Boss Katana 50 VS 100 - Whats The Difference?

[@MrBuniekPolaczek]

Should have called 'Watts the difference'. Love ya Dave!

[@playlistforkids]

that opening jam was incredible. Congrats on awesome playing and tone!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@SamJ_M]

If you look in the right places and get your playing shown to the right people, I honestly think you can make it pretty big. Your playing is outstanding

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@garyatkins4479]

Had the 50, it was a great amp , sold it to buy the 100 Very happy 😃 with the 100 It does sound better to my ears

[@thecentralscrutinizerr]

I have the 100 watt version and its the perfect "pickup and go" amp. I don't have the 50 so I can't compare the two, but I love the 100. It's light, doesn't take up a lot of room, its loud, its simple to get set up and get going.

[@killrockstartv]

3 years later and I'm back for that haunting guitar at the beginning, facial expressions on point! love it!

[@fiddlix]

And to add another one to the mix I just got the Katana Artist model. It has officially sidelined all of my tube amps. From a Fender Deluxe Reverb to a high end point to point Dumble inspired build. It is that good. I have designed and built tube Trainwreck clones, plexi Marshall clones and when they came out with the Artist and I had an extended chance to put it through its paces I am a convert to Katana through and through. Yes it is a good bit more money than the Katana 100, but it is well worth it IMHO.

[@GrahamMylett]

That was an awesome review. I was actually considering upgrading from the 50 to the 100 but after watching this video I'm keeping the 50. 👍

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

I love the 50. I’ve never really been an effects loop user so the 50 has everything I could ever need.

[@randyuriarte787]

Great Video! Fun fact: after watching your john frusciante tone videos about 2 months ago i decided to make a jump in my guitar play by picking up a MIM Strat HSS along with a Boss Katana 50w. Music is so magical. When I walked into guitar center, I knew I NEEDED a Strat because the tone always spoke to me, but when it came to amps I was totally lost. This is where the magic happened. After grabbing the guitar, which felt perfect in my hands, I plugged into the first random amp I saw which happened to be the Katana 50w. After peeking at the settings and playing around for about 5 minutes I feel in love. Next thing you know I would end up playing for about 20 minutes before remembering I had to buy these since I was so lost in the music. Now that I'm seeing this video, it resolidifies my purchase and I'm glad I got to run into your beautiful channel. Best regards, Dave!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@janneelias]

Listening with good headphones, still no big differences. The most clear difference to me was in the crunch setting, where 50 sounded a little harsh/plasticy. In a cool way though. I don't know which one I prefer. Overall, the 100 seems a bit richer and fuller, especially in the middle-range. I didn't actually hear any difference in bass

[@davidflint12]

I have the 100 212. Love it and I’ve used some of your setting recommendations with joy. You gave me goosebumps man! Great composition

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@jeronimomartinezfabregas]

Thanks for that sublime intro Dave, you gift us some of the most awesome playing I've heard on any KZbin guitar channel (or elsewhere), cheers!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@guitarprism]

Loved the Maggot Brain homage in the jam. Incredible tones for the price. Playing, however, is priceless. Love your videos, as well as your style.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@mindsetoverhaul]

Thanks for including the dials for your channel settings

[@thedavesimpson]

:)

[@chartersdue1]

Finally! I've waited so long for a katana 100 video!!!

[@jimtrussler9232]

Tone wise across the board I preferred the Katana 50. The 100 was awesome as well and really close to these old ears.

[@roaddog7542]

Solidstate Katana 50 Tube Fender X2 My picks for best grab and go amps. Gig both.

[@albertwong4516]

Subbed and liked for that brilliant opening man, I could have listened to hours of that. EDIT: Your 'Umbrella Corps' T-shirt gets you +10 points.🤘👏

[@mb5o]

They both sound great. I find the the 50 has a more "in your face "sound. I like the 100 better on the clean, and 50 better with distortion. Great video and awesome playing. Thanks.

[@ZenGuitarShred]

I enjoyed your atmospheric clean type playing and your thoroughness. Thank you! Have been debating between the 50 and the 100! I think i will get the 50! :) Cheers

[@TheGreekPhysique]

I genuinely like this guy, greetings from S.C.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@bigblueplanet1968]

Anderson County here. How bout you, Mr. Smith?

[@stompboxcoverband9404]

The 50 all day! Just ordered 50 Mk1! Love your demo of it with red curtain. Watch it alot. Gotta have that sound!

[@captncrunch1726]

i like the more saggy and open sound of the 50, great amp!

[@jimmyjimmy951]

Ok,Dave again you smashed the intro.👍🎸 As far as the amps go it was the 50 for me as I it sounded a bit crisper in the mids. I am listening through the tube and a set of Apple Pods so can’t take sound quality seriously as you will appreciate. As you say the 💯 is a little different overall but it mainly wins out on features and is a more “sound” investment for a person who has / needs one amp IMO. A spanner in the works is the Katana Artist which is different again and if you can afford it that’s the way to go again IMO. If I lived in the UK I would send you my Artist for a review as it would be cool to say ‘Dave of the Tube tested my amp’ (small mortgage to send it from Sydney). Maybe that’s a video segment for you. People of the tube send you our gear at our expense and you honour us with your play and use. Great work as always.👍🎸

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@americantherapy1366]

Freakin' awesome intro Dave! I absolutely love my Katana 100. It loves my 335 and it rocks my PRS custom 24 as well. LOVE IT! It's a versatile amp to be sure.. :) Thanks again Dave

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@FabioStoppa]

You also can use the MIDX-20 for FULL MIDI control on the Katana 50! Love mine

[@MalcolmDoyle-e6x]

Outstanding/Lovely playing. The intro was awesome and sounded very "David Gilmour-ish". All the best, Malcolm.

[@mattbirtwistle6188]

Preferred the clean on the 50. I would agree with you on the mids for the 100 on the gain.

[@jeffwhite8640]

Great video dave ! Your channel brightens my day with every video. Your a great musician. Wish i could spend a day hanging out with dave !

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much and i am very happy to hear that. : )

[@RobCmusic]

You could always try a comparison with both amps on 5w mode as a way of more directly comparing the cabinet sizes and speakers.

[@TruthSurge]

B string..... I think it's my fav string to play. G is too clunky, E is just.. too close to the fret ends. that distorted tone was killer! 9:40 that's a great sound. the smaller one didn't sound so nice on that neck pickup. seems the bigger one had more body/lows.

[@shawnbest4317]

I would like u to no i just lost my son. This solo touched me and made me cry.im telling u this because it will show how your playing effects different people. Thank you for touching my hart in a troubling time. 💖💔💖💔

[@thedavesimpson]

I’m heartbroken to here this. I’m so sorry.

[@damien6685]

Kay.... I paused before your comments at [15:07] so this is my own unbiased tuppence worth: I like Boss, and have their GT-1 which I think is cool, my amps are not Boss, essentially due to the items available at a seriously good deal 2nd hand at that time when I had free cash to blow. If this was a blind test I'd be berfuggered to tell them apart. To be honest, I actually liked the sound of the 50 ~ marginally=they are so close as to being the same thing ~ which I only know the difference because you told us you were playing the 100 first, then the 50. The obvious headroom can't be heard due to this being by tha' thar interweb and not live. But I use pretty decent headphones. All of the above to be taken with a large pitch of salt as I have the lofty position of "Serious Noobie" Thanks for yet another thinking clip.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much for watching. : )

[@MarcosJ-mq4lk]

You can hear his soul!.....Beautiful beautiful playing....

[@kylejackson7220]

I love both because they are really loud and sound really good but I do prefer 50 for when playing backing tracks loud but the 100 still sounds great with backing tracks

[@jamesdunne5638]

To my ears the 50 has a bit more clarity. I have the 50 but I have also owned the 100 and the Artist, and have settled on the 50! IMHO the best amp for the money ever sold! Nice one Dave. THREE Katanas on the shelf. Love it!!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@apfel-am-stiel7970]

Mmmh, that’s the video I’ve been waiting for. Thx and nice playing :)

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@davids9192]

Excellent vid Dave and any recommendation from you carries a lot of weight. Agree that the difference in sound is marginal. Maybe the 50 on the floor and the 100 raised up had some impact? I have the Katana 100 because the price difference is so small and I wanted the extra features and extra power. That said I have to admit that for home use I very rarely stray from the 0.5 W setting - it’s a seriously loud amp!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@treorross99]

Wow loved that intro gave me chills the whole time.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@2000SkyView]

When using the Boss Tone Studio software there are so many variables that will alter the tone of these amps I would argue that the amps are exactly the same. The 100 does have advantages not convinced that tone is one of them. Just my opinion. Very much liked the video, thanks for making it!!!!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@mikestroud9969]

Holy crap That was Awesome Big Dave. Great guitar playing buddy. Thats the GOOD STUFF ❤️🙏💯🎸🎸

[@JeffinLowerAlabama]

Dave great playing as always, nice comparison, I have to use lower volume 95% of the time, Jeff in LA USA

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@crazkurtz]

Loved the 100 but sold it and bought a used Traynor ycv 40. I can’t complain because I love the Traynor. But katana was amazing backup amp. Greatest SS I’ve ever owned.

[@thadlogan51]

Updating my previous comments... I returned the 50 because it had no headroom for clean playing...was worthless for clean .. but while at the guitar store I thought I'd try the 100 watt and was blown away. It's night and day better sounding than the 50... the cabinet is bigger and didn't sound as boxy... and again didn't break up clean like the 50. It's definitely worth buying the 100 any day of the week. Don't waste money on the 50 unless you only want to jam clean in your closet... seriously was a joke. So glad I tried a 100 at higher volumes and compared both side by side...

[@xtheunknown6717]

Close, I like the cleans and crunch on the 50, the lead and brown are pretty close.

[@profd65]

The miking in this video probably made the 50 seem better than it really is. Close miking adds bass to the sound, which can only benefit the smaller amp. But also, I believe that close miking makes the smaller amp seem as big as the bigger amp, i.e., to my ears--listening on my laptop--those amps seem to be the same size; but if I were listening in that room there would be no such illusion and the 50 would just sound like a runt version of the 100.

[@marc8828]

I would recommend comparing side by side for any one looking to buy a 50 or 100. I compared and you can definitely tell the 100 had a better speaker in it. Along with the bigger cabinet too, gives a much more fuller sound in the room when you're standing right there.

[@patrikpontos7688]

You decided to use the 50 live pretty much makes this whole thing clear ;) your videos are extremely helpful... not just about Katana...thx

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. :)

[@riverbankmactavishmcghee4573]

So good. Thanks Dave. I am loving the 50 (little bruvvaa) which I purchased after your solid state preference vid. All is well in the world. The beard is looking good son. Holding that B forever.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@avii_jit]

Opening jam is out of the world. Beautiful ❤️❤️ loved it

[@johnkneisel3320]

I knew it...you really are Ian Anderson's grandson. Proof @ 5:48! Love your videos & guitar playing. Have a Katana 100 combo & really dig Jethro Tull as well.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@colinbooth3522]

Liked each on different amp models, 50 maybe better on crunch ! But I just bought a 100 &ga fs for £210 ! Selling my 50 since I Need the extra switching and fx loop for strymon, nice video once again thanks, Colin

[@vegetariancannibal3098]

I got the 50 and even without the boss tone studio its awesome and with lesser price then 100 mk2. Also you rocking the Umbrella Crops Shirt! RE fan here! 🤘🤘

[@Murphy_R9]

One thing i have wanted to hear is the KAT 50 with the 100's 12" speaker? according to a Boss rep the ONLY differences in the 50 and 100 combo's are the speaker, watts and a presence and loop on the 100? Hearing the 100's 12" in the 50 would really be telling. :) Regardless i absolutely love my 50 for the mere $189 i paid for it new. There is not a amp at that price point that can touch it! I dialed in a very convincing old Van Halen Marshall tone that i had been trying to get for years.

[@patrikpontos7688]

That intro solo is pure gold.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. :)

[@danmar007]

I prefer the 50. It seems clearer from here. But like you say maybe the 100 can be made to sound like the 50. I'm new here. I like your playing.

[@Islandsoundzz]

Thanks for this comparison. I'm hoping that one day soon you might have the opportunity to do an in-depth review of the 2018 Marshall MG100HFX head along with the MG cab.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much and hopefully one day. : )

[@michaellupton1593]

Just the review I was looking for...currently considering Katana 50 or 100...really loved your playing Dave, really enjoyed your musicality. Worth checking in just to hear you play. Still not sure re Katana...need to demo one myself.

[@armandvanzyl4937]

Your playing was great. Both the amps sounded great. You have a The Thing poster up on your wall in the top right corner. And to top it all off, you're being endorsed by the Umbrella Corporation. Consider me a fan. Consider me subscribed.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@sid35gb]

On this video the 50 sounds nice then the 100 on crunch and brown with the 100 sounding a bit muffled. But having played both in the room I know the 100 will fill the room. I own the 50 if I was to buy again I would get the 100 for FX loop.

[@markallen2576]

The 50 sounds great but the hundreds just a little more Fuller and creamer

[@KeithTaylorPhoto]

Wish you had included the Katana Mini in as well. It would be interesting to hear how it sounded up against the 50 and 100 when using the same mic as the others. Thank you for the video regardless, Dave.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@davidthomas8680]

Some great vids and tunes Dave, many thanks! You comparisons have helped me decide on the 50 over the 100, so I’ve just ordered a Mk2 from G4M. Will let you know how it goes. Have a great Xmas.

[@thedavesimpson]

You have a great one to. :)

[@marcjohnson7882]

Great style, very tasteful. Instant subscribe.

[@Vman9484]

Holy Moly! That opening Jam! Dayum!!! simply awesome. I wanna play in that style

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@alliumluna6888]

That fucking intro! So much feeling. I'll be coming back just to listen to it haha.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@PooNinja]

Tonality seems very = so I’ll take the +features on the 100 🤘🏽

[@ronhouseofbain487]

Love my Katana 50..... Best combo amp I've bought. Sounds absolutely amazing. BTW love the Katana swords in the background!

[@donkeevney]

Ron Bain k

[@ronhouseofbain487]

@@donkeevney k What?

[@ラウこ]

i think it sound a lil boxed but still amazing the 100 sounds so real

[@sixfoursoul2538]

@@ラウこ The 50 is a way better value.. Im tired of people alway telling people who love the 50 to get the 100 , not every one need the extra feature for the extra price especially when we have a great tube amp already 50 is perfect ..

[@ラウこ]

@@sixfoursoul2538 katana 50 isnt tupe amp

[@leoribas2255]

Grande Dave, sos un genio !!!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@onefatstratcat]

They both sound really close but I just wish the 50 had the 8 slots for sounds like the 100

[@paulmoonmusic]

I will now be late for work because I had to watch this and I regret nothing.

[@jeffroq]

Good vid Dave as ever. Maybe someone u know could hook the 50 up to a newer pc for you to zero the presence on the 50. Also one or both might be due a firmware update which could explain any subtle differences. I have the 50 which I initially bought as a back up. 9 out of 10 times I just use that now while my heavy valve amp has become a nice dust collector. :) Top live q&a the other night by the way.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@steveanderson8349]

Oh my...what an intro...thank you Dave.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@RobCmusic]

When I tried out the 50 & 100 side by side I wanted to prefer the 50 because of size and weight, but I had to admit that the 100 was better sounding. I felt the 100 would have no problem providing adequate stage sound for me, where the 50 may struggle at times. The speaker is definitely superior in the 100, not just higher power rating and the slightly bigger cabinet also makes a difference. Close mic'd, the differences are subjective, but for a gigging player then the 100 is where it's at IMO. I didn't get a Katana in the end because I opted for a pedalboard mounted amp, which suits my gigging situation very well indeed.

[@Skybluetoo]

I have the katana 100 and I love it. For the type of dreamy leads you were playing there it’s fantastic. However I also have a 30 watt valve amp (Blackstar) and every time, without fail after plugging back into that with my strat, I realise why Solid state is still a long way off the valve sound/feel. There’s just something you get with a valve amp that SS can’t match (in my opinion only of course). Great playing as usual Dave.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@ernieball2324]

Great playing on that intro, just curious which amp were you playing through at the time? Also, I wonder if the Speaker on the Katana 50 could be swapped out for another brand of speaker.

[@bengalvin9932]

HEY DAVE! 50 watt every day of the week twice on sunday!!

[@jorgiewtf]

ben galvin So 100 on Sunday! :)

[@rikohoveka3864]

Hi Dave, beautiful playing as usual. I think you should try the Boss Katana Artist. That might just become you FAVOURITE amp 😜

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@thadlogan51]

I just bought the 50... and it sounds very good... even close to real tube sound... like my Peavy classic 50 all tube amp... except it hardly has any headroom for clean... and I play clean 95 percent of the time. So unless you play at extremely low volumes clean this won't work well... especially for gigging..it will break up and distort quickly. If you play overdriven most of the time you may be fine. Maybe the 100 doesn't have this issue???

[@kylejackson7220]

I have the MKII versions of the Boss katana 50 and 100 hopefully eventually I'll be getting the Boss katana Artist MKII

[@TheBigH1975]

I have the 50 and love it. I would like to have the Loop, but don't NEED it. :) Good stuff.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much indeed. :)

[@DanMufc-jt9le]

Hey dave excellent video once again ive had a marshall mg 50fx for while now but having issues with it as it cuts out the volume when playing for some reason so sounds like its dying on me so i am seriously tempted to get a boss katana amp be first time owning one and as we know the gen 3s have just been released be similar to this video of course but thinking i may trade in my marshall to get a katana and think am gonna go 100 version you know like how you get more features on it rather than the 50 which is still cool yes its expensive still but thinking for later on down the line if i was to gig with it then the features are there ready to go so 👍from me and your video dave seriously helped me out deciding which to get👏😍

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

Had the 100, sold it. Totally regret it & probably will go get the 50 as I do have access to the Boss Tone Studio software for easier programming.

[@amitbidaye7855]

Why did you regret getting the 100? Do you like the 50?

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

@@amitbidaye7855 no, I regret SELLING it! I did end up getting the 50w Katana, mk II version, and it's fantastic. BOSS made a great thing even better!

[@nonameman7114]

Fishing, Gaming & Guitars can you get some decent metal tones with the 50?

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

@@nonameman7114 yeah, you can get some brutal tones with the 50. Stick it on the brown channel & add a tube screamer overdrive(which is also IN the amp) and maybe a noise gate(in the free Tone Studio software) if you're playing loud. Super-easy amp to dial in.

[@davidwahl5474]

Very similar but I find the sound of the fifty more balanced. But may be just my taste as I don't like the low end starting to eat the other notes.

[@hybridnoisebloom]

Now I have no doubt that you listen to Buckethead, Dave. I'm enjoying your playing so much.

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@alireed2009]

Ref the amps, I would probably want both, but would like to try the 2 x 12. Just to say the t shirts arrived ' GOOD GRAVY' Thanks and big hugs

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much and I am so happy to hear the tshirt got to you. : )

[@SisterRose]

Hey man - I'm pretty poor so I was considering getting a Katana MKI and loading on the Rockerverb sneaky amp as a way to get an effective Supercrush for a lot less money. Most demos of the 50 watter sound a little boxxy fizzy to me - the 100 more open but also less mids. Hard to tell for sure. I like the compactness of the 50 watter, but the lack of FX Loop amongst other things is an issue for me.

[@capgrimwood6813]

Fantastic feel there Dave ! Hey gotta say Res Evil shirt is cool 😎 1of my fave games ever !

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@Murphy_R9]

Dave have you tried the Master on 10 trick? What you do is keep the Master Vol on 10 and use the volume control next to the gain for the overall level. Seems to add some nice dynamics.

[@thedavesimpson]

I haven't yet no. I'll give it a go though. :)

[@deconline1320]

Hi Dave. Can you comment on the katana EQ? I'm now using your "all zero" EQ settings... It actually saved me from selling my K100. Not sure what was Boss intent behind this EQ design. Superb intro by the way... Thanks!

[@trollfiddler]

EQ on any amp can't add anything, it can only take stuff away from the sound. Amps are designed to sound good with the EQ controls off. It's nothing to do with the Katana design in particular.

[@jerryb4716]

Love your playing

[@J.vatsal]

Absolutely Brilliant

[@callanrobison2674]

That intro 😍🥰

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much. : )

[@ondmon818]

to me , in the first two examples , the 50 sounds brighter (esp with the clean tone) but just the same in the other clips, i have the 50 and just love it.

[@ronnienose8608]

I'd like to see the difference between the Katana 100 vs the Katana 100 Artist.

[@kmdracer]

Perhaps the 50 speaker is more broken in? You did say you play it more often. When I bought my kat, I played the 50 and the 100. I wound up buying the 2x12 because to my ears, it sounded better, more bass, and shear air movement. I only play alone so that suits me well.in a band, I'd probably go with the 100 1x12. Also, I tend to run mater vol 100%, channel vol to taste.

[@NightOwlGames]

Great playing i love this sound! i could listen to that all day. i honestly didnt hear a difference? it was difficult to tell which amp you were using, ive got a Boss Katana Mk2 100w 212.

[@TheXopony]

Dave never fails to amaze me with his Guitarmenship..

[@isaidgooddaysir2585]

Only just recently found your channel. Love it! Great alternative to all the glorified advertisement channels out there! Great playing! This vid made me wonder... If you ever got the chance I'd love to know what you think of something like the Boss Nextone. Given it's an SS amp for small valve combo money. With all the hoohaa around valve vs SS. And given you appear (from going back and watching some of your earlier vids) to prefer SS amps; I'd genuinely love to know your opinion in particular. Worth the extra over the Katana? Again man, great vids. Cheers!

[@thedavesimpson]

Thank you very much and if i can get my hands on a nextone i'll demo it. : )