The Steel Guitar Forum

Ed,
Even though I own and use the the Katana, my favorite amps are still the Peaveys. For years they have served us and are still terrific sounding and $1,000.00 or more cheaper then the new steel amps out there.

On the Boss Katana, for the price and weight, you get a lot of bang for the buck, but not a Peavey. They do have to be dialed in as you won't find your tone right away.

I'd also love to put a Travis Toy speaker in there. Something designed for steel, but then you're adding to the price. A $329.00 amp and then a $200.00 speaker brings you to $529.00. For a bit more you could get the Nashville 112 from Peavey. So you may just want to get use to the stock speaker.

but..is it really 100 watts ?

one is, one probably is NOT

curious minds need to know !

How much is the rack mount head on!y? Is it a single or double space?

I have not seen a rack mount, just a head unit for $349 at Steel Guitar Nashville.

Makes no sense to me that it costs more without the speaker. Oh well.

George Kimery wrote:Makes no sense to me that it costs more without the speaker. Oh well.

The head actually does have a 5" speaker in it. Gives the best of all worlds actually. You can hook a cab to it.....OR use the head just by itself and listening thru the 5" speaker....OR use the head via headphones.

The head also has midi. ......

do these amps allow for an extension speaker ? I've about had it with amps that DON'T !

Another sample of the Katana

http://picosong.com/wYGWA/

https://www.facebook.com/dan.kimpel/vid ... 773046440/
Here is an example of the built in distortion and a clean sound.
This is the head version, recorded direct. I also use the 100w 1x12, and have had great results. Like someone mentioned you've gotta dial it in a bit, but if you hook it up to your PC you've got plenty of eq options. I use mine for pedal steel and 6 string guitar, with the available footswitch.

Been using the Katana 100 for almost a year now and love its lightweight and flexibility going back and forth with Steel and guitar during gig (I use the footswitch to change EQs when changing instruments).

Last weekend I decided to bring my Nashville 112 back out for a gig to see if the steel tone truly was better. I hated it all night ... here is why:

The 112 was very boomy and did not cut threw the mix like the Katana for steel.
I was constantly riding the EQ knobs trying to find a good spot in the mix/room. This turned into a nightmare .. because the EQ that worked for steel did not work well for guitar and visa versa. I was very frustrated and got a few "looks" from the band.

When playing guitar the 112 was very feedback prone. I had to ride the volume knob all night. No amount of EQ tweaking seemed to solve the feedback. Admittedly I was sitting very close to the amp, but the Katana clean setting rarely feeds back on me even in close quarters.

I know that Peavey is the standard and has so many die-hard fans that will reject my opinion, but the Katana just works for me, especially since I play 50/50 guitar and steel. Note: I also use a Roland GR55 for guitar synth stuff (piano, organ) .. and the Katana clean setting cuts through clear as a bell.

They just came out with the boss Katana MKII
100 watt , new version of the MKI 100 WATT
1 12 inch speaker ,
Very nice amp for pedal steel $359
It's plug and play twist a few nobs
And your good to go ..

Here is my plan - yay or nay please...

My Peavey Session 2000 has bit the dust and needs extensive repairs. I cannot afford a premium amp and am thinking of the Katana 100 head, using the Session 2000 as a speaker cab only - maybe rewire the input jack on the S2000 straight to the speaker or put in a small plate with the guts removed?

What do you think of this approach?

Thank you as always

Like i said the amp is plug and play no reason to use you 2000 cabinet , besides your peavy speaker is probably 4 ohm
Minimum load on the katana is 8 ohm

I'm using a Katana 100 now and it is a really nice sounding amp. Very impressed with the bang for the buck.

Try the acoustic setting. I like it much better for steel than the clean setting.

Regretfully, I'm returning mine to GC. I bought it after a friend recommended trying one, he bought the katana 100w but not the MkII (newer version) for use with his Tele. The 25lb. weight was appealing.
I tried it for 2 hours with my steel at GC not really understanding how to set the FXs. Price was good so I took a chance. Found it to be gimicky and tricky to use the effects and modulation settings. I've had a hard time getting a good full tone out of it. The highs are thin and shrill, and the boost feature makes it boomy. It is loud though. I have to turn the treble setting way down (10 o'clock). It sounds better w/ all the effects off except a little delay and reverb, and amp type on "acoustic" setting.
With the knobs being on top, facing up, you can't see your settings easily. The 4 preset buttons allow you to save settings you like, then another 4 settings when you press and hold the panel button ("A" bank and "B" bank) but its hard to tell which bank you're on. The effects and mods and combinations are very confusing and I kept referring to the manual to determine what light color (red, green, or yellow) the FX settings were on. I've spent hours trying to get a full warm sound out of it with no luck.
I don't like the knob on knob effects control because the "under knob" is hard to turn w/o turning the top knob too. The foot switch that you can buy as an accessory doesnt fit under my psg where I like my FX pedals, It's too long. I would say its a pretty good 6-string headbanger guitar amp but I dont like the sound for steel (neither did my band mates).
I'm returning it and going back to my PV Nashville 112 for now. Just my 2 cents worth on it. Try it...maybe you'll like it.

Stan I'm really sorry to hear your experience with the new Katana. I have the original and it plays well. Don't know what they have changed other than the control knobs but it must be something. I'm very pleased with mine after using Ron Hogans suggestions and tweaking from there. Used models are plentiful.

These settings work for me and the master gets dialed up as needed on the gig. I usually dial it nearly full on at gigs. 50 watt setting is enough for home and practice. The reverb at about 11 o'clock and delay at 9 o'clock. Use the acoustic amp setting or the clean. I get good results from both.