Boss Katana Go -Guitar/Bass headphone amp

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

BOSS - KATANA:GO | Personal Headphone Guitar Amplifier

Seems very good value (120) and has 2 modes covering guitar or bass . Also has USB 3 audio interface and the 3D movement thing …

I just ordered one!

  • Personal headphone amp with premium guitar and bass tones from stage-class Katana amplifiers
  • Guitar mode with 10 amp types and over 60 effects
  • Bass mode with three amp types and over 60 effects
  • Stage Feel function provides an immersive headphone experience with advanced BOSS spatial technology
  • 30 user memories in each mode filled with ready-to-play sounds
  • View memory names and the onboard tuner with the OLED display
  • Wirelessly edit sounds and play along with music from your mobile device via Bluetooth®
  • Companion BOSS Tone Studio app with powerful tools for sound editing, memory organization, and YouTube practice
  • Download and share Livesets at BOSS Tone Exchange
  • Supports import of Tone Setting data from Katana guitar and bass amplifiers
  • Rechargeable battery with up to five hours of continuous runtime
  • Record/playback tracks in music production software on a computer or mobile device* via a USB-C®
  • Wireless external foot control via the optional EV-1-WL Wireless MIDI Expression Pedal and FS-1-WL Wireless Footswitch
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The Guitar Thread
#2

Reminds me of a modern Zoom 9002… pretty cool in the 90’s.

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#3

Seems really cool, let us know how you get on with it.
The Katana amps sound pretty decent.

#4

Will do- I have the Boss Waza headphones/amp and it sounds amazing for practice (the special thing really works, you have to hear it to believe it!) so be interested to see how the thing works with it in the guitar (not on your head). The main problem with the Waza headphones is you cant record the tone you are hearing, so this may be a better deal for my little travel guitar…hell of a bonus that it can also be booted as bass practice amp with bass FX…a lot of manufacturers would have sold 2 versions (looking at you Line 6 Express!)

#5

I owned that, had totally forgotten about it!

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#6

Yes, I looked at the Waza a while ago but I think the lack of recording and the price put me off.
I’ll probably pick one of these up when I’ve got some spare cash (not this month though :slightly_frowning_face:).

#7

The Waza is obviously wireless and has gyros in (so if you change your head position relative to the virtual amp you hear the change) and the headphones are I believe tuned for guitar. But for a third of the cost this device seems well worth it - full editing on phone, USB 3 audio…even a nice tuner and display…never seen anything quite this good (on paper) for the money.

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#8

the headphone jack crapped out on my Fender Mustang Micro, and the USB-C audio interface functionality was always kinda glitchy, but the latency was good.

I ended up getting rid of it and picking up the Spark Go recently, which I really do like, but for it’s use-case I’ve been missing the form-factor of the mustang micro. Also the Spark Go is basically not usable as an interface b/c the latency is so high.
I do like the built in speaker functionality, but I have access to a small portable speaker that I could use if I really need to, which is a better trade-off than always having the speaker and needing to use a cable with the GO. the smaller plug-right-in form factor is really nice.

This looks like a really nice compromise between the functionality of the Go (good amp and effects, tone cloud, etc) and the form factor of the Mustang Micro. Hopefully the USB audio latency is usable, then I think it’s quite a nice practice/play around device!
In fact, it might leg up the Spark Go on quality of sound and I think definitely does on amount of effects, which is fun but also daunting and hopefully doesn’t lead to a bunch of pedal reorganization rabbit holes.

#9

It does look really good for practice! Looking forward to hearing how people like them once they get them.

#10

Got mine the other day and I like it so far.

I would think the Boss Waza Air headphones would be the easier one for practice but then there’s a pretty big difference in price. I like the Katana GO price better for practicing.

I found the sound impressive for its use. The reverb and delay are useful and I like the sound stage.

Previously, I’ve used the Positive Grid Spark for practice, but their reverb is oddly resonant and it kills the experience for me.

Considering it’s gonna be a practice tool for me, I have no intention of changing up the presets. Eventually, I’ll likely settle on 1-2 presets and as it is, I find the preset navigation pretty clever.

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#11

Mine should be arriving today, according to DHL, looking forward to comparing it to the Mustang Micro and Spark Mini (the latter of which I like a lot as practice tool)

#12

Boss Waza Air headphones are great (I have them still) but they are not that portable (my Go slips in my travel guitar case)- The wireless low latency is almost worth the extra and the gyroscopes in the headphones are quite fun as you move your head relative to the amp position. The overall sound is better than the Go, but not that much (its the same DSP) and ultimately that will probably be dependent on the headphones you use, I have just been using in-ear with my GO and havent tried it with studio headphones. The Go also gives you a full Bass practice amp, USB audio recording and the headphone output can be used as a line out to an amp or for recording…you can not record anything, ever from the Boss Waza Air headphones, so if you do craft a perfect tone, you will be the only one who ever hears it!

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#13

As my partner still hasn’t got me a bday present (6weeks hence now…) I’m thinking of getting her to get this for me…

I love playing my guitar along to songs so usually do it with my amp and songs coming out my monitors but tends to get very loud, what’s this thing feel like when playing along to music? I’ve used older units of this type before and when you play along the guitar sounds far to “on top of” the track getting played and is really unsatisfying - how is this? Does the guitar sound sit along the track well?

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#14

On that note, I’d also be interested to hear how well implemented the loop and slowdown functions are, both for tracks in your music library and in YouTube. I have some guitar books where the parts on the included CD are still way too fast (I’m looking at you Grant Green!), and if this is a convenient way of playing along to them slowed down it might be worth it for me.

#15

Received mine today. It’s a fair bit thicker than the Fender Mustang Micro. I like the build quality for such an affordable portable device.

I spent 5min with it and was sold on it right away. I like the amp sounds and the fact that I can patch FX one by one (Mustang Micro only allows switching between presets but its sounds are good too). Ehat sold me though was actually the Stage Feel thing. Everything sounds much more enjoyable through headphones with Stage Feel activated.

Cool little device. If someone would have told me 20 years ago that I’d have a collection of amps and a decent pedal board in that form factor for a mere 139€ I couldn’t have believed it.

6 Likes
#16

Sounds great from the videos I’ve heard. Looks like it’s sold out through at least May here in Japan. Kind of glad as it will give time for my GAS to settle. I kind of want one for bass though.

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#17

Yeah, I’m also curious to hear how it goes with a bass. I use a Mustang Micro on mine and there are really only two presets that are worth using for us low-noters.

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#18

I mentioned these are basically sold out everywhere here in Japan, but out of nowhere my local shop of all places listed one online last night and I managed to grab it (now sold out).

Because I have also been wanting a foot controller for my DAW and own both a Boss FS-7 and Boss expression pedal, I ordered the FS-1-WL Wireless Footswitch to go with it. I’m actually almost as stoked to get that as I am the Katana GO. It is going to make my recording experience in Logic a lot nicer I think (and I’m hoping they will add integration to the SP-404mkii).

I’ve never considered myself a Boss fanboy, but suddenly I realize I have a bunch of Boss gear. :slight_smile:

I’ll report back once I get the GO. In the meantime, has anyone tried the secret “sneaky” amp models I’ve been reading about online? If those can be loaded on the GO (and at least one person on Reddit appears to have done it), I’d like to try the Fender models and the 59 Marshall.

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#19

Had a quick fruitless search, can anyone point me to a list of FX available on the katana go? I really liked the convenience of the mustang micro, but was disappointed by the lack of options regarding patch design. I’ve got a really nice pedal board now, so I’m not sure if I can go back to just one little device, but I think I actually did play more guitar back when I had the mustang micro, just because it was so convenient.

#20

There are a TON. Not sure how much I’ll use it for recording, but should be awesome for practice with minimal setup. Could see myself maybe using this into the SP404 as well. Haven’t actually heard it yet. It comes tomorrow.

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