The Boss Katana 50 combo is amazing !
I recently had to move my Vox AC 30 back into my studio and realised that the weight of it will eventually cripple me, so I began searching for something modern and light weight, that also gives me something close to the Vox soundwise. I did a bit of research and after auditioning one or two different makes I discovered this Boss Katana. The reviews and demos on youtube were impressive, as is the price at £189.00, so I ordered one with the option to return it if it didn't do the job. I gigged it on our regular Thursday night and I am delighted with it and would thoroughly recommend it to all my guitarist friends who suffer from owning heavy amps. The sound is amazing, it's very versatile with numerous built in effects and more than enough power for our gigs. This is the 50 watt version and has a power switch to allow you to use it at 1/2 watt for home use, 25 watts and the full 50 watts. I had it on 25 watts last night and it equalled my Mesa Boogie Mk III for tone and volume. It does all kinds of rock & roll tones and I had no trouble dialling in a good vintage Shads sound.
I am however sending it back and buying the 100 watt version, simply because this one cannot be used with the remote foot pedal to change programmes, which I hadn't noticed until I read the manual and this is important to me should I want to use it on our theatre shows. Other than that it's tremendous value and I for one was not expecting to be swayed by a solid state Japanese combo after years of using USA and British built tube amplifiers. I hasten to add that these are NOT the transistor amps of the past, the ones that lacked in 'soul and depth' , it seems that Roland ( Boss) have got it nailed at last, oh and the weight - 14 kg as opposed to the Vox AC 30's 38kg, it's a no brainer.