I considered the Boss Katana MkII 100 against the Fender Deluxe Reverb Tone Master. I really wanted the Tone Master based on nothing but research and videos, and ultimately those were the only things involved in the decision since I never played through either before purchase.
But I decided on the Katana based on an argument I read that suggested the Fender Tone Master price might be too high considering that we don’t yet know the longevity of the design. Being poor, I found this persuasive, so I bought a new Katana MKII 100 at Guitar Center on a price-match for $338. When I plugged it in, I was delighted that modeling tech has evolved so far since my old Vox Valvetronics. You can read positive reviews elsewhere about the sounds of the amp, but for me, it was usable out of the box. I still haven’t delved into the software elements. Already it has comforted my worries about the longevity and durability of solid state amps due to an alarming accident.
I was so delighted with the amp I decided to customize the grill, so I ordered a design (a screen grab from a famous sci-fi film I frequently use) from Contrado, which unbeknownst to me is in England. I loved the result, so I disassembled the amp and replaced the grill. As I was showing it off to my wife, I noticed marks in our new laminate countertop, and they were suspiciously where I’d worked on the grill. I’d stapled without enough blockage beneath the grill board and damaged the counter. To get a closer look, I placed the Boss Katana II 100 on the 34-inch-tall stool at the breakfast island, and then I watched my wife’s expression slowly take on that of the new grill as the amp fell off the stool, crashing on the oak floor. Head in hand, I imagined the loss I’d amassed in one second, hundreds of dollars between and several hours of my life. It had fallen so that it landed on one corner, then fell face first, like a New York sucker-punch victim.
Finally, I had the nerve to examine the amp. Miraculously, I couldn’t even find a scuff. A few minutes later I fired it up, and was shocked to find that it powered on and sounded fine. Admittedly, I’ve not yet tried many of its features like USB, send-return, aux in, expression, but all the EQ, effects, amp models, boosts, watt selector etc. work.
To me, this is testimony to the durability of this design, the Malaysian manufacturing, and maybe solid-state amp tech by Roland. I have not accidentally dropped a Fender Deluxe Reverb Tone Master from a 34-inch stool, but I would not be surprised with similar results if it landed the same way. If you have any experience there, please share. I might get gear crazy and go for one of those, too. It was my instinctive choice, after all. But I’m very happy with the Katana, so much so that I feel bad for not putting the emblems back on. The “Boss” word conflicts with the new graphic on the grill and the emblem doesn’t do it for me. However, if I ever play out, I’m sure someone will ask about the amp, and I will be sure to explain, and with pride, that it’s a Boss Katana.