$100 Guitar Amp Shoot Out: Boss Katana Mini vs Orange Crush 12 vs Vox Pathfinder 10 (Review + DEMO)

[@5MinuteMusic]

To see more EXCLUSIVE videos on these (and other) great amps, please sign up for the newsletter: mailchi.mp/f93b8bb33c64/get-more-exclusive-amp-videos Question of the Day: What else would you like to know about these amps?

[@RLStupidityPerson]

5:05 Katana Clean 5:43 Katana Crunch 6:20 Katana Metal 7:39 Orange Clean 8:18 Orange Crunch 8:58 Orange Metal 9:45 Vox Clean 10:22 Vox Crunch 11:01 Vox Metal

[@Rosslly]

5:05 Clean katana 9:46 clean vox

[@PaulN200]

I have the VOX Pathfinder 10. It was purchased based on KZbin comparisons like this and of independent reviews. I play clean bluesy / jazz with a hollow body Sire. It depends on the music you like to play but the VOX is there with the best at this price point.

[@liaa2380]

If someone likes to play the strokes, arctics monkeys, the 1975, phoenix, nothing but thieves, sza and some of joji’s type of songs, is it better to get marshall or vox or boss katana? That prolly compatible with reverb effect / pedal. Thank you!

[@xDTHx]

​@Lia A I would recommend getting a full size boss katana. It's really one of the most versatile amps.

[@sleevelessace]

bro its the best blues/rock amp for the price forsure! i bought a fender frontman 10g thinking its fender its a bit cheaper fender dosent make crap, and well its not crap you dont get the amazing warmth from the vox, like paired with my epiphone les paul 50s standard you dont even need a effects pedal for blues! couldnt be happier, and its huge for a practice 10 watt amp, espcially comppared to the crush,frontman and obvs the katana

[@TroyNaumu808]

I do not own the Vox Pathfinder but i did own a Vox 5w mini and a Vox AD30VT 30w. I gave away the Vox mini as it was not as durable as I wanted. I still have the Vox AD30Vt and it is very durable and well made. It can take a beating. I do not own the Orange 12 but I did own a Orange 3w Mini . It was kinda ok by itself but worked better as a head to a cabinet. It was not as versitile as I had hoped. So in the end i resold it. I chose to give the Boss Katana Mini 7w a go. It does have issues with power supply buzz but it is barely noticable when using just batteries (rechargeable preferably). I love the clean sounds of the Boss Katana as I can use it as a pedal platform. its versatility won me over. I believe that the very slight buzzing is a grounding issue of some kind. I used the headphone out to go into my Samson mixer. Both battery powered and then into my Samson P.A speaker (so i can plug in a microphone and or add people and or other instruments to the mix) that is also battery powered (rechargeable lithium battery). All three are very light and not as cumbersome and heavy as my Vox AD30VT. My pedal board is also powered by a rechargeable power bank.

[@liaa2380]

If someone likes to play the strokes, arctics monkeys, the 1975, phoenix, nothing but thieves, sza and some of joji’s type of songs, is it better to get marshall or vox or boss katana? That prolly compatible with reverb effect / pedal. Thank you!

[@b.j.thomas8606]

Vox on Clean by far. All of the Overdrives sounded out of control, just a roar of unrefined sound.

[@ravneetsingh190]

which one is better to use along with pedal board or a processor

[@einsteinalbert8372]

I personally liked boss katana overall and orange in clean. Thanks for the comparison.

[@JavierMunoz-jl6ul]

Vox for me. I've one and clean tones are great. If you control the volume guitar and dont abuse of the drive, the bluesy tones are really great. I put a 8" Celestion on it and now this amp roar.

[@judosailor610]

In the room the orange or vox might sound better with the bigger speakers, but here, the katana mini sounds better than all the rest at any setting. It is the clear winner, imo.

[@wychwoodmusic]

Hard to believe we're even listening to the same video. The Boss sounds like utter dogshit to my ears! Ah well, it's a big, diverse world, good to know know someone likes it

[@RichBriere]

A couple of respectful comments. :) Not utilizing tone controls to get the best possible sound leaves each demo incomplete IMHO. 🙏 A couple of guys below asked about using any of these with a Bass. The Pathfinder Bass Amp is OK as offered but becomes a Tiny Tone Monster when you add a back to it......enclosing the cabinet. Drill a small hole just big enuff for the AC cable to PERMANENTLY hang out and you've got a Killer little Bass Rig. Total time needed to add the back? 10 minutes...Tops. # Bassilicious. :)

[@jeffreydhill]

To my ear, the Orange had the best clean tone, the Vox had the best crunch tone, and the Boss had the best Brown/metal tone.

[@brianschwartz5673]

Nice video, thanks. Considering the Vox has been around since +- 2007 and remains unchanged since then, it has to tell you something. I've had one since around 2008, still use it everyday.

[@5MinuteMusic]

13 years and still going! That is a good investment! Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@EasyHeat]

There is a "tone" mod for the Vox Pathfinder of simply pulling one of the clipping L.E.D.s out with a pair of pliers. Ha! Doing it opens up the headroom and significantly adds more "amp-like" dynamics, but at an overall sacrifice of gain/compression. The older 90's pathfinders are actually VERY awesome amps!

[@Jack_Hakken]

I really commend the way you spoke, I can appreciate the effort to keep it intriguing.👍

[@jsr-uz3oj]

Boss Katana for me.

[@luckyhouston1054]

I Have the Katana Haven't checked out the others. But it is way obvious that the comparison amps are significantly bigger and heavier than the Katana. For my $100 for a genuinely small amp, I'd stick with the Katana. Here's my review: Absolutely love mine. Enough volume to match your un amplified voice for busking. It is also small enough to walk and play. It also works great as a preamp for a louder speaker Only design flaw. Placement of powder switch means it is way too easy to turn the amp on while you're putting it away That means dead batteries when you go to use it again .Add something to shield switch from accidental power ons. Huge success in a micro amp; excellent clear tone. A friend, way better than me, couldn't help from sitting there envying the tone of this little amp against his Street Cube amp. Yeah, volume is stronger on bigger, more expensive amps. But, that is not the point of an amp lighter and smaller than your kid's lunch box.

[@cleangoblin2021]

Crunch 5:43 Katana 8:19 Orange 10:21 Vox Metal/Brown 6:21 Katana 8:58 Orange 11:02 VoX

[@philos212]

Great videos and great content. Really enjoying your review style. Did you mic up all of them to get enough sounds? If we do not use mics are the amps loud enough for room practice? Thanks.

[@RobertWrayGuitar]

I like the Orange Crush!

[@williambrandongiles3692]

I just bought the Boss nice price roughly around 99 dollars.. But I was not aware of the , Missing adapter! So since it was mentioned, What type of an adapter, What size, And what can I use other than buying an adapter? For example , Can I use a keyboard adapter etc?..

[@Brinta3]

You can use the kind of adapter that powers Boss pedals.

[@philos212]

Question of the day: How does the Pathfinder 10 compare to the big brother Tube Vox AC10?

[@philos212]

@@davedhayden Thanks for the response. I ended up buying both pathfinder 10 and ac10 and I can vouch your response. I like them both. They are both distinct.

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@philos212I had an ac10 and never really got along with it...replaced it with an older pathfinder 15r and couldn't be happier, can't speak for the pathfinder 10 but the 15r is incredible

[@michaelparsons5352]

I am leaning towards the Vox. I play in church and am interested if the line can be used to send a signal to the front of house mixer. Does the line out mute the internal speaker? Thanks for the great demo

[@hamburger3999]

Hey I got the boss katan mini and so far I love it but for some reason when I try to connect my ac adapter from my old amp it turns off. What's the problem ☹

[@koushiro86]

Could be it only accepts it when the batteries are removed, or the AC adapter is defective, or for some reason the amp only takes other adapters? Only heard about noisey adapters before, not sure what the issue is here. It’s hard to imagine an adapter that can’t power this amp from the factory but check the specs on both - there might be a clue there

[@Elchurrodurro]

Also your ac adapter might either be a too high or too low of an out put wattage that was my issue

[@myturkishlife1777]

Check that the adapter plug is centre positive or centre negative.... 😁👍🇹🇷

[@IAmJKey]

I'm an orange player here (rockerverb, or-120, and Crush Pro 120).... The best deal here is the pathfinder if you have another speaker to wire the Pathfinder into. If not, the crush (but only if you have an extra 12 inch to replace the shitty VOTW speaker)

[@tdore1267]

just got a orange 20 so i hope that the orange is good

[@5MinuteMusic]

It is a great little amp! Here is a comparison of the Crush 12 to the Crush 20: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m37InoyZYpWceJY Here are 3 settings for the Crush 20: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqTMm3aNjKp5mrM

[@5MinuteMusic]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@anthonypanepinto9685]

Isn't the Boss K the Amp u reviewed that u said had a buzzing sound in it when u use an external power cord? ?

[@AndrewGous101]

Awesome review, thanks! Help... Which would be best for my daughter (starter) to pair with her new Flight Pathfinder Rock Ukelele?

[@voiceofexperience]

The only tone I liked was the Vox clean with your single-coil (middle) pickup.

[@SamG210]

Hey man, thanks for this videos, just one more question, what about if I connect my aux to play music?

[@TheTwangKings]

Can you pls explain the difference between overdrive and gain on the orange crush?

[@TheDuckyCraft]

I would say vox. The orange crush doesn’t have a good metal sound cuz it’s too distorted and with too much gain would sound like a Honda civic fart can. Katana is I would say it would be the same level with Vox as well. They all sound very crunchy and good. If you want to fully rock out then I would recommend the katana if you want a portable amp without a power cable just battery’s and the Vox only had like 4-5 channels (I forgot) and yet it still sounds so good! I wouldn’t use the boss Katana for me cuz I don’t want to use battery’s and constantly buying it when they’re dead. My favourite personally would be the Vox Pathfinder 10.

[@williambrown9250]

I prefer the vox pathfinder10

[@sakaido_shanae]

What guitar are you using?

[@turbocuber3555]

Hey Deric! Would you recommend the Vox Pathfinder 10 or the Fender Champion 20?

[@5MinuteMusic]

Some things to consider: if budget is the key concern, the Vox is about $32 cheaper. The Vox also has a great "chimey" clean. However: the Fender Champion 20 gives you more diversity of tones (also great cleans) and it has effects, so if you are wanting to try out ideas and experiment with tones (for songwriting, etc.) the Champion 20 offers more. But, if you have a lot of pedals, then the FX on the Fender are no longer a factor. Does that help at all?

[@Laszcar]

Hi, what would you recommend for a Van Halen like tone? The 4th option would be the Blackstar Fly3

[@5MinuteMusic]

The Fender Champion 20 is a good little amp for about $30 more!

[@Laszcar]

@@5MinuteMusic Thank you, Ill check it :)

[@nahuelastor7522]

I liked the boss clean, and the orange crunch

[@kevinsachdev2920]

Hey man, can you help me with a configuration for the Champion 20? How do I create a Beatles like sound? I know you've kind of moved on to another amp and it's not the subject of this video but I would appreciate the help. Big fan :)

[@johncollins5552]

The Beatles loved vox amps!

[@EduardoCostaLisboa]

I have the Pathfinder and now I want a Orange too. Damn! 😅😅😅

[@GreenHoleSun]

The vox is a proper amp even at this enntry level price point. The Katana is made with the portability in mind: it is good if you need a super portable amp, but the low frequencies obviously suffer because of the small speaker and power. The Orange...well somebody loves them but it is really not my cup of tea. It is so muddy, oversaturated and monotone...it seems difficult to get some decent tones.

[@lancefraijo8585]

Orange amp all day, everyday.

[@benjohnalbino7039]

5:05 7:39

[@criticalframes3450]

please do fender champion 20 smells like teen spirit

[@sandwork]

what mic were you using

[@5MinuteMusic]

Shure sm57

[@nufit7]

thanks for help me choose affordable gear

[@hamburger3999]

Does any AC Adapter work for the boss katana

[@5MinuteMusic]

The one that Amazon recommended does work, it is just a little noisier compared to the Roland adapter. I am going to be doing a video on this topic. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@thespian1961]

How can you judge anything when you're listening to it over the internet?

[@irondeathgaming9032]

It depends on what you listen to it with, don’t just use your phone connect to a speaker or preferably a stereo system. I have a LG CL98 3500w System. I Han hear anything and everything on differences on it.

[@alxjetson8157]

Bought a Katana used $50.

[@MrMixolydian7]

There’s one at a local pawn shop near me for $60. Plan to check it out soon.

[@strangersound]

Best $100 amp is a Monoprice 611800. 40watt with a 10 inch speaker. Clean and dirty channel, plus a real spring reverb. It's basically a Fender Champ for way less money. For the same money, you get way more than any of these. These are novelties, the Monoprice is a legit amp. :)

[@Intrasport]

Yeah but the selling model for these is the portability not necessarily that they're the best amps on the market. If it's portable and sounds good that's ideally what the consumer would be looking for in this audience.

[@CC-fi3pp]

😂

[@jonneet2126]

The Vox Pathfinder 10 is now up to $195! Nice amp, but......

[@5MinuteMusic]

Sweetwater has it for $109.99! They are a great company to deal with. I have bought a lot of recording gear from them. Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@chevalij]

Everything was too bass heavy and muddy sounding. I noticed that you had the bass almost dimed on every amp!

[@kurtzembower9297]

I think the vox did overly better then the other 2 and I'm a orange amp man at that....vox amp is my next purchase thankyou.

[@soniayi7870]

does this work for bass??

[@johncollins5552]

The vox and orange will work for bass as long as the volume isn't turned up past 4 out of 10 but the katana mini will not handle bass.

[@pizzamanmep]

Katana sounds pretty bad imo. Orange has some flavours at least

[@nikolasthethief]

Katana.

[@charliehale4960]

Bit unfair since the katana is portable via batteries.

[@ElcanaldeReyesManuel]

Excelente 👍🛎️

[@stockholm1752]

VOX.🏆

[@monmac1165]

Crunch and metal comparisons dont count.....they 're just pure noise....doesnt even matter if the guitar is out of tune.....

[@LuiCardenasphotography]

Next video… GUITAR TUNERS! (JK cool to get to hear the amps and sound differences)

[@Whynot-em7ni]

here my avis ç çà

[@h.markhorton8188]

Maybe it’s just me, but all the higain tones sounded terrible.. muddy and unclear and “digitalis.”😢

[@mefirstandthegimmiegimmies5160]

Instead of buying a mini amp just buy a nice used one for the same price and triple the power/features

[@chapersdale]

But what if your living situation requires a smaller amp? I'd love a 20/30W tube amp but my neighbours would kill me 😂😂

[@xDTHx]

​@@chapersdale get a 15 watt amp. They're plenty loud and punchy. And you can turn the volume down so you're not gonna blow anyone out

[@chapersdale]

@ProdByDTH I've got a 40w 2x6.5 digital modelling amp and I find even that's still too loud, I dread to think of the complaints I'll get with a 15w Tube amp 😂😂

[@xDTHx]

@@chapersdale just turn your volume down low on the 15 and you'll be fine

[@lakombibanda4398]

Vox é imbatível só falta um reverb nele Vox is the best miss one reverb only

[@leeweilun3047]

I think you are doing the test so bad and unfair. for example, the clean tone, you give the eq on vox 90% bass with slightly less treble and on boss katana its slightly less bass and more mid and treble. I dont get how does it makes sense for a sound test. Doesn't seem fair to me. I believe it does mislead the people comments

[@5MinuteMusic]

I will double check the EQ setting. I might do a follow up video with a flat EQ across all amps. Thank you for your comment!

[@leeweilun3047]

@@5MinuteMusic I don't mean flat eq, but at least not that different style of eq.

[@5MinuteMusic]

@@leeweilun3047 What I mean is that if I set them all at 5, then we will hear how each amp is naturally equalized compared to each other.

[@leeweilun3047]

@@5MinuteMusic Yes, I understand. I mean, it's not necessary to be a flat eq. You can set the eq different, but not like setting one with 90% bass 0 treble and one with 90% treble and 0 bass. The point I'm trying to say is to keep the tendency more consistent. And sure, setting all of them to 5 is more fair, but it will make all of them sound bad also.

[@5MinuteMusic]

@@leeweilun3047I think I understand what you are trying to say. Thank you for sharing!

[@watchingthecrazyworld7761]

They all sound terrible distorted. Pass.

[@what1864]

to me that katana mini sounded horrible even for a practice amp ..

[@vivien1252]

Please tune your guitar 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@numbthumbs2845]

Bros called 5 minute music and the video 13 minutes

[@leonardofigueredo2913]

Top comment!. Its true!! XD