Can we just appreciate for a moment how amazing it is that we can get content of this quality on our favourite subjects at our fingertips? It's just nuts. I remember sitting in the school library, sharing a copy of Guitarist in my lunch breaks in the hope of seeing a short paragraph on whatever I was interested in that month.

Yes, Boss made a winner with the Katana line up. I bought my 14yr old son a Katana 100 after many many hours of research. He has been playing everyday and just loves it. The sounds and tones he gets with it are amazing. So when I got a bass for xmas from my wife I went and got a Katana 60 bass amp now my son and I jam and can compliment our tones with such ease.

I do truly appreciate this demo. I was a Marshal user in the 80's during my traveling days. My method for lead and rhythm tones was my volume knob. And us old guys knew how to do that. The Matchless is impeccable for what it does. No argument there. But now in my 60's, I travel (shorter distances) with a BOSS KATANA 100 combo 1st gen and I love it! And so did the engineer on my last gig who knows mics and guitars. I have the larger pedal for program changes, hence the 100W version. I actually see no need for swapping up to the latest version at all. I can carry my whole rig with the guitar on my shoulder, pedal board in one hand and the amp in the other hand. I've had Boogie's and Fenders, but this little amp is my forever friend, and for all the reasons that you two understand as well. Thank you again!

Ancient guitarist here. I'm a trained Silicon Valley printed circuit designer. I saw John Entwistle playing in a smaller club in California a while back. He and the rest of the band were using line 6 amps. As the show wore on those circuit boards got hot and all you could hear was very loud distortion! So I know the traces on those board are very thin. I wonder how long the Katana would hold up under the strain on a gig? I have had a lot of amps and nothing can compete with my 50 watt Fender Bassman. Point to point wired with no effects on board. Mine was modified with a mid-range control and a line out in the back. It's a separate head so not too heavy! Then you can put what ever pedal you want in front of it and not have to worry about the amp. This was a good show. Really liked the comparison and some good playing! Thanks. FF

Not only was that informative, it was a real treat to just listen to Paul and the tones!

With a slight scoop of those mid/highs, I honestly don’t think we’d hear any difference at all from the Katana. Such a great value, versatile, just sounds good. Awesome purchase for anyone looking for quality:price ratio

I suppose there will always be a debate regarding Tube amps vs. Solid state, but after playing for almost 50 years and have had great tube amps in both the past and present. the ease and simplicity of setting up my Katana MKII 100 watt combo and getting such a range of great tones makes it my preferred choice. I love my old Classic 30 and my Budda SD18, but if I didn't have either of these great amps, I would be perfectly fine with my Katana...it would do everything I'd need in a club gig or jam somewhere. The cost, weight and overall value of these Katanas would be my first choice if I had to replace everything I own and start over again. Great clip as usual, guys...thanks!

I have to admit, there's a lot of love out there for the Katana head. It's all singing, all dancing and through a decent cab, sounds brilliant. It certainly holds up well against its valve cousins, especially with some gain dialled in.

Very nice indeed. I bought the Artist MKII Combo a week ago and I feel like I finally have an amp that can do virtually anything and do it well. This comparison helps prove it.

I have a katana and love it. It's the most versatile amp I've ever owned. When you get into the software the amp is even more amazing.

Traded in my MarshallJCM900 two years ago for a Katana 100W. From a sonic standpoint, it does literally everything I need it to do in the rooms where I play, with the music I play, and get this, it only takes ONE person to get it out of the truck and up to the stage! I can just pick it up and carry it, no hand truck, no grunts trying to get it back into the truck. So also from a purely utilitarian standpoint, this is one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. I absolutely love my Katana.

As a beginner guitar player, I have certainly learned there is a lot of marketing hype with guitar equipment.

Ive had my share of tube amps, and owned the BOSS katana, and honestly, the katana was surprisingly good, but doesn’t replace a good tube amp on many levels.

I'm looking into buying the Katana 100, and honestly I loved the tones! I feel like it has a bit more bite to it, which I really like! And since I'm probably going to turn off the effects and draw the distortion from pedals it's great! Plus it has an attenuator (which is great for both bedroom and gigs), and an FX loop

Honestly, I was an analog and tube purist for YEARS. But these days, I use a mix of analog and digital pedals through my BossIR200 and FRFR Laney Speaker. Couldn't be happier. If it sounds great, it is great.

Nice one chaps. Not only can you play B7 without checking where your fingers are, but you combine your expertise in all things amping with consummate skill in communicating the art of music simply, such that even this guitar midget can understand. I not only learn every time I tune in, but enjoy the experience. I like the new look too. Keep it coming. BTW I train people to build nuclear subs. 25K people trained so know what good looks like.

Great work! I appreciate your time and effort. I listened to this video in the car cranked up! I couldn’t hear a discernible difference to justify spending the extra $ for the tube amps. Boss are killing it!

Your many videos on the Boss Katana line inspired me to take a chance on it after needing to buy a practice amp for the first time in many years. I have been absolutely blown away by what solid state amps (especially practice amp priced ones) can do these days. I cannot believe the sound and versatility of these things, especially for the cost. Thirteen year old bedroom guitarist me back in the day would have absolutely lost his mind with something like this. Anyways, thanks for all of the awesome videos and the fantastic tones pack(s) you have available on Boss Tone Exchange. Hope you all keep doing what you do for a long time to come yet.

I've seen a handful of videos like this; they do a convincing job of showing how modeler amps can sound great on a recording. I gig every weekend in an original alternative act and maybe it's just young guitarists that can't dial their amps in but everytime I see someone playing through a modeling amp or DI set up; it just always sounds thin and quiet.

Great job fellas! Katana 50 is my backup amp for live gigs. #1 is Fender Tonemaster Deluxe.

Nice! Yep,we have several tube amps,including a 1966 Bassman head,and they all sound great but we keep a Katana lined in/mic'd up and ready to go. We can duplicate just about any amp via Katana. Salute the Katana Mk II👍

After considering my options, I am definitely getting a tube amp (a 20W valve Marshall amp to be specific). superior feel and tone imo

Without the visual support by the changing amp pics I actually would not even notice the swap. Excellent. This way I can keep my valve amp and no need to go digital. Cheers lads, fab video in content and making. Best from Munich

The Katana replaced all of my tube amps about 3 years ago. It has been as good and in many cases better while being lighter and much less expensive.

I've used the Katana Artist II combo for recording and found it excellent. If you want to avoid putting pedals in the chain you can easily voice and modify your sound from the amp which can then be mic'd or plugged direct into an interface. The connectivity of the Katana makes it easy to add or just demo parts. I use the same amp live, mic'd through a PA, and am more than happy with it. When the Roland Jazz Chorus came out it was adopted by many pro users without being especially praised, though it's considered a classic. Maybe the Katana will go the same way. It's unusual in combining versatlity and quality of sound with an intuitive design.

Great comparison - very well conceived, explained, executed, and documented. There's one thing you've left out of the equation is /amp feel/. The subjective experience of the guitarist playing through each individual amplifier. This is of course not the only important factor, and for some guitarists, it may not be important at all. For others, including myself, it's one of the most important factors (second only to tone).

Very nice review. The idea of laying down a loop then playing it back through each head was an excellent way of eliminating the human variables. I agree- the Katana sounded great in its own right. But factoring in the price difference is indeed a “ no brainer.” Add that the Katana’s MIDI capabilities and you need look nowhere else.

These demonstrations for me show how incredibly good value the Katana series is. When the differences are that small in a real mix situation I would be questioning why I'd spend thousands on an amp that doesn't sound that much "better". Boss have built a modern classic here.

Awesome comparison. Really loved the playing too. Thanks for doing this. It's amazing how good the Katana sounds and the price.

That Matchless head has amazing tone. However, the Katana’s tone was not all that different. I’m happy to have the 100 Mk II combo amp due to space constraints. It’s an excellent combo, in my opinion.

For me tone amps are superior because in person you can’t just feel/hear the difference they make. KZfaq videos make them sound the same but there’s just something different about a legit tube amp that’s so sweet, that said the Katana still sounds incredible! And price wise it’s definitely the better deal, but for me Tube is the way to go

The Marshall sounded better to me on the clean tones, but as you said, the price... I thought the difference was negligible throughout the more driven parts.

this has just shown me how much of a sleeper amp the jcm900 is =) good stuff

A cranked matchless is a VERY unique beast to play. Im using badcats myself these days and the tone and feel these amps deliver is worth the money OVER TIME. yeah expensive but SO nice to play and use year after year.

Fascinating comparison. Another feather in the Katana's cap that nobody ever seems to mention is the fact that, being solid state, they are not susceptible to variations in mains power supply in the way their valve cousins are. They sound as good whatever the venue, which can't be said for a valve amp.

The main difference is that if something goes wrong with your tube amp, you can usually get a local tech to fix is easily. If something goes wrong with your digital amp and its out of warranty the solution is to buy a new board, which is not cheap... Personally, I just don't find digital amps to be responsive enough, and they sound very different in the room when you're standing beside it then they do in a close mic'd 1" away from the speaker, which isn't my favourite way to mic an up amp either, but to each their own.

The heavier gain stuff minimized the nuances of the amps. However, that edge of breakup tone revealed a lot. All 3 sounded amazing in that context. But honestly, the Marshall won that. I own a Katana MK2 50. Love it.

The Marshall sounded the best to my ears while listening in headphones. In general I preferred the Matchless and the Marshall overall when looking away then watching back. As you say though, for the money it’s really close.

This speaks volumes to the importance of the speakers, so much that the amp matters less than the speakers/mic positions. Glen Fricker is right!

Hands down, great content again! I have Katana 100 Head MKII (using it through 2x12 V30) and Marshall JVM 215c. I really like both units and playing them in my flat in bedroom levels. I must say that both amps are performing truly amazing in low volumes, but the feeling of amps are still quite different. The effects, different amp models, bunch of Boss quality pedals on board are hard to beat on Katana. If I have had a gig, I would take it everywhere with me, and wouldn‘t really need my pedalboard if I had the controller under my feet. On the other hand there’s JVM, around the notes you play makes the air move in a completely different way, makes you hear all nuances and rich harmonics under your finger tips and answers your style in a unique way. I play electric guitar for over 17 years and I know what my ears want to hear. Having both is really fun! The only problem I had with my Katana is that it doesn’t really take my Strat well - on high gain settings - and creates some fizzy noises. With my other guitars -HBs - it sounds extremely competitive.

Have to say that this channel has become my gold standard for guitar tone here on KZfaq. Great job!

Very cool comparison. I use a Boss Mk2 100. I play mostly Fusion Rock stuff and the Katana sounds great for that. It's the Swiss army knife of amps. I have been using some of your patches. They are great as a starting point for tweaking other tones and sound great on there own as well . Thanks for the video.

I don't understand why people are talking about modeling amps in the comments. The Katana is not a modeling amp, as Boss keeps pointing out. The amp generates its sounds analog, only the FX section is digital. So there is no question of a modeling amp when we talk about the amp sound of the Katana. By the way, I think this video is very well done. Paul simply knows what he's talking about and I really like the Studio Rats channel. Musical greetings from Germany Mic

I have a Marshall DSL40C that I have been using as my main amp for a few years. I also had a Fender Mustang LT25 that I used for practice because the Marshall is too loud for the home. Last August a friend asked if I would help out with his band. I did not want to lug my Marshall over to his house every week for practice as it's fairly heavy. the Mustang was not loud enough to keep up with the keyboard, drums, bass, and other guitar. I bought a Katana 50 MKII to use for band practice. I was totally blown away by how quickly I could get a great tone from the Katana. I used the Tone Studio software on my laptop to create 4 presets. I have my clean tone, my main rhythm tone, my lead tone, and then a edge of breakup tone with a rotary effect that I use for some old Cream songs (Badge). The 50 watt Katana is very easy to carry and is more than loud enough for what I am doing. I would even be comfortable gigging with this amp in smaller venues.

BOSS always has and continues to innovate. Nothing against the other incredible amps, but for most average players it's excellent to know that BOSS is there for you and always has been.

It’s mostly about feel and sound presence in the room. I can get a similar recorded sound from almost any two different amps. I actually sold my Katana Artist when I realized I enjoyed playing on my Bandit more lol. It felt more like an amp, so solid state itself isn’t the issue. Not that I didn’t enjoy the Katana, it’s even on some of my recordings. I was reluctant to get rid of such a tonally versatile amp, but to be honest I don’t miss it after I got a 2525c!

First off, Thanks for this. It's fortunate for me (everyone?) to have such a resource. There's a sweet spot for every amp. Matchless sounds ok, not a bad sound. Not a sound that draws me in though. The Marshall sounded like it was waiting for you to really "USE" it's offerings. The katana sounds like a pedal. My experience has been that when a player/amp interaction is called upon, a real transformer and power section is second to none other. Pre amp tones are simple I'd say. When tone doesn't matter as much, the Katana would probably do. There's an interaction however, the Katana simply can't provide. Oh, and the Marshall was far and away the best for me. Especially the clean tones! Cheers guys and thanks again.

Fab channel for guitar heads. Using Katana 100mk2 as it saves carting around a heavy Mesa amp and a bucket load of pedals. To my ears the valves and pedals are best, as for the audience they wouldn't have a clue when the volume goes up

Interesting. My issue with testing amps with loops or samples is that the responsiveness of the amp may change the way that you play, as opposed to just being a post-production effect...

What a great comparison. The differences are almost negligible, and most listeners would never know the difference for sure. On a side note - I'd love to see a short video on how to play the clean riff. You use it all the time in your demos, and it sounds great, and I'm never entirely sure how you're playing it. :D

I kinda went in a different direction, but my results were just as dramatic as this shows. I got the Thomas Blug Amp 1 amplifier. It's a pedal sized tube amp the size of a multi-effects pedal, like an EHX. It is a 100 watt tube powered four channel amp with all the features of a head. Effects loop, tone controls, everything. Look one up to get the full story, but it's brilliant. I also got the foot controller for it. I have a Helix for effects and connecting to a PC. So basically it's a Line 6 wireless to the Helix, then a patch cable to the amp, then a speaker cable to the EVH 2x12 cab. That is the entire rig. It is an admirable studio recording setup because of the Helix, it all fits on a pedal board and is the most portable rig you can get. I mounted air filled rubber tire casters to the cab to not only decouple it from the floor, but it serves as the truck for my whole set up. I put the board bag on top, my guitar case that also has my extension cords and tools and I can roll the whole thing into the club or my buddies house for practice. I am setup and ready in 10 minutes with no physical strain. Tear down is just as easy. But none of that convienience stuff matters if it doesn't sound good. This is the best sounding rig I have owned in my 34 years of playing. I just wish this level of tech was available before now. Not only would it have saved countless hours and money, but what I can do with it now is over the top. No joke, the Amp 1 by Thomas Blug is something you should check into

As a player, small differences in tone can be a big deal. But, as a listener, small differences in tone in a Mix are often inaudible, and even big differences are meaningless unless they ruin the desired result. I can't remember the last time I heard a Mix that I thought was ruined by the guitar tone. Weird guitar tones often sound fine in a Mix. The guitar speakers/cab makes a much bigger difference than the Amp in my experience, and this also holds true in the Modelling world, provided the High Cut frequency Response emulates a real speaker. I'd like to see a comparison of the same Head played through different Cabs. I think that's where your money has way more value.

Great video as all your other videos! Katana is totally worth it considering the price. Matchless was best for clean, JCM probably has a tiny edge in the chug stuff, but Katana sound barely any different and this is before adding effects at all. Thanks for your video.

Recently got a Katana Artist MK II Head & Waza Cabinet & BOSS GA-FC EX Pedal bundle for $1K. Great bang for the buck

Yay, finally a proper testing procedure! Thanks guys, this is one of the few a/b shootouts that is actual useful. My Kat100mkii holds pride of place in my studio and gigs.

Agree with all key points - katana is immense sounding. A few bits for me, remember second hand market for JCM900 is very reasonable by comparison. The clean 900 sound was pure Slash by the way! My worry with digital gear is firstly how durable it is - IE if it fell off a wagon would it be ok? Pretty sure the Marshall and Matchless would be, and if it wasn’t ok could it be repaired easily? Again, old valve amps are very serviceable whereas digital stuff is more consumable (if it breaks you’re more likely to just need to throw it away and buy another as the repair would cost more than a new amp). Also big issue with digital gear is the obsolescence risk aka new iPhone syndrome- in two years there will be a new Katana which will plummet the current versions value and eventually have compatibility issues with the various software editors. Whereas a good valve amp will always be a good valve amp and hold its value accordingly. Biggest take away for me is that no way is that matchless worth 3.5 grand! 😂 Not meaning to be negative at all btw, just some thoughts that came to my mind. Great content, keep it coming.

It's impressive how much the Japanese have been producing high-quality goods for many years and have literally changed my life. Whether it's hi-fi equipment or everything related to guitars Japanese products have followed me since my childhood. One of my very first real amplifiers was actually the Roland micro cube which I still remember. It was an amplifier that I took absolutely everywhere and sounded so good for its size and price. I briefly switched to Line 6 with the excellent Line 6 Spider Valve 112 MK1 and today I use the Boss Katana MK2. Even with cars, I prefer Toyota and Lexus. I'm not ready to switch to other brands other than Japanese ones, the only exception being Fender. I love playing on a Stratocaster and Telecaster with Noiseless pickups that I installed on them, but that's really the only exception for me.

After owning the Artist combo for about a year, I jumped at the chance to get the head when it came out. The Artist is great, but is still limited by being a 1x12. Great for grab and go needs, but my preference has always been to have a head and a 212 or 412 cab. I tried the regular mkii head and it sounds great but I prefer front facing controls and a "pro" look to my amp and the 100w head feels a little small sitting on top of a 4x12. Plus the new dedicated solo boost delay for the Artist models is what i have been waiting for! Bottom line is that Katanas sound great, but there is something about the sound and look of the Katana Artist head cranking away sweet tones through my 412 cab that is simply awesome. BTW I credit all my awesome tones to this channel - thank you so much for all the great content.

I've had Matchless, Bogner, Marshall, Fender, Top Hat, Doctor Z, PRS and many other amps. It's hard to believe a BOSS amp can compete with tube amps, but this video is pretty convincing.

@ 8.29 The Matchless triggered an intense melancholic emotion in me. And that happened on a JBL Go. Tried it with a quality headset and it was even more clear. I have always bought my equipment based on that. I would ask an established musician to play, and I would just listen to the amp with my eyes closed. Great playing by the way.

I've been using a Katana Artist for several years now and unless it fails I'm unlikely to need another amp. Fantastic amp especially considering the price.

I’ve had the katana. It sounds harsh and metallic. Not like my tube amps which are full and luscious.

Watched this a second time on the reference headphones to make sure my ears weren't deceiving me. I think Katana is going to be my next purchase!

I like both SS and tube amps and will just add that when a tube amp breaks your local amp tech will have no problem getting it up and running again. When your Katana stops working it's going to be a lot more expensive to fix and in a lot of cases once it's over 10 years old you'll be unlikely to get the parts to fix it at all.

The only track where I really felt a difference (and Marshall was the fullest and more pleasing for me) was the clean one. Really eye opening!

I’ve had two Katana amps. I liked them at first but I never could get them to sound like a Fender Deluxe Reverb. If you want a really good solid state amp get a Quilter.

I like your test method - a lot! Not a huge difference between them. Probably goes to show that the player matters as much as anything along with the speakers. And with the Katana, no expensive tube changes - any time.

Great video. Truly. I can tell you my experience. I bought the Katana Artist combo in November, used it for a week, and put it into the spare bedroom and pulled back out my Laney Class A tube amp and separate effects. For an "audiophile" sound (I know it's not the right term) the Katana simply doesn't cut it. The Katana does a 1,000 things good but nothing exceptionally well.

I would love to hear this same test run through other types of tube heads!

I have some great valve amps, however I often use my Katana Artist for convenience. It's a great amp.

You cant get a boss to sound that good in real life. If you have been blessed/cursed with picky ears, the boss wont do it. Its very difficult to get it to sound huge without also making the tone super buzzy (not talking about the background hum, the tone of the notes sound buzzy themselves) I can never get a good balance of no annoying tone and no “blanket over the speakers” muffled sound (most solid state amps suffer from this dilemma) I tried so many different SS amps, and was never satisfied. None of them could get me that 80's EVH/brown sound/80's hair metal sound. Sure it may be good for the dollar amount, but when im spending $300-$500 on an amp and not in love with it, its a waste of all that money. So I pulled the trigger and got a Friedman Runt 20 and a 2x12 cab with V30s. It was not a waste of $1000. Now I can focus on my playing instead of fighting the knobs on a SS amp. My Friedman sounds AWSOME. SS amps have made lots of progress but still cant beat the real deal. The Runt 20 sounds HUGE, its perfection in a box.

The Katana sounds great and it is a handy tool to use but I will always love my Marshalls as well. ✌🏻

Another awesome video. I am just a hobbyist and use a boss katana artist mkii. I have been considering a small tube amp but was concerned about the volume. After this video I think I have decided that’s something I do not need to bother with. Thank you!

My only issue with the katana is a friend had one which broke, no one could fix it so it had to go on ebay for £50 spares etc, where as a valve amp generally can be repaired.

In my house the Katana range (I've tried a few) hum and buzz so loud as to be unusable. My Marshall, Vox and Princeton are silent. I've tried mains filters, and even got an electrician in, but it seems the Katanas are just very sensitive to mains-borne interference.

This, or the axe or the helix or some other excellent modelling systems.... they are just amazing. I have lived with modelled guitar tone for some time now and don't think twice... it delivers exactly what and when I want and is inspiring.

I bought a Katana Mk 2, and found it to be very small and boxy sounding. After a lot of fiddling with it, I could get a sound somewhat similar to a Vox amp, but that was about it. You are much better off, saving up another $700 and buying a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Interesting video. Alexander Dumble once said, “The more fragile harmonics can survive in a vacuum tube where they seemed to be eliminated or squashed in a solid state crystal lattice.”. What’s not being demonstrated here is how the amps react when the volume and tone controls on the guitar are used. This is where tube amps shine over solid state. I also agree with the comments regarding how an amp feels to the player which also can’t be demonstrated when re-amping. Someone else mentioned that the more expensive amp is more valuable over time. For the guitar lessons I teach I’ve gone through three Roland micro cubes and my 25 year old crate vc508 is still cranking long after the life span of those cubes. Hearing is similar to taste in that everyone’s pallet is a little different. I will say that what I heard from the Katana re-amped with the Palmer was not as pleasing as the tones from the tube amps. I’d really like to have heard the amps without the backing tracks, I think that would be a little more revealing. Thanks for the video guys.

I own a few solid state / digital amps including the Katana. I also own some very nice tube amps. Here’s my take. For modern overdriven sounds the Katana sounds excellent. It’s a fat tight overdrive / distortion sound. Where it starts to lack is the crunch and clean sounds. The crunch does sound good but it’s just not as dynamic as a tube amp. The clean also feels a bit flat under the fingers. But I’m really being picky. I have no issues at all gigging with the Katana. It sounds great and it definitely won’t blow a tube or transformer during a gig. Is anyone in the audience going to tell the difference between a tube vs digital amp? No. 100% no.

I would love a follow up video where he plays a similar thing but now live with each amp so we can hear if there's anything extra that comes from the amp's live tone to the player. What I'm trying to ask in the worst way possible is, how do these amps really feel?

I was iffy about my Katana 100 MKII but then I read about the “turn the master volume all the way up” truck and since then I can’t believe how great this thing sounds. You can use the foot switch for clean, edge of breakup and lead tones and go with no other pedals if you like. I wish they made a 30 watt version with a 10 inch speaker that weighed about 18 pounds but that’s just because I’m an old man with a bad back!

They all sounded great to my ears. I own a DSL40 and Cavin V3 w/2x12 cab, but my Katana Artist is the amp I play out with these days. Great tool for a cover band and easy on this old man's back :)

I spent more re tubing my bassbreaker than I did on the katana brand new..pretty amazing

I have to appreciate how they took an A power chord and turned it into the most banging song I've ever heard 😂

If cost is the main factor for going digital, then why compare the katana with some expensive tube amps? there are more budget tube amps now than ever, and a lot of them are actually pretty decent. on top of that, if you're into bang for buck, you can get pretty amazing sounding tube amps second hand for the price of a katana 100. Got myself a Marshall DSL15 for well under 300$ recently and after some mods, it just sounds amazing. Not only that tube amps can be modded as much as you want, but they can be repaired indefinitely. People still think that tube amps are expensive to own, but tubes don't wear if you don't play them and if you do, you're getting the value out of your money. Resistors and capacitors are generally dirt cheap and they rarely fail, while the most expensive components, the transformers, can last decades or even your entire lifespan. On the other hand, due to complexity as well as planned obsolescence, digital amps, just like anything digital these days, ends up in the bin in a couple of years.

Fabulous demo, awesome playing! From where I'm sitting, behind a 2 year old Macbook Air, through decent quality headphones, when the amps switch, no difference, nada. I expect the live room experience would reveal differences. Reminds me of debates over shades of paint colour, the viewing angle and lighting in a room can vastly overwhelms any subtle differences you'd see on a paint sample card, or the subjective mind's eye. Actually astonishing to hear how close a call it is between the amps, considering the circuitry and cost differentials. So well done, thank you!

Only discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago and I have to say Paul's guitaring is fantastic and the content of the videos is really helpful and well explained.

Great video. Katana is a useful tool and I enjoy mine. The tube amps are in another league though.

Katana is just an incredible goal for Boss and nobody could tell differently. STILL Matchless has an opening on the mid-hi frequencies very difficult to achieve but, as you say, probably it is possible to fix better with a little EQing and using the different voicing on the Katana; anyway, is it true to say that digital amps are really sneakin'up fast the place of Valve amps. And, in my opinion, if I had to choose who to entrust my sound, easily Roland-Boss would receive my praise. I'm an old user of 90's Peavey transistor amps and probably time has come to change my stereo rig...❤️❤️❤️

On the clean comparisons at the end, you sold me on the JCM 900! Wow, it sounds so sweet. The Matchless sounds great as well. The Katana? Uhh…. Well… Another thing to consider, besides face value, is cost over time and asset value. Try selling your $600 Katana head in 4 years. I couldn’t sell my Katana mkI for half of what I bought it for after having it for 2 years. So I just gave it to a friend. If you have a Matchless or JCM 900 and you sell it, it will be like you never paid for it and you should be able to make money off of the resell. I’ve made about 30% on all my sells of Fender and Marshall tube amps, which means I got paid for playing them, some for 20 years. Oh, and to the point, they sound way better than any Katana. But digital technology is catching up.

Just proves how much technology has evolved. Great video Rats🤟🤟

As much as I love the Katana, I can feel a bit less harmonics and complexity from it. Either way, it keeps being really cost-effective.

You can't beat the KATANA for value. The new Artist head is really nice. I still use a Katana Mk.1 head. Does everything I need it to.

What type of speaker is in that cab, please?

Besides showing me a solid state amp used effectively in the studio, thank you for making me aware of how good modern Matchless amps sound. I just figured they were ok compared to the Sampson Perotta originals. Holy smokes, that one sounded fantastic. If I had to tour with a Katana, I am confident I would get good sounds in the PA but the feel would be different and none of the people who hire me would let that logo on state with them. I'd have to disguise it. Luckily I have a lot of fantastic tube amps already.

Nice!! but still the Matchless had the 3D thing going, that the Katana lacked.

I've just watched this again and am glad to receive confirmation of what my own gigging and recording experience suggests: the Katana Artist Mk II is a superb all round amp. If you put the innards in a boutique enclosure and increased the price it's likely that its merits would be even more seriously debated. I've just taken delivery of the hard copies of a new album of my own partly recorded with the Katana and am delighted with how the amp sounds. To have a player of Paul's calibre praise it should persuade many who are hesitating that the only downside to the Katana is that some, without the experience of using one, will be prejudiced against the badge. Btw Paul, if you see this, I'd love to know more about that ballad you play, and often play a snippet from. It's gorgeous and your pleasure in playing it was very palpable. Another great video guys. Thank you.

First off, I always love your playing! I'm feeling better about buying my Katana 12 X 100 combo amp. For the price against the big boys, it sits really well. Thanks, guys. 👍

Katana sounds phenomenal up against the matchless and Marshall when factor in the price. Great review guys 👍 Would be good to see line 6 catalyst or the Fender GTX against the katana in a future video

A video about why you shouldn't buy a tube amp, filmed in a room full of tube amps, paid for by a company that doesn't sell tube amps. lmao...