TEST: Boss Kartana Artist MK II

 In times when it has become too cumbersome for many musicians to transport their beloved all-tube head plus cabinet, modeling amps are booming. They have to be light, compact, versatile and with an easily adjustable final volume so that they don't get too annoying in a bar when the guitarist starts to solo. The Boss company is addressing exactly this point with its Katana series and is now bringing the battleship onto the market with the Boss Katana-Artist MkII, although the product name itself shows that Boss finally wants to leave the bedroom as a practice room. This test will show whether it succeeds.

The concept of the Boss Katana-Artist MkII

The Boss Katana-Artist MkII is a 1x12" modeling combo that offers up to 100 watts of power amplifier power if required. However, the power can also be reduced to 50 watts or 0.5 watts using a rotary switch on the right-hand side of the front of the housing, or it can be completely deactivated via a standby circuit for recordings via USB or headphone operation. With a weight of 19 kg, the combo is still significantly less than a comparable all-tube combo, but the combo is not one of the lightweights in the industry.

The combo offers 5 basic sounds (Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown) in 2 different shapes each, of which 8 sounds can be saved, accessible via Boss's own GA-FC footswitch (not included), via buttons on the Front panel or a corresponding MIDI bar. Each sound can be bent accordingly using a standard three-band tone control. Furthermore, the Boss Katana-Artist MkII has an internal multi-FX device, consisting of the effects Booster, Mod, FX, Delay and Reverb, all well-known and executed in the classic Boss quality.

In addition to the master volume (logical...), the master section of the amplifier also offers presence (unusual for modeling amps) and an additional solo volume function, which temporarily increases the volume for the guitarist for solo parts. Very helpful for pub gigs without a PA, or overslept FOH. As a special feature, a speaker called WAZA Custom developed for this combo was used, which, in collaboration with the Coutour control and a slider that offers the presets Vintage, Modern and Deep, is intended to pick up and emulate various characteristics of different speakers and speaker housings.

The backside

In addition to the many editing options on the front, there is a no less interesting back of the Boss Katana-Artist MkII. In addition to the 8 ohm output for the internally installed loudspeaker, 2 pieces can also be used. If you connect 16 ohm cabinets, you should have the opportunity to run the combo via a full stack. In addition to the aforementioned connections for MIDI bar and GA-FC, there is another socket for the solo switch, an AUX-In in mini jack for practicing with recorded songs, TRS Out for headphones or recording purposes (with a frequency-corrected signal), and a serial one FX loop and, as a further special feature, an expand switch along with a line out or power amp in, in order to be able to establish a real stereo setup with a second Boss Katana-Artist MkII. The effects of chorus, delay and reverb are also reproduced in stereo in this setup.

The Boss Katana Artist MkII in practice

One thing you have to hand it to Boss, they make every effort, both in the manual and in their online presence, to present the modeling concept only as a means to an end and not with sentences like "... sounds like ..." or ... is identical to ..." targeting easy-to-impress beginners and alienating the ambitious user before even the first sound comes out of the loudspeaker. We all know it, the worse the sound implementation, the more noise in advance, so there is already a lot to be said for the sound quality of the Boss Katana-Artist MkII.

It is also very pleasant that, with one exception, Boss only points out the basic orientation of the sound when choosing a preset and does not refer to the big names in the amplifier industry with mostly disappointing parallels. You couldn't resist the reference to "Brown", especially since, as it turned out later, the sound made possible had pretty much nothing to do with the term of art from the EVH-Variax-Marshall era. So be it.

Let's start with an unusual order in the test operation and first look at the built-in effects, simply because this area can be dealt with the quickest. Let's think for a moment, the most successful manufacturer of effects pedals in the world builds an amplifier, how good might the internal effects be? Even! Of course, the Boss Katana-Artist MkII offers a good selection of very good-sounding effects, as if you had packed a small pedalboard with the 5 bread-and-butter effects in your gig bag. All effects offer the usual Boss quality, everything is great! The only interesting thing is the booster algorithm, which is rarely found in a modeling setup, but more on that later.

Now let's move on to a component that Boss spends a lot of energy and marketing on, the WAZA loudspeaker. According to the company info, the brief was to develop a 25 watt Celestion Greenback (described internally as "the rich harmonic overtones of the renowned 25W British stack speakers from the 1960s"... cute!) that could still handle 100 watts. For visual association, the back of the speaker was also beautifully painted in Nato green. Before the LS hardcore guys start verbally throwing hard objects again in the sense of “this isn’t physically possible”, yes, of course it’s not physically possible, but I would like to remind you again that we are dealing with a modeling combo do this by not only calculating the parameters of the amplifier, but also by requiring a loudspeaker whose basic orientation is as neutral as possible and can be bent in the best possible way in terms of sound.

After playing for a long time, you have to attest that the speaker has two peculiarities. On the one hand, the speaker actually manages to generate a fairly consistent sound at different volume levels. The algorithms have picked up on the characteristic interaction of an all-tube amplifier with regard to return current - loudspeaker compression and calculated it from high volumes or into low volumes. In addition, the speaker in the Combi Shape / Cab Resonance offers a large selection of presets responds, which in turn enables a large selection of tonal tendencies. Is the WAZA a greenback? Of course not, but unlike the Greenback, which generates ONE excellent sound, it has several good sounds, which increases its flexibility immensely.

Now let's take a look at the amplifier section. Here too, please always take into account the area of application of the amplifier. In my opinion, the Acoustic section is a nice bonus, but it doesn't turn an electric guitar into an acoustic guitar, but is more of an ultra-clean channel for sounds that should never distort. Warning, it's not a Roland Jazz Chorus!

The Clean algorithm adds a noticeable pinch of warmth and, as expected, leaves a very good impression. As expected, the depth of an all-tube combo with the capital “F” cannot be achieved, but the Boss Katana-Artist MkII is significantly lower with a retail price of €649. As soon as the first half waves are cut off in the Crunch channel, you can live out your instinct to play, especially with the Variation, Gain, Volume, Master, Contour and Cab Resonance controls/switches. You can feel that the Boss development department really made an effort to transfer the interactions of an analog amplifier to the digital world. Many control movements start at a similar point as the big brothers, and the tonal selection in relation to the basic character is immense.

This trend also continues with the Lead and Brown presets. You can also choose between different rock sounds, although real high gain can only be achieved in conjunction with the aforementioned booster. In my opinion, this programming made sense, as it meant that the adjustment in the channel itself could be carried out more finely and with a higher resolution.

What the Boss Katana-Artist MkII doesn't convey in terms of sound, despite all its variability, is the combination of character and depth in the sound. All sounds are good, there are no failures, but the basic sound of the combo remains a bit thin in direct comparison to other stage amplifiers despite the high volume reserves. In order to avoid any misunderstandings, the combo is very flexible, almost predestined for AOR cover bands and offers a good price/performance ratio for the retail price, therefore a clear purchase recommendation, although the sound of the combo cannot be compared to the next higher league in the four-digit range throw one pot together, that would be unfair!

Conclusion

With the Boss Katana-Artist MkII, the Japanese manufacturer is expanding the ambitions of its Katana series towards club stages. The amplifier is very flexible in terms of sound, offers good detailed solutions and has a very good price/performance value. The latent lack of character and depth in the basic sound is offset by a universal area of application in practice.

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Additional Informations:

The Boss Katana Artist is a versatile and powerful guitar amplifier that has been used by a wide range of artists in a variety of genres. Some of the most notable artists who use the Katana Artist include:

* **Andy James** is a British guitarist who has played with artists such as Paul Gilbert, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Uli Jon Roth. He is known for his technical playing style and his use of a variety of effects pedals. James uses the Katana Artist for its clean and distorted tones, as well as its built-in effects.

* **Billy Gibbons** is an American guitarist who is best known as a founding member of the rock band ZZ Top. Gibbons is known for his blues-rock style and his signature guitar, the "Pearly Gates." He uses the Katana Artist for its warm, overdriven tones.

* **Kirk Hammett** is an American guitarist who is best known as a member of the heavy metal band Metallica. Hammett is known for his aggressive playing style and his use of a variety of effects pedals. He uses the Katana Artist for its high-gain tones and its built-in effects.

* **Joe Satriani** is an American guitarist who is known for his instrumental rock music. Satriani is known for his virtuosic playing style and his use of a variety of effects pedals. He uses the Katana Artist for its clean and distorted tones, as well as its built-in effects.

* **Steve Vai** is an American guitarist who is known for his work as a solo artist and as a member of the rock band Whitesnake. Vai is known for his eclectic playing style and his use of a variety of effects pedals. He uses the Katana Artist for its versatility and its ability to produce a wide range of tones.

These are just a few of the many artists who use the Boss Katana Artist amplifier. The Katana Artist is a versatile and powerful amplifier that is well-suited for a variety of musical genres. If you are looking for a high-quality amplifier that can produce a wide range of tones, the Katana Artist is a great option.

In addition to the aforementioned artists, the Katana Artist has also been used by:

* **Alex Lifeson** (Rush)
* **Brent Hinds** (Mastodon)
* **Chris Broderick** (Megadeth)
* **Dave Mustaine** (Megadeth)
* **Dimebag Darrell** (Pantera)
* **Don Felder** (The Eagles)
* **Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein** (Alice Cooper)
* **Eric Johnson**
* **Frank Gambale**
* **Gary Hoey**
* **George Lynch** (Dokken)
* **Gilby Clarke** (Guns N' Roses)
* **Greg Howe**
* **Gus G.** (Firewind)
* **James Hetfield** (Metallica)
* **John 5** (Marilyn Manson)
* **John Petrucci** (Dream Theater)
* **Kerry King** (Slayer)
* **Kirk Hammett** (Metallica)
* **Marty Friedman** (Megadeth)
* **Michael Amott** (Arch Enemy)
* **Mike McCready** (Pearl Jam)
* **Neal Schon** (Journey)
* **Paul Gilbert**
* **Randy Rhoads** (Ozzy Osbourne)
* **Richie Sambora** (Bon Jovi)
* **Robben Ford**
* **Ron Thal** (Guns N' Roses)
* **Scott Henderson**
* **Slash** (Guns N' Roses)
* **Steve Lukather** (Toto)
* **Steve Vai**
* **Synyster Gates** (Avenged Sevenfold)
* **Zakk Wylde** (Black Label Society)

The Boss Katana Artist is a popular choice for guitarists of all levels, from beginners to professionals. It is a versatile and powerful amplifier that can produce a wide range of tones. If you are looking for a high-quality amplifier that will last for years, the Katana Artist is a great option.