NEW Boss Katana Bass Amp vs Ampeg Rocket!

[@marcoanello891]

Great comparison video! As we bassists all know, our preferred tone is the result of numerous factors. I had narrowed my bass combo search down to these two combos. I ordered both of them and tested them side-by-side with my two favorite passive basses at GC (my Fender American Standard Jazz and Yamaha BB1000s) to see which one would work best for my needs. Before they arrived, I was pretty sure I was going to choose the Ampeg because I had previously tried the small Ampeg Rocket RB-110 and really liked it. When they arrived and I tested them out at the store, the Ampeg's familiar sound was nice and easy to dial in with both basses. The Katana's numerous settings took some time to navigate but, in the end, I dialed in a setting that sounded awesome with both basses. To me, one simple and important factor is having separate control of the low mids and high mids. The Katana provided that, but the Ampeg didn't. I brought the Katana home and got a refund for the Ampeg. I feel that you can't go terribly wrong with either combo, and I hope you all achieve the tone you're looking for. :)

[@guero_mocoso]

I'm a simple man. I see BASS in the title, Lee and/or Nathan in the thumbnail, click play, groove and smile for 20-30 minutes, click LIKE. ALL ABOUT THE BASS

[@DogdaySunrise]

Could you maybe show which knobs you are turning when go through the sounds? I already know what a guy playing a bass looks like. (:

[@jaex9617]

😄👍

[@scarey2me]

Love watching you two. And I'm not even a bass player. That Ampeg is a beast.

[@jacoby75]

I could listen to you guys play all day. So good. Love your demos.

[@BuckFlicks]

That opening jam was a banger.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

Excellent. Most important. Whatever you choose both amplifiers have a great start tone. That will get you through any session.

[@erikavery8569]

I prefer the Ampeg. It’s butt simple, sounds heavy AF, and it’s portable…won’t break the back.😁👍🏾

[@Synathidy]

And most importantly, it won't break the bank.

[@burtmurry1690]

So can you make the Katana sound like an Ampeg?

[@bassnsax]

For the next Katana Bass video, could you also sneak in the DB meter along with an overhead cam/GoPro to show off the volume?

[@oblate777]

What the world needs now: Katana vs Rocket Bass!

[@BassRacerx]

Ampeg hands down between the two.

[@niclastname]

I don't even play bass (I'm a guitar player), but I just watch you guys because you're entertaining and your jams are always great! Plus I'm interested in the gear, even though I don't have a bass yet, but one day! haha

[@Driftuner]

Yup me too, i had a used bass at one point and really enjoyed it, will def buy one again soon, i highly recommend them for guitar players, bass is so much fun

[@gorillafunk725]

I owned both the Katana 210 & The Ampeg Rocket 115 The Rocket is still here. It better suits me. Katana being a decision of the head. Ampeg a decision of the heart. Katana is good & may suit you better. But it had a fatal flaw for me. When you connect an extension speaker on that one. It cuts out the 2 10's. Trust me for most situations its more than loud enough! But why the hell call it an extension when it does not EXTEND? Despite that if you arent doing arenas the Boss offers unbeatable value. You get bundled a heap of effects & modelling wizardry making it VERY versatile. But my road of self dicovery on this journey is I am a remorseless TONE slut. I don't like digital effects much. I prefer pedals I can touch & tweak instantly without having to enter into a menu. Lastly if my combo can't snarl & growl on command I'm not a happy chappy. Ampeg to the rescue.

[@DuncanTyler]

Amen!

[@fruitykrueger]

You solidified my decision to go with Ampeg, I also prefer analog effects. Btw may I ask for your recommendation of a good overdrive? I’m new to bass.

[@gorillafunk725]

@@fruitykrueger You can actually use the SGT circuit as an overdrive. Turn down the grit & turn up the gain. I use a TC spark as an extra OD if I want a cleaner boost. The bass boost and treble is very nice and it is more of the fat sound I like. Ran an Ibanez bottom booster before swapping it out for TC. Lastly the advice I offer is always try before you buy. I run a Greco 3/4 bass with hubucker style pick ups. Thus I prefer a bit more umph in the bottom end. Your playing style pickups even the guage and type of strings all contribute to the final sound. So what sounds great on my rig. Might sound like $#!t on yours. But the TC is inexpensive and sounded better to me than the Ibanez at twice the price.

[@handybunny]

I actually like the Boss better, to my surprise.

[@seusicha]

I really need to know what is Lee Playing at 8:30, can anyone help me with that? It's one of the most beautiful basslines I've ever heard!! Lee, you are an absolutely killer player! Cheers from Brazil!

[@ВасилийПетров-ы8й]

Ampeg all the way for me. One great sound beats a bunch of okay sounds in my book, and fiddling with the controls and the software, swearing under my breath ain't as fun as it's once been.

[@damasterkarej]

When there's do Danish Pete, but somehow ina weird way you feel he is here :-) Great opening jam!

[@cchavez248]

Shades of Dianna Ross' concert in Central Park! Wooo!

[@TenFalconsMusic]

Try the Warwick Gnome 280w head with the 2x10 cab (300w). They're a bit smaller and lighter (by 5kg), definitely louder & cheaper (I paid £440 all in for mine 2 months ago). Impeccable interface as well👍

[@pCeLobster]

BERNARD. No words will ever be enough.

[@robstevenson6842]

Are these loud enough to jam and small gigs?

[@SnarkyRC]

Yes they are.

[@PolarBimbi]

i've tried the katana bass 210 and it sounds really nice, but really really heavy.

[@brucegirdler7221]

Less than 10 lbs between the 2 and if you added the effects/features of the Katana such as compression,delay,chorus etc to the Ampeg with pedals,multi effects the weights would be closer and the Ampeg would cost a lot more to do what the Katana does.I have a Katana 210 and its a great combo.The Ampeg does sound good though.Better than the Fender Ruble 210 to my ears anyway.

[@hectoremicolon1351]

You think that the katana its more powerfull over the Ampeg ?

[@brucegirdler7221]

@@hectoremicolon1351 No thats up to the ears of the person listening.The Ampeg is a good sounding amp but I think the Katana can get far more of a variety of tones due to its design over the Ampeg and I was practicing with my Katana 210 the other day and it has no problem keeping up with a Marshall tube combo and a loud drummer.The onboard compression on the Katana is really nice.

[@hectoremicolon1351]

@@brucegirdler7221 I understand you and thank you for answering. What I mean is that if the katana, being few watts but being class AB, is at the power of a 500 watt class D such as the ampeg 210 or the fender 210

[@brucegirdler7221]

In my opinion yes the Katana 210 with its 160 watts class ab has no problem keeping up with the other 350 to 500 watt class d 210 combos.But Hector yours is the the opinion that matters the most so go to a music store and compare them.I own a Katana 210 and really like it but it may or may not be the amp for you.

[@Theluz1n]

Which one is louder?

[@Bobo-ww1hu]

Creo que el katana

[@jamessickles1859]

Another great video!

[@defapendendimi1193]

bro the ruby squier jazz bass is so sexy

[@quijadriss7650]

I know they are like the best selling amps in the past 10 years (guitars anyways), but I cannot get behind the katanas. I wanted to like the guitar amps, and every time I tried I tried one, I just didn't like it and was frustrated by all the buttons. Yesterday I gave the bass katana a shot compared to the ampeg venture. Not even close. I wasn't plugged into the katana for more than 10 minutes before deciding it was for the bin.

[@myway9128]

Yamaha owns Ampeg now with a behemoth like Yamaha as your parent company it's a hard beat this combo Yamaha/Ampeg.

[@JVMC_ZR1]

As soon as Yamaha bought Ampeg, they created a analog circuit that sounds just as good as the big tube amps from Ampeg into the Rocket Bass series.

[@andrewfernandez268]

@@JVMC_ZR1 imagine playing the ampeg micro svt cab combo

[@JVMC_ZR1]

@@andrewfernandez268 it doesn't sound as good as the Rocket Bass series. They should make a Micro SVT version 2 to make it sound just as good. The Origin Bass Rig Super Vintage pedal sounds just as good if not better than the SVT

[@csj9619]

Why is it alot of advanced bass players seem to want the bass turned way down in the mix?

[@thierry18]

Those squiers are so nice...

[@michaelbrohl1625]

Katana is good but too many knobs and switches and fiddly bits. I like to keep it simple. I would go with the Ampeg with no hesitation.

[@TheBassfresh]

Ampeg all the way

[@paulsummerside]

Ampeg or Boss…? Let me think… Hmmm Ampeg. Think the Boss is very clever and for the money does have a lot to offer. It’s no slouch on any level included tone. It’s a tempting prospect. But for me I would take the Ampeg all day long as seemed to give pleasing sounds no matter where it was dialled. Not sure I would want to pay the £600+ price tag for the Ampeg. But know that is the sound I would want. Add to that I’m used to my FX being on the floor in handy stop boxes. So don’t really need them onboard on an amp. Edit: All said and done, the Boss does do a lot, it does sound good And I could see the onboard FX as a viable option. Would be happy with either.

[@xiaoxia5]

geez, i just bought the Ampeg RB-115 yesterday.

[@PondoSinatra680]

Nice.

[@tomrobinson4781]

Aye! lovely

[@purestone48]

Everytime I see this guy reminds of Pinky and the Brain, lol

[@djw8133]

Bass off?

[@Jedmanuel91]

Sometimes less is more.

[@craigtodd8297]

Whats up with your website andertons? Why does it look like alibaba?

[@garyburginjr1366]

Groovy

[@guswaves]

AMPEG AMP

[@joetspaulding]

sorry but the bit about the A/B amp watt having more power than a class D amp watt is just not at all true. A watt is a watt though there are different ways to achieve amplification...you can argue its it a cleaner signal or has a different sound but as far as power goes 100 watt class D will put out the same volume as a 100 watt A/B

[@TenFalconsMusic]

These guys are more about noodling and less about specs. I reckon they only try the kit just a few minutes before filming.

[@gorillafunk725]

Any talk of wattage is pointless without matching that with the efficiency of the speakers. I know that class A/B is 50 to 60% efficient at best. The Katana 210 puts out just over 50 wrms. I know because I owned it. Also its power consumtion max IS BY LAW WRITTEN ON ITS ELECTRICAL COMPLIANCE TAG! 117 watts max. What gives it such punch & loudness is the fact that its custom designed 2 10 inch speakers connected in parallel are pushing close to 100 dB @ 1 w @ 1Metre efficiency. That gives out around 116 to117 dB fully cranked

[@wcheng4927]

I know nothing about wattage, but the 60W Katana Bass 110 doesn't sound like it was trying hard to keep up with the drums in my band. I had a GK MB110 that sounded tiny and boxy in the same band context. I don't know how Boss/Roland did it, but I was pleasantly surprised. There is a speaker limitation (my other amp is 15" 300W combo) but can't complain too much about it. I initially wanted the RB-112, but it was out of stock (it still is) in my country and I just couldn't wait. Told myself that I won't be needing all the extra features, but it is actually quite nice. I like the options I have on the Katana Bass when I just want to try different effects. In actual band context I only use clean and slight dirt with occasional modulation, so definitely nothing too extreme in terms of effects. My only concern is that, more features = higher chance of things not working in the long run. I guess I'll see about that, but right now it is great.

[@pacwest1000]

Ampeg would normally be the go to but in this case I found out they are made in China so that's the end of that. It will be the Katana 210 for me, not made by communists.

[@djlane74]

Katana has "models" of Ampeg.. Nah... Just get an Ampeg. .

[@oldmanmerc]

Could you maybe not twiddle knobs CONSTANTLY! Never hear one thing long enough to get any kind of reference.

[@cskeise]

💙👊😎💙👊😎

[@SnarkyRC]

The Ampeg is made in china. That’s a deal breaker for me.

[@ZWestfall]

Which amp is louder?