Reviewed 2026-10-29

Boss KatanaDistortedRiffPsychedelic Rock

Purple Haze on a Boss Katana

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.

Purple Haze Boss Katana settings: a starting point

On a Boss Katana, select the Crunch amp type and start at Gain 4, Bass 6, Middle 6, Treble 5 and Reverb about 3, with the bridge pickup.

Crunch amp typePurple Haze on the Katana

Gain 4
Bass 6
Middle 6
Treble 5
Reverb about 3

Gain sits two steps under the song's generic 6 because the Distortion in front does part of the work. That leaves Crunch at the edge of breakup, where Tonelify's Katana blues settings put it, the state the record's Marshall was in when the fuzz hit it.

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.

Match Purple Haze to my rigYour guitar and pedals too. 7 days free.

Picked by gain range

Which Boss Katana amp type for Purple Haze?

Crunch. Hendrix played a Stratocaster through a Fuzz Face into Marshall Super 100 heads. BOSS names no Marshall, or any other real amp, behind the Katana's types, so build the chain instead. The snarl comes from a fuzz hitting an amp that is already breaking up, so set Crunch, which BOSS describes as a fat crunch that responds to your picking, at the edge of breakup, and let the Booster do the pedal's part.

On a Gen 3, try Pushed at the same Gain. BOSS describes it as a big, penetrating sound that responds to your picking nuances.

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 Purple Haze

Booster: DistortionStands in for the Fuzz Face: the Katana's Booster holds no fuzz as shipped.Orange in bank A on a MkII as shipped. Knob around the middle.
Reverb: Plate ReverbThe room around the riff in the starting point.Green on a MkII as shipped. Knob about 3.

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 Purple Haze

As shipped, the Katana's Booster holds no fuzz, so the Distortion is a stand-in for the Fuzz Face, not a copy of it. BOSS Tone Studio can put a different effect on a colour, which is the place to look for a fuzz. The solo was a Telecaster through Roger Mayer's Octavia, and nothing on the panel as shipped is an Octavia, so play the solo on the riff's sound.

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 Jimi Hendrix used on Purple Haze

A Fender Stratocaster through a Fuzz Face into Marshall Super 100 heads, with the solo played on a borrowed Telecaster through Roger Mayer's new Octavia, tracked at De Lane Lea and Olympic Studios in London in early 1967.

Rig sources: Wikipedia: Purple Haze, Guitar.com: the gear used on Are You Experienced, Guitar Player: why Hendrix swapped his Strat for a Tele

Boss Katana facts checked against BOSS's own documents on 2026-10-11: BOSS: KATANA Mk II Owner's Manual (PDF), BOSS: KATANA Gen 3 Reference Manual (PDF)

Jimi Hendrix's rig and the generic five-knob settings for the Purple Haze 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 Purple Haze to my rig

Purple Haze on the Katana: questions

What Boss Katana settings do you need for Purple Haze?

Select the Crunch amp type and start at Gain 4, Bass 6, Middle 6, Treble 5 and Reverb about 3. 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 Purple Haze?

Which Boss Katana effects does Purple Haze use?

Booster: Distortion. Stands in for the Fuzz Face: the Katana's Booster holds no fuzz as shipped. Reverb: Plate Reverb. The room around the riff in the starting point.

What can the Katana not do for Purple Haze?

Does it matter for Purple Haze 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 Purple Haze 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 sheet Boss Katana 50 MkII Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 Boss Katana 100 MkII