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Boss Katana-50 Gen 3 50-watt 1 x 12-inch Combo Amplifier Certified Open Box

50W, 2-channel, 1 x 12" Modeling Guitar Combo Amp with 12 Amp Voicings, 5 Simultaneous Effects, Power Control, Headphone Output, and USB
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Item ID: Kata50mk3d2
Boss Katana-50 Gen 3 50-watt 1 x 12-inch Combo Amplifier

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Price:$314 and 99 cents
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New for $349.99

Condition Notes:

This returned item is in good condition with some signs of use but is in perfect working order. Includes all original accessories. This item ships in upgraded Sweetwater packaging.

This item was thoroughly inspected by our factory-authorized service team and is backed by Sweetwater's exclusive 2-year warranty. The images shown do not necessarily represent the condition of this particular item.

$53.00 suggested monthly payments with 6 month financing‡ 36 month financing available* with $399.00 minimum purchase on one invoice.

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50 Watts of Tube Logic–enhanced Tone

Sonically enhanced with BOSS’s evolved Tube Logic technology, the BOSS Katana-50 Gen 3 packs a plethora of amplifier voices and ample effects into a seriously compact and portable combo. This 50-watt, 1 x 12-inch combo supplies you with six distinct amplifier personalities to play with, including Gen 3’s all-new addition of a dynamic edge-of-breakup tone in the “Pushed” voice. Plus, a quick press of the Variation switch unlocks a voice-specific tonal alternative for a grand total of 12 amplifier tonalities. Sweetwater’s BOSS pedal fanatics love how the Katana-50 Gen 3’s five independent effects sections deliver a library’s worth of classic stompbox-inspired effects, from spacious ’verbs to ethereal echoes. You also get a powerful 3-band EQ to tweak your tone, in addition to four Tone Setting memories to save your favorite amp/effect combinations for instant recall. It’s all finished off with BOSS’s Gen 3 Tone Studio, a stereo headphone jack, a cab-sim-emulated USB out, and a low-wattage Power Control that allows for cranked-up tones at any volume level. Perfect for practice sessions, home studio setups, and even casual gigging, the BOSS Katana-50 Gen 3 is ready to excel as the centerpiece of your next rig.

What’s new for Gen 3?

The Katana Gen 3 series comes swinging right out of the gate with a newly evolved and enhanced iteration of BOSS’s revered Tube Logic technology, capturing all the harmonic nuance and dynamic feel of a true tube amplifier. These improvements elevate all the Katana series’ prior amplifier models to a whole new level of valve-inspired realism, but the technology is truly on full display in Gen 3’s all-new amplifier type: Pushed.

Engineered to exactly replicate the ever-coveted edge-of-breakup sound, the Pushed amp character artfully embodies the touch-sensitive gain characteristics and lively dynamics of a clean tube combo cranked to its breaking point. Furthermore, the Katana’s third generation comes complete with a whole host of improvements to the BOSS Tone Studio, including UI and editing upgrades for a quicker, more straightforward workflow.

12 amp voices to explore

In addition to Generation 3’s new Pushed amp, this Katana contains all five of the MkII series’ time-tested amplifier voices, all optimized by BOSS’s evolved Tube Logic technology. Lead, Crunch, and Pushed are all aimed to please dirt-obsessed players with a wealth of remarkably tubelike tones, and you even get a “Brown” voice that delivers screaming ’80s hard-rock sounds in spades. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Katana Gen 3 series boasts a lush, full-bodied Clean voice and an Acoustic voice to accommodate your acoustic-electric arsenal. It all adds up to a grand total of six amplifiers to choose from, but that’s only half the story — a Variation switch effectively doubles the amp tones at your disposal with distinct sonic spins on each amp’s sound!

Wireless control via BOSS’s optional Bluetooth adapter

While previous Katana amplifiers required a USB connection to access the editor, each model in the third generation now comes equipped with a dedicated jack on the back to connect with the optional BOSS BT-Dual Bluetooth Audio MIDI Dual Adapter. This adapter allows you to make instant edits to your Katana’s tone straight from your mobile device. Plus, you can also use it to stream songs and backing tracks to make the most of your woodshedding sessions!

Power Amp In(put)

Got a floor unit or tube preamp you can’t live without? You can access all 50 watts of the Katana-50 Gen 3’s Class AB power section using the power amp input. Here, you bypass everything before the power amp, so what you hear is exactly what you expect — only live and in living color.

Powered by the Gen 3 BOSS Tone Studio editor

Upgraded with an enhanced UI and editing options for Gen 3, the Katana-50 Gen 3 supports over 60 timeless BOSS effects, and you can load an entire series of them for instant access. The amp's Booster/Mod, FX/Delay, and Reverb controls give you easy 1-knob access to up to five simultaneous effects types, with a color-coded button to switch between preset effects. To completely customize your effects and amp settings, connect the Katana-50 Gen 3 to your computer via USB and load up the Tone Studio software. Here, you can create your own setup or download setups created by pro guitarists at the BOSS Tone Studio website. Best of all, the Katana-50 Gen 3 can store multiple custom amp and effects profiles for instant recall, making this combo a versatile multichannel amplifier.

BOSS Katana-50 Gen 3 Features:

  • Gen 3 update to BOSS’s beloved line of Katana amplifiers
  • Compact and portable combo amp, dishing out 50W through a custom 12-in. speaker
  • Upgraded with evolved Tube Logic technology to deliver the most valve-like tone and feel possible
  • 6 onboard amp voices to explore, from the new edge-of-breakup Pushed tone to Katana classics like Clean, Brown, Lead, Crunch, and Acoustic
  • Each amplifier voice sports a single variation, adding up to a total of 12 amps to choose from
  • Optional BOSS BT-Dual Bluetooth Audio MIDI Dual Adapter available separately, offering wireless access to the Katana’s editing and streaming capabilities
  • 5 independent effects sections supply you with myriad reverb, delay, and modulation options
  • Powerful 3-band EQ to dial in your sound
  • Power Control scales down your amp’s output to achieve cranked tones at manageable volumes
  • Cab-sim-equipped stereo headphone jack and USB out
  • Gen 3 upgraded BOSS Tone Studio sports an enhanced UI, improved editing tools, and much more
What is Certified Open Box Gear?

At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call "Certified Open Box" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

Certified Open Box (also known as a demo) means we’ve had it out of the box for our YouTube channel, displayed at events, tested in our studio, or maybe it was in a customer’s hands for a few days and isn’t ‘factory fresh’ as a result. Every Certified Open Box item we sell has Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty and has been tested and verified up to ‘new’ specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it’s in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

When you buy a Certified Open Box item at Sweetwater, you get:
  • 2-year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty™!
  • Products inspected and tested by our factory-authorized techs, guaranteed to function like new (or better)!
  • FREE shipping on most items
  • Equipment that will MEET or EXCEED your expectations!

Click HERE to browse our current inventory of Certified Open Box equipment. Purchasing Certified Open Box gear from Sweetwater is a smart and safe way to save!

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Solid State Modeling Amp
  • Number of Channels: 2
  • Output Power: 50W (25W, 0.5W setting)
  • Speaker Size: 1 x 12" Boss Custom Katana 70W
  • Amp Modeling: Acoustic, Clean, Pushed, Crunch, Lead, Brown
  • EQ: 3-band EQ, Presence, Contour switch
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4" (in), 1 x 1/4" (power amp in), 1 x 1/8" (aux in)
  • USB: 1 x USB-C
  • Bluetooth: Bluetooth with BT-Dual Adaptor
  • Headphones: 1 x 1/4"
  • Footswitch I/O: 1 x 1/4" (Channel, Solo), 1 x 1/4" (EXP Pedal)
  • Computer Connectivity: USB
  • Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable
  • Height: 15.68"
  • Width: 18.56"
  • Depth: 9.37"
  • Weight: 25.81 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: KTN-50 3

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Reviews

The most versatile amp - ever!
I've been through quite a few guitar amps over the years. I've had small ones, big ones, cheap ones, expensive ones, and of course, tube amps and solid state amps. I'm old enough to remember the first solid state amps. They were...awful. So I'd developed a reluctance to consider anything but a tube amp. But I'd still not found an amp that would make me happy. After trading a Blues Jr. III for a vintage Pro Reverb, I thought, maybe, my search was over. But it's big, heavy, and kinda noisy. Not good. So I called my salesrep/mentor, Mike Soper at Sweetwater, and told him what I was looking for: small, light, and versatile. He steered me towards the Katana, telling me that this has become the go-to amp for most of the pros that visit Sweetwater. Sold. When the amp arrived, I plugged it in and was immediately blown away by it's functionality and versatility. This box is a chameleon - it can sound like...well...anything your heart desires. Marshall stack? No problem. Fender tweed vintage? Yup. Mesa Boogie? Fine. It can handle whatever you put through it, and handle it well. It's really a perfect match to my Taylor T5z Classic, another instrument that has the versatility thing down pat.

A couple of things to note: In order to get the full use of all the features, you're going to want to pop for the BT-Dual Bluetooth module. That, or carry a laptop and USB cable with you. Unless you settle on four sounds you like, you'll need an external device to tap into the almost unlimited varieties of sounds. Boss has an app - the Boss Tone Studio - that is essentially a (free) library of presets that you can download and send to the Katana. Pretty slick, and there's an army of users out there, creating more presets every day. Did I mention that they've included something like sixty different Boss pedals IN the amp? Yeah. They did. My pedalboard now consists of a foot switch and a tuner. Of course, you can still rock your favorite pedals, but I'm going through a 'minimalist' phase, where "less is more."

The amp has room for four presets, plus however you have your knobs configured, so we'll count that as "five." Because there are features that are NOT accessible on the amp, you'll need/want a foot switch and an external gadget (phone, tablet or laptop) for playing live. Note that for a little bit more, you can get the EX version of the Katana 50, which bumps you up to eight presets instead of four.

In short, this amp ROCKS. Doesn't matter if you're into blues, jazz, classic rock, metal, or any other style - I believe the Katana will get you where you want to go. Two thumbs enthusiastically waaaay up.
Music background: Drummer/Percussionist, guitarist, keyboards - I've been playing a long time. Into jazz, rock, blues and Latin.
100% satisfied
This was highly recommended Amps since my original purchase Amps won't be available on time. I truly appreciate Mr. Drake's recommendation for this Amps.
My son love it so much.
Awesome practice amp
I'm just a bedroom Guitarist and if that's what you are too, you will love this amp, I mostly play rock or thrash metal, with the new Pushed setting, this thing can easily recreate a Malcom Young tone, as for metal it reminds me of a Marshall DSL or JCM, if you learn how to tweak your knobs and find the sweetspot, I firmly believe this amp can do it all.
Music background: Guitarist of 3 years
Great Amp
Best practice amp I've ever owned. I previously owned a Line 6 spider 3 75w which was also great for practice. However, with the Line 6, problems and glitches became more and more frequent the longer I had it. The Line 6 had more effects and presets than the Boss and also a built-in tuner. The tuner is the only thing I miss and would have liked the Boss to have this feature. Having to run my Boss tuner pedal is a bit of a hassle. As far as build and sound quality, the Boss Katana clearly comes out ahead of the Spider. With the amount of features built in to the Line 6, it borders on too much. If you can't find the sound you're looking for with the Katana, plug in your laptop, open the free Boss editing software, and there's a whole 'nother amps worth of effects and settings to mess with. All in all, its the best little amp I've ever personally used and would recommend to anyone of any skill level.
Music background: Hobbyist, Prior Semi-pro
An All-Around Great Amp
I wanted something more than a practice amp, even though it will probably serve mostly in that capacity. For family holiday get-together and other small group settings I wanted a big enough sound to fill a medium venue. The Boss KATANA 50 fits the bill for me. All the built-in effects are a bonus; I look forward to discovering the full extent of the versatility and flexibility of the Katana 50 Gen 3.