Boss Katana 100 MkII Guitar Amplifier Head (100 Watts)
Make loading in easy with this lightweight, powerful amplifier. Packed with effects, this Katana head can handle any tone, style, and gig thrown its way.
$369.99
- 8 x$46.25
- No Credit Check6 x$61.66
- No Credit Check4 x$92.50
Overall User Ratings (based on 10 ratings)
Submitted September 13, 2020 by Allan B in Tempe, AZ
"Greatest thing since the OD pedal"
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What a great amp! Unless you've been living under a rock I'm sure you know all about Katana and how good it sounds and what a great value it is. Having the head and pairing it with your favorite cab is a dream. Sounds amazing and incredibly versatile. Oh and please, it's NOT a modeling amp. It's a full on solid state amp with modeled effects. It has a sound of its own.
Sound
This is an incredibly versatile amp. Clean, crunch, classic rock, metal, it can pretty much do it all. Even without a cab the little 5" speaker sounds pretty good. It's not quite tube but it's really really close. This is the 4th Katana that I've owned. I've had many tube amps and keep going back to Boss. I'm getting older and it's just not fun to lug around a 60 pound tube combo and a heavy pedalboard anymore. Paired the Katana with a 2x12 Celestion V30 closed back cab and it slays. The cab will stay in the band practice room and the head goes with me ;)
Features
The onboard effects are great and I appreciate that if I need to I can just grab the head and go. I also really like that it's very lightweight and the internal speaker is a brilliant idea. It doesn't sound half bad either.
Ease of Use
I really appreciate that it can be adjusted and tweaked just by the panel controls. No menus to scroll through just good old knobs. If you do need to get into some deep editing the Tone Studio is very easy to work with. Boss was smart to make the TS a universal look and feel across all of their gear. Once you learn one you've pretty much learned them all. It's a universally known fact that Katanas take pedals well but I'll say it again here. Katanas take pedals well. I actually use this in conjunction with an MS3, EQD Plumes, and a Ventris verb and Nemesis delay. I know the MS3 is redundant but this way I just use the Kat like a normal amp and use the MS3 for effects and to control everything else including the head via MIDI. It's a great and easy set up.
Quality
Like just about everything Boss, this is built extremely well.
Value
What a value! For $350 I don't think there's anything else out there that can touch this.
Manufacturer Support
I've used Boss products for almost 40 years and I've only dealt with them directly once. Took a few days to get a response but it was not a break/fix issue it was just a question.
The Wow Factor
Boss has been winning hearts and minds of musicians for almost 50 years. There's a reason why they are so highly regarded. They make great sounding stuff! I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit of a gear snob but I have no issue proudly saying I use a Katana on stage.
Musical Background:
Playing over 40 years
Musical Style:
Rock, jazz, prog
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Submitted May 6, 2021 by a customer from gmail.com
"We Bought A Katana - Got A Studio Closet Full Of Amps And Boss Pedals!"
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Let's be real about this amp. It's untouchable at this price-point and can replace a dozen amps with ease. I can say that because we have a studio full of quality tube amps,from modern Marshall's all the way back to 1966 Fender Bassman 50 watt head, plus everything in between. Think about that statement for a whole minute. We purchased a Katana head for our studio when they 1st hit the market and we have yet to find a better amp for the money,whether it be a solid state,tube or hybrid...until now.This isn't a modeling amp at all,yet I can easily dial in everything I need in the studio or stage,from SRV quack and squank Texas blues to extreme molten lava metal tones,plus nail a 335 hollow-body jazz heaven tone while also providing a spectacular platform for my acoustic Martin guitar. My Music Man bass sounds as good thru this amp as it does through all but the most expensive bass tube amps we have. It's almost unfair how inexpensive this amp is,compared to what other's have cost,yet they don't even come close to it in value. There is NO reason to spend more,but if you have the dough,just buy one of these,in addition to whatever else you have.
Sound
This amp has real tube mojo,providing the dynamics and sag we all love in a tube amp. Roll back your volume knob for smooth cleans,roll to 10 and add that tube-style sustain for leads. Amazing classic rock and hard rock options but expect your face to melt on a full blown metal setting.
Features
They've improved on perfection,all hail Boss. The V2 does just that. We have the GFAC(?) pedal and it's worth the $ for road gigs but it's so easy to use the knobs to dial up whatever you need. A little turn of each knob can make big things happen,so if you're a tweaker,this will suit you just fine.
Ease of Use
So many options,so many sounds....all at your fingertips. The power amp options are stellar, yet if you have a high dollar modeler, this amp is your best partner. Our V2 takes pedals better than our V1,not sure why but no reason to complain! The in/out array is perfect for studio use,sure makes life easier. BTW,that little 5" speaker is badass on a low wattage setting with a good microphone in front of it. What other amp does all this...for this little dough?
Quality
These amps are built like tanks; our V1 has over 300 gigs worth of wear n tear,still works like new. The Tone Central app has been improved and it's great that it is basically the same as my GT-1 pedal version. Boss be slick like that!
Value
Blows away a Marshall DSL 1-HR head,not even close in value. Better than a modelling amp, x10,but then again if you have a modeler pedal,this is the amp for you. Amp is amazing with a single 10" cab for blues, will blow out your windows with a 2x12 and will get you evicted from your country estate when cranked through a 4x10 or 4x12. Yet,it's heaven for apt. dwellers,too.
Manufacturer Support
We contacted Boss support once,when we had trouble connecting via USB,but that was long ago regarding V1. They got back to us in a day or two--it wasn't instant but they sure didn't forget us.
The Wow Factor
We rated V1 a 10, yet somehow Boss eclipsed that rating with the V2 model. No joke,man. Bottom line,no other amp compares at this price,whether you play jazz,country,blues,rock,metal,etc. We only buy from zZounds,as they have really delivered the goods the last 5 yrs. Even during covid 19 delays or making returns.
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Submitted December 16, 2020 by a customer from gmail.com
"Boss Katana Head mkii"
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The Best Part, No Screens, No Menus.. Turn it on-adjust physical knobs. PLAY! From home use, to on the stage, it does it all and asks for seconds.. Delay and Reverb out of the box totally reminds me of their Boss pedals. The head itself has a 5" speaker which can make some great tones at a low volumes and not sound like a clock radio. They got that perfect. Definitely give this a try. You can grow with it 1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 cab. Once you plug into the back, get your ear plugs.. Wow, it can push out volume. Compared to a Gt200 200W Its No Problem. I have the matching Katana cab 2x12, open backed. Nice wide and room filling tones with punchy lows. I also used a 1x12 Fender cab Jensen 30W it also sounds classic. The Cleans sound the best on the Katana cab. It does have line out, so of course I connected it up. A 2x12 Katana cab with a linked up GT200 2x12.. HA!. It should last a lifetime. Great build, great tones and totally customizable with tone software online.
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Submitted August 15, 2022 by Bob P in EDGEWOOD, NM
"Best Bang for the buck amp out there"
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Overall a tremendous amp for any style.
Sound
The sound is amazing but you do want to tweak it a little bit to achieve it's optimal tone. I used global eq cuts@ 80hz and 5kz and it was perfect. As someone who has owned many iconic amps from Marshall, mesa, Fender and others I can say this amp doesn't sound exactly like a tube amp..To me it sounds BETTER because I love that tightness and warmth this amp has. yeah it can get saggy like a tube amp if you want and work at it a little. It's a great amp period.
Features
The one thing I put 4 stars on was ease of use. Yes you cab coax great tones from it from the panel but to really make this amp shine you have to use Boss Tone Studio.
Ease of Use
Right out the box this thing sounds very good.
Quality
Built very sturdily.
Value
This amp is the best bang for buck amp head available right now.
Manufacturer Support
I have been a Boss user since the BC-6. Look it up..it's been a long time.
The Wow Factor
Some dont like the looks of it but I love it.
Musical Background:
30 year Working Musician
Musical Style:
Rock, punk, metal, country
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Submitted March 5, 2021 by a customer from gmail.com
"Great sounds"
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This is a great buget friendly do it all amp. The head plugged into a B52 4 x 12 on 100 watts is super loud. Used the tone editor picked a heavy metal amp sound threw in a eq and boost. BoomClean metal chugness.Cant beat the price for the almost tube sound, tons of headroom. Great ambiance playing set ups. Boss pedals Boss thinking.
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Submitted May 7, 2021 by a customer from gmail.com
"What an awsome Amp head!"
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This thing is truly awesome! its lightweight but yet very strongly built. The sound that comes from this head can do pretty much anything you need and accepts pedals really good! I got this head with the 2X12 cabinet and OMG this is a killer setup!
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Submitted November 5, 2020 by a customer from gmail.com
"Great Quality!"
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This is an awesome head amp and really comes alive when you go into the Tone Studio. With enough pedal and amp style combinations ymto get any sound you like.
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Submitted October 27, 2020 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Astonished"
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Took a chance and couldn't be happier totally eliminated the need for my pedal board
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Submitted April 4, 2022 by a customer from gmail.com
"Deffective amp"
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Was really looking forward into this amp from all the reviews I've seen. Finally purchased one but only played it twice for about 30 minutes untill it stopped working
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Submitted January 11, 2023 by RICHARD R in Sacramento, CA
"WOW! Simply, wow... : - )"
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Have you priced pedals lately? The cost of pedals alone, that this amp can produce, would FAR exceed the cost of this amplifier. That alone shows you, its value. And then you play it through your favorite speaker cabinet and you are absolutely sold. I know I am. I read a boatload of reviews about this amp and the previous 50-watt version before pulling the trigger. And I sure am glad that I did. One could argue that it is not a tube amp... and they would be correct. I have both solid state and tube amps. After playing loud for way too many years, my ears can no longer detect the difference being solid state and tubes. So, for me, it is no big deal. I will never use 75% of the features on this solid amp. But I will have a lot of fun trying. For under $400, this is a powerhouse amplifier packed with a lot of goodies. I don't see how you could go wrong.
Musical Background:
I have been playing for 50+ years as a novice... no band. Just a hobby.
Musical Style:
Whatever my fingers decide that day : - )
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