With Katana Gen 3, the acclaimed BOSS stage amplifier series evolves to take your guitar ambitions to the next level. The flagship Katana Artist Head Gen 3 brings you the ultimate Katana experience, offering 100 watts of Class AB power and a host of advanced tone tools. New Tube Logic enhancements enrich the core platform with even greater sound, feel, and response, including an expressive Pushed amp character and a unique Bloom option that revoices the amp’s feel and response. BOSS Tone Studio has also been updated, making your editing workflow more intuitive than ever.
Backed by advanced Tube Logic amplifier architecture and reactive Class AB power, the BOSS Katana series has become a standard for guitarists everywhere since its introduction in 2016. Katana amps embody decades of BOSS development knowledge, providing professional, tube-inspired sound coupled with modern advantages like onboard effects, one-touch memory recall, deep sound customisation, and reduced weight. Katana Gen 3 elevates the lineup with even more range and versatility, bringing you a playing experience that goes where no other amps can.
Katana Artist Head Gen 3 supports up to two speaker cabs to take on every performance need. Carefully constructed and loaded with dual Waza speakers, the robust Katana Cabinet 212 Waza is perfectly tuned to maximise the head’s full potential. These custom BOSS speakers deliver the true character and response of the famous ’60s 25-watt British stack speaker with modern power handling capacity. Cabinets can be stacked to create a 4x12 setup, and the versatile design features a removable panel for closed-back or open-back sound.
Tube Logic recreates tube circuitry and all its complex interactions at a component level. Boss' approach continues to evolve with refinements to the five amp characters available in previous Katana models, including the iconic high-gain Brown type. The new Pushed character spotlights internal dynamic enhancements with the touch-responsive gain of a driven clean combo. All six amp characters also include a variation for 12 distinctive tones. Going further, the Bloom switch engages a dedicated circuit that introduces a totally different amp feel. The sound comes alive with a sharper attack and a richly dynamic low-end response, two characteristics that are difficult to achieve at once.
As every tube amp lover knows, the sound becomes richer, fuller, and more responsive as you turn up the volume. Unfortunately, it also gets way too loud for many playing situations. An external power attenuator is a common solution, but it can introduce artefacts that colour the amp’s tone and feel. The integrated Power Control in Katana Gen 3 delivers the best of all worlds, letting you dial in cranked-amp inspiration with no adverse effect on the sound. Just turn the panel knob to transparently harness the level for everything from live stage playing to daily bedroom jams. Katana Artist Head Gen 3 features five simultaneous effect categories loaded with essential selections from the historic BOSS library. Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, and Reverb sections offer enhanced sound quality and access to 15 unique effects. There’s also a dedicated Solo section with a level boost and delay effect. BOSS Tone Studio unlocks additional possibilities, allowing you to customise the onboard effects from 60 different types and tweak deep options not available from the amp’s panel. And when the optional Bluetooth® Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor is installed, you can wirelessly edit sounds on the gig using the BTS editor app on your smartphone.
BOSS Tone Studio for Katana Gen 3 offers new visual enhancements and graphic customisation options that make crafting your tone faster and more intuitive. Explore amp and effect editing tools, change the effect order, and shape the overall sound with the three-way Contour control and multiple EQs. Dial in system-wide settings and behaviours. And organise custom setups for all your gigs. You also have access to BOSS Tone Exchange, where you can download pro setups and share sounds with the worldwide Katana community. Katana Artist Head Gen 3 features a host of powerful tools for modern performers. Eight Tone Setting memories let you store and recall complete amp/effect setups, while rear-panel jacks support remote control with footswitches, an expression pedal, and MIDI. The GA-FC and GA-FC EX Foot Controllers extend your capabilities even further, providing complete stage control solutions for your Katana Gen 3. Switch Tone Settings, turn effects on/off, integrate multiple expression pedals, and more. The GA-FC EX model also includes an expansion option to double your footswitches or control two Katana amps at once.
Katana Artist Head Gen 3 flows with all your creative journeys. Easily link two amps via the Stereo Expand function, with master control from the main amp and stereo effects like chorus, delay, and reverb distributed across both amps for a wide, immersive sound. Or connect to the Power Amp In jack to bypass the Katana preamp and use the reactive Class AB power section to amplify a modeler or an external preamp. Katana Artist Head Gen 3 includes connectivity to meet every need. Plug in headphones to practice quietly with stereo sound. Send a feed to a house PA via the XLR or 1/4-inch Line Out jacks. And record to your favourite music software on computers and mobile devices over USB-C. All audio outputs feature IR-based cabinet sound for great direct tone, with three Air Feel types and two customizable settings in BOSS Tone Studio.
Features
- Third-generation Katana amplifier with evolved Tube Logic sound and expressiveness
- Flagship 100-watt amplifier head with advanced tone tools and a custom cabinet design
- Distinctive gray and black matrix grille
- Six amp characters—including the newly developed Pushed type—plus a selectable variation for each
- Bloom switch engages a dedicated circuit that revoices the amp’s feel and response
- Five independent effects sections: Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, and Reverb
- Solo section with dedicated level boost and delay effect
- Three-way Contour for shaping the overall tonal colour
- Three selectable Global EQ options
- Three Cabinet Resonance options: Vintage, Modern, and Deep
- Eight Tone Setting memories for storing all amp and effect settings
- Power Control for achieving cranked-amp tone and response at low volumes
- Updated Boss Tone Studio app (Windows/macOS) for remote editing from a computer or mobile device
- Download and share Katana sounds on BOSS Tone Exchange
- Compatible with sounds created on previous stage-class Katana models
- Power Amp In for preamps, modelers, and multi-effects
- Stereo Expand function to link with a second Katana amp
- Send/return loop for external pedals
- Stereo headphones jack, 1/4-inch and XLR line outputs, and USB output with IR-based cabinet sound
- Three speaker jacks: one 8-ohm and two 16-ohm (8-ohm total load supported)
- Record/playback tracks in music production software on a computer or mobile device* via a USB-C®
- MIDI input for advanced remote control
- Jacks for up to two footswitches and an expression pedal
- Supports the GA-FC and GA-FC EX Foot Controllers for complete stage control
- Optional Bluetooth® Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor (BT-DUAL) for wireless audio playback from a mobile device and remote editing from the BTS app (iOS/Android)
- Companion Katana Cabinet 212 Waza with two 12-inch Waza speakers