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Why BOSS might have just released the most beginner-friendly Katana yet
BOSS' Katana range of practice amps has carved out a strong reputation as a go-to digital amp for home, studio and even live use. Thanks to their easy-to-use nature and suite of stellar sounds, Katana amps deliver the DNA of BOSS’ 50-year guitar tone heritage in a package that works for contemporary players.
Now in its third generation, the line features everything from lunchbox amplifiers designed to live on your desktop to 100-watt gigging machines, with only one gap: a small amplifier designed for the home - cue the BOSS Katana-25 Amplifier.
As the name suggests, it's a 25-watt amp, loaded with all the great sounds you would expect from the Katana range at an entry-level price point, making it a great place to start for those new to the instrument or those returning to it.
Renowned BOSS Tone
With it, you get twelve amp voices in total: five amp characters that run the gamut from clean to all-out saturation, as well as a sixth dedicated to sounding great with acoustic guitars, plus a variation on each.
All of them are designed to deliver the authentic tube amp sound, feel, and response that the Katana range is known for, coupled with a custom 25-watt, eight-inch speaker, and housed in a high-quality cabinet.
If you need to dial down the volume, there is a selectable power control that will tame those 25 watts to a very considerate 0.5 watts, allowing you to get cranked amp tones at reasonable volumes.
More than just amp sounds, the Katana-25 also benefits from BOSS’ vast experience as a leader in the guitar effects world. With a selection of 60 effects that cover everything from classic drives to space-creating reverb, atmospheric delay, and wild modulations, the Katana-25 has everything covered.
Editing these sounds from the amplifier means utilising the controls on the top panel. These include Gain, Volume, a three-band EQ, and a Tone Settings section where you can scroll through the thirty presets, select the amp character, and tweak the levels of the effects in your signal chain. This chain consists of a Boost, Modulation, FX, Delay, and Reverb.
Other features include a Tuner accessed by holding the central encoder, and a tap tempo.
Tone Studio App
More in-depth editing can often be a headache on small amps like these, as they have limited real estate to place controls on, but BOSS solves this with the Tone Studio app. It connects wirelessly over Bluetooth on both iOS and Android, and allows the user to see a full visual representation of the signal chain and tweak all the parameters associated with each effect.
If you are someone who doesn’t want to spend too much time tweaking these things, you can skip all that and download user-created tones from BOSS Tone Exchange. Or, conversely, share your own lovingly created rigs.
But it doesn’t stop there. The app also boasts a ‘Session’ function, which allows you to play along with YouTube videos and utilize BOSS’ soundalike tracks.
These are tracks created by BOSS that are housed within the app and come complete with tabs, plus the ability to loop sections and slow them down to nail those difficult passages. What’s more, the soundalike tracks will automatically set the amp to the tones needed for the track, and change tones at the right times too.
Similarly, you can also add sound markers to YouTube videos, making playing along with your favorite online teachers and creators more engaging. Furthermore, these can be shared on BOSS Tone Exchange.
Easy Practice
This all makes the Katana-25 a pretty powerful practice tool. Not only can you watch and save YouTube lessons via the app, but you can also stream song playlists from a Bluetooth device straight into the amp and play along. The app also sports a graphic tuner, so that you can easily tune your guitar as you are jamming away.
Beyond Sounds
When you are ready, the Katana-25’s USB-C connection can get to work recording those chops you have honed. It's class-compliant, meaning that, as well as connecting to a DAW on a laptop, it can also record/stream directly to a smart device.
Also available for those who are looking for more in-depth editing is control over the emulated mic and positioning, perfect for getting that recorded sound just right.
And if you feel like switching the Katana’s tones as you play, it is compatible with BOSS’s wired or wireless footswitches and expression pedals too.
It is an amp that boasts high-quality BOSS tones and a ton of features, but packages them in an easy-to-use way. Meaning that those just getting started with the guitar don’t have to dive into the more in-depth aspects of tone until they are ready for it, while more experienced players will find plenty of substance to get their teeth into.
