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KATANA-HEAD: Guitar Amplifier

Crafted Tones, Forged for Rock

Features

Katana—the traditional sword carried by the historic samurai of Japan—is a symbol of honor, precision, and artistry in Japanese culture. Adopting the majestic sword’s name with pride, the Katana series presents guitar amplifiers with smooth, cutting tones honed by generations of dedication and expertise. Born of the development process behind the acclaimed Waza amplifier, these innovative amps embody BOSS’s determined pursuit of the ultimate rock sound. Featuring proprietary circuit designs and meticulous tuning, the Katana series combines traditional craftsmanship and breakthrough functions to produce true next-generation rock amplifiers.

Compact and powerful, the 100-watt Katana-Head delivers sharply defined rock tones with rich, commanding presence. The amp also includes integrated access to 55 BOSS effects, which are customizable using the free BOSS Tone Studio editor software. Up to 15 different effects can be loaded at one time, enabling you to build fully prepared sounds inside the amp. In addition, the versatile Katana-Head is equipped with an effects loop and MIDI for integration with advanced rigs, and features a convenient built-in monitor speaker for tone preview and practice without a cab.

  • Light and portable 100-watt amplifier head with powerful, gig-ready sound
  • Five unique amp characters: Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown (derived from the Waza amp), and Acoustic (for acoustic-electric guitars)
  • Choose from 55 customizable effects with BOSS Tone Studio editor software
  • Store 15 different effects on board, with three effects available at once
  • Dedicated gain, EQ, presence, and effects controls for adjusting sounds quickly
  • Four Tone Setting memories for storing and recalling all amp and effect settings
  • Power Control for achieving cranked-up tones at low volumes
  • Integrated 5-inch monitor speaker for practice without an external cab
  • Line Out and USB jacks provide mix-ready direct tones
  • MIDI In for Tone Setting selection and effects on/off from a MIDI foot controller
  • Pro setups available at the BOSS Tone Central website

Crafted Tones, Forged for Rock

More Info

A Refined Amp with Inspiring Tone

Designed for guitarists who are serious about their sound, the Katana-Head offers class-defying power and expressiveness to meet any playing situation. A special method developed for the flagship Waza amp optimizes the head’s interaction with your connected speaker cab, giving you authoritative punch and cutting presence previously attainable only with high-end amp designs. The compact size is easy to carry to gigs, jams, and practice sessions, and the rear panel is filled with lots of connectivity for interfacing with external gear. The amp’s built-in monitor speaker is also handy, letting you check tones and practice anywhere without having to connect to a cabinet.

Five Original Amp Characters, Honed for Rock Playing

Sharpened to perfection by the BOSS engineering team, the Katana-Head’s five amp characters offer everything from organic vintage tones to modern high-gain sounds. Clean is natural and transparent, while Crunch offers satisfying grit and response. Lead has a wide gain range to suit many styles, from fat, stinging blues solos to fluid legato shredding. With DNA inherited from the Waza amp, Brown delivers refined high-gain tone sought after by the world’s greatest rock players. The Acoustic character further enhances the Katana’s versatility, providing optimized tone that makes acoustic-electric guitars sound stunningly natural.

Leave Your Pedalboard at Home

With its built-in BOSS effects and recallable Tone Settings, the Katana-Head lets you create fully prepared sounds for any song or style. Connecting to BOSS Tone Studio via USB provides access to 55 effects that are customizable for your needs. Going beyond standard distortion, delay, and reverb, the selection also includes powerful tone-shapers like pitch shifting, ring mod, slicer, and more. You can load 15 different effects in the amp at one time and use up to three simultaneously. Four Tone Settings let you store custom amp and effects setups for instant recall, and you can always jump to the current panel settings at the touch of a button. External control is also possible with optional footswitches, expression pedals, and MIDI devices.

Grab-and-Go Operation

While the Katana-Head includes many advanced features, it’s amazingly simple to operate. Dedicated knobs for multiple gain stages, three-band EQ, and presence allow you to quickly dial in your tone by ear, just as you would with a standard tube amp. Essential effects parameters are adjusted with a simple knob twist, and Tone Setting memories can be stored with a brief button hold. In addition to throttling back the volume for small stages and home playing, the Power Control has a Standby setting that mutes the sound for switching guitars or taking breaks.

Connect and Control

The Katana-Head’s speaker out supports connection to your favorite 8-ohm or 16-ohm cab. You can also send a simultaneous direct feed to PA or recording equipment using the Line Out, which provides authentic mic’d up tone with power, fullness, and dynamics. It’s also possible to send the same mix-ready sound to your computer music recording software via USB. Advanced players will appreciate the effects loop and MIDI input, which enables easy integration with external effects and MIDI switching devices like the BOSS ES-8 and ES-5.

BOSS Tone Central

At the BOSS Tone Central website, you’ll find numerous free amp and effects setups for the Katana series. Created by pro guitarists, these setups provide ready-to-play sounds for various music styles, and also make great starting points for building your own sounds. They load into the memories in a Katana amp via the BOSS Tone Studio editor software, which is also available at the site. In addition to Katana effects selection and customization, BOSS Tone Studio gives you a convenient way to organize all your Katana setups for different gigs, recordings, and practice sessions.

Crafted Tones, Forged for Rock

Specs

Specifications
Rated Power Output
30 W (Using internal speaker)
100 W (Using external speaker)
Nominal Input Level
INPUT: -10 dBu (1 M ohm)
AUX IN: -10 dBu (20 k ohms)
RETURN IN: -10 dBu (100 k ohm)
Speaker
12 cm (5 inches) x 1
Controls
POWER switch
MASTER knob
PRESENCE knob
POWER CONTROL switch (STANDBY, 0.5 W, 50 W, 100 W)

[AMPLIFIER]
AMP TYPE knob (ACOUSTIC, CLEAN, CRUNCH, LEAD, BROWN)
GAIN knob
VOLUME knob

[EQUALIZER]
BASS knob
MIDDLE knob
TREBLE knob

[MULTI EFFECT]
BOOSTER/MOD button
DELAY/FX button
REVERB button
TAP button
BOOSTER/MOD knob
DELAY/FX knob
REVERB knob

[TONE SETTING]
CH1 button
CH2 button
CH3 button
CH4 button
PANEL button
Indicators
ACOUSTIC
CLEAN
CRUNCH
LEAD
BROWN
BOOSTER/MOD
DELAY/FX
REVERB
TAP
CH1
CH2
CH3
CH4
PANEL
Connectors
INPUT jack: 1/4-inch phone type
AUX IN jack: Stereo miniature phone type
REC OUT/PHONES jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
SEND jack: 1/4-inch phone type
RETURN jack: 1/4-inch phone type
LINE OUT jack: 1/4-inch phone type
SPEAKER OUT jack: 1/4-inch phone type
EXP PEDAL/CTL CH1/CH2 jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
GA-FC jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
MIDI IN connector
USB port: USB B type
AC IN jack
Power Consumption
77 W
Accessories
Owner's manual
Power cord
GA-FC sticker
Options (sold separately)
Footswitch: BOSS FS-5L
Expression pedal: Roland EV-5, BOSS FV-500L, BOSS FV-500H
GA FOOT CONTROLLER (GA-FC)
Size and Weight
Width
470 mm
18-9/16 inches
Depth
228 mm
9 inches
Height
215 mm
8-1/2 inches
Weight
8.8 kg
19 lbs 7 oz
* 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms

Accessories

EV-5

Expression Pedal

EV-5

Durable expression pedal for use with keyboards or other Expression-compatible instruments to control a range of functions and effects parameters.

Click for Details

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