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Boss KatanaDistortedSoloProg Rock

Comfortably Numb on a Boss Katana

Pink Floyd

Written for the Katana 50 MkII and the Katana 50 Gen 3, which share these knobs. The Katana 100 adds a Presence knob, and its value is given under the panel.

Comfortably Numb Boss Katana settings: a starting point

On a Boss Katana, select the Crunch amp type and start at Gain 3.5, Bass 5, Middle 8, Treble 5 and Reverb about 4, with the neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut.

Crunch amp typeComfortably Numb on the Katana
  • Gain 3.5
  • Bass 5
  • Middle 8
  • Treble 5
  • Reverb about 4

Gain sits two steps under the song's generic 5.5 because the Distortion in front does part of the work. With the Booster off, bring it back up.

The Katana 50 has no Presence knob. On a Katana 100, set Presence to 5.

Positions on a 0 to 10 scale, with 5 at twelve o'clock. These are Tonelify's starting points for the Katana, written from the documented rig and BOSS's manual. They are not BOSS's numbers and not the settings on the record.

Picked by gain range

Which Boss Katana amp type for Comfortably Numb?

Crunch. Gilmour's sustain comes from an MXR Dyna Comp and a Big Muff into a 100-watt Hiwatt that adds its own drive, with a Yamaha rotating speaker alongside. The Katana has no Hiwatt model, since BOSS names no real amp behind its types, and no fuzz on the Booster as shipped. So split the gain the way the record does: Crunch for the amp's share and the Booster's Distortion for the pedal's.

Lead with the Booster off is the simpler route: Gain around 5 and the same Bass, Middle and Treble.

Pick the amp type first: it changes the gain structure more than any knob does, so the same Gain position gives far more distortion on Lead or Brown than on Crunch. Gain sets the amount of distortion, Volume the level of that sound and Master the overall volume. Neither Katana 50 has a Presence knob, so on a 50 the top end is the Treble's job.

Boss Katana effects for Comfortably Numb

Booster
DistortionStands in for the Big Muff: the pedal's share of the sustain.Orange in bank A on a MkII as shipped. Knob around the middle.
Delay
Digital DelayThe delay in the song's chain.Green in bank A on a MkII as shipped. Set the time with Tap.
Reverb
Hall ReverbThe large ambience around the solo.Orange on a MkII as shipped. Knob about 4.

The Katana runs five effects at once, one each on Booster, Mod, FX, Delay and Reverb. Each button cycles green, red and orange, and each colour holds its own effect. The colours below are the ones BOSS's MkII manual lists from the factory. On a Gen 3 the factory effects differ from channel to channel, so check what a colour holds before you rely on it; BOSS Tone Studio, over USB, can change any of them.

Does it sound off on your Katana?

Pick what you hear. You get the knobs to turn on the Katana from the settings above, and how far.

What the Katana cannot do for Comfortably Numb

As shipped, the Katana's Booster holds no fuzz and none of its colours holds a rotary speaker effect, so the Big Muff and the Yamaha rotating speaker on the record have no direct counterpart on the panel. The Distortion is a stand-in, not a Big Muff. BOSS Tone Studio can put a different effect on a colour, which is the place to look for a fuzz.

How to store it on the Katana

Hold CH1 or CH2 for one second. It stores every knob and button except Master, so use Volume to balance stored sounds and Master for the room.

What Pink Floyd used on Comfortably Numb

David Gilmour's black 1969 Fender Stratocaster with a DiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup, through an MXR Dyna Comp and a Big Muff into a 100-watt Hiwatt and a Yamaha rotating speaker run side by side.

Rig sources: Guitar World: the secrets behind Gilmour's Comfortably Numb tone, Wikipedia: Comfortably Numb, Gilmourish: The Wall settings and setups

Boss Katana facts checked against BOSS's own documents on : BOSS: KATANA Mk II Owner's Manual (PDF), BOSS: KATANA Gen 3 Reference Manual (PDF)

Pink Floyd's rig and the generic five-knob settings for the Comfortably Numb tone →

A different guitar, or pedals in front?

This page sets the Katana on its own. Name your guitar and your pedals and Tonelify rewrites the settings for that whole rig, pickup position included. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.

Match Comfortably Numb to my rig

Comfortably Numb on the Katana: questions

What Boss Katana settings do you need for Comfortably Numb?

Select the Crunch amp type and start at Gain 3.5, Bass 5, Middle 8, Treble 5 and Reverb about 4. On a Katana 100, set Presence to 5. These are Tonelify's starting points for the Katana, written from the documented rig and BOSS's manual. They are not BOSS's numbers and not the settings on the record.

Which Boss Katana amp type is closest to the amp on Comfortably Numb?

Crunch. Gilmour's sustain comes from an MXR Dyna Comp and a Big Muff into a 100-watt Hiwatt that adds its own drive, with a Yamaha rotating speaker alongside. The Katana has no Hiwatt model, since BOSS names no real amp behind its types, and no fuzz on the Booster as shipped. So split the gain the way the record does: Crunch for the amp's share and the Booster's Distortion for the pedal's. Lead with the Booster off is the simpler route: Gain around 5 and the same Bass, Middle and Treble.

Which Boss Katana effects does Comfortably Numb use?

Booster: Distortion. Stands in for the Big Muff: the pedal's share of the sustain. Delay: Digital Delay. The delay in the song's chain. Reverb: Hall Reverb. The large ambience around the solo.

What can the Katana not do for Comfortably Numb?

As shipped, the Katana's Booster holds no fuzz and none of its colours holds a rotary speaker effect, so the Big Muff and the Yamaha rotating speaker on the record have no direct counterpart on the panel. The Distortion is a stand-in, not a Big Muff. BOSS Tone Studio can put a different effect on a colour, which is the place to look for a fuzz.

Does it matter for Comfortably Numb that the Katana 50 has no Presence knob?

Not much. Neither the Katana 50 MkII nor the Katana 50 Gen 3 has a Presence knob, so the Treble at 5 sets the top end on its own. On a Katana 100, which has the knob, set Presence to 5.

Is there a Comfortably Numb patch for the Boss Katana?

Tonelify does not offer a patch file. The settings on this page are dialled in by hand, which takes a couple of minutes and needs no computer. Hold a channel button for one second to store them.

What if you have a different guitar or pedals in front of the Katana?

These settings assume the unit on its own. Tonelify's matcher rewrites them for the guitar, pedals and amp you name, pickup position included. Your first match is free with an account and needs no card.

More for the Katana

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