Boss extends its Love of Bass with two new dedicated Bass Amps - the Katana 110B and 210B
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Readers will know how big a fan I am of Boss’s Katana Amps - probably my overall favourite range of Amps - particularly in Artist editions. And now Bass players get their very own dedicated and precision-honed amps - the smaller is 60W in output with a single 10" Speaker, while the bigger one has 2 x 10" and outputs 160W.
Everything about these amps has been built from the ground up - the sound design is only peripherally related to the existing Katana Guitar Amps. The Katana Bass Amps have been developed with and for Pro Bass Players - with exactly the right mix of features and functions. The topology here is quite distinct from the other Katanas - with lots of little buttons to switch elements in or out.
These have been a long time comping - but boss has really pulled out all the stops here - and these will surely achieve the same success for guitar players - there is nothing remotely like these currently on the market for Bass players. And the new Line 6 Catalyst amps just highlight how far ahead of the pack Boss still is in this area. If you’re thinking about a full-range modelling amp - then these Katana Bass Amps are just as essential, innovative and revolutionary as the Guitar editions.
Controls - Input EFX : Comp + Drive, Pad, Shape, Type : Vintage / Flat / Modern, Gain, Volume, Dry Level, Bass, Low Mid, High Mid, Treble. FX1 + FX2, Tap, CH1, CH2, CH3, Panel, Master Volume, Tweeter, Power Control : Standby / 1W / Max, Power.
Rear Ports and Controls - AC In, Speaker Out (Min 4Ω), GND Lift : Off / One (1 GND / 2 HOT / 3 COLD), Balanced Out, Select : Post / Pre / Direct, FX Loop : Return + Send, Power Amp In, Bluetooth Adaptor connect, USB B port, AUX in, GA-FC (Foot Controller), EXP Pedal, Phones / Rec Out.
AMP TYPES
- VINTAGE – A classic tube voice with organic tone and natural drive just like the big stacks seen on countless stages and tours. A fat and well-rounded tone, that can fit into rock as much as it can as a solid low end bass tone for Pop and Jazz.
- FLAT - Smooth, clear, and dynamic tone with rich harmonics, although defined as less “characterful” than Vintage or Modern this all-round setting is great for all basses and provides a great starting tone for you to edit and manipulate a great tone.
- MODERN – Designed with the more modern, progressive bass tones in mind. Modern mode offers a quick dynamic response great for heavy rock riffs and truly compliments extended range basses.
FX and TONE SHAPING
- KATANA BASS - has four independent FX sections that are composed of; 2 INPUT EFFECTS – 10 COMPRESSORS and :
- 13 DRIVES PRE / POST EFFECTS – 24 TYPES in FX1 Block and an ADDITIONAL 10 DELAYS and REVERBS in FX2 Block
- PLUS - Selectable FX2 Block Position in the Pre/Post Chain
- PAD - button decreases the input sensitivity by -10db for high output basses.
- SHAPE - button switches tone character from Mid-scoop, Bright, and Extended Range
- LOW MID and HIGH MID BUTTONS - in EQ section adjust centre frequency of Low-mid and High mid knobs.
- BLEND CONTROL – This control adds in an amount of dry signal into your amp tone. Using BOSS TONE STUDIO, you can also a tweak LOW-PASS FILTER for dry signal and high-pass filter for wet signal and set 3 tone shapes to panel knob for quick access.
REAR PANEL
- KATANA BASS - can store favourite amp character and effects setups in Memories or “TONE SETTINGS” for instant recall. After you've dialled in a sound with the panel controls, simply save it to the desired memory with a quick button hold.
- SIX TONE EFFECTS - (two banks of 3) are available, with fast selection right from the panel. For hands-free operation, just connect an external footswitch or the BOSS GA-FC foot controller.
- Katana Bass features LINE OUT, USB, and PHONES / RECORDINGS Outputs with mic'd cabinet emulation, letting you send mix-ready amp tones to computer DAW or headphones.
- DIRECT SOUND via LINE OUT can be shaped with three different Air Feel settings, which are accessible from BOSS Tone Studio.
- TWO CHANNEL USB OPERATION - is supported, allowing you to track in true stereo with many of Katana's modulation, EQ, delay, and reverb effects. In addition, Balanced Out with selectable direct, pre, or post sound is practical for sending the amp signal directly to a PA system.
KEY SPECS / FEATURES
- CLASS A/B POWER AMP to set them apart from current market leader designed for raw and real bass tones with rich dynamics and play feel. Just like legendary valve bass amps. No need for flat sounding, 700 watt power amps just to get to reasonable volumes.
- BOSS’ Powerful BI-AMP SYSTEM means Speaker and Tweeter are powered independently for crystal clear tones. Then use On Board power Amp control to go from Bedroom to Stage without losing tone.
- A deep and rich, power and push far superior to others of a similar size on the market. Feel the sound change as you play with dynamics.
- Original Bass Amp Tones, VINTAGE, FLAT and MODERN to go for classic vintage valve driven powerhouses to modern, progressive bass tones.
- INPUT and OUTPUT Effects from BOSS’ Legendary Line-up all of which can be fully edited.
- Optional Bluetooth editing with BOSS’s BT Dual Bluetooth Adapter
- Flexible and fully functional IO and feature set to suit any player, be it home player to regular performer and studio regular.
- Katana Bass Amps offer the very best in tone and playing experience for today’s bass players. Inheriting the Katana Concept - Katana Bass Amps offer you a Bass amp that can go from low level home practice, through to studio rehearsal tones and onto live performances.
- All the Katana Bass features are newly designed and enhanced for true, rock-solid bass tones as we have concentrated our efforts on creating an enjoyable play experience using four decades of bass amp design and expertise.
- Unlike many modern Bass amps, Katana Bass uses a Class A/B Power AmB (Just like the award-winning Katana Guitar Amps) allowing for a richer, warmer, and more dynamic sound experience that not only responds to playing dynamics but is comparable in volume to much higher-powered Class D amplifiers.
- The three distinct voicings; Vintage, Flat and Modern cater to a wide set of genres and play styles.
- The easy to use and understand TOP PANEL of the Katana series mean it’s quick and easy to find your sound without diving into menus. Everything is at the touch of a control and can quickly and easily be dialled in to taste
- A studio-inspired BLEND CONTROL offers deep tone-shaping for layering amp and dry signals.
- Featuring four independent effects sections, Katana Bass allows the player to shape the sound in a multitude of ways. This includes Inputs effects like Bass Drives and Compressors, through to classic modulations, delays, and Reverbs,
- Further TONE SHAPING controls that are essential for Bassists are also on board so the player can dial in the perfect sound for their own instrument. This includes a PAD control for high-output instruments, a SHAPE control for different mid frequencies and Low and High Mid buttons in the EQ section to adjust the centre frequencies.
- For Players who want to dive deep into shaping their own sound can do so either via USB using BOSS’s Tone Studio Software or using the optional BT-DUAL Bluetooth Adapter to wirelessly edit via a Smart Device.
- Dimensions : 110B = 470 x 300 x 500 mm | 210B = 490 x 360 x 620mm
- Weight : 110B = 16.8 kg | 210B = 21.8 kg
- Power Consumption : 110B = 77W | 210B = 117W
- RRP : Katana Bass 110 (110B) : €399 / $399 / £310
- RRP : Katana Bass 210 (210B) : €649 / $649 / £499
Demos
Posted by Stefan Karlsson
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