Boss Katana 2X12” Speakers 100 Watt Amp

[Jeffery Mercer]

Greetings to all my Pedal Steel Guitarists Friends!
My Question is this, How many of you are using the Boss Katana 2X12” Speakers 100 Watt Amp?
(If any) Can you please share with me the settings you have found that gives you the very “Best”
Sound…I need some help, at the moment this is the Amp I’m using, I purchased this Boss Katana 100 water, when they first came on the scene…
Thanks,
Respectfully,
Jeffery in Mentor, Oh.

[Larry Dering]

Hey Jeffery I hope you get more answers than mine but I have a few suggestions. How familiar are you with the amp? Set the amp model to clean, then set it on panel and sweep the tone controls then set them in the center. Now you can slightly tweak the bass up past center and lower the mids to around 9. Back the treble off to about 11. If you have the amp capable of using the tone studio I go into that using my phone or tablet and the Katana app and adjust the mids using the parametric eq. You may do ok with just the amp controls but I find it necessary to tweak settings using the app. Everyone has a different idea of sound and it's critical to get the best clean tone before adding reverb or delay. My Katana is the 100 single speaker model but the overall tone should be the same.

[Jeffery Mercer]

Thank You so much Larry…
Respectfully,
Jeffery in Oh.

[Bill Davis]

Here's a patch I used with my MK50 and I think it works with my mk100. For some reason the "acoustic" amp model setting works best for me. You have to join the group and then patches are under "files" on the top menu bar
https://www.facebook.com/groups/549271340049438/

[Larry Dering]

I did a bit more tweaking on mine today. I tried a TT12 speaker and didn't care for the results but in all fairness I didn't try changing my settings to fine tune it in the parametric area of the app. I did find a fellow on YouTube under the heading Turn your Boss Katana MK 2 into a Fender Twin Reverb. Scott Warton's Guitarnivore. He goes into detail n the settings and offers a free download of the patch. I just took a screenshot of his settings and did the adjustments manually in the app. I have to say it's very good and close to what a Twin sounds like. I'm using the stock speaker and clean amp setting. He advised getting the sneaky amp patch for best results.

[Fred Treece]

Larry, that Guitarnivore dude found the secret sauce. Usually when I find something online that supposedly fine-tunes the Katana, I enjoy the change for a few days, but then the shine wears off and I go back to the way I had it before. But it’s been about a month now and every time I turn it on with those settings of his I just start playing and smiling. It sounds better than my former Silverface Twin.

I did knock down some the gain (to about “50”, or noon) and took the bass and treble down a bit. But I am not touching the parametric eq setting. I entered it as a system/output setting, so it’s on every patch I make.

[Larry Dering]

Fred, that's how I feel about most of these settings. I was surprised at how well it sounded before some minor tweaks. Like you said the parametric eq can be left as he sets it. I enjoyed some playing time with it today.

[Larry Ball]

Yes .. the Boss Katana is a great sounding amp and very good bang for your buck.

I find the only way to dial in an amp is by your own ear and not someone else’s amp settings. Yes , characteristics of the settings can be suggested but your own tone desires should be your final settings. I have 3 amps I use for different venues , Peavey Nashville 112, Boss Katana 100 M11 and a custom built amp with a TT12 speaker. They all require different settings to get the desired tone, I use the same Steel with the same pickup with all 3 amps.

I have listened to top Pro Players talk about dialing in amps and they dial them in by ear to satisfy their tone requirements.

[Fred Treece]

True enough, Larry B. But top pro players have not been talking about the Katana. And why would they? I may be on a different island, where budget, versatility, and portability are important factors, but to presume I don’t use my ears to make adjustments to the tone on my amplifier, well…I don’t know what the heck else I would be using.

There is a lot of advice out there from lesser humans to harvest ideas from on how to use this thing - some of it good, some of it not so much. Of course, as was stated earlier, the ideas for settings can be adjusted to personal taste. The one that Larry D and I have referred to is of particularly high quality and shows a deep understanding of both the Fender Twin and the Katana. I would recommend it as an excellent sonic environment to anyone looking for that classic sound on the Katana.

[Larry Ball]

That’s what this forum offers is different opinions, approaches , recommendations to help individuals.

[Dan Rollans]

I added a Boss GE-7 EQ (after my Volume pedal) and it made a big difference. Daylight to Dark difference. Easily adjustable on the fly for live shows plus the added volume boost if needed.
Just a suggestion

[Larry Dering]

I know the use your ears theory seems simple enough. Even a looper to play your recorded licks while dialing in helps. The Katana has limited control on the amp itself and for some that's enough. But the real bread and butter comes from downloading the Tone Studio from Boss or in my case a purchased app called Katana Librarian so I can get to the refined settings of all the eq parameters including the important midrange. I have spent countless hours noodling while trying the typical Pro settings for pedal steel and my own tweaking. I was less than happy with the outcome and believe me I tried a Boss advanced EQ in the front, in the effects loop etc. I also tried a few modelers in the effects loop. All this to say the download I listed was closer to the Twin sound I desired. We all have a tone we look for and for a economy lightweight amp the Katana delivers a lot of bang for the buck. The download made it an amp I can gig with instead of leaving it behind and using my old heavy expensive gear.