Sweetwater was one of the first out of the block to offer early Black Friday deals this year, offering up to 60% off a range of gear as soon as November hit. For me, the standout offer in that sale is up to $150 off a range of Katana amps, including the first savings on the brand new Gen 3 amps. It's no secret that Katanas are a big seller for Boss, with great sounds, reliablility and versatility making them a no-brainer for a lot of players.
The Katana series landed in 2016 to a crowded market. Taking on heavy hitters like the Vox Valvetronix and Blackstar ID:Core range, the Katana 50 quickly rose through the ranks. It provided players with an unbelievably good practice amp, loaded with famous Boss stomp-box effects, plenty of familiar amp voices, and even USB recording capabilities.
This year’s newest Katana range – Gen 3 – built on the success of the second generation, delivering upgrades including concentric knobs, six different amp voices with the all-new ‘Pushed’ voicing, smartphone editing capabilities, and possible Bluetooth connection (with an added adapter), to name but a few.
There’s an option for everyone in this sale; it doesn’t matter if you’re an uber-technical metal head, a bluesy tone-hound, or even an acoustic player – the range truly caters to all.
So, which amp in the sale is right for you?
Firstly, in my opinion the Katana 50 Gen 3 is still one of the best guitar amps on the market, particularly on a budget. I personally love the new ‘Pushed’ amp voice, which takes your tone to that golden edge-of-break-up. In our Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 review, we found the amp to be incredibly easy to use and much sweeter harmonically than previous iterations. The Gen 3 is now Bluetooth-ready and although the adapter is an optional extra it truly opens up the versatility ten-fold. For starters, Sweetwater has cut $30 off the Katana 50 Gen 3, making this affordable amp even more attractive at just $269.99.
If you’re looking for a more gig-appropriate amp, the Katana Head Gen 3 has had $40 knocked off the asking price, dropping it down to $329.99. I had the pleasure of reviewing the Katana geb 3 Head, and this thing can truly do it all. The 100 watts of solid-state power is surprisingly loud when connected to a cab and held its own against my band's drummer. There’s also an internal 5-inch speaker for home practice. Of course, it has all the usual Katana features – Boss effects, six amp voices, easy-to-use controls – but to me, for both practice and gigging, there isn’t a better Katana option.
Finally, for low-end warriors there are reductions on Katana bass amps too. The gig-ready Gen 2 Katana-210 features the biggest price reduction of the lot, with a whopping $150 off. If you’re after something a bit more home-friendly, the Gen 2 Katana-110 has also been reduced by $40. Both are equipped with useful power controls, allowing full output or reduced power all the way down to 0.1 watts, so you don’t have to blow out your windows when sneaking 30-minutes of practice.
Keep your eyes on our Black Friday guitar deals page for more early offers and major savings. We’ll be highlighting the very best deals to help your budget stretch further.
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