If you know me I am a total Van Halen fan and I’ll buy into anything Van Halen related. A while back I purchased an EVH 5150 iii LBXs lunch box amp with a single EVH 5150 speaker cabinet. The EVH amp and speaker was amazing but I found myself continually searching for a sound that I liked. Personally, I believed the issue was that the EVH amp, even on 1/4 power wants to be played loud and at the volumes I preferred in my basement it wasn’t loud enough.
I grew tired of the constant search so I started looking into something that might better suit my situation. I rarely play out, I’m more of a basement rocker that just plays for the pure enjoyment of it. Solid state amps are known for their ability to sound better at lower volumes.
What I Wanted
I still wanted something that could be played loud if needed while sounding good at basement volumes. Maybe to step back a bit..I don’t play completely quiet in my basement studio. It’s a bit on the loud side but not enough to annoy everyone in the house. I prefer pedals and a pedal board but I also like some built-in effects. More options equal more flexibility. Amp simulation is a plus since there are many times you just want a bit of a different sound.
Research
Like many of us we search endlessly for that unicorn that fits our needs. So many times you love this part of this amp but love a different part of a different amp. I swear often I want something that just doesn’t exist.
But, the Boss Katana series amps continually came up in my searches and the more I looked at them the more sold I became. In truth I don’t think I ever would have considered a Boss. I really don’t have a specific reason but I only knew Boss as a pedal manufacturer.
Boss Katana Artist
You can see from the image above that the Boss Katana line has many varieties from small amps to high output heads.
About the Katana Artist Gen 3
From Boss: With Boss Katana Artist Gen 3, the acclaimed BOSS stage amplifier series evolves to take your guitar ambitions to the next level. The flagship Katana Artist Gen 3 brings you the ultimate Katana experience, offering 100 watts of Class AB power, a custom 12-inch Waza speaker, and a host of advanced tone tools. New Tube Logic enhancements enrich the core platform with even greater sound, feel, and response, including an expressive Pushed amp character and a unique Bloom option that revoices the amp’s feel and response. BOSS Tone Studio has also been updated, making your editing workflow more intuitive than ever.
Features and Specifications
- Third-generation Boss Katana Artist amplifier with evolved Tube Logic sound and expressiveness
- Flagship 100-watt combo amplifier with advanced tone tools and a custom cabinet design
- Distinctive gray and black matrix grille
- Custom 12-inch Waza speaker realizes classic British stack speaker tone with increased power handling
- Six amp characters—including the newly developed Pushed type—plus a selectable variation for each
- Bloom switch engages a dedicated circuit that revoices the amp’s feel and response
- Five independent effects sections: Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, and Reverb
- Solo section with dedicated level boost and delay effect
- Three-way Contour for shaping the overall tonal color
- Three selectable Global EQ options
- Three Cabinet Resonance options: Vintage, Modern, and Deep
- Eight Tone Setting memories for storing all amp and effect settings
- Power Control for achieving cranked-amp tone and response at low volumes
- Updated BOSS Tone Studio app (Windows/macOS) for remote editing from a computer or mobile device
- Download and share Katana sounds on BOSS Tone Exchange
- Compatible with sounds created on previous stage-class Katana models
Pedals
We’ve used a variety of pedals in different positions with the Katana and it takes them well. From distortion to the phaser/flanger to echo. Just like many things, some experimentation with the location and order of the pedals will get you the best results. In my experiments my MXR Phase 90 sounds best in the lead chain rather than in the effects loop.
The Boss Katana Artist has many built in Boss effects that are near perfect which can make external pedals kind of redundant. But, I really like the MXR Reverb over the built in reverb so that pedal will remain. As usual you should find what works for you, internal and external devices just add flexibility.
Foot Controller
There’s a few foot controller options and we added a GA-FC Foot Controller to our Katana. It’s almost a mandatory accessory since it’s so useful.
Adding a foot switch really allows some on the fly changes from preset banks to turning on and off effects. The foot controller allows extra accessories to be attached like an expression pedal. When using a computer attached to the Katana there is a wide arrange of customization to the controllers available.
Review and Thoughts
The Boss Katana Artist amp definitely gets loud and could easily be used for playing out. The three power settings allow for quieter play while maintaining all the pre-amp feel. The lowest setting is plenty loud for practice playing in a bedroom or basement.
I have found I really like the internal distortion, especially with the “Bloom” effect turned on. The Bloom effect is so good I never really turn it off. I spend a lot of time on the Lead and Brown amp types since they fit so much variety of music. The Solo button just jacks the sound and adds some optional delay in for a bit for that extra push.
The Cabinet Resonance switch gives that extra personality to the output. It’s impressive on how it works, personally I like the Modern setting.
The next step is to attach a computer to the amp and dig in to the settings and customize a few things. I’d like to set the 4 banks for the most common setups I’d use and do some tweaks to the foot controller to change some of the settings to allow better control.
I’ve been very pleased with the flexibility and the personality of the Boss Katana Artist amp over the many I’ve used over the years. Also, the controls on the front are really nice.
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