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I gig with a squier telecaster and boss katana. I stopped caring about gear when I realized nobody in the crowd cares lol.

I've been playing a squier cv tele and strat with a 1st generation katana 50 for about 3 yrs now and have zero complaints.

For me, no comparison....Blues Jr all the way. GREAT playing as usual Rich. Love listening to you.

I have a Katana 100 (2x12) and a Blues Junior III (with a Cannabis Rex speaker). Both are good amps, and you can get both of them to sound good. However, the amp that is more satisfying to play is definitely the Blues Junior. It responds to your playing and dynamics and guitar volume knob changes in a way that the Katana doesn't quite match. The Katana has other strengths, though. I'd be hard pressed to choose. I like owning both.

gotta love it. at 12:27, "this is MY OWN amp, the Katana, that i take everywhere..." enough said. thank you for the great review! and yes, I own a Katana mkII.

So I rather impulsively went out and bought a Katana 100 MKII today. I am enjoying it a lot. I do hear the same EQ curve on it here at home that I am hearing from your video here from the Katana 50. I put a master EQ curve on it and so far I am liking it a lot more. Your mileage may vary. If anyone is curious go into the editor under system and use the parametric EQ at these settings, Low Cut 100Hz, Low Mid +3 at 250Hz with a Q of 2, and finally Hi Mid Gain +3 at 4KHz with a Q of 1. Then drop the global level by -1db. I find that this brings the amp much more into the ballpark of my vintage Beltone tube amp. Peace!

Am a Blues Guitarist and I've played tube amps for 50+years and am a Katana 50 owner. I gig with it in small medium large and outdoor venues with no problems. I know many Tube Amp Snobs (which I myself was) who freak out that its an SS amp and like my tone when they hear me using the Kat. As for the Fender Sound I have Various Twins and Deluxe Reverb patches loaded into Tone Studio. Its one of the best sounding Solidstate and Pedal Platform Amps I've come across, which is one of the reasons I decided to give it a try and kept it and been using it ever since

May main amp is a fender Princeton with pedals and nothing can beat it for that dream tone , had the spark for quick go to ... sounds great on headphones .. the farty speakers that crap out at any volume other than low level sent it out the door... back to a Boss katana 100 for me for quick practice and noodling

This is one of the best reviews of both these amps I've ever seen, both amps in that sweet zone no max gain shredding, I've always wanted a blues junior I think they sound so sweet, but expensive for what they are, and I've never been sure of the quality either, I've played Marshalls jcm800 / tsl/ jvm I would never take a BJ to a gig too small for me, but I have two boss Katana 100s one head one combo and they are fantastic super versatile amps at the price point, and monster loud!! I've gigged the Katana head with a Marshall 1936 2x12 head and it sounded fantastic and felt no different to my Marshalls , I was blown away, the main gripe is the lifeless clean that needs all sorts of boost and EQ work done on it Great review

Both amps win IMHO. Buy the one you need, depending on what you need the amp to do. Affordable amp that offers a lot of versatility or more expensive amp that does one thing very well?

One of the biggest differences is the Fender is 3 times the price of the Boss which depending on your budget is a deal breaker. This has been the main factor in my buying one for sure. Don’t get me wrong I would love to own one.

I have the Katana 50, and it was a perfect choice ...perfect amp for that price!

I use the Katana 50 as a pedal platform, for home use (I don't gig), and while ive been very happy with it, I've been in the market for a tube amp (seeing as how I don't even use the Katana's onboard effects anyway). Having targeted the Blues Jr, this demo is really helpful. The Blues Jr definitely sounds more like what I think a tube amp tone should be, and its clean tone is clearly better to my ears - better at drawing out the Strat's single-coil percussive goodness. But the Katana sounds really nice too by comparison...With the overdrive effect, I agree the Katana sounded a little better.

Thanks for the demo! Blues junior takes pedals great with the master high and "volume" low = clean amp with max headroom. It may not be the most pleasant standalone sound because blues junior is voiced for live band playing. It has a prominent midrange and really cuts in the mix. I've had Katana 50 and it is really great bang for the bucks but sorry - I stay with blues junior. It is more alive, dynamic and organic.

To make the comparison meaningful you have to equalise the volume output between the two amps. The louder source will always sound better. It’s an old trick used in hi fi stores to sell speakers. Make sure the ones you want to sell play at a louder volume than the competing ones.

I’ve been trying to decide between a Princeton and a blues jr.. Now I’m like dang maybe I should be looking at that katana, less than 1/2 the price and might be the perfect bedroom volume practice amp. I love pedals too..

I own both, and I totally agree.

To my ears there’s a marked volume increase when switched to the blues jr, more noticeable on clean. I did this test using a katana 50 mk2 I won with no variation on the clean setting which is the same as mk1. I got a different result. The blues jr sounded boxy by comparison and I was actually able to make the katana sound close to but not quite the same as my Deluxe Reverb reissue. I generally don’t like modeling amps but as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t dislike the Katana

Thanks for this video. Very well done!!! Tubes and pedal board for jamming at home with family and friends. Amazing rich tube goodness and easy to mess with settings. Amp Modeller and any powerful amp for live. I want my live sound dialled in using a patch and also most of the tube goodness is lost though a PA and in a mix anyway. Helix Native for recording.

Awesome job, It makes the decision harder. I am really addicted to tubes but have one roland cube 80watt. it does lots of clean well, but the Boss does sound really good.

First time on your channel... Great demo man... Thought the Katana had to be tweaked a little... Greetings from Québec !

older blues jr., .. the way to go !, . i will still buy the katana 50!

amazing solo, i want this boss katana 50 mk2, one day man.

Nice playing. Enjoyed the comparison. I have the 100 mk1. Took me some trial and error to get a nice clean sound I was really happy with but its there. If you add the Natural OD to the clean channel and set it very mild on the gain it livens it up without changing it too much at all. Crunch Channel also yields a nice clean. If I use my pedalboard with it I like to use the Dyna comp and a very slight boost from my OD pedal and its a nice lovely clean as well. Considering I paid less than 300 for it after discounts I'd say it was well worth it.

I actually found I prefer using the crunch channel on the katana with the gain all the way down as my clean tone. I think it sounds much closer to the compression you get out of a tube amp that way. The clean channel sounds very jazz chorus orientated, which would make sense considering the lineage, especially the way the upper midrange and treble frequencies react. They're cool amps with a ton of flexibility, and a total steal considering their price. A great gigging tool for musicians.

Katana practice amp , fender gig amp . Love them both but tube warmth is hard to recreate. That’s why we still lug these heavy things around!

Fantastic video! I'm a katana user with the same thoughts. It always drives myself and other bandmates crazy that this amp cost me around 200 bucks, (although isn't perfect,) it has outperformed every other amp I've owned in 25 years. So much mojo - per dollar spent, I'm glad others have similar experiences!!

I have a katana and I find the clean channel dull and lifeless sounding but as you said, it takes drive pedals very well. I have recently downloaded the sneaky amps and using the "twin clean" setting changes the amp completely. I am still not sure if I am 100% satisfied, need to try it against a blues deluxe or something like that.

The only problem with the Katana , and I have the mk2 is taming the top end it’s an incredibly bright amp and I’ve noticed it on every KZfaq demo as well, but once you do it’s got some amazing tones , also your blues junior was way louder but sounded nice 👍

Blues Jr has more mid punch with a warmer tone. Katana is good, no doubt, but there is a little magic with tubes.

One is cheaper and has access to numerous effects. The other is more costly and lacks effects and for what end other than practice when nobody is listening. They both sound really good and it's personal choice.

Great Vid! Personally I still Love the BJ over the Katana. It sounds more rounder. The Katana is running a little more Bottom End but that should be adjustable on the BJ. Both sound Good, I just prefer the all around Sound of the BJ! Nice Vid, please keep up the Good Work! Love your Channel!

Blues Junior of course! 🎸❤

Beautiful playing man i just bought me a tweed blues junior

I've had both, both are good amps.. now using the katana 100 Watt 112 and the artist..

You just have to know how to eq and adjust the cleans on the Katana. Trust me, there’s so many cleans tones you can get out of it and you don’t need the computer to do it either. You just have to learn it a lil and it’s awesome. I have the katana II and it has double the amps. Awesome rig

Thanks for the great review. Would have been nice to have heard Blues Junior 4 with less Reverb.

I thought the Katana sounded great but the Blues Jr. Sounded better. I thought the difference was easily noticeable when you just hear guitar but if you were in a band setting you likely wouldn't able to tell the difference in the mix. Which would make the Katana the better value and smarter buy due to price and weight. My conclusion is if you got the dough buy the Blues Jr. If not, buy the Katana. You will still sound great without breaking the bank or your back.

Love my Katana.After watching this video I'm gonna buy a blues JNR so I can have the best of both worlds

Thanks for this, Rich. I'm actually surprised how well the Boss does. I'm not a tube guy but the Blues Junior definitely sounds more rich and resonant. The 50 does a decent job. My buddy has the Katana 100 and that impressed me so much I ditched a tube amp and.another quality SS for the Katana Artist with the Waza speaker. It is incredible. I picked it up for just over $400. I think that would be a more fair comparison to the FBJ. The Artist is a sweet amp and has none of the tube hassles. It feels like the tube amps I have played and can be intimate but is a monster without coming even close to diming it. You make that 50 really work, though. Excellent as always.

I have both amps and the katana is not in the same league as the blues jr. katana is a great practice amp for me but the blues jr has way better tone and provides an excellent pedal platform.

I wish I had got the 100 watt Kat so I could use the footswitch that lets u select different channels as well as turn on and off the effects.

Straight and to the point. Loving this channel!

Hey Rich I like your video. I have Katana 50 and Blues Jr too. My conclusion is same as yours: BJ for clean and Katana for drive pedals. People say BJ is a good pedal platform, but I don't feel that way. Any full-frequency overdrive (Guv'nor, Angry Charlie, Boss OD-3) will crap out on BJ because its bass response is not that good.

I have a Katana 50 w and i love it ! (and also i have an old super heavy and moody Fender twin Reverb from the 70s) Its a fact that the K50w dont sound exactly like a tube amp, but i think the difference is way too small and mostly you will notice when compared side to side with a tube amp and for trained ears, BUT in most giggs, where there is no ideal conditions for ideal audio quality and most of these regular kind of giggs you play for regular kind of people and not audio connoisseurs i think at the end that small difference dont mean a thing, and the Katana is a road worthy little amp, easy to carry around, trusty and cheap, a great tool for the gigging musician ! Great video comparison ! Cheers from South América !

I have the Katana 100 (Mk1) and a Blues jr Mark IV with the Eminence Cannabis rex. I love my Katana, so versatile and I play my Acoustic through it all the time. I love both for different reasons. When I just want to sit and noodle on my electrics, it's the Blues jr. I have been playing for close to 30 years and there is still something I crave from a good tube amp... lol. And I'm not sure I can explain what it is. And I have to tell ya... I have owned a ton of vintage and boutique tube amps...... and my current amps are the Blues jr and Katana... lol

I wanted to post on this again because I think it might be helpful to some. I returned my 100 MKII and bought the Artist MKII. The Dutch Guitar Guy does a video where he goes back and forth between the WAZA speaker and the stock Katana speaker. It turns out I just do not like the speaker in the regular Katanas. They sound too much like stereo speakers and not enough like a guitar amp instrument speaker. I don't know what else to call it, perhaps it is a vintage speaker sound? Greenback sound? The mids are WAY further forward in the way that I am accustomed to with my late 50's Beltone tube amp that has the original 8" speaker fully intact. It is snapper more dynamic and less tubby in the low end. I absolutely despise the "real amp" title that people apply to various tube amps but I have to say that when playing with the WAZA speaker I feel like I am playing a JC 120, Princeton Reverb, and so on. With the stock speaker, it feels like I am playing a great head through a studio monitor or PA speaker cab. Hope that is helpful for folks.

I also have both and the BJ is so much warmer BUT the Boss has many more options without pedals

There is a KZfaq channel where he talks about the guts of lower end Fender amps . He’s an expert in amp repair and makes a lot of money repairing the cheap components if possible, sometimes the cost of repair isn’t worth it. Then factor in the lack of reliability on a cheap Fender amp .Gigging with a lit fuse, no thanks. My first gen Katana sounds excellent , zero issues, compliments from all ages and I bought a back up Katana for less tan the outlay of a DRRI that has had the corners cut to save Fender 5 bucks per amp. You have to get dirty with the Tone Studio and learn it but it makes sense eventually. I wish Fender would offer the “ Gold Series” for 50 bucks more with good components arraigned properly but they don’t.

great video, i just buy the Katana 50 MK2 and always look for a blues junior, i have a Peavy Delta Blues and it's so heavy, i dislike the weight so much

Now THAT was timely! I'm playing a Katana 50 Mkl and I love it. As a older guy coming back to my playing it has allowed me to explore tones and effects as well as easily go to a mate's house to jam. One thing that sold me was the acoustic channel which is a great added value aspect that no one talks about. - two amps in one!. BUT, i was looking at a BJ as I'm a tele guy and chasing that Fender tone. For me, the Katana sounds clean and bright (which is my jam) however, you made the BJ sing to my ears for that tone. My issue is, it could be you're a better player and I'll be annoyed I spend the $$ only to be disappointed. Gaz, Australia

I've had a BJ just die on me and I am also tired of replacing tubes at $50 a pop. I'm moving to amps like the Katana because of the weight and no tubes to replace.

Great comparison I am still it two minds which way to go but it seems either amp would do the job cheers Michael. Australia

I sales person in my local music store convinced me in buying the katana 50 mk2. Love my katana

I’m debating adding a Kat 100 mkII to my arsenal. You should have nabbed a Bjr tweed with the Jensen speaker. That’s what I’m using now and I’ve had some amps come and go but that tweed Bjr is staying put. Good vid though.

Interesting! my ears like the Blues jr- Rich, you should try a monoprice 15 watt tube amp (soon to be back in stock) i hear awesome things about them! hoping to get myself one for bd/Christmas!

Thanks for the well done vid.. I have a kat 100.. but miss the fender clean/reverb..Been thinking of gettin a jr. To ,e the jr sounded fat and the kat sounded thin, maybe it was that the kat wasn’t louder. It is simple, you can get a good , multi diff tones. But the jr like someone else mentioned with the warmth of the tubes, the reverb and probably more master volume less drive is the sound that I am looking for. Thanks for the demo and helping me make up my mind at least for 5 minutes.

Very tasteful playing. You know when to turn it on but also dial it back. Great video man!

The Katana, in its price range, cannot be beat.

I still love the katana 50. It's not difficult to maintain and the price is really cheap. I own a ktn100 by the way and it has more bite than the 50s. Probably that would be a better comparison.

I've found you definitely have to use the tone studio to get everything out of the katana. I've never found an amp that makes my strat sound the way I want. I've actually found that with the katana. I have to say it feels like a tube amp to me. I've made a patch that gives me a throaty, just at breakup, clean. Sounds like a super reverb. Full out SRV kind of chime. Also have it set for my les paul. I can run from texas blues to robin trower with vibe on board, into a blues breaker and Marshall plexi all in one amp at push of a foot switch. Its insane.

A great review. As of 2023 the Blues Jr maps for $750 whereas the Boss is $269 a $481 difference. Is the Blues Jr really worth $481 more?

Katana sounds great but kinda like mid scooped all the time compared to the BJ4, i had the BJ4 but i sold it because the shimmer mod which adds sparkle on top is making it very hard to use with gain pedals, i use Hot Rod Deluxe IV now and it's perfect for pedals :)

You should get the Katana 100 mine knocks my Fender blues deluxe in to fits loads better.

I have the blues jr AND the boss katana 50. I like both options in 2023.

Blues Jr is breaking up too much which is why it sounds great clean but once you push drives into it it sounds mushy. The Katana is set squeaky clean which is why your drives sound good but your cleans are a bit sterile. If you find a happy medium between the two you'll be happy with both I think

Just saying ,for the price of a Jr. you can now score two Katanas on the street and still have money for a fancy leather strap.

What he isn't mentioning is all the other amazing tones that don"t sound like Fender that the Kat can cop. Peter Green, SRV, Jimi, Gary Moore. John Mayer,,, etc... all without outboard pedals. The Blues Jr can't compete with that variety.

Katana sounds great in the bedroom. It just didn't cut it in the band context for me. Switched to the blues jr. Good comparison.

i like the katana better i cant wait to get my mkII 50 watt combo on tues

Boss Katana has some really killer tones. If you go into your computer and load some patches. You can't justify spending $1500-$2000 on a big brand tube amp when you can get pretty darn close with a Katana. I have the MK2 50 and I now know I don't need to ever get an expensive tube amp to get similar tones. Each to their own though.

Need to go into the global eq setting on amp hooked to pc and yes it will take you awhile to find the sweet spot but it will sound a lot better. I also noticed you have to run the eq settings back to zero and start from scratch when you want to make a change for them to make much of a difference.

Te Fender costs three times the katana . For there price two great amp's love them .

Turn the Kat UP, come on, how could you miss that?

Try the Katana Artist MkII 100. Comes in a combo or head and sounds much better and closer to a tube amp.

I have a Katana MKii... Despite spending endless hours with the software, it cannot touch a valve amp. I have a blues Jr and hot rod delux so can make comparison... The Katana is now unemployed..I wonder if many of the guys who love the Katana, have had experience of playing through a valve amp..

My two cents: The Fender all the way for cleans; Katana, everything else.

If I didn’t know better, I would say the bass EQ on the Katana was turned all the way down. That’s how much of a difference the Blues Jr is. Crazy how much of a difference a tube amp makes.

The Katana is like an old N.I.N. song, every day(sound) is exactly the same. Now, before anyone starts getting hostile, I have 2 of them. Both 100w 112s, original and MKII. Of course, you can go into Tone Studio and tweak and play with things to your hearts desire. And originally, that was the fascination for me. But after a while you come to realize that in the end, it still sounds the same. How many hours have you spent tweaking stuff? Sitting in front of the PC when you could have been doing something else. Maybe playing. You can learn a lot with everything that's built in, I can't deny that. And if you're someone that doesn't want your effects to "color your tone", this is the perfect amp. It's all black and white. Not saying I'm a big Blues Jr fan either but, there is life in those tones. Definitely a little "color".

Clean the Jr sounds fuller and better but with pedals the Katana kills it. I have the 50 and gig with it with and without pedals, meaning I have made clean patches, when not using pedals. I've found using Sneaky Amps and the Universal EQ in Tone Studio you can create some killer cleans.

If you’re still wondering which one to get, but both and run them in stereo. Easy solution

Which one would Brian May go for? The Vox AC30. Which one would BB king choose? Whichever you provide him with. I am going for the 100 MkIi. Why? Because of the online reviews are so good!

Great timely video. I am getting back to guitar and bought my "peak" guitar (G&L). The fretboard and bridge single coil sold me but the humbucker has been a huge disappointment. Since I have trash small amps I got the idea a tube amp might be the answer. Music stores are at least 50 miles away but I made it down today and plugged into a Jr. Well, I found my answer. There it was! The sound in my head! Problem. My wife works at home (permanently) so my volume-loudness is limited and that level won't (more than likely) allow me to utilize the Jr. to get the sound I want, plus no headphone jack on the Jr.,and much of my time is with headphones. I am a "weak" player and won't be playing out. Just making "sounds" at home. The Katana fits my budget well, A used Jr. today was $399. I don't want to get consumed with playing with the sounds, just find a blues sound or two that i want and be happy. Any comments would be welcome. Thanks you. Great video. (My guitars are yard sale Squiers other than the G&L, I also have a nice Gibson acoustic-electric). The Jr. would rule and be al no-brainer for me I thought it justified the price for what I will be able to use it for.

Blues jr sounds forward and spanky, very tight clean. Katana sounds restrained and muted, though nice with pedals.

I bought the Katana artist mk2 and I LOVE IT!

I sold my katana `100 for the same reason, i loved it but it always sounded muffled or covered up for some reason, no matter how much EQ i did.

If you have an ear for tone the difference is stark, a strat is too organic sounding to get proper tone from a katana

As a katana owner and a humble guitarist spent plenty of time with digital amps, i can easily say that katana is no match for BJ. Katana is versatile yes but it can never ever sound and feel like a tube amp.

Didn't realize this was a shoot out. Digital Amp revolution has really broken the hearts and souls of tube lovers like myself. Pretty soon ill be leaving my 98 lbs Bad Cat rig at home to plug into a device we pulled out of our pocket. Its crazy but I liuterally lost inside of a kemper profile and forgot I wasn't still playing my 67 vibroluxe...yikes don't tell anyone.

Come back to playing and this techno progress has done my nut in so i bought a ukulele for some peace of mind....

I think both are awesome amps. For my style of music I like the Fender. But if I was part of a band that plays a wide variety of covers, I think the Boss would be much more versitile. It depends on the application and style.

Hi, Rich, I was just wondering which pickups are on your Strat? I’m a fairly new subscriber so I may have not seen the video about this Strat.

Blues JR did sound better clean, but when you used the pedals, Katana sounded more like a tube amp. Awesome playing too.👍

They are both good amps. I've owned both before. Hard to choose one over the other. Heck why not both?? Lol. 👍👌🙌🎸🎸

Blues junior, just gotta drive the tubes to get the overdrive. Katana sounded good, but the clean tones weren’t even close.

god dingit , I think I finally found my jazz amp Katana50...mkII ...kind of expensive..., why did Boss stop manufacturing the orig 50?...,off course the tube amp sounds "better", but the maintenance and the temperament of a tube amp I need not..., Heers , K

Good demo. I like the BJr better, more presence to me. :)

Torn between Katana 50 or 100, but I'm getting one for sure

I sold my blues jnr when I got my MK1 katana 50 ....as I found I literally never switched the blues junior on..