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Reviewed
Boss KatanaDistortedRiffGroove Metal

Cowboys from Hell on a Boss Katana

Pantera

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.

Cowboys from Hell Boss Katana settings: a starting point

On a Boss Katana, select the Lead amp type and start at Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 2, Treble 8 and Reverb 1 or off, with the bridge pickup.

Lead amp typeCowboys from Hell on the Katana
  • Gain 7
  • Bass 6
  • Middle 2
  • Treble 8
  • Reverb 1 or off

Gain sits a step under the song's generic 8: Tonelify's Katana metal settings run Gain 6 to 7 on Lead or Brown. Middle stays at the song's 2, well under the 5 those settings use, because the scooped mids are this record's sound.

The Katana 50 has no Presence knob. On a Katana 100, set Presence to 7.

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.

Match Cowboys from Hell to my rigYour guitar and pedals too. 7 days free.

Picked by gain range

Which Boss Katana amp type for Cowboys from Hell?

Lead. Dimebag's rig on the record is a Dean ML into a Randall RG100ES solid-state head and a Randall 4x12, with a Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ scooping the mids and an MXR six-band EQ in front. BOSS names no Randall, or any other real amp, behind the Katana's types, so pick by gain range. BOSS describes Lead as covering crunch to high gain on its Gain knob, and the scoop that defines the record comes from the Middle knob, not from the amp type.

Brown is the one to try second. BOSS calls it a lead sound with an edge, so take the Gain a step lower on it.

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 Cowboys from Hell

Booster
OffThe rig in Tonelify's sources has no drive pedal: the distortion is the Randall head, and the pedals in front are EQs.Leave it out.
Reverb
Plate ReverbThe little reverb in the starting point: the riff is dry and tight.Green on a MkII as shipped. Knob at 1, or switch it off.

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 Cowboys from Hell

The scoop on the record came from a Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ and an MXR six-band EQ, and the Middle knob is the only midrange control on the Katana's panel, so it does all of that job here. The rig also ran an MXR flanger in doubler mode and a noise gate. BOSS's manual lists no gate among the Katana's panel controls, so keep the Gain at 7 or under and mute the strings with your hands in the gaps between riffs.

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 Pantera used on Cowboys from Hell

Dimebag Darrell's Dean ML into a Randall RG100ES solid-state head and a Randall 4x12, with a Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ set to scoop the mids and an MXR six-band EQ in front of the amp, and an MXR flanger in doubler mode to thicken it.

Rig sources: Blabbermouth: IK Multimedia models Dimebag's Cowboys from Hell rig, Wikipedia: Dimebag Darrell

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)

Pantera's rig and the generic five-knob settings for the Cowboys from Hell tone →

A different guitar, or pedals in front?

This page sets the Katana on its own. Name your guitar and your pedals in the tone matcher and Tonelify rewrites the settings for that whole rig, pickup position included. A first plan starts with 7 days free, $0 that day.

Match Cowboys from Hell to my rig

Cowboys from Hell on the Katana: questions

What Boss Katana settings do you need for Cowboys from Hell?

Select the Lead amp type and start at Gain 7, Bass 6, Middle 2, Treble 8 and Reverb 1 or off. On a Katana 100, set Presence to 7. 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 Cowboys from Hell?

Lead. Dimebag's rig on the record is a Dean ML into a Randall RG100ES solid-state head and a Randall 4x12, with a Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ scooping the mids and an MXR six-band EQ in front. BOSS names no Randall, or any other real amp, behind the Katana's types, so pick by gain range. BOSS describes Lead as covering crunch to high gain on its Gain knob, and the scoop that defines the record comes from the Middle knob, not from the amp type. Brown is the one to try second. BOSS calls it a lead sound with an edge, so take the Gain a step lower on it.

Which Boss Katana effects does Cowboys from Hell use?

Reverb: Plate Reverb. The little reverb in the starting point: the riff is dry and tight.

What can the Katana not do for Cowboys from Hell?

The scoop on the record came from a Furman PQ-3 parametric EQ and an MXR six-band EQ, and the Middle knob is the only midrange control on the Katana's panel, so it does all of that job here. The rig also ran an MXR flanger in doubler mode and a noise gate. BOSS's manual lists no gate among the Katana's panel controls, so keep the Gain at 7 or under and mute the strings with your hands in the gaps between riffs.

Does it matter for Cowboys from Hell 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 8 sets the top end on its own. On a Katana 100, which has the knob, set Presence to 7.

Is there a Cowboys from Hell 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. A first plan starts with 7 days free, and nothing is charged that day.

More for the Katana

Boss Katana settings cheat sheetBoss Katana 50 MkIIBoss Katana 50 Gen 3Boss Katana 100 MkII