Which is the best Boss Katana to take to Gigs and Rehearsals? 50 vs 50EX vs 100

so you have decided to buy a

katana

but you don't know exactly

which

one you have reduced it to 50 or 100, but now the

boss

has launched this is the

katana

50 Ex

which

combines some of the features of the 100 with the smallest size and weight of the 50. so the purchasing decision has become a little more difficult but don't worry, in this video I'm going to

take

a look at what the katana 50 Ex offers so you can decide. Which Katana is right for you? Let me start by saying that the Katana range of amplifiers is the

best

selling range of amplifiers in the world for a reason and whether you go for the 50,

50ex

or 100, you choose the 50,

50ex

or 100 model to get through. a good while and the 50ex is an addition to the range, it doesn't replace the 50, which means you can get some fantastic bargains on the 50 now, but let's find out what the 50ex can do that the 50 can't do with the katana. 50ex is more versatile for live use because the old I hate to say that the 50 only accepts a footswitch with two buttons like this and it doesn't even have to be made by a

boss

, this is a black star one as long as it is a switch two button with a stereo plug, will work with the katana 50 and this will allow you to switch between channel 1 and channel 2 and bank A and bank B, giving you access to all four channels of the katana 50.

Without However, the 50ex

take

s this gafc ex or the gafc above and this allows you to switch between the katana 50ex's eight channels and turn effects on and off individually within those presets so it works exactly the same way a katana 100 would. and this is one of the main missing features of the 50 that katana fans have been complaining about for quite some time, so that's reason number one, maybe you should buy a 50 Ex katana, wait a minute, I said eight channels, yes the katana 50 only has four channels but the 50ex has eight channels which you can access using the gafc style controller or the tone studio software on your PC or Mac so if four channels isn't enough to store all those wonderful presets you've downloaded or created yourself, then you might want to opt for the 50ex's new feature number three: the line out on the back of the amp, so if you need to bring a signal from your amp to the apa system or to a recording interface and you don't have a microphone or I just want to get a clean signal that you can control, so this one has a line output, whereas the 50 only had a record output and what it did was take a signal 50 and put it into a mixing console or an audio interface.

I would mute this internal speaker with this one, it's the same as the 100, so you have the record output, but you also have the line output that doesn't mute the internal speaker, so you can monitor your tones with the katana 50 Ex and also send a signal simultaneously to another device, plus you now have access to custom settings in the Tone Studio software so you can select what type of microphone you want and the position of that microphone as if it were placed on the speaker. Cool new feature number four is the new stereo expansion mode that's on the katanas Mark II, so inside the katana, which is a mono amp, some of the effects can be stereo and you can use those stereo nuts by connecting two Mark II katanas using the line output and power amplifier. but the cheapest way to do it in the past was to buy a 100 Mark II and a 50 Mark II, but they wouldn't match because there are different speakers and they are different size amps, they sound different now they are the cheapest and the

best

.

The way to combine them if you know you want two applications of the same size is to buy a 50 Mark II ex and a 50 Mark II and this is great if you want an amp of the same size on stage or wherever, because to combine a 100 with a 50 never worked so well because they sound different, so now you can have two identical amps with the same cab, the same speaker that sounds the same in your stereo effects and it's not only cheaper, it's also lighter and smaller, and I dare you. Let's say you could probably carry two Katana 50s pretty far.

New feature number five. You're going to love this if you're a long-time Katana amp user. Come here, come here, don't break it, keep it spotless. The Katana 50 Mark II ex is coming. with a new piece of cardboard that's where you put the tone quickly before the tone escapes, so what's the same with 250 watt katanas? What do 50 and 50 Ex have in common? Well, everything else, the sounds are the same as the built-in ones. the effects are the same the panel on top is the same the interior speaker is the same the cabin is the same the weight is almost the same the 50ex is 100 grams heavier, which is about the weight of a medium banana, so which for all intents and purposes I'm saying they also weigh the same, but let's talk about the differences between the 50ex and the 100.

This is the 100 Mark II, which is still the 50 Mark II ex and the most obvious feature missing from the 50 Ex that the 100 has is The effects loop, very briefly, an effects loop is a place where you can put some type of effect between the katana's preamp and the katana's power amp, meaning you can choose your crunch style amp if you want and then have that crunch. The sound goes into an external reverb pedal and then comes out of the reverb pedal to the katana's power amp making it louder, so if you want to use an amp with external effects then you might want to go for the 100 and if you want to use a Looper and put it in the Effects Loop and record a clean guitar loop and then change the patch and have a lead guitar tone go over that Loop and again you might want to consider getting an effects loop amp that is the 100. and above, now I know that the fact that the 50ex doesn't have an effects loop still bothers some Katana users and by the way, hello, if you are viewing this from the group from katana's Facebook, yes, I understand that it is frustrating that I don't have it.

It doesn't have an effects loop, that's the only thing missing, but I think there are several reasons why the 50ex doesn't have an effects loop. The number one reason is that the amplifier section itself of the katana 50 and 50 Ex is slightly smaller than the amplifier. The 100 Boss section not only took 100 amps, put it in a 50 amp booth, disabled some features, and cut half the power. This is smaller, so what I'm saying is that there may not be room in this amp for an effects loop. Possible reason number two is a little less easy to swallow than the first and that is that they can't give you everything on the 50ex, they have to give you a reason to buy the next model, so if you want an effects loop. you're going to spend a little more money and get the 100 if you want to midi the 100 doesn't have it you have to go up again so it's not easy to talk about Apple's pricing style, it's not easy to understand It's confirmed, but it's certainly a possible reason why this does not have an effect.

Reason number three for the loop is that the 50ex does not have an effect. The loop comes down to design. It's the most logical way I can solve this and it relates to why this is. The amp exists Now I think the katana Mark II 50ex is the most perfect on-the-go amp in the world, and since it's on-the-go, it's the kind of amp you'd take with you and a gafc or g-a-f-c-e-x and take it to the gig without a pedalboard it's small , lightweight and easy to carry with a guitar and if you want to have a pedalboard with an effects loop go for the 100, you know you may have invested more in your pedalboard however if you want something you can just go to a show or a jam session or whatever and rely solely on the amp itself and maybe the external driver.

The 50ex does not need an effects loop. If you don't agree with that, by all means, let me know in the comments section and just To draw a line under this, putting an effects loop on the 50ex might have required manufacturing new parts and more machining and so So more costs, so if you had an effects loop we'd complain that it's too expensive and we'd just get the 100, which is something we're going to talk about by the way, so let's go back to what the 100 has, that the 50ex doesn't sound better. The 100 has an improved speaker according to the boss's marketing and it is a different sound, not only because of the speaker, but also because of the size of the cabin and the 100 has a more open and seemingly flat sound, so it seems to reach the parts of the 50 and the 50 Ex, not the 50ex and the 50 is a more thrashy sound, a kind of more stab. the kind of tone of the face and when I first bought my first Katana I had to choose between the 50 and the 100 and there is a video from that time and I couldn't really decide because I liked the sound of both, by the way.

I finally went with the 100 because I wanted the effects loop which I never ended up using, but that's for another day, the sound is different with these two amps on the same patch, same settings, the amps will sound different. Example of that, I will play the same thing through the same patch on both amps and listen to the foreign difference and the fourth and last thing I can find in the differences between these two amps is the presence knob so that the 100 has presence. knob the 50 and 50 Ex do not have presence knobs, however you can adjust the presence on either amp using the Tone Studio software or some third party drivers or software, so far I think the difference between the 50 and the 50 Ex is pretty clear cut and if you want more features you should go for the 50ex, but the real problem lies in choosing the 50ex or the 100, so the old conundrum is still alive and it is one of the main factors that I don't think people would like.

What I'm considering since it was released is the weight difference and just to show you something, this is what they sound like when you leave them overseas for this video. I picked up the 100 off the shelf in my other room and thought, yeah, that looks familiar. I remember this. feel of this amplifier. I remember taking it to

rehearsals

etc, then I picked up the 50 Ex and actually laughed because it's comically light, neither of these amps are what I would consider heavy and they are a joy to be able to keep around. in the back of the car and go to a concert or practice, but this 50 is ridiculously light, this one you will feel after a while of carrying it because of that single handle, this one I could carry all day, I think which one I'm not going to carry out a test in this video, but this is 25 heavier than that, something to think about, the 100 is six centimeters wider than that, it's a centimeter deeper than that and it's three centimeters taller than that and it may not look like it . a lot, but if you try to pack a car conservatively and you have a small trunk or you try to put it in a seat, that will make a difference and if you travel by public transportation that it fits the seat next to you on the bus or on the train or whatever.

Whatever, this will probably push it down the aisle and is something you should consider if you travel with amps, so which amp you should buy, obviously only you can decide that and hopefully, So far this video has helped you get closer to that decision if you are not yet completely decided. Here are some things that I think will help you the most. Up until now, I've always recommended skipping the 50 katana and just getting the 100 because of those extra things. The features and compatibility with Gafc make it a better investment. The only time I would say get the 50 is if your budget really doesn't stretch that far, because the 50 is still a fantastic amp, but now that the 50ex exists, I really have to.

Question that statement and come back and say it's really not that clear what the difference is and the similarities between the 50 Ex and the 100 are so close now that I think it comes down to a few factors and I think the best way to make a decision. What Katana to buy is about deciding what your needs are and the first need is how much money you want to spend before quoting prices. All the correct prices and links to all the katanas are in the video description, they are affiliate links so if you use them. I receive a small bribe at no additional cost to you, thank you for doing that.

I will check the prices currently at the time of recording this video, so the katana 50 Mark II is 264 euros or 269 dollars, the katana 15 Mark II ex is 369 euros or 339 dollars, so let's say a hundred dollars more for the 50 Ex The katana 100 Mark II costs 389 euros or 379 dollars, so there is a huge gap between the 50 and the 50ex, not so big between the 50ex and the 100. uh and the gafc ex for example costs 159 euros and 149 again. check out the links in the video description for updated prices now here comes the debate i've seen online uh the price difference between the 50ex and the 100 is so close people say well why not go for the 100?

And they are somewhat right though, the 50ex is now the best grab and go amp I have ever played. The 50 had its deficiencies. The 100 fixed all those shortcomings in my opinion. Now, if you're just grabbing an amp to go practice, you've got some patches sorted,you have a gafc or a gafce x and all that is enough for you or maybe an expression pedal for a while, you know you really have it all um this. 50ex is so small, lightweight and convenient that it makes a lot of sense to go for it. If you're using a pedalboard, you might want to think 100 with the effects loop, but honestly, the reverbs and delays on this one are enough to get you there. by anyone unless you have a specific brief, like if you're making I don't know surf music or ambient music, you can still do it with this, but if you have a specific sound, the 100 might be better for you.

To say that for most people the 50ex is the way to go, I would also say avoid the 50 non-ex unless you can get a really good deal because a lot of people will go for this one, which I think. However, if you're looking for a great bargain then the original 50 Mark 1 is now a pittance, then the 50Mark II is being sold by people upgrading to the 50 Mark II EX so you know there are still a lot of factors. I know I haven't helped you decide completely well. I can't make a decision for you, but this is now the amp I recommend you get for most people, so to sum up all the important aspects, the 50ex is a katana 100 without effects.

The main reasons to buy a 100 are that you have extra money and that space and weight are not an issue. buying a 50ex is that space is an issue and weight is an issue because you can take it to small

gigs

or just play at home or your Katana is all your effects and all your amp and you don't use external pedals and something to keep in mind is that if you're recording over USB, all Cortana sounds are the same anyway, unless you're using them you know something in the effects loop, so if you're just recording at home and using your USB, choose the 50. and Finally, boss, I think the katana amps sound so good that they even sound good with an out of tune guitar because none of the katanas have a zero tuna, so even though I said this is the best grab and go amp in the world, you still need to do it. bring at least one clip-on tuna, but you know why 10 bucks won't get you there or your phone.

I should probably make a video on tuners anyway, you're now a member of the video club end and to prove it. you are a member of this prestigious Elite when you leave your comment below telling me which Katana you would buy, also include the excellent phrase and that terrible impression of Mr. Burns will let me know that you look at this part, there is more. The Katana information in that playlist is there, everything you need is in the video description and I'll see you very soon. I guess thanks for looking. I'm going to go out and load this in the back of my car.

Greetings, goodbye.