BOSS Katana MKIII

[timbuck3]

only question I have is not even what bloom does, it's does the 50 watt gen 3 have bloom accessible in the app. cause the 50 watt mk2 has literally every function the artist has, including cab resonance and contour, from the app. i learned that after buying the $600 artist. so then i bought a $180 used 50 watt mk2. the artist just has more knobs to control those functions from the amp. boss site says bloom is "dedicated circuit". dedicated DSP circuit maybe lmao, I'm pretty sure "cab resonance" is even just DSP, the switch on the artist makes it feel and sound like a mesa boogie power section being reconfigured, but the 50 watt can do it too from the computer. yeah ok.

DONT THINK there will be a software update for gen 2 users to go to gen3.

 

[0XI0]

"bloom" isn't in the Tone Editor of 50 watt gen 3, maybe it's actually a hardware function.

new EQ "contour" button is just the knob from Mark II Artist, now on a button. u get everything except bloom and line out in 50 watt gen 3 using tone editor

GEN 3 SOUNDS LIKE GOD
if they update GT-1000 with this modeling it's over. high gain guitar volume clean up is mind bogglingly real

 

[timbuck3]

"bloom" isn't in the Tone Editor of 50 watt gen 3, maybe it's actually a hardware function.

new EQ "contour" button is just the knob from Mark II Artist, now on a button. u get everything except bloom and line out in 50 watt gen 3 using tone editor

GEN 3 SOUNDS LIKE GOD
if they update GT-1000 with this modeling it's over. high gain guitar volume clean up is mind bogglingly real

Do u have a gen3?

 

[0XI0]

Do u have a gen3?

 

[JCW308]

If you don't use the effects, the Catalyst has much better tones, IMO...

....until you want to use dirt. Then the Katana wins for sure.

 

[JCW308]

Do u have a gen3?

Guaranteed he doesn't.

 

[0XI0]

Guaranteed he doesn't.

guarantee I got a 50 watt mk2 and artist mk2 for sale, this bish sounds like the spirit of art in DSP technologyTM

 

[JCW308]

guarantee I got a 50 watt mk2 and artist mk2 for sale, this bish sounds like the spirit of art in DSP technologyTM

View attachment 23309

Please translate into English.

 

[0XI0]

Please translate into English.

Kg3 gives joy equal to that of the first time I plugged into a tube amp in 2002 (Mesa Nomad 100). going to return the 50g3 and sell the artistMk2 and 50mk2 to get Artist-g3. still don't know wtf bloom does

 

[LCW]

I caved... but honestly this came along at the perfect time. Sold all my amps and cabs couple months ago. Dove into the modeler world (go see all my posts hahaha), but in the end returned them all. In a bit of a financial woe (laid off/unemployed at the moment) but can't live without the only thing that keeps me sane. I'm also down to one guitar but it's a keeper (Explorer). Couldn't justify $1500+ modelers sitting there. Plug-ins are cool but sometimes just want to grab guitar and play, not have to go sit in front of the computer.

So decided for $299, the price of a high end pedal, why not give the 50W Gen 3 Katana a try. They had them in stock at my local GC (no 50 EX or 100s - which is fine - this saved me $100 knowing myself).

Got it home, plugged it in, dialed in the Crunch channel and played with the stock 3 boosts and a bit of Reverb. Had a GIGANTIC shit eating GRIN on my face! Yeah, it's no tube amp and yeah it's not a 100W fire breathing boutique monster, but it sounds DAMN GOOD!!!

I had the MK I 100 for a year or so when they first came out. That was stellar back in the day. Then a couple years after got a MK II 100 as a spare/grab-n-go thing. But it seemed to not have the magic of the original, or things had progressed in the guitar world but it wasn't a big enough step. Sounded bad. Enter the Gen 3 and I'm blown away as I was when the originals hit the market in like 2017 (???).

Back to basics FUN!... Can just jam in the living room and ignore the world whilst I play... no computer or fancy pedal boards needed really...

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I’ve got the artist MkII, I bought thinking I’d like it to plug modelers into. Ended up not loving it for that, mostly because when I had all those modelers I wanted stereo. But I was really impressed with the Artist by itself. It really sounded good over a broad range of tones.
So I was about to sell it in my big purge of gear but now I’m wondering, for $300 would a gen 3 50 watt work with my Artist MkII to create a stereo rig? Can’t two Katanas be linked that way? Make the Artist a slave for the Gen 3? Or does it have to be another Artist to do that?

Edit to add:

Ok, I think I found some info, if anyone can clarify this is correct when adding a Gen 3 to my Artist MkII let me know.


“plain stereo expand: The primary amp creates the sound for both channels, the other one just acts as a powered cab.

dual-link: each amp generates their own sound, allowing you to use differently configured presets for left/right, you can use it as a wet/dry rig in that manner for example.”

 

[timbuck3]

Artist gen was was aweful and I preferred gen 1 katana to it but never tried gen 2

 

[Frodebro]

100% BS, you can load in a bunch of different amp models via the "sneaky amps", which is a loophole that appears to be closed for the new series.

Yep. The Pre stage is all %100 digital. Power Amp is Class AB not Class D ... that causes some confusion.

Ben

What BOSS did was basically run the GT-100 firmware in the Katanas (not the GT-1000), and neutered the access to a bunch of stuff. Somebody figured out a way to hack into the firmware to get to some of it. But yes, digital preamp with a class A/B power amp.

 

[BenIfin]

What BOSS did was basically run the GT-100 firmware in the Katanas (not the GT-1000)

^^ Im pretty sure this is incorrect internet folklore.

From my reading and understanding, the Katana algorithms are a new thing unto themselves ..... not better or worse than AIRD but a distinct thing on their own.

Probably why - amongst other reasons - they have never been added to the GT / GX range.

Happy to be corrected (?)

Ben

 

[timbuck3]

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Ok, I think I found some info, if anyone can clarify this is correct when adding a Gen 3 to my Artist MkII let me know.


“plain stereo expand: The primary amp creates the sound for both channels, the other one just acts as a powered cab.

I've done this but with another power amp/cab that wasn't a Katana as the slave and it worked.

 

[dronerstone]

I'd pay to have just the Katana power amp in a smaller enclosure.

My MK2 head sounds better than any of the Class D units I've tried, and it's by far a lot cheaper than a 50-100W tube power amp.

I love what the MK2 power amp input does to a good preamp or my Helix Floor. It sounds massive.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I've done this but with another power amp/cab that wasn't a Katana as the slave and it worked.

I'd pay to have just the Katana power amp in a smaller enclosure.

My MK2 head sounds better than any of the Class D units I've tried, and it's by far a lot cheaper than a 50-100W tube power amp.

I love what the MK2 power amp input does to a good preamp or my Helix Floor. It sounds massive.

I think I’ll try the Artist MkII again as a power amp/speaker cab solution for a couple of preamp devices I didn’t have when tried before. Like the UA Lion and Dream and the Friedman IRX. If I recall when I tried it before I rejected it awfully quick in part because of other things I had recently bought were more fun and needed the space so it had an uphill battle to win favor.

If it is worthy then I’ll keep it and pick up a Gen 3 Katana of some sort to have a stereo modeling amp-in-the-room…. Yea, that shit again lol

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I think I’ll try the Artist MkII again as a power amp/speaker cab solution for a couple of preamp devices I didn’t have when tried before. Like the UA Lion and Dream and the Friedman IRX. If I recall when I tried it before I rejected it awfully quick in part because of other things I had recently bought were more fun and needed the space so it had an uphill battle to win favor.

If it is worthy then I’ll keep it and pick up a Gen 3 Katana of some sort to have a stereo modeling amp-in-the-room…. Yea, that shit again lol

I'm not sure if this is what you're thinking, but I don't think you'll be able to stick a preamp into the poweramp of one and use the stereo expand into the other amp to get full stereo capabilities. I haven't tried it but I think that's only for the internal Katana effects? If you want stereo I think you'd just send two cables from discrete left and right outputs to either power amp inputs of the two amps.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I'm not sure if this is what you're thinking, but I don't think you'll be able to stick a preamp into the poweramp of one and use the stereo expand into the other amp to get full stereo capabilities. I haven't tried it but I think that's only for the internal Katana effects? If you want stereo I think you'd just send two cables from discrete left and right outputs to either power amp inputs of the two amps.

Yea I was thinking a mono preamp into the one Katana would then get a stereo delay from the linking of the two. I’ve been trying to convince myself I don’t need stereo but here I am again trying make an excuse to go there lol