY!!
Oh, and Pete, eat a banana or two. They help alot for cramping muscles!
I have 16 amps some are high end and 16 electric guitars, again some are high end! What I have found is they all sound good, the weak long is always me!
Any new amp that sounds good and is not too expensive is a welcome addition.
I bought a Katana 50 about two weeks ago and I love it
But now I'm wondering if it was the right decision... it probably was because of the tone studio and versatility.
Tbh the 100w kat would have been the right decision.
Both the 50 and 100 are good.
Tone studio gives you way more options. So many pedals and sounds, deeper EQ and noise gate.
Kat50 is good if you want portability. It weighs nothing. I'd go the Artist over the 100.
I own both, if you prefer clean Fender is better, Katana better w gain. That being said, both great amps and neither is bad in an area where you should take it back. If you like the tinker, Katana is where it's at. I prefer Fender cleans and I'm more of a plug n play type, so I use the Fender. Just too lazy to sell the Kantana, but it's a good amp I wish I used more. Hope you're enjoying it.
Probably the best guitar intro I’ve seen on this channel!
I laughed way too hard with them plugin and unplugging cables around 16:58. The editing is always great in these videos!
You guys give the best and most comprehensive demos of products. I really appreciate it. Hopefully you prevent a lot of buyer's remorse from showing the actual capabilities of products.
Fender is a big company. They're not going to let the Katana go unanswered. I kind of like the fact that they dropped this amp with no fanfare, and are just letting people make up their own minds about it. That shows a lot of confidence. Sounds like it's well earned in this case. Full disclosure, I do own a Katana 100, and think it's quite a cool device.
If you dial your Katana tones using the computer, that puny Fender doesn't stand a chance.
@Everything Not at all. They are massive and forward thinking. But the other big amp brands aren't going to just quit. Good to see Fender making it a fight.
i'm under the impression the lack of fanfare is more a reaction to the blowback from their last foray into this market with the garbage GTs.
Katana 100 is the one. I almost wish I got the 2x12 though
@@Fektthis That will be an element I'm sure. If you blow the bugle big but the product is not well recieved, it just shouts 'we totally got this wrong and completely misjudged the market'. I believe that Fender are re-trying with an upgraded GT but I think that the damage is done for that amp.
That's the same as the old 40 watt, I have. Great little amp with the 12 inch speaker, that's what makes it. It's hard to beat that Fender sound, I've had tube and solid state. When you get it right, hard to tell the differance.
Would pay good money for the Fender with some of the Boss pedal stuff integrated. IMO shortcomings of the Katana speaker are very clearly illustrated here. But it’s impossible to ignore the overall value it represents especially at this end of the market. The Fender is a great, cheap amp. The Katana is a viable cheap complete signal path
The USP of the Katana as far as I'm concerned is that it also does acoustic guitar. One amp to do both electric and acoustic well is a huge deal.
I think the Fender crunch/distortion tones were very much lacking.
I'm gonna get both and run a stereo rig.
In my office. 😭
I think the Fender wins for simple plug and play good tone and great value for money. I would pick the Katana for flexibility and effects and for the low power settings.
fender sounds more organic
but if you mess around with either of those amps you would get a Super sound no problem
The Katana is a great amp
"Got my first real six string, played it til my pinky locked"
Till your fingers bled
Someone didn't watch until the end of the video.
I hope we're thinking of the same pinky...
2:44 that john mayer "i Guess i just feel like" bend💗
Man, the two of you shuold just do like a two-hour jam session and just call it an album! I'd buy it! And study it thoroughly... ❤️
I love pete's playing at the start, can see a song out of these two song.
I had a Mustang 3 and its cleans surprised me. Really nice Fender tone. I now have a Kat50 and its cleans are kind of sterile by comparison.
If Boss could get that Fender clean tone into a Kat50...
glad to see you guys using what people can afford when doing demos
I don't get the whole idea of running the EQ at 12 o'clock and saying it sounds really bright. That's what the EQ is there for. Tweak it. Most people would want to hear what it's capable of, not what it sounds like if you don't use the EQ. Normally love your vids guys. Still liked this one. Just my 2c. Rock on!
Did you watch the full video?
Yes, but you didn't really get into what the EQ (or the amp voicing on the Fender) could really do. Not complaining, just asking for a followup video, I think...
@@andertons Yep. Start to finish. I know at one point you were tweaking it a bit but still saying the Katana sounded bright, then just changing to the other amp without resolving the issue. Look, as I said, I still like the vid. I agree the Fender sounded better. The Katana 50 has always lacked bottom end as you showed when you brought the Katana 100 in.
The idea is to show more or less what the amp's innate voice is, then demonstrate how that voice can be changed. Consider how many different amp manufacturers have established signature tonalities, then consider how effective (more precisely, ineffective) tone knobs are with regard to bridging those gaps.
I agree with last post. You guys have a killer groove and real guitar tone. Love the classic vibe strat.
I’ve used a katana Sense they came out. And I hate to say it but the fender just sound bigger. The katana sounded thin
I just ordered the Fender Champ 50XL. Loved your review. $229.00 U.S.D. (+tax) and free 2 day shipping. Can't wait to hear my Korean Made P.R.S SE (Zach Myers) with 3 humbuckers play through this. Thank you so much for what you do.
Leave it to a guy whose *second language* is English to use the proper past tense of "sneak." Thank you, Danish Pete. You give me hope for the english language.
@@davman115 And this is why you never ever pull someone up on their grammar / spelling online!
I thought Danish Pete was just a nickname. His English is impeccable. Even now I know i can't really tell it isn't his first language
Well, am I wrong if I say that "sneaked" and "snuck" are both OK depending on how you treat the word (regular or irregular)? Just being curious newbie to English grammar :)
@@MrKultivar depending were you are
at 2:48 the most impressive thing i noticed (apart from all the great playing ) was the percussive syncopation playing for a brief time by Rabea ..really cool playing ...my guess is he can hold a beat on a drum kit ....cos that was nice .
Go in to the global eq setting on the katana & you can dial that fizz out .
islanderwinder Pete needs to study the Amps first before he demos them and be in tune!
what eq dials it out? any specifics
Turn your High Cut down a little to around 6.30khz .It will remove some fizz
Xolo Global EQ settings. I don’t know the exact numbers but if you do an online search for Katana Global EQ, you’ll find them on the gear page, which has a HUGE Katana thread. The EQ settings work really nice and give it an old school Plexi vibe.
Using the amps as standalone devices I could see the interest in the Kat. Being a pedal user, I rely on those to give me my comp/light crunch/reverb/delay rather than the onboard effects. That being said, all I need in an amp is volume and a good clean channel.
And at $449 for a 2x12 with celestions and a GLOSSY clean, that's found in the Champion 100XL.
This is an interesting demo, and the playing by both men is great. Regarding the one with a "fuller" sound and more punch, I suggest a couple of things to make the comparison more valid: Adjust the volume controls so both amps are the very close to the same loudness, and try to adjust the tone controls to see if they can make the Katana match the tone of the Fender. Then, A-B both amps using the same guitar and player playing the same stuff. Thanks.
WEll... Now that's not what the Boss & Fender people want- A real comparison? Come on.... we all know that would too helpful.
They need us to buy BOTH-Either right away or over time....
The most versatile function of the Katana is not 'modeling' but using the Boost features on top of the Clean and Crunch which is essentially adding overdrive and distortion 'pedals' to the signal. You can use the software to load pedal tones onto the amp.
The Champ wins in both clean and dirty for me, fantastic-sounding amp
Just to put things in perspective...
When I started gigging in 2005, the most versatile digital amp was a Vox Valvetronix.
I lugged the VT50 around. All 45 lbs of it, up and down bars and frat houses.
It was loud enough, but couldn't keep up with my buddy's Traynor YCV50 tube amp (50 lbs)
The Boss Katana 50 has more headroom than 50 watt tube amps.
...and it weighs 25 lbs.
Guitarists today are spoiled.
Sorry dude... a 50 watt tube amp has more headroom than a 50 watt solid state amp.. Ive played for 50 years and played through many, many amps and I had a 100 watt fender ss cyber twin amp that didn't even come close to my tube boogie’s that were rated lower.. I know on the surface, that it may not make sense but it must be do to how they rate them... ask an amp repair tech to explain it to you bro.. but solid state amps seem over rated, power wise, for some reason... keep on jammin dude!
That was a really nice review.
Two different colored cables and maybe a few text labels for the amp being played would be helpful.
The Fender Champion 50XL is the perfect
50 watt KISS amp. Plug in and play.
No fiddling with an endless effects and eq section.
Amazing, simple extremely authentic Fender sound.
If your a GEEK then the Katana is your amp.
If you need an acoustic sound the Katana is your amp.
If your METALoid one dimensional shredder the Katana is your amp.
For everyone else and MILLIONS of HIT recordings and STYLES
of pure Fender heaven.............................
the Champion 50 XL is AMAZING for the price and LIGHT as Hell.
Dammit ! - I'd set myself on a Kat for next year's purchase BUT, that Fender does sound great. I play 80-90% of the time clean and with very few effects, so I think that the Fender would actually suit me much better - and it's a bit cheaper too.
Hope we get more YT reviews of the Champ to get a broader range of opinions.
Great review chaps
As others have said the clean settings may not have been optimum for the clean tests, but on the drive tests, the katana lead and crunch channels sounded better to my ears.
I Put a Celestion Rocket 50-watt Speaker into My Katana 50, Holds a Better Bottom and Mid Now! It was a $49.00 Upgrade, And I'm Glad I Did it.
The fender amp sounds great and it's A LOT simpler... I recommended it to a guy at GC (and, no, I don't work there but I'm friendly enough to give my two cents if people ask....). I usually recommend the Katana. I'm wondering if the fender takes pedals, though.
I just bought the Katana 100W and love the way it handles high end pedals like my strymon Tineline in the effects loop and overdrives in the front end especially on the clean setting. But damn that fender sounds amazing!
Dude I'm addicted to this channel's vids. Keep em coming !
Best pre show jam ever!
Not surprised the Fender wins on clean tones. Nice crunch on both but the overdrive's better on the Boss. I've a Cube 30 for practice and think it sound pretty similar.
I so appreciate your guys playing. And the fact that you play clean when you say you are clean. When the Chappers and the Captain do a video, even their clean is distorted.. I don't think they know what a clean sound is. They blow you ears off with in your face distortion. That might be their "style". But when you are reviewing gear, you need to also do what others would possibly do. And not everyone is a in your face distortion nuts. Thanks so much. Love your playing. Both of you are amazing players.
Ty for the honesty.
It was audible on this end. Night and day actually.
Good job.
Gents I thoroughly enjoyed this video as usual but the secret to the Katana is running the Master Volume on full and using the Volume for level.
Own a Katana, never knew this. Thanks for the tip :D
was not the volume channel to max and adjust gain and master volume ?
I heard it was the other way round? Full volume and use the master to level?
You push the frontamp. It works better when distorted. Not so good for clean
Yep. Then tweak the Global settings in the editor. They all sound bright to me compared to my valve amp
Editor > Presence to 15-20 and roll off the top end. Minimal effort, big difference.
I'm thinking the biggest factor here might be the interface. Some love their menus and sub menus while others just prefer knobs and sliders (like me). I think the Katana is likely easy enough to use but gather there's just more there for those willing to dive into the software.
The katana has an octave too!
And you can stack 3 effects together iso 1? for the Fender
Yes, and it tracks better, too. But depending on how the presets have been tweaked in Tone Studio, it may or may not be available from the front panel.
As do the Marshall MGC50CF and the Marshall Code 50.
@@steverolfeca it IS available on the panel by default. No need to go into Tone Studio. Not sure about the new Mk-II version though.
Big fan of the presence control on the Katana 100... Tons of versatility with that amp, and only really a little more expensive than the 50. I'd go for the 100 any day over either of these, though these are both still great.
Boss is good choice to explore the sound if you want more vintage buy fender
I've got the Champion 40 which was bought as a cheap and lightweight backup to my Blues Junior at the time. Put a more efficient speaker in and it's LOUD! I suspect that's what Fender has done here and uprated the description to 50W. The BJnr couldn't cope with an outside gig we did, so I switched over to the Champion 40 + Jensen C12N....handled it fine.
That's hard to believe, but a genius upgrade as the speaker is an integral part of your signal chain. I put a Jensen mod8 in my Fender Vibro-Champ and it sounds huge, for an 8in speaker and now is loud enough to perform with a light handed band.
The big question!
Does one want a modelling amp like the FENDER MUSTANG GT 100 with all the “bells and whistles”, limitless presets, Bluetooth & WIFI connectivity, on board tuner, LED screen etc etc etc
OR
a simple “plug and play” with beautiful Fender clean tones, a few amp models and presets but with a better 12” Midnight 60 Celestion speaker, open backed with warmth and room filling capacity, not boxy, truly giggable, the new black face FENDER CHAMP 50xl? Yes. unhyped, under the radar and cheaper and better!? No 10 second warm up no need for hours of knob fiddling and hours spent finding the “right” tone?
I want a versatile amp that’s simple to use with legendary Fender clean tones without the LED screen (hopeless eyesight) whereby every note I play in a chord is crystal clear👍...and it’s cheaper!👍
I have a Katana 100 and the Fender 50XL and love both of course but find the fender being my favorite at the moment
Hey i have both katanas and will love to see a speaker swap video with some popular speaker models, maybe some neodymium and alnico magnets as well, thanks and keep doing such a great work!!!.
You guys should compare the Fender Champion 50 XL to the Fender Mustang.
Or compare the Champion 100 XL to the Boss 100 MKII.
Dude the Katana 50 has the octave under FX.
Man, that Fender is just right. Smooth cleans where it doesn't sound harsh.
People should demo the Katana sneaky amps in a comparison video like this, Katanas can do way more than just the stock 4 channels, and the sneaky amps include multiple Fender amp sims
Sneaky amps is shit a buy a gt100 and run it through a kat. Also the point of the video was "out of the box".
A $500 pedal to run through a $230 amp?
Anthony wasn't criticizing this video he was just making a suggestion for a new video.
They're not going to do a video on an unofficial trick with unofficial software. I never criticized his comment, I just pointed out that sneaky amps isn't very good. The GT100 does a better job as that's where the kats software comes from. Yes I own a kat and a gt100. Works well together, with more options. 🙂
Oh I agree. The GT100 would be a great addition to the Katana but I don't see many people spending twice the price of the amp on a pedal unless they have other uses for it.
Oh I see. The GT give me a few more options over the kat. (I'm a hobby player not gigging btw). I part exchanged an amp I wasn't using, so I got a mint used GT for very little money. I was looking a looper and a separate echo pedal and this way worked out cheaper for me. 🙂
I have the katana 50 I love this I go on the fx floor board all day and just meander all day love it
Leaving aside discussion of digital amplifiers the speaker will make a huge difference to the perceived performance of a combo.(So Rabea is right). I must admit that I'm biassed towards Fender amps but I preferred the Fender over the Katana, Nothing wrong with the Katana but if I was in the market for another amp the Fender would be top of the list.
You took the words out of my fingers. I swapped a Jensen Blackbird into my Katana (it does fit) and it became much more dimensional and dynamic. Granted, it cost nearly the same as the amp but I already had it and the Katana gave me the features I wanted so I'm happy with it. I do agree the Fender came off better in this comparison.
I have the same Squire strat. Great guitar. Sounds much more expensive than it really is.