A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

So...Christmas Eve 2021 I met a guy at a Waffle House and gave him $100 for a version 1 Katana 50w.
I enjoyed the amp.

This past Sunday, I somehow ended up at Guitar Center with Mrs. Pez and she happened to notice an amp with a scratch and dent tag on it.
She asked.....Is this a good deal?
I said.....chuh...yah.....They have it markedas a 50w but it's a hundred. These are like $400 new....
She looks at the damage and says, that can be fixed...why don't you get it.

I him and haw and think well....I have too many amps already and I have the 50w which I really like....
She says......Just get it.
So, I leave the store with the damaged 100w MKII Katana. I get that sucker home...slap some Gorilla Glue in the seems and get some clamps on there....
Good as new....

Oh...and I'm selling the 50w Katana that I got on Xmas eve to my guitar player for $100

Can't go wrong with that deal.

Oh, and nice banana, big fella.

There are no sweeter words a wife can say in a guitar store than, "Just get it."
It's about as rare as an old school Agile under 10lbs, but still nice when it happens.

Lol nice

That's a killer amp at the normal price. At the price you paid, its highway robbery...

Get the wife some earplugs, and switch it to 100w, Brown sound, turn it up a bit, and do some power chords... pure bliss!

Nice!

The good wives are like that! Nice score. Does it have banana plugs?

thanks fellas

After reading so many rave reviews of the Katanas and the Line 6 Catalyst (and listening to many Youtube videos), I stopped at GC today to try them out.

My main amp is a Peavey Classic 30, which I love...but it's so loud that I can barely put the master volume at 1. Also, it's somewhat heavy...and I don't want to use up the tube life...

So I thought that if the Katana or Catalyst can substitute for the Peavey, I'd buy one. My local GC has a used Catalyst and a used Katana 100 so I thought there was a good chance I'd be bringing home a new (used) amp today.

Well...nope. As good as they sound, they just don't touch a real tube amp, at least to my ears. I really wanted to love them, but I didn't.

I got back home, cranked up the Peavey, started playing and thought to myself "no comparison." I'll just buy tubes for the Peavey when necessary and deal with the volume. That tube tone is just so sweet.

P.S. There's a guy here in town selling a Katana 100 with the foot controller for $200.

Wait.

You're wife went in a guitar store?

peskypesky wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:53 pm After reading so many rave reviews of the Katanas and the Line 6 Catalyst (and listening to many Youtube videos), I stopped at GC today to try them out.

My main amp is a Peavey Classic 30, which I love...but it's so loud that I can barely put the master volume at 1. Also, it's somewhat heavy...and I don't want to use up the tube life...

So I thought that if the Katana or Catalyst can substitute for the Peavey, I'd buy one. My local GC has a used Catalyst and a used Katana 100 so I thought there was a good chance I'd be bringing home a new (used) amp today.

Well...nope. As good as they sound, they just don't touch a real tube amp, at least to my ears. I really wanted to love them, but I didn't.

I got back home, cranked up the Peavey, started playing and thought to myself "no comparison." I'll just buy tubes for the Peavey when necessary and deal with the volume. That tube tone is just so sweet.

P.S. There's a guy here in town selling a Katana 100 with the foot controller for $200.

Yep, I agree 100% that there is no substitute for tubes. The gap is definitely narrowing over time as tech continues to improve, but it aint there yet. I spend a lot of time with my Spark amp on my coffee table and I absolutely love it, its so versatile and so useful for practice, couch noodling, etc. Then I go plug in to this and I'm like "OK now THIS is a damn amp!"

slowhand84 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:06 pm Yep, I agree 100% that there is no substitute for tubes. The gap is definitely narrowing over time as tech continues to improve, but it aint there yet. I spend a lot of time with my Spark amp on my coffee table and I absolutely love it, its so versatile and so useful for practice, couch noodling, etc. Then I go plug in to this and I'm like "OK now THIS is a damn amp!"

The tech is definitely improving. And if I didn't already have my Peavey I would probably go buy the Katana 100 or Line 6 Catalyst. And if I were gigging, I probably would too, since solid-state amps are so much lighter.

But for me, playing here at home, the tube sound just can't be beat.

And yes. That is a damn amp!!!!!!

peskypesky wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:54 pmAnd if I were gigging, I probably would too, since solid-state amps are so much lighter.

But for me, playing here at home, the tube sound just can't be beat.

I dunno, my Orange CR120 is pretty damn good. On the other hand, at 32 pounds it doesn't exactly qualify as "so much lighter", either!

I don't gig anymore but still jam and record with guys I used to be in bands with so because that's all I do with my guitars other than noodling I started downsizing my amps a few years ago. I started with selling my Messa Lonestar, then the Messa Studio 22+ I first bought a Line 6 V60 Spyder and IMO it pretty much sucked so I went with a tube amp again 1st up Blackstar HT1R MK11 it was just to small so I sold it then went with a HT5R MK11 but just hated the design location of the effects loop you have turn the amp upside down and the fact I live in a wheelchair made that very difficult.
I now use Katana 50 and I have a Blackstar Debut 10 on my bench so I'm SS all the way and I'm very happy with them.
@peskypesky and @thepezident if I didn't live in an apartment complex and could crank it up a bit I might just buy another Messa Boogie I am a fan but, you guys play through what makes you happy cause that's what we all want to get out of our instruments.
@slowhand84 my brother comparing that Katana 50 or 100 to that Hiwatt/Marshall half stack is definitely a comparison heavily weighted in your favor. By the way great rig.

@redman I love the Katana. I also have a Blackstar ID30 TVP and the Spark amp.
I like all 3 and have never played a tube long enough to notice any difference.

SS for me all the way.

I have yet to play a Katana, but have never heard a bad word uttered about them. I hear they are great 'pedal platforms.'

EDIT: since I've repaired thousands of amps and have never seen one on my bench, says something about them.

andrewsrea wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 11:59 am

EDIT: since I've repaired thousands of amps and have never seen one on my bench, says something about them.

Sounds (to me) like the best recommendation you could possibly make!