Boss Katana settings cheat sheet: clean, blues, rock and metal
For clean, pick the Clean amp type with Gain at 2 to 3, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6 and Reverb around 3. For classic rock, pick Crunch with Gain at 5 to 6 and Middle at 6 to 7. For metal, pick Lead or Brown with Gain at 6 to 7, Bass 5 to 6, Middle 5 and Treble 6 to 7, and add a boost from the Booster section instead of turning the Gain to 10.
Positions are on a 0 to 10 scale, with 5 at twelve o'clock. Choose the amp type before touching anything else: 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.
How the Katana's panel works
The Amp Type selector picks the voicing: Acoustic, Clean, Crunch, Lead and Brown on the MkII, with a Pushed type added on Gen 3. The Variation button gives each type a second voicing. Gain sets the amount of distortion, Volume sets the level of that sound, and Master sets the overall volume of the amp.
On a MkII, each effect button changes colour when you press it, green, red or orange, and each colour holds a different effect. The Booster and Mod share one concentric knob, Booster on the inner ring and Mod on the outer, and FX and Delay share another in the same way. The knob sets how deep the chosen effect is.
Presence is only on the 100-watt models. The Katana-50 MkII and the Katana-50 Gen 3 have no presence knob, so on a 50 the top end comes from the Treble control alone.
Clean settings
Clean amp type, Gain 2 to 3, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6, Presence 4 to 5 on a 100, Reverb around 3. Keep the Gain low and use Volume for level; the clean sound stays clearer that way when you strum hard.
Try both settings of the Variation button and keep the one that suits your pickups. Single coils usually want the Treble a step lower than humbuckers, because they already have more top end.
- Gain 2 to 3
- Bass 5
- Middle 5
- Treble 6
- Presence 4 to 5
- Reverb about 3
Presence is on the 100-watt models only.
Blues and edge-of-breakup settings
Crunch amp type, Gain 3 to 4, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, Treble 5 to 6, Reverb around 3. BOSS voices Crunch to follow your picking, so dig in for grit and play lighter to clean up, or roll the guitar's volume back to about 7.
On a Gen 3, the Pushed type is built for this sound: BOSS describes it as a clean combo driven into saturation. For extra push on a MkII, the Booster's green setting in bank A is a Blues Drive as shipped; keep its knob low so it thickens the sound rather than taking it over.
- Gain 3 to 4
- Bass 5
- Middle 6 to 7
- Treble 5 to 6
- Reverb about 3
Classic rock crunch settings
Crunch amp type, Gain 5 to 6, Bass 5, Middle 6 to 7, Treble 6, Presence 5 on a 100, Reverb around 2. Keep the mids up. Classic rock sits in the midrange, and scooping it is the most common reason a rock tone sounds thin next to a band.
For a solo, switch in the Booster rather than raising the amp's Gain, so the rhythm sound stays where it was. On a MkII as shipped, the red setting in bank A is an Overdrive.
- Gain 5 to 6
- Bass 5
- Middle 6 to 7
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb about 2
Presence is on the 100-watt models only.
Metal settings
Lead or Brown amp type, Gain 6 to 7, Bass 5 to 6, Middle 5, Treble 6 to 7, Presence 5 to 6 on a 100, Reverb at 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. Most rhythm parts need less gain than people expect: each step past 7 adds fizz and blurs palm mutes more than it adds weight.
A boost in front tightens the low end, the same job a Tube Screamer does in front of a valve amp. On a MkII as shipped, the Booster's colours in bank B hold Clean Boost, Mid Boost and Treble Boost. Try Mid Boost first for tight rhythm, with the amp's Gain a step lower than before.
- Gain 6 to 7
- Bass 5 to 6
- Middle 5
- Treble 6 to 7
- Presence 5 to 6
- Reverb 1 or off
Presence is on the 100-watt models only. Add a boost from the Booster section before you raise the Gain.
Lead settings
Take the rhythm sound you already have, raise Middle by one step, add Delay and a little Reverb, and store it on its own channel so the jump to the solo is one button. The Tap button sets the delay time: press it two or more times in time with the song.
The Katana-100 Gen 3 also has a dedicated Solo button on its panel.
When it sounds wrong
Fizzy or harsh: lower Gain first, then Presence on a 100, then Treble. Fizz is almost always too much gain, not too little EQ. Thin: raise Middle before you raise Gain. Muddy: lower Bass and try the other Variation.
Good at home and boomy at a gig: ears hear less bass and treble at low volume, so settings made quietly tend to carry extra bass. Set the tone close to the volume you will play at, and at home use a lower Power Control setting rather than turning Master almost off.
Saving settings and Tone Studio
Hold a channel button for one second and it stores the whole panel except Master. That is why Volume is the control for balancing channels and Master is the one for the room. The Katana-50 MkII stores four sounds across two banks and the Katana-100 MkII stores eight.
BOSS Tone Studio, connected over USB, edits the effects in more depth, backs your settings up and loads sounds from BOSS Tone Central. When you want one specific song set up on your Katana, Tonelify writes the amp type, the knob positions and the booster for that song against the Katana's own panel.
Common questions
What are the best Boss Katana settings for metal?
Start with the Lead or Brown amp type, Gain 6 to 7, Bass 5 to 6, Middle around 5 and Treble 6 to 7, with a boost such as Mid Boost from the Booster section in front. Gain at 10 with the Middle at zero sounds huge on its own and disappears in a band.
What is the difference between Volume and Master on a Boss Katana?
Volume sets the level of the sound you have dialled in and is saved with each channel. Master sets the overall volume of the amp and is not saved, so use Volume to balance channels against each other and Master for the room you are in.
Does the Boss Katana-50 have a presence knob?
No. Neither the Katana-50 MkII nor the Katana-50 Gen 3 has a presence knob; it is on the 100-watt models. On a 50, shape the top end with the Treble control.
What does the Variation button do on a Katana?
It switches the selected amp type to a second voicing, which doubles the number of amp sounds on the panel. It is worth trying both on every type, because one often suits your guitar's pickups better than the other.
Gear in this guide
Settings for your own amp
This guide covers what is true of every rig. For a specific song on a specific amp, Tonelify reads the documented chain behind the recording and returns gain, bass, middle, treble and presence values for the controls your amp actually has. Free for 7 days, no charge until the trial ends.
Keep reading
- How to get a good rock tone on any ampCrunch rather than saturation, the mids up and the gain lower than you expect. Rock amp settings for classic, hard and 90s rock on valve and modelling amps.
- How to get a metal tone on any ampTight low end, controlled gain, mids you can hear and a gate. How to get a usable metal tone out of a practice amp, a modelling combo or a valve head.
- Why does my distortion sound fizzy?Fizzy distortion is usually too much gain, too much treble, or no speaker in the chain. The causes in order, with fixes for amps, pedals and amp sims.
- Tube Screamer settings for boost, blues and metalDrive low and level high to tighten a high-gain amp, drive near noon for blues crunch. Tube Screamer settings for boost, blues, metal and the SRV sound.