
The latest generation of Boss’ flagship digital amp is out to snatch the tones-per-dollar title belt.
Exceptional sounds throughout. Great high-gain tones. Off-the-charts value.
A built-in tuner would have been a nice touch.
$599
Boss Katana Artist Gen 3, $599,
boss.info
Boss’ Katana digital amps are among the most successful amplifiers of all time. They’ve sold over a million units since the first one appeared in 2016. But that’s hardly surprising given the wealth of sounds most Katanas put on offer, their abundance of features, and almost unrivaled bang for the buck.
At this point, the Katana user community is big and enthusiastic. And a sizable, online portion of that community spends a lot of time speculating about what the next generation of Katanas will bring. By the time you read this review, the cat will be out of the bag, and seven new Gen 3 Katana models will hit guitar shop floors. It’s likely that just about every facet of the Katana’s audience, from dedicated, to casual, to curious will be intrigued if not blown away with what the newest generation delivers for relatively little cash.
"The brown patch communicates the nuances of tapping and palm-muting techniques as well as a responsiveness that I might have attributed to tubes in a blindfold test."
Features Overflowing
The flagship of the line, the Katana Artist Gen 3 reviewed here, is a 100-watt 1X12 combo amp with a custom-designed Waza G12W speaker. So far, so simple. But as one look at the rather daunting control panel will tell you, the Artist Gen 3 does a lot.
Boss is careful to distinguish their Tube Logic architecture, which captures the behavior of many individual components in a tube-amp circuit rather than just the output of a tube amp itself as some modelers do. And the depth of the control set reflects that thinking in many respects.
There are eight sections on the front panel: amplifier, equalizer, effects, tone setting, solo, line out, global EQ, and cab resonance. Within each of these control categories, there are many knobs and buttons that enable control of practically every facet of your tone—from the virtual “air” in your line-out signal to wattage (max, half, .5 watts) to cab resonance (deep, modern, or vintage). On the back panel, meanwhile, are line-out and USB jacks for direct recording; an effects loop; as well as jacks for using external modelers and preamps (via the Katana’s own AB power section).
The Katana Artist Gen 3 has five independent effects sections with over 60 Boss effects to choose from. There are also six basic amplifier types—brown, lead, crunch, pushed, clean, and acoustic. There’s a variation button to select an alternate voicing for each amp type as well and a new bloom button, which enhances the power stage with more bass and more-defined attack.
In the tone setting section, you’ll find pushbuttons for bank, CH1 through CH4, and panel. The CH1 through CH4 buttons recall sounds you save (in which case the knobs won’t reflect the settings you hear). Pressing the panel button lets you use the amp in WYSIWYG fashion. This is where most people will start their Katana voyage. But if you just use the Katana Artist Gen 3 as a basic channel-switching amp, you’ll miss out on many of the amp’s most compelling features.
Optional But Recommended
If you’re only going to use the Katana Artist Gen 3 for home practice and recording, then the amp gives you just about everything you need right out of the box. However, if you’ll be using the amp in a live setting, an optional—but I’d say vital—accessory is the 6-button GA-FC EX footswitch. At $149, it’s a considerable expense for an optional accessory, but it makes leveraging the amp’s horsepower, depth, and flexibility in gig situations easier and more satisfying.
The footswitch enables super-smooth transition between patches. You hear none of the pops or lag that you hear even in big-ticket tube amps when you switch between channels. And before you balk at the extra expense, remember that changing amp channels and effects simultaneously in real time with a conventional pedal switcher would require a significantly more expensive switcher, so the GA-FC EX’s price tag is actually reasonable if you compare it to a similarly capable switcher.
Another optional accessory that is very useful is the BT-Dual ($59), which allows you to connect to the amp via Bluetooth. The BT-Dual lets you do a lot—from basic things like playing music from your phone wirelessly (useful when loading backing tracks to jam with) to advanced functionality in the Boss Tone Studio app, which lets you dive deeper into the Artist Gen 3’s customization capabilities.
From your smartphone, you can use Tone Studio to create chains of effects and amp settings. You can also use the app to change between other saved presets. What’s amazing is how immediate and seamless the patch changes are. While letting an open A chord ring, I toggled through various factory patches like spongy crunch, bloom crunch, and sparkle clean, and there were no delays, dropouts, or weird noises between patch changes. The volume levels of the respective patches were within a similar range and the changes felt organic. The Tone Studio app also allows you to edit parameters that are not accessible from the amp control panel alone. For example, you can access the “air feel” settings as well as hidden parameters like mic distance, position, and type, and ambience pre-delay and level, which lets you further sculpt your sound for line-out recording. You can also use the app to access four hidden tonal templates for the contour mini pushbutton.
Tone Mastery
The Katana Artist Gen 3 is loaded with more features than you’re likely to use. But features aren’t worth much if the sounds aren’t there, and across the spectrum of tones I checked out, the Katana impressed.
Just about every preset I tried could form a solid core sound for the genre it was designed for. The brown patch, for instance, with its full-bodied gain and arena-style delay, is ideal for Van Halen leads and communicates the nuances of tapping and palm-muting techniques, as well as a responsiveness that I might have attributed to tubes in a blindfold test. In general, high-gain settings deliver heavy bottom-end output that can be room-shaking—even at a modest volume.
Clean sounds are full and exhibit quite a bit of natural-sounding sustain, which brings melodic fills to life. In fact, the Katana Artist Gen 3 could make an excellent pedal platform—and the amp’s effects loop makes pedals very easy to integrate. But there are so many excellent drive and effects options built in here that, unless you have very specific pedal sounds you rely on, it would almost be a shame to not take advantage of the onboard options and keep your rig to a streamlined minimum.
The Verdict
Like most Premier Guitar readers, I’ve invested thousands of dollars into many amp and effects setups. But the reality is that the Katana Artist Gen 3 can do many of the things my more expensive setups can do, and do them exceptionally well. It sounds amazing in many applications, and can be used as a professional stage amp, home practice amp, and at the front end of your recording rig. And at $599, its capabilities are pretty extra-astounding.
Boss Katana-100 Gen 3 Amp Demo by Tom Butwin | PG Plays
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Cool compression profile that yields blooming and nasty fuzz with fangs. Simple. Excellent value!
Not a ton of variation in the fuzz’s simple controls.
One big, bad, and very boss, no-frills fuzz.
On the surface, fuzz is an almost barbarian concept—a nasty sound that’s easy to grasp in our imaginations. But contrast David Gilmour’s ultra-creamy Big Muff sounds with James Gurley’s free and visceral fuzz passages from Big Brother and the Holding Company’s Cheap Thrillsand you remember that two different fuzzes, in the hands of two different players, can speak very different languages. The latter artist concerns us here because Gurley did his work with a Jordan Boss Tone, which is the inspiration for the Ananashead Spirit Fuzz.
Ananashead’s Pedro Garcia has a knack for weirder 1960s fuzzes. HisMeteorite silicon Fuzzrite clone, for instance, is a knockout. This take on the two-transistor Boss Tone is equally thrilling, and genuinely idiosyncratic when it runs at full tilt. It exhibits tasty inherent compression, and transient notes ring out as pronounced and concise before blooming into full viciousness—a quality that shines when paired with neck-position humbuckers (and which probably made the original circuit appealing to Spirit’s Randy California, another 1960s Boss Tone devotee). That tone profile gives the Spirit Fuzz meatiness that stands out among ’60s-style two-transistor circuits, and the sense of mass, combined with the pedal’s intrinsic focus, makes it superb for tracking. The Spirit loves humbuckers, which coax real sweetness from the circuit. But it was just as happy to take a ride with a Jaguar bridge pickup and an old Fender Vibrolux with the reverb at 10. Sounds painful, right? On the contrary, it was one of the most haunting fuzz sounds I can remember playing.
A hyper-versatile algorithmic reverb with a new and groundbreaking Ensemble engine for generating orchestral-inspired pads is now available for your DAW.
Strymon Engineering has announced the release of the Cloudburst ambient reverb plugin. A direct code port of their award-winning hardware pedal of the same name, the Cloudburst plugin offers a vast library of reverb sounds and orchestral-inspired synth pads, all easily controlled by a simple and elegant user interface.Initially based around the Cloud algorithm from Strymon’s iconic BigSky, Cloudburst refactors the reverb at every position on the Decay knob, allowing it to be used not only for the other worldly dreamscapes that Cloud is known for, but also for hyper-authentic rooms and halls that complement any recording style or genre of music.Controlled by a single knob, the new Ensemble engine creates synthetic pads by analyzing 48frequency bands in the source audio and then generating corresponding upper harmonic partials of what it finds in each band. The result is harmonically rich and organic synth pads that closely follow the source audio, adding complexity and dimension to any sound it’s applied to.
Cloudburst Plugin Official Sound Samples | Strymon
“One of the fun things about using a plugin version of a hardware product you know very well isthe surprise and delight that come from using it differently in a session for the first time”, saidSean Halley, Strymon’s Head of Marketing and long-time recording professional. “The first timeI tried it on tracks I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face - I put it on classical violins and guitars, drums, percussion and synths, and in every instance it could stay out of the way and remain infinitely professional, or it could change the genetic makeup of the sounds if I wanted it to.Even though the interface is very clean and simple, there is a virtual sonic universe in there to explore.” Gregg Stock, Strymon co-founder and analog circuit guru said “we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. We’re hoping that being able to easily run multiple Cloudbursts in a session really changes what users feel is possible, sonically. We’re looking forward to hearing the music!”
The Cloudburst plugin is available now directly from Strymon and from dealers worldwide for $79 US.
From devastation to celebration, Lari Basilio comes out on top with her latest album, Redemption.
The Brazilian guitarist’s soaring new instrumental record chronicles her recent journey from tragedy to triumph.
“The journey of this album actually coincides with my motherhood journey,” says Lari Basilio, speaking about her newest release, Redemption. “When I started writing the songs, I had no idea that I was pregnant. It was always a dream of mine to become a mom.”
However, tragedy struck shortly after Basilio learned of her pregnancy. “A few weeks later, unfortunately, I had to deal with the miscarriage of my very first baby. It was actually one year ago,” recalls Basilio. “It was a very sad time. These songs kind of became the soundtrack for this period of my life. And everything that I lived—the emotions—ended up reflecting on my compositions. Basically, my day-to-day life ended up inspiring me to write my songs.”
The guitar proved to be therapeutic for Basilio. As she learned to cope with the loss, Basilio found solace in her 6-string. Many of the songs on Redemption like the title track, “New Chapter,” “Heartbeat,” and “Forever" have a nostalgic, reflective quality. “Music and the guitar are definitely a place of comfort for me. And I kept working and writing the songs and finishing the album,” she explains. While working on the record, Basilio was met with a surprise. “In the middle of the process, I found out that I was pregnant again! And at the end, we’re here. I’m about to release the new album, and I have my baby with me. It feels like my redemption moment, you know? Everything is summed up in this moment for me”
Basilio gave birth to her first child, Liam, just 20 days before our interview. The past few years leading up to this moment have marked other significant changes in Basilio’s life. Two years ago, she uprooted to Texas to live in a peaceful place where she could raise a family, after a six-year stint in Los Angeles that started in 2017. She had emigrated from São Paolo, Brazil, then to pursue her music career after gaining notoriety through her eponymous debut album and followup release, The Sound of My Room.
For her third album, 2019’s Far More, she recruited an ensemble of A-list session players like drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Nathan East, and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. This album also featured Joe Satriani (whom she met after he invited her to be an instructor at his 2019 G4 Experience) as a guest on the track, “Glimpse of Light.” Continuing this trend, Redemption, Basilio’s fifth original release, features a return appearance by Colaiuta, in addition to bassists Leland Sklar and Sean Hurley (both of whom previously recorded on Basilio’s 2022 release, Your Love), and keyboardist Mari Jacintho.
“Everything that I lived—the emotions—ended up reflecting on my compositions.”
Redemption is Basilio’s fifth full-length of original instrumental music, and her third since moving to the United States in 2017.
Lari Basilio’s Gear
Guitars
- Ibanez LB1 Signature with Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio pickups
- Ibanez Prestige AZ24047
Amps
- Laney Lionheart L20T-212
- Laney Cub-Super 12
- Laney Cub-Supertop
- Laney Ironheart IRT-SLS
- Laney Black Country Customs Ironheart IRT60H
Effects
- JHS The Violet Lari Basilio Signature Distortion
- Laney Black Country Customs Secret Path Reverb
- Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor
- GNI Music Delay
- TC Electronic Flashback Delay
Strings and Picks
- D’Addario Regular Light XL Nickel (.009–.046)
- Dunlop Standard Tortex Pick (1.0 mm and 1.14 mm)
While it can be intimidating to be in the studio with such legendary studio musicians, Basilio doesn’t really get nervous around them anymore. “I think I’m more relaxed now because we ended up becoming friends,” says Basilio who spent two days with them in Studio Two at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, then finished the guitars and postproduction later. “But they never cease to amaze me. Every time I’m in the studio with them I’m absolutely blown away. Every time. So this doesn't change, because they’re amazing musicians—the way they put their emotions and their personality into the songs, into the performances, it’s just brilliant. I give them total freedom to put in their ideas and do anything they want, and they're always so polite, and they ask, ‘Oh, can I do that?’ Or, ‘I hope you don’t mind that I tried that.’ And I would sit there and you know, I just can’t believe that these guys are there playing my songs and we’re having these amazing moments and creating these memories together in the studio. There’s only one Vinnie. There’s only one Leland. I hope that maybe one day I’m gonna be able to do a concert with all of them together.”
Though Basilio maintains her public persona of guitar hero, she is also a lawyer. In fact, she comes from a family of lawyers. Her dad, husband, and two brothers are lawyers, and her mom graduated from law school, although she isn’t a practicing attorney.
Basilio at EastWest with her collaborators, from left to right: Leland Sklar, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Mari Jacintho.
Photo by Eduardo Orelha
Having a background in law, however, doesn’t mean Basilio strictly follows the rules on everything—least of all guitar. She sometimes employs an unorthodox fingerstyle technique where she keeps the pick tucked into her palm by using her right hand’s ring finger, while keeping the thumb, index, and middle finger free to pluck. Basilio says, “I think this is one of the things that came naturally. Every player has to try to find what is natural for them.”
This approach can be heard on tracks like “Seasons,” where Basilio plays percussively with her fingers. “I love playing fingerstyle. I play a lot both with a guitar pick and fingerstyle, and I kind of developed my own way to play fingerstyle out of the necessity of looking for new tones and new dynamics,” she explains. “And I love to incorporate it into my songs, to get those percussive sounds and lots of ghost notes. It’s so much fun.”
Redemption closes with the beautiful “Forever,” which showcases Basilio’s fingerstyle technique. The song also demonstrates her strong background in music theory, which she built thanks to the organ lessons she started at age four before her father, Jesonias, handed her a nylon-string acoustic guitar and showed her open C and D chords when she was around eight years old. “Forever” is Basilio’s first solo unaccompanied guitar recording, though she has performed that style many times in public over the years.
“This is something that I always did for my videos, for my YouTube channel, but I haven’t had a full song written that way,” Basilio explains. “I just sit down and try to play by myself, just me and my guitar. And I think it was about time for me to have a song written that way, and I’m happy I could do it for this album. It’s so much fun to try to develop it because at the end of the day, this songwriting process and style of composition is something that you develop by practicing. Some people might think that you don’t have to practice songwriting and composition, but I think it comes from practice as well.”
Flanked by her trusty Laney amps, Basilio wields her signature Ibanez LB1-BK.
Photo by Eduardo Orelha
YouTube It
Lari Basilio uses her unique fingerstyle approach to perform a delicate and ethereal unaccompanied intro to her composition “Running to the Other Side.” Once the band kicks in, she goes all out from precision picking to right-hand tapping to display her jaw-dropping chops.
Fall Headline Tour Scheduled to Kick Off October 31st with Special Guest Myles Kennedy GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Wolfgang Van Halen is back with the latest single from the band he masterminds, Mammoth.
Mammoth: The End (Official Video)
“The End” is an adrenaline-driven rocker that kicks off with a signature lead guitar riff that has become a fan-favorite element in Wolfgang’s music. The anthemic build of the intro gives way to the driving verse melody with each part carefully created and performed by Van Halen and his returning collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. The chorus is driven by the unforgettable vocal melody as the message of “Take your hand in mine and watch the end with me.” The song is now available for pre-save via all digital service providers here.
“I’ve had the tapping idea on the intro for ‘The End’ since before Mammoth. I was able to fit it into this world. It’s still over-the-top and shreddy, but it’s also melodic and controlled. Overall, I was doing some different things on the record, and I knew this was going to be a big step. Once we finished ‘The End,’ it felt really special to me,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.To coincide with the single release, Wolfgang and Mammoth have released a music video for “The End” that is one for the history books and something rarely seen in music videos anymore. Wolfgang teamed up with legendary director Robert Rodriguez to do a modern-day interpretation of Rodriguez’s 1996 hit film, From Dusk Till Dawn. The video tells the story of a rock band that is booked to play a show at a dive bar and given an ominous warning from the club owner portrayed by Danny Trejo. Mammoth decides they know better, and things quickly turn dire for the band before a surprising revelation during the final moments tie the complete video lore from the band together. Friends of Mammoth including Slash, Myles Kennedy and Wolfgang’s mother Valerie Bertinelli all show up throughout the short film. Horror effects icon Greg Nicotero offered his talents to the video to create zombies, werewolves and vampires that all bring a deadly end to the attendees of the show.
With a short run of May dates creating excitement for a Mammoth tour, the band is announcing a Fall headline run. The End Tourkicks off on October 31st and runs for 5 weeks before it wraps up on December 7th. The tour will make stops in Las Vegas, NV (November 1), Atlanta, GA (November 8), Montclair, NJ (November 14), Chicago, IL (November 26) and Tempe, AZ (December 6) to name a few. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy will be the special guest on the run. Tickets will be on sale starting May 5th via artist presale and on sale to the public on Friday, May 9th. More information on all tickets and VIP passes can be found at www.mammoth.band