Boss Katana-50 Guitar Combo Amplifier

Rock out with 5 unique "character" voicings and 58 built-in Boss effects. A tonal chameleon, this 50-watt 1x12" combo amp is your portable practice partner.

Overall User Ratings (based on 19 ratings)
  • Overall:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(19) (see rating details)
Submitted November 12, 2016 by Wally A in Ingleside, IL

"Great amp"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I have had many amps over the years, both solid-state & tube. This amp beats all solid-state amps I have owned. It is very responsive to your playing and the built-in effects are top notch. I can practice at a low wattage at home and not bother anybody or take to band practice and sound awesome at 50W...pedal friendly

Musical Background:

I have been playing guitar off and on since 1977

Musical Style:

I enjoy classic rock, heavy metal and country music.
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Submitted March 5, 2017 by Kelly M in Sandpoint, ID

"SMALL 25lb 50 Watt 1x12 Open Backed Combo. BINGO!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Just to be clear, I got the BOSS Katana-50 to use as a small, powerful, clean, full voiced amp platform for a modeling pedal (Fender Mustang Floor). For that purpose this amp would be tough to beat at any price, much less $199 IMHO. The on-board amp tones and effects are totally worthy, although I must say the all overdriven amp selections filter too much low end for my tastes. To be fair, it is sold as the Katana that will "Cut Through" as it says right on the factory carton. I use the "Clean" setting with the gain at about noon. It sounds great. BTW, I could totally use the amp as a grab and go. The on-board tones and effects are first rate. It's light, small, and loud in the right way. Recommended. P.S. I'm really hoping this amp proves to be as rugged and reliable as the other BOSS/Roland products I have owned and used. They have all been rock solid.

Musical Background:

Gigging guitarist for 40 years (on and off...).

Musical Style:

Rock 'N' Roll, Pop, Soul, R'n'B, Country and Western.
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Submitted February 5, 2018 by Jose Luis Herrera in Dallas, TX

"Very Impressed!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I especially like the fact that it's easy to set up and play. No programming, just plug and play out of the box. Depending on your style of music you should definitely take advantage of the software and update your presets. the K50 now has the ability to store 4 presets (used to be only 2) via the software update. I use a Boss FS-7 pedal to switch these 4. Warning: this thing is LOUD. I really like the wattage feature to bring it down when playing at home. My only complaint about the K50 is the lack of an FX loop. I have a very old Dean Markley (oddly, named K50 as well) that has FX loop, line out, etc. Although the K50 takes pedals well, not having the FX loop limits the use of a looper pedal, which I often use. If you use any type of looper, you know what I mean. And again, using pedals only to layer effects over effects outside of the programmable ones via the software. I have a few TC Electronic effects (Dark Matter, Dreamscape, Mini Comp) that I prefer over Boss. Would still recommend the Katana as it sounds very good, especially after you've dialed in your tones and presets. From what I've read, it gets better after the speaker breaks in. Disclaimer: the unit I received was making a crackling noise as if there was a loose instrument cable shorting out, poor grounding, or a 'confused' noise gate. I tried several guitars, cables, power outlets and it still had the noise. Mostly noticeable while not playing, just plugged in. I've returned it to Zzounds and a new unit is on its way.

Musical Background:

Playing 25+years, now just jam at home.

Musical Style:

Rock, metal, blues, progressive.
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Submitted July 31, 2018 by Jim Z in Trafford, PA

"So so good"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I'll be really quick with this. It's a great amp,perfect for playing at home, I guarantee loud enough for a drummer. I haven't gotten too far into the effects or computer stuff yet, but this is really split and play amp. Its not trying to sound like a jcm or a fender or a Mesa, it just sounds GREAT. I've owned plenty of other amps, orange, Marshall, Peavey tube amps, and this amp can compete for tone. Bottom line is I WISH we had this sort of stuff when I was learning to play. Technology has come VERY far.

Musical Background:

18 yrs, used to play professionally, now just play at home

Musical Style:

All genres, classical metal to djent, blues to pop, jazz fusion to contemporary fingerstyle... Everything
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Submitted April 22, 2017 by matthew s in cape coral , FL

"Great sound, low price"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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I recently received the Katana 50 and shortly after sold my Bugera V22 and my Yamaha THR5. the ease of use of this amp is great, and it does sound great after you take your time to dial it in. IMHO its much better sounding the Roland cube amp (excluding the blues cubes) the effects are good but they are Boss so if you dont like boss effects, you might want to try some pedals. I have not tried pedals in it but from my understanding, it takes them well. its a very light amp, Which makes it feel cheaper to me. and the only reason i knocked features down a little is that it would have been nice to have a tuner on it. the facts that i can change the wattage is fantastic and it does sound good at lower volumes but i have noticed that it reacts as a tube amp would in that it sounds better turned up. If you are a gigging musician go for the 100 watt i think it would be better for the clean channel to cut through the mix. it sounds great and could very well replace your cheaper tube amps (bugera come to mind) but it certainly will not replace my mesa boogie express.

Musical Background:

10 years of playing, not gigging.

Musical Style:

blues and classic rock, hard rock.
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Submitted February 12, 2018 by a customer from gmail.com

"AWESOME AMP!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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This amp is great. It clear at all volumes and gets very close to the tube sound. Great tones and very loud. Also, the 5 different channels are great as well as the effects on the amp and being able to download from the Boss Studio. zZounds was great. 4 payment of $55 no credit check. Awesome. Nothing touches this amp for the price. Even more expensive ones aren't as good.
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Submitted July 13, 2019 by Daniel T in Humble, TX

"Everyone should own this amp."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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This amp sounds absolutely amazing. Nothing to envy from a tube amp. Very dynamic tone. Just like a real tube. Easy to use. Sounds perfect without any tweaking. Very light weight. Even if you own a tube amp you should own this one for a practice amp. Sounds loud but I haven't gigged with it. I haven't used the tone studio software. Not really needed unless you're really into that. Everyone guitar player needs to own one. I bought this warehouse resealed in zZounds and it was in perfect condition.

Musical Background:

25 Years Playing guitar. Play mostly at home.

Musical Style:

Blues and Rock.
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Submitted June 6, 2019 by a customer from usa.com

"great little LOUD amp."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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well I've owned this amp well over a year now and use it everyday. I no longer play outside my house but if I did it would do small venues just fine.I only use reverb and clean and just a slight amount of overdrive and use a muti-effects unit, an old one for other sounds. I play mostly old country,rock and pop.I never feel like I need any more then what I have.I use a strat,tele,sg and es335 and it takes all these guitars and my acoustic and does a good job.I set up the clean channel to imitate my 68 deluxe reverb and it can get close,say 87% close.This is one of the best amps I have seen in my 40 years of playing.I certainly am getting my moneys worth.you cant go wrong with this one unless its a more power issue.
Quality
this is a well made amp. shockingly so for the money.
Value
great Value fine product. I buy from zZounds when I can. not sure where I bought this amp.maybe here.

Musical Background:

40 years. R&L

Musical Style:

old country,Christian,pop, mild rock.whaterver.
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Submitted October 24, 2017 by Steve N in Chandler, AZ

"Boss Katana-50"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Boss Katana-50 is a nice little light weight practice amp that sounds decent enough. Got tired of dragging 40lb+ amps around for weekly practices. Also tired of putting my gigging amps through the wear and tear and daily practice grind. You have to play with it for awhile to dial in the sounds you need but this little 50w amp gets it done. I use mainly for practice at home and I have even used it at our regular weekly band practice and it will keep up and it will cut through the mix. It doesn't sound totally awesome but for the price and ease of use, it ain't too bad!

Musical Background:

Play guitar in a classic rock band. Gigging for the last 15 years

Musical Style:

Classic rock, blues, southern rock, country rock!
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Submitted May 13, 2019 by a customer from gmail.com

"Just"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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So I originally purchased the Line 6 V60 huge mistake so I actually did some research this time and returned the Spider for the Katana the sounds are hands down better I love the simplicity I had my whole family do a blind sound comparison and they all chose the Katana on every setting every time
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Submitted March 23, 2020 by Rick Foxx in Shelton, WA

"Great little amp with punch"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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I was impressed with this little amp from the moment I plugged it in...it has loads of tube like tone for your electric guitar or it's even great with just an acoustic guitar and a mic. One of the things that always bothered me about these types of modeling amps is that they sound great until you use your ear buds or headphones...then most of them suck... the tone changes and or it is just not loud enough and you can't turn it up anymore so your straining to hear anything or as i said it's just a crappy tone coming through the phones (I have really nice phones and buds so that's not it). I have a Blackstar id core 10, Marshall code 50, Fender mustang 11, Line 6 Spyder, Zoom G1 FOUR etc, etc and these only work well without earbuds or phones. To be honest I have purchased and tried dozens of other modeling amps and hand held modeling effects boxes as well and this amp is the only one that I can sit in front of the T.V., wear my ear buds and enjoy the tone I dial in as well as play live... I can even program in the exact tone I like and recall it with the push of a button every time I sit down to play. IMHO everyone needs this little amp in there arsenal...and hey, for just a little more cash they have this in a 100 watt version with a couple more features...the only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that I would really like to see this come with a pedal...but not a major deterrent. Kudos to you Boss keep up the good work.

Musical Background:

40 years pro.

Musical Style:

Rock, Blues and country
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Submitted February 6, 2020 by Joseph House in Chesterfield, IN

"Boss Katana 50"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I'm very impressed by the range of sounds and the sound quality of the Katana 50. Being able to download patches and use the mobile app makes it very convenient in switching between different tones.

Musical Background:

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years. I play electric, acoustic and classical guitar. And I also play bass.

Musical Style:

Rock, prog, thrash, classic rock, grunge
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Submitted April 16, 2019 by Brian B in VALRICO, FL

"Small footprint ... big sound"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Utterly amazing. Powerful, useable, impressively easy to use. Most 2 channel pedals control functions. As good as tube ... yeah I said that.

Musical Background:

30 yrs live. Lead guitar

Musical Style:

Rock country blues
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Submitted April 27, 2018 by Aaron Dye in Tacoma, WA

"NICE!!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Great amp. 50 watts with a 12" speaker, amazing sounding onboard effects (Boss brand too!!). I can't turn the volume up past .5 (1/2) or else the neighbors complain. it has the power for gigs. Clean channel is really crisp, bright and clear. The overdrive channels are great also. You can get basically any tone from this amp with the right twerking. Definitely worth the money.

Musical Background:

I've been playing guitar going on 10 years

Musical Style:

Rock, metal, blues
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Submitted May 8, 2018 by Charles W in Washington, IN

"Amazing how far solid state has come"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I bought this as a practice amp. I haven't used it outside of my house, but I have no doubt it could keep up with a drummer for band practice, a small gig, or a larger gig if mic'd up. All of the amp models sound great. I love the effects. I would be nice if there were more options for running the effects together however you want, but that's probably reserved for the 100 watt version. It took a few minutes to understand how the effects knobs worked, but it was fairly intuitive. The amps real potential opens up once you hook it up to your computer with the not-included OMNIHIL/usb cable. It would have been nice for Boss to include the footswitch instead of it being an optional extra purchase. It's not really needed if you're jamming at your house alone, but I would want one for a gig. Overall, this thing rocks. I'd definitely recommend it. This solid state stuff has come so far compared to the old Peavey transtube stuff my friends and I had way back in high school.

Musical Background:

Played guitar for close to twenty years

Musical Style:

Punk, blues, reggae, ska, some old school metal
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Submitted June 25, 2019 by Thomas C in Pomeroy, WA

"Darn good"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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I’ve always had tube amps but wanted to try this. Be prepared for some playing with knobs till you figure out all the function switches. A bit complex but it does nearly anything. Not too heavy and sounds good. Appears well made. It’s a keeper.

Musical Background:

Several decades semi pro

Musical Style:

Most.
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Submitted December 15, 2018 by Larry L in Lebanon, TN

"Just what I needed"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Ill start with a BIG thumbs up to zZounds! Fast delivery! Now, about the amp. I have only had it for one day but I have to say it is even better than I expected. This is not your fathers solid state amp. Very nice sounds/tones and effects for me. I am not a professional and I do not gig, I just play for my own enjoyment and occasionally with friends so I did not have the need for an expensive amp but I wanted something with enough kick and headroom that I would not grow out of too soon. The Boss Katana 50 fits the bill nicely at a very good price and, as an unexpected bonus, It is not bad at all as an acoustic amp!

Musical Background:

Jam at home

Musical Style:

Various
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Submitted April 15, 2018 by Joey Solebello in Fort Myers, FL

"Pretty Darn Good"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
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I'll list the CONS first.- I think there's something wrong with the default software. When you turn the amp back on, it starts on different settings then what everythin' is turned to.There's free software on their website to connect a computer to. It's really a minor setback for the value of this amp.- The clean channel doesn't want to work with my Ibanez AS73, but the acoustic channel does the trick.-Remembering all your settings after if you tweak the other amp styles. This just takes a week or so to get used to.PROS:-Lots of varied sounds, especially because my guitar has 2 tone and 2 volume knob won the a 3 position switch.-Plenty loud for anyone wanting to get that feel of playing live, loud concerts.-Great price at $220.

Musical Background:

Intermediate, beginning advanced practice.

Musical Style:

I love some jazz, blues rock and some metal.
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Submitted October 31, 2017 by Mat G in Los Angeles, CA

"Solid state has arrived"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Between this technology and Quilter, there really are toneful options to Tube Amps. Some time and experimenting is needed to get things dialed in properly because the settings are very responsive and interactive. If this model had a true line out, it would be a perfect small venue amp. I have used it on large stages with a mic and it pushes a lot of air for its size. I never bring my heavy to e machines anymore to live gigs

Musical Background:

Full time pro, playing over 50 years

Musical Style:

Just about everything as a session player
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