NAMM 2020: Back in October, Boss updated its incredibly acclaimed (and commercially successful) Katana series of guitar amplifiers, gracing its 50W, 100W and 100W 2x12 combos, and 100W head with a boatload of new features and more tonal versatility.
Now, that series' flagship model - the Katana-Artist - has been given the same MkII treatment, with more tonal options and effects, plus some nifty hardware updates.
Like its predecessor, the Katana-Artist MkII packs a 100-watt Waza 12-inch speaker designed to produce heavy, 'brown sound' tones inspired by the British stack speakers of the '60s.
While its predecessor had three effects categories, the Katana-Artist MkII features five. The MkII's five amp characters have also been given a number of newly voiced variations, bringing the amp's total of tone options to 10.
In the controls department, a three-way Contour switch shapes the core tone, while three selectable Global EQ settings allow guitarists to adjust their sound for different styles and instruments. There's also a dedicated panel knob for a solo boost function.
If they so choose, users can also now harness the power of two Katana-Artist MkII amps together. Each amp can be configured with independent settings and then operated from a single GA-FC foot controller.
Elsewhere, the amp features eight Tone Setting memories for storing setups, a power amp input for modelers and preamps, MIDI, stereo recording via USB and an effects loop.
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The Boss Katana-Artist MkII will be available in February for $599.99. Be sure to stop by Boss for more info.
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
