Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 settings
The current Katana-50. Gen 3 adds a Pushed amp type, for six in all, each with a second voicing on the Variation button. Like the MkII it has no Presence knob, and it stores four sounds.
⚡ Match a tone on this amp- Amp Type
- Variation
- Gain
- Volume
- Bass
- Middle
- Treble
- Booster
- Mod
- FX
- Delay
- Tap
- Reverb
- Master
- Power Control
How do you dial in a specific tone on a Boss Katana 50 Gen 3?
The Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 is a modelling amp, so a tone match here has two halves: which model or voicing to select, and where to set the controls once it is selected. Getting the second right on the wrong model gets you nowhere. Tonelify picks the voicing first and writes the knob positions against it, using the front panel this unit actually has.
Name the song you are chasing and Tonelify returns the settings for this exact guitar amp, not the settings the original artist used. Those are two different things: the recording was made on gear most players do not own.
Settings for this amp only ever use controls it actually has, because its front panel is stored in our gear database. You will not be told to set a knob that is not on the amp.
Starting settings on the Boss Katana 50 Gen 3
Positions on a 0 to 10 scale, with 5 at twelve o'clock. They are where to begin, not Boss's numbers: pick the amp type first, then move one control at a time from here.
Clean
Clean amp type, Gain 2 to 3, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6, Reverb about 3. Keep Gain low and set the level with Volume, so the sound stays clear when you strum hard. BOSS notes that Clean can also carry a solo or lead with the Booster switched in.
- Gain 2 to 3
- Bass 5
- Middle 5
- Treble 6
- Reverb about 3
Edge of breakup and blues
Pushed amp type, Gain 3 to 4, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, Treble 5 to 6, Reverb about 3. Pushed is the type Gen 3 added, and BOSS describes it as the touch-responsive gain of a clean combo driven into harmonic saturation: it cleans up when you play lighter and breaks up when you dig in. Crunch at the same settings gives what BOSS calls a fat crunch sound.
- Gain 3 to 4
- Bass 5
- Middle 6 to 7
- Treble 5 to 6
- Reverb about 3
Classic rock
Crunch amp type, Gain 5 to 6, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, Treble 6, Reverb about 2. Keep the mids up: classic rock sits in the midrange, and scooping it is the usual reason a rock tone sounds thin next to a band. For a solo, switch in the Booster rather than raising Gain, so the rhythm sound stays where it was. As shipped, tone setting A CH1 has Overdrive on the Booster's red colour.
- Gain 5 to 6
- Bass 5
- Middle 6 to 7
- Treble 6
- Reverb about 2
Metal
Lead or Brown amp type, Gain 6 to 7, Bass 5 to 6, Middle 5, Treble 6 to 7, Reverb 1 or off. BOSS describes Lead as covering crunch to high gain depending on the Gain setting, and Brown as a lead sound with an edge. For tighter palm mutes, add a boost before adding Gain: as shipped, tone settings A CH2 and B CH2 hold Clean Boost, Mid Boost and Treble Boost on the Booster's green, red and orange. Try Mid Boost with the amp's Gain a step lower.
- Gain 6 to 7
- Bass 5 to 6
- Middle 5
- Treble 6 to 7
- Reverb 1 or off
Add a boost from the Booster section before you raise the Gain.
Lead
Take the rhythm sound you already have, raise Middle by one step, add Delay and a little Reverb, and store it on CH2 so the solo is one button away. Press Tap two or more times in time with the song to set the delay time. Delay shares its knob with FX: Delay is the inner ring, FX the outer.
What controls does the Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 have?
The Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 has 15 controls on its front panel: Amp Type switch, Variation button, Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, Tap button, Reverb, Master and Power Control switch.
Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 specifications
- Power
- 50W, with Half and 0.5W settings
- Speaker
- 1x12"
- Voicings
- Acoustic, Clean, Pushed, Crunch, Lead, Brown
- Front panel
- Amp Type switch, Variation button, Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, Tap button, Reverb, Master, Power Control switch
- Released
- 2024
What the Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 panel means when you dial it in
50W, with Half and 0.5W settings through a 1x12". There is enough headroom to hold a clean setting at band volume, so the gain control does the driving rather than the master. There is no presence control on this panel, so everything above the treble band has to come from the treble control and the guitar's own tone knob. A setting copied from an amp with presence has to be rebalanced here. Gain and master volume are separate, so the preamp can be driven hard at a volume that is liveable. Where a tone sits between the two is part of the answer, not a detail. Reverb is onboard, so a tone that needs it does not need a pedal in the chain. The selectable voicings are Acoustic, Clean, Pushed, Crunch, Lead and Brown. Picking the voicing comes before the knob positions, because the same numbers land somewhere else on each one.
Boss Katana 50 Gen 3 questions
What is the difference between the Katana 50 Gen 3 and the Katana 50 MkII?
Gen 3 adds a sixth amp type, Pushed, which BOSS describes as a clean combo driven into harmonic saturation, so it has Acoustic, Clean, Pushed, Crunch, Lead and Brown where the MkII has five. Its Power Control switch reads Standby, 0.5 W, Half and Max. Both are 50-watt combos with one 12-inch speaker, a Gain and Volume, Bass, Middle and Treble with no Presence knob, five effects on colour-cycling buttons and four stored sounds in two banks.
Does the Katana 50 Gen 3 have a presence knob?
No. BOSS's Gen 3 manual says the Katana-50 and 50 EX do not have a Presence knob, a Contour button, a Cab Resonance switch, a Solo button or the CH3 and CH4 buttons. Shape the top end with Treble instead. The Katana-100 Gen 3 has Presence, Contour, Solo and four channels per bank.
What amp types does the Katana 50 Gen 3 have?
Six, and BOSS's manual says all of them are original. Acoustic is for an acoustic guitar plugged in. Clean is clean and natural. Pushed is a big, penetrating sound that responds to picking. Crunch is a fat crunch. Lead covers crunch to high gain depending on the Gain setting, and Brown is a lead sound with an edge from the BOSS Waza brown sound. The Variation button gives each a second voicing, so there are twelve.
How do you save a sound on the Katana 50 Gen 3?
Hold CH1 or CH2 for one second. It stores every knob and button except Master, which is why Volume is the control for balancing sounds and Master the one for the room. There are two banks, A and B, so the 50 holds four sounds; to change bank, hold Panel for about a second while a channel is selected. Panel itself plays whatever the knobs are set to now. The 50 EX can reach CH3 and CH4 with a GA-FC footswitch.
What does the Power Control switch do on the Katana 50 Gen 3?
It sets the output of the power amp for where you are playing: 0.5 W, Half or Max. Standby mutes the amp while leaving it switched on and every knob where it was, which BOSS suggests for the gap between sets. At home, use a lower Power Control setting rather than turning Master almost to zero.
What are the best Katana 50 Gen 3 settings for metal?
Start with the Lead or Brown amp type, Gain 6 to 7, Bass 5 to 6, Middle around 5, Treble 6 to 7 and Reverb 1 or off, with Mid Boost from the Booster in front rather than Gain at 10. These are starting points, not BOSS's numbers: move one control at a time from here. If it fizzes, lower Gain first and Treble second, since the 50 has no Presence knob.
When did the Boss Katana Gen 3 come out?
BOSS announced the Katana Gen 3 range in a press release dated 23 May 2024, with the Katana-50 Gen 3 as the entry model: 50 watts into a 12-inch speaker. Wikipedia's Katana article gives 2025; the maker's date is the one used here.
Does Tonelify support the Boss Katana 50 Gen 3?
Yes, and its front panel is stored, so settings only ever reference controls this guitar amp has: Amp Type switch, Variation button, Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Booster, Mod, FX, Delay, Tap button, Reverb, Master, Power Control switch. You will not be told to set a knob that is not there.
Sources
Panel, specifications and dates checked against these on .