BOSS Katana Gen 3: Evolved Tube Logic Tech & Enhanced, Edge-of-breakup Sonics

[@sweetwater]

Will the latest Katana be slicing up your mix? Tell us in the comments what you want to explore with these amps, and be sure to stop by Sweetwater to check out the BOSS Katana line and all Gen 3 amps 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Boss_Katana

[@cee128d]

Unfortunately I just purchased a Mk II 50 at the end of February and I don't need two amps. That Pushed setting does sound very interesting to me as that is pretty much the sound I'm looking for.

[@diegoandino3285]

Please recommend me a footswitch for my katana gen3🤙🏼

[@cee128d]

@@diegoandino3285 It depends on which one of the gen 3s you have . See you owners manual for more details.

[@diegoandino3285]

@@cee128d 100 gen3

[@furvel99]

@@cee128d I have a MKII head. Running a Strat or Tele on the crunch channel with gain around 10 o'clock and channel volume @ max, I get a cool in-between clean and crunch sound that works great for me as a base blues tone (adding boosts/pedals for solos of course). If you have humbuckers you might want less gain to avoid sound too overdriven. The Gen3 Katanas have some cool additions but I'll stick with my trusty MKII.

[@mudwiser1391]

Grim Reaper FOREVER!!! Nick is The Man!!!

[@TheCyberMantis]

Katana is still the best value in the market. It does everything, at an affordable price-point. In a world of over-priced tube amps, BOSS saves the day! Gen3 Katana is the smart choice.

[@pauljohnson3686]

The Katana is a cheap looking boxy sounding mess in my opinion.. It has too many features of which most are pretty useless.. There are much better alternatives these days in the latest crops of tube like analogue amps...

[@rlogue06]

I have had several tube amps in the $800 to $1200 range and in my opinion, the Boss sounds better than all of those. Definitely subjective though.

[@pauljohnson3686]

@rlogue06 Maybe in the bedroom.. But not on stage in a live Band situation... I can't name many professional known musicians who use a Katana on stage..

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@pauljohnson3686 Professional stage musicians have access to anything they want. No reason for them to use a Katana. They can do QC or Fractal, or use expensive tube amps. Boss Katana is for the rest of us. They certainly could use Katana, but why would they. They have so many other options available to them.

[@pauljohnson3686]

@TheCyberMantis I understand what your saying. I personally found in the budget amps, the Katana is a tad too digital sounding and prefer the new era solid state amps, especially the Laney lionheart foundry because they do get close to the tube sound.

[@jimmcdougall9973]

Dang, I forgot what the video was about. That intro blew my socks off. Great playing!

[@davidcastellanos881]

Just today bought mine, 50 watts. I'm having a rehearsal tomorrow and a gig next saturday. I'll come to say my opinions. Great until now. ❤

[@jayteesgear]

Nick this is the best ROCK/ Metal demo so far

[@markcarleton6647]

Well done! Great playing and great demo. This is the best demo I’ve seen of the KATANA Gen 3.

[@MrUltraworld]

I really like Nick's demos. He goes for a higher gain tone, and so do I. He's an excellent demostrator and seems like a nice guy as well.

[@drewflax]

Killing it, Bowcott! Love that vintage British metal sound. The amp sounds really good.

[@roosky203]

Nick Bowcott the face of Sweetwater 🔥

[@TheSlickNick]

All his demos are fantastic and he seems like such a great person to jam with!🤘🤘

[@ibinTZY]

He is greatttt but the face of sweetwater is surely Mitch. That man can make PRS buy his own guitars 😂😂

[@jerryhorton5708]

I think Nick is terrific, Mitch is likewise, but the king SW demo artist for me is Don Carr. However, I don’t think any demo would go wrong with anyone from that team!

[@ibinTZY]

@@jerryhorton5708 he surely has the best licks for sure 🤩🤩 we are spoiled by choices 😀

[@jerryhorton5708]

@@ibinTZY Amen to that!

[@bruce5168]

Always used Boss pedals for my whole time playing -years.....never thought they would be making the hottest selling amps!! For what they can do, and at that price point?? Impressive to say the least.

[@MrUltraworld]

Love that Orange tone variation on the Crunch amp model.

[@michaelyolch79]

2:22 GOT IT! 100 watt, 50 Gen 3 1X12, Mark II, Gen 2, 50 EX, 2 Artist Mark III, 2X12, 50 watt combo, 100. 😃👍🏻

[@willman100]

The first demo on YT that actually sounds good.

[@Jake_Sachs]

You should check out The Studio Rats’ demo. Paul Drew is the king of Katana tones.

[@ROGU3L3PHANT]

Bluetooth should be standard on the entire amp range and built in at this point. It's standard for nearly everything in 2024 at this point. Considering that certain settings are hidden in the software, boss should be doing everything to make sure as many of their customers can easily access the settings without purchasing a dongle or forcing them to use a cable which seems inconvenient, especially for the standards of today.

[@gregorypearson412]

Enjoyed this video thanks Nick! Learned alot and great riffs

[@martinafan64]

Is it good for 80s high gain glam rock/metal?

[@joelransom6530]

Very nicely done video. I'm surprised you didn't say more about the effects loop, given it's absent on the 50 watt models. That to me is a big plus.

[@fernandomolina7151]

I have de MKII 50 but i was looking for a most powerful option for bigger gigs and keep the 50 to play at home and bars. I was about to get the fender champion 100 but in the end i decided for the 100 gen 3.

[@arustydodge2111]

FANTASTIC!🤘🤘 Well done by the Master himself, NICK BOWCOTT!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@6806goats1]

Glad that Roland still makes a clean amp. JC-40

[@andrebatucada729]

Killer Epiphone with active pickups helps the great Katana to rock hard!

[@frankstein5967]

What kind of pickups? What is the model name of the guitar?

[@andrebatucada729]

​@@frankstein5967 I think he modified the guitar, putting in two Fishman Fluence pickups. They are great.

[@stevewooten2157]

Great guitar playing and what an informative video! I hope they’re paying you a lot!

[@Lance37a]

I know you prefer "valve" amps but these sound pretty good

[@mikecarreca7864]

Great tones and video.

[@kennyallums7984]

I’ve been to the Sweetwater store, and there are many employees in it who can speak AND play guitar.

[@davidbachy5627]

Great presentation, learned a lot!

[@henri_.leal68]

man i just bought the MKII… cant believe this happened

[@57precision]

I almost did the same, dodged a bullet there.

[@Sergio2006A]

Can't you return it? Say you didn't really like it.

[@kanelivingstone2091]

Me too. Less than 24 hours after dropping $1080 for an Artist Mk II Combo. Oh well

[@henri_.leal68]

@@Sergio2006Ano

[@ShayCovers]

Ordered mine on the 20th... my luck sucks too bro

[@KimmyR3]

how you create new chains inside tone studio?

[@iancurrie8844]

Such a missed opportunity. The katana Go has a small LCD screen that allows for a tuner and to see what effect is selected so you don't have to carry a crib sheet to see what effect "yellow" is. It's their own design! Why isn't it in the Katana? Such a shame.

[@realce666]

That's a Gen 4 feature.

[@baaltheguy]

give them a few years, and all the features will be subscription based! :D

[@iancurrie8844]

@@janusn9 There are LOTS of things on the Katana that aren't on a "traditional" solid state amp. It would be easy to update the boss footswitch to have an indicator for a tuner. Fender does it.

[@TheDrunkWhisperer]

Great intro! 🤘

[@jamesmarcin4787]

A Nick Demo. Sweet 👍

[@Psyclonus7]

I don't like how I have to hook this up to my phone/computer to check out the other presets.

[@Matthew_Scan]

I like pushed variation it sounds like an AC30

[@joekelly9369]

Il like it as long as i dont need to plug laptops into it to access the sounds you played here

[@terran236]

I would just love to know if the high gain is better on this one. Somebody who owns it could you tell me if it's less fizzy and grainy? Were talking high gain like death metal, prog, djent, deathcore, black Metal, etc. The MK1 and 2 are great at lower gain and cleans.

[@selimyenahc3184]

It is better, just got the Gen 3 head. Sounds amazing. Check out Juca Nery patches. So good, especially on the gen 3. I've got the mkii head and now the gen 3 head and the gen 3 sounds fantastic! I got a few packs from Juca and then eq'd to my cab and I'm telling you, this is the best sounding metal amp I've ever heard. I can probably send you my patch.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

Doesn’t tube logic come from the other line of amplifiers that are boatload expensive Roland

[@chupiconverge6034]

Very good video. Very cery good Amps

[@markdraghici2057]

What guitar are you using?

[@ReedHarrison]

Does this amp sound good though with a full band. In my experience solid state amps just cand handle the volume needed in a live band and the sound gets muddy.

[@crazytrain591]

Volume is not an issue. The only issue I had with the gen 1 was on higher gain settings the amp would feedback a bit too much for my taste. But I could have probably used the EQ in Tone Studio to even that out. I played that amp for 3 years in a band without ever opening Tone Studio.

[@greggcorbett9344]

Now that's how to demo an amp!

[@stevewooten2157]

I am thinking about getting the 100 W head only so I can take it to my guitar lessons and have a decent sounding practice amplifier. It does have a 5 inch speaker. Would it make a good portable practice amplifier do you think?

[@TheCyberMantis]

The built-in speaker doesn't sound good. It's small, so it doesn't push much air. It sounds thin, but it functions. If that's all you need, then go for it. But if you hook it to a 2x12 or 4x12 cab, it will sound really good.

[@Espresso101]

I would suggest you check out positive grid Spark, especially the Spark Go. Sounds good (better than then this katana if you ask me), fits in your guitar case, and can double as a Bluetooth tooth speaker with separate volume knob so you can jam out and balance the track and your guitar.

[@stevewooten2157]

@@Espresso101 thanks for your advice!

[@crazytrain591]

Get a THR for that purpose. Katana shines in combo form.

[@stevewooten2157]

@@crazytrain591 What is that?

[@JPC-do8xi]

Should be a update for the mkll for this enhancement🤷‍♂️

[@bruce5168]

Oh...and play some GRIM REAPER Nick!!

[@geemac7267]

I don't get how the combo is $399 and the head is $369. That large cabinet and speaker are only $30?

[@unleashthefury111]

They made them both decently priced so you can justify buying both. My guess

[@pbosche]

Yep, same with the artist coming in July. $569/599. I will buy the combo and plug it into my 2x12 but the combo can be taken elsewhere if needed and it will resell easier.

[@geemac7267]

@@unleashthefury111 Justify maybe. Afford? No 😅

[@fatamorgana4318]

The mk2 head was more expensive than the mk2 combo. The speaker alone sells for $225. Go figure.

[@zakklee2556]

The head has midi and bloom. The combo doesn't.

[@imcnblu]

From what I'm hearing, supposedly, Sneaky Amps don't work on Gen 3. If true, it's gonna be a hard pass for me. Sneaky Amps made dialing in very specific tones a _LOT_ easier. Some of the tones I use on my MKII took a LONG time to fine tune. If they don't carry over from MKII Tone Studio to Gen 3, I have zero interest in "upgrading."

[@kevinmcguinness1113]

Meh. Tbh, I only found a couple of the SNEAKY AMPS useful over and above the amp types already available on the front panel.

[@selimyenahc3184]

Mkii patches carry over to gen3 no problem

[@godzilla964]

The katana is the only amp that has a decent sounding headphones output.

[@davidcudlip6587]

Think they're actually stereo and not mono?

[@noel3422]

Sounds cool

[@noel3422]

Oh it's broke into a one trick pony, just my opinion.

[@VallarTruth]

Still needs a tuner.

[@atb1325]

I can't see the big deal with the gen 3 Katana line. It is not enough difference to upgrade from the Mk2 in my opinion. The new pricing is 60 to 70 dollars more and you have to buy the 40 dollar blue tooth dongle on top of that. I would just buy the soon to be reduced priced Mk2's and run a couple of them together, be it 50's or 100's and call it a day. The 100 mk2's with the effects loop are hard to beat for the money.

[@joelransom6530]

I mean...that's your prerogative but kind of a pointless comment. You could say that about a new tv, a new apple device, a new....anything. As someone who doesn't have one at all I would go for the Gen 3.

[@selimyenahc3184]

They sound better than the mkii. Just got mine today.

[@GerryBlue]

What's with the jump cuts? They got me nauseous

[@AnAntidisestablishmentarianist]

You would think Sweetwater would put more effort into this. Maybe they want to herd people to amps with a higher margin.

[@DavidRavenMoon]

The link goes to Mk II

[@jrzellers]

Scroll down. All the new ones are at the bottom of that page.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I have a Mark two head. Why would I get another one? If I did, I would get the one with the knobs on the front artist.

[@bassyey]

@@jrzellers That was an annoyin change in their webpage. It's always like that these past few months.

[@RL-fp3ny]

I always enjoy the sweet dewy tones coming off Nick Bowcotts fingers but that tubular goodness is the KATANA GEN 3 upgrade for the most part and it begs to question why you wouldn’t want sweet Gen 3 pudding and insist on kicking your feet over the lack of a tuner or you had to pay for Bluetooth. If you want any pudding you have to quit kicking your feet. Nick gets it and you could too if you call your SweetWater sales rep but first you have to quit kicking your feet. Imagine if Nick was dressed up like Angus Young and kicking his feet over such silly nonsense. Quite entertaining for sure but not putting him and the BOSS KATANA GEN 3 in the best light.

[@congoose100]

I don't love my Katana's boxy sounding gain at all. Doesn't look like it's changed in this iteration.

[@bmp-2267]

Sounds pretty generic. I'm waiting for gen7. Should be out by Christmas.

[@realce666]

The only good thing about this amp is that a lot of older Katanas will flood the used market.

[@GuitarGuy4647]

Just buy a used MK II Artist. This adds next to nothing.

[@selimyenahc3184]

Nah man, I've got a gen 3 head and a mkii head. The gen 3 sounds better for sure.

[@UncleBillyBob732]

Nice playing. You have a little chunky in your monkey.

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

Intro clip: worst kick drum sound in history.

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

Play an active pick ups, which makes everything sound different. I don’t like them.

[@MrGibble64]

i have a gen 2 50 . . these things that have been added are just a cherry on top of a really goood sundae . . i dont NEED the cherry but its ok if its there . . dont really need it but . . its nice to have . .my only complaint is the lack of footswitch for the gen 2 . . why ? can the smart folks at BOSS not patch a fix in the sound studio ? any amp without a foot control is a HOME ONLY amp . .kinda shot themselves in da foot . .