Best Solid State Amp for Tube Lovers? | Boss Nextone Stage Amplifier Review

Greetings everybody!
If you love the feel and tone of a Tube amp but you're looking for something reliable, affordable and loud, I bet the Nextone range of amps is a good shout!
They're often mistaken for modeling amps but the truth is, these amps have 4 individual analog Class A/B power sections which in my opinion, give you that organic feel of playing a tube amp.
Give them a try at your local shop, I believe they perform best as a clean pedal platform or for "edge of breakup" tones.
The guitars that I used for this video:
Eastman T484
Squier CV 50's Tele
PJD St.John Limited
Enjoy!

[@jlore6344]

Sounds and looks great! These are very reasonably priced too; I was surprised. It's great that Boss gave you this to review.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

They are definitely cool amps! And yes, very kind of them to send it out! Cheers!

[@simply3141592654]

Still liking my Nextone Stage. Get one. Great amp for a lot of reasons. Great home amp - works well with pedals and headphones too.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Awesome! I'm enjoying mine as well, very versatile!

[@simply3141592654]

Boss Nextone is great. The Quilter Labs amps are great too.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Right! I've heard a lot of good things about the Aviator Cub line by Quilter. Cheers!

[@kurtisr2339]

Sounds terrific from here. Perhaps one day soon we'll hear how it stacks up against a Tone King Gremlin head/cab? Sending all the good vibes your way to get your into that holy grail sooner rather than later. For now, this is brilliant!

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Oh man, I wish that day will come very soon! The Gremlin was amazing but I am very pleased with how the nextone sounds, especially in the room, very pleasurable! Cheers Kurtis, hope you're doing well!

[@PooNinja]

Metal is as Metal does. That cleanish tone is hard to beat.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Yes sir, this amp excels in those cleanish tones. Feels great in the room as well!

[@sjazzp]

I’m searching a solid state amp but not modelling, something simple that sounds like tubes amps. I had in mind the Fender Tone Master series but this great video showed me that the Nextone amps are an excellent option, more versatile than the Fenders and suitable for jazz, blues and classic rock. Everyone mentions Katana but they are not for me, I sort of discovered the Nextone now, I have to find one to try. Cheers!

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey there! Yes, the Nextone is a pretty cool amp and you should definitely give one a try. Quilter and DV Mark also have some options but I have never played them before. Hope you find the right amp for you, cheers!

[@sjazzp]

@@KrenarCilkuGuitar Quilter and DV Mark are available in Australia but not where I live. DV Mark has called my attention, it would be a matter of testing one when I go to Sydney. Nextone is listed by a local shop but it is backordered, let’s see!

[@dandeg1438]

Yes they're brilliant amps, i love mine. But it's misleading to say say they are all or mostly analog. They are absolutely digital amps using the same DSP chipset as the Katana. They have a single class AB analog power amp chip, so all the valve / tube power amp modelling is done in DSP. That's why you can change all the power amp settings in digital domain using the editor on a computer. I'd love someone from Boss to release schematics to prove me wrong, but I don't think that's going to happen. It would be great if we could describe this amp what it is - a really great digital modelling amp that take pedals like no other (that i've tried anyway :)

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey man, thanks for sharing. I'm basing my thoughts on the information that boss has released and the amp feels very analog to say the least. I might have to dive deeper into this. Cheers buddy!

[@30smsuperstrat]

@@KrenarCilkuGuitar I bought the artist when this first came out and was marketed as solid state. Since then the info on all retailers sites show it as a modeling amp. It does feel and sound much more analog then any digital amp I've ever played though.

[@AussieCornerStudio]

I own this amp, I disconnected the internal speaker and run it through a 2 x 12 v30 closed back, happy days. The foot switch really opens up the playing experience. Spend some time with the Nextone Editor it really comes alive and dialled to taste. My playing style hard rock blues 60'70's 80's and some Crowded House INXS Led Zeppelin I also have the Roland Bluescube Artist and the Boss Katana 100mk2 each amp has it's merits. Just for fun I set each amp in a trio mono configuration with stereo delay slight reverb in my studio which was designed for live recording with a drummer and bass player. Just a big sound at a very reasonable sound level. PS still love my valve amps but the costs are to maintain them especially owning 15 is getting out of control.

[@wfm210]

Love the intro.. you are an amazing player. I was ready to purchase the AC10 however i am ret-hinking. What would you reccommend? I live in a condo and can not play too loud. This is such a great channel.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Thank you so much, Bill! I also live under the same circumstances and I think you won't have a volume problem with the AC10 nor the Nextone. Although it does depend on what you're looking to get out of it. If you like to have more flexibility and options, I'd go with the Nextone but if you simply want a lush clean tone, the AC10 would be a great fit. One thing's for sure, you can't go wrong with either of them. Cheers buddy!

[@BrySquatch]

Amp sounds killer! How does the tone from the headphone jack sound? I gotta play quiet at night so trying to find a tube like tone that sounds great in headphones.

[@lowercase3635]

That PJD looks SICK

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

PJD make awesome stuff!

[@tommanseau6277]

The GAFC isn't really optional if you want to use this thing to its full potential. I agree with all Krenar's comments about this amp. You can even set it up to create a subtle chorus effect when using the delay with a couple of settings in the editor.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey Tom, yes, agreed. With the GAFC, if you're playing a simple gig that doesn't need a ton of effects, I'm sure one would be just fine with the GAFC and a tuner on the floor. Cheers and thank you for your input! Cheers!

[@Charles75N]

Sounds great Krenar. Similar features to my Princeton 650.

[@greatvanzini]

Good one, Krenar. Looks interesting & sound good to my ears. Like you, I do love my Ac10.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Cheers buddy!

[@chrisr530]

Great playing as always - now you got me considering trading in my Katana 100 and getting this...

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Chris!! Thanks buddy! Try one of these out, I think they're pretty cool amps!

[@lirelwingas5446]

Hi, gret playing!! sounds very good...can you store presets in the amp somehow? and use them pedal?

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Thank you so much! Yes, you can store presets and access them on your computer. I don't have the footswitch with this amp but I am pretty sure that even the big GA-FC won't help you switch presets on the fly. That will help you switch between channels and you can turn effects on and off. Cheers, I hope this is helpful.

[@graemero5532]

Sounds nice Krenar. Boss just make good stuff. I was tempted to buy a blues cube for a while.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Thanks Graeme! They're incredible, check out the Nextone range if your local shop stocks them, cheers!

[@JerzyRPiekielny]

The best amp for this price point with fx loop and socked for external cab x1 8ohm and x2 16 ohm is somebody knows this will be stereo x2 16 ohm? I sold Katana mk1 100w and bought Nextone Stage. Looks better, sounds better, easier for get decent sound and I like this simplicity. Qestions I was setup in editor on Booster boss blues drive what you use on your video?

[@spokes28]

? Thank you for your review but I have to ask; the Boss Nextone Stage is about twice the price of the Boss Katana mkii. What do think makes the Nextone worth more?

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey there! thanks for the kind words! For me personally, the Nextone Stage has a better characteristic to its clean and edge of break-up tones that I really enjoy. Not sure if that is something that justifies the price difference but for me, I would aim for that type of sound which the Katana lacks a tiny bit of.

[@JerzyRPiekielny]

I was sold my Katana mk1 100 and bought Nextone Stage. If you not metal player nextone is better choice sound more Tube amp and is more natural Sound also less tweaking to get good sound just switch on and rock on :) Katana is too much clear sound more digital for me. I have few records on my channel with nextone which take pedal extremely well even on front amp.

[@thaianddanelifeinthailand4803]

Good demo. I've had a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe which sadly was way overkill for gigging in bars and small clubs. This amp might be exactly what I'm looking for instead.

[@gobodega5226]

Great Demo of a great Amp 👍

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Cheers!

[@robertclarkguitar]

I'd be happy with it hahah. Sounds great man!

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Thank your Robert, cheers!

[@robertclarkguitar]

@@KrenarCilkuGuitar Yes indeed. I've pretty much only used Boss products in all my work. Multis. Currently Me80 which is older but it is easier to dial in specific tones as well as something new to review a while. Be well brother

[@fjona.b5278]

Great review! ❤️

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Thank you zemër!

[@MrRafaztar]

if you still had the vox would be interesting to hear it side byside, same thing with the Katana. I think it sounds ood if not a bit too soft. That being said it did the fender and Marshall extremely well

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Rafael! Well, I do have both and I am indeed planning on comparing them. It's just a matter of time. Cheers buddy!

[@phillippitts6294]

Hard to beat a boss anything! They make great products. The Eastman sounds really nice. Still in Austria?

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey Phillip! Yes, the Eastman is gorgeous and the Nextone sounds great as well! And yes, still in Austria. Cheers buddy!

[@EmDzejFrom1980]

Awesome

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Thank you!

[@mailvilla]

02/08/2023: How good is this amp for the warm/hollow sound for Jazz? What settings would you use for this?

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey there, it's pretty good for warm jazz tones. I'd personally use the 6V6 setting and play around with the EQ. My tip would be not to add a ton of bass, rather, focus on pushing the mids and slightly taking off some high end. Cheers!

[@ericnelson966]

Wish boss would cram that same technology into a headphone amp. IE just worry about the amp sound and feel and a few basic effects and leave the katans stuff for their other customers.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

They have the WazaAir headphones. I haven't tried them but a lot of people seem to like em. Pretty expensive though... cheers!

[@ericnelson966]

I just looked and found out what I highly suspected.., those waza headphones where also the same price as nexttone amp. It kind of looks they are unsure off what to do next. I will give them some sort of credit with their new?? Boss stereo cube?? But then again they already had a desk top amp. Those guys from mooer and Nux must be giving that amp and pedal market fits and now mooer has started on the “intelligent “ guitar market. Wonder what Yamaha and line 6 will do next.

[@GabiOprea]

Really nice indeed

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Cheers Filip!

[@yvandewever6518]

How would you compare this one to the Roland blues cube stage?

[@mailvilla]

03/14/2923: How well does the amp use Cry Baby Wah pedal?

[@scherzo0o]

can you play metal with the right pedal ... on this amp?

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Hey there, you can definitely do that but the Katana range would be a better option for you, imo. You can get a 2x12 100w Katana for almost the same price as this amp and have a ton of fun with it. Cheers!

[@scherzo0o]

@@KrenarCilkuGuitar Nono, I want this amp (and I have space for only one amp) .... 90% of time I'll play something cleaner, bluesier... but for those 10% when I want to play some classic Metallica tones, if the pedal does the trick, it's all right! I'm not recording metal with it...

[@thesoundpurist]

Nice guitar btw

[@tlb2732]

I'm sorry, but I just do not like the sound of a single Boss amp I've ever played through or heard. I was sold on the unlimited creativity promised by all the bells and whistles and the software. I couldn't wait to play through my Boss Katana 100 mkii. I bought the foot contoller and downloaded the software with excitement. Then I spent 3 months fighting with it before I finally realized that it was simply too deficient in depth of tone that there was no remedy even with all the available processing. I guess the unit is sufficient for sitting in your bedroom alone and recording yourself. But in a band playing classic rock and country music, the amp was disappointing. It sounded thin and puny. I don't understand how a company that built one of the best gigging amps of all time, the Roland Jazz Chorus 120, could release products like the Katana and other Boss amps. I own and use many Boss pedals and highly recommend them for sound, reliability, and price. I don't recommend any Boss amp.

[@dimitris70]

Ok you didn't like the katana 100 Did you try this nexton stage too?

[@tlb2732]

@@dimitris70 Please restate your question in clear English and I'd be happy to answer.

[@JrPfreedom]

I have this amp and this was the best idea when replacing Katana mk1 100 for this beauty, look good and sound awesome. If you Can do video what settings you use it. Especially reverb and delay. Do you use fx loop? If yes what setting for fx loop in nextone editor. Anyway I loved even recently Can play on old Marshall Valve amp and preffer Nextone. My recent test play on another channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4rOeWtojKuKqLM

[@thesoundpurist]

Ordinary to my ears but plug it into a 4X12, my God!

[@vexguine]

Sounds like any solid state. Opaque, muted, harsh on strong picking action. 300 dollar range amp.