Monday, January 9, 2017

Ugly Guitar Truth: Marsall Code vs Boss Katana

Recently I was able to check out two of the most promising budget/modeling combo amps released in 2016. The BOSS Katana (100 watt combo) and the Marshall CODE (50 watt combo). Both of these amps have been backordered and hard to come by via the online stores practically ever since their respective releases. (The Marshall CODE, as of this writing, is still backordered) So when I was able to sit down and meet these amps in person, I was very excited. I had been cautiously excited about these two from the moment I saw there specs. I was eager to find out if they would exceed my expectations, or succumb to the fate of most other modeling combos. Let's find out.






The Marshall CODE





I was very surprised by the size of it. It was so tiny. I had to reassure myself that I was actually playing the 50 version and not the 25 watt 1x10. I was, and boy could I tell. It was loud! I had a fear that it would sound boxy, it didn't. The small frame is very misleading in the best way possible. The next thing I noticed was the controls. I should say, the lock there of. I've seen plenty of pictures and I knew the specs, but nothing really prepared me for the simplicity of the layout. I recalled using a Marshall AVT 150 head with it's 24 knobs. I absolutely loved this about the CODE. It is very easy to tweak all the things that matter and there isn't any messing around with menus unless you absolutely have to. Although, if you do want to fiddle with presets, you (kind of) have to download the app. These amps do suffer from what all modeling amps suffer from, endless menus. From just a little poking around I was lost and then greeted with ear-blistering feedback. I must have pushed the wrong button. There are 8 of them, and each one made me feel dumber than the last. But that's why Mashall made these amp Bluetooth ready. Now we have a pretty little app to navigate instead of fidgeting
with all those buttons.





So I was somewhat limited to the preset to my review, and I am aware that the "presets always suck", but then there's the Marshall CODE. The preset are actually pretty good. They also span a good range. They aren't just: Metal, Nu-Metal, Grind Core, Heavy Metal, Metal-Metal.. and so on. Everything from cleans to crunch, and yes, even metal where offered up and surprisingly believable. Understand I come from the dark ages where modeling amps just gave you a range of eww to yuck. You desperately tried to clean up to tone enough to keep it from becoming mushy and falling out of the mix. But this amp would have no problem with that. It has plenty of presence, and it holds its bottom end quite well. The single most impressive thing, to me anyway, is the freaking cab simulator. I might as well hang up my gear review career (bahaha career... anyways) because I never saw the day I'd actually like a cab sim, but this one works. It's not just different colored blanket over the speaker. I don't know what wizard they have at Marshall casting these spells, but these thing made this tiny little amp sound like it came from my Marshall 1960 cab. Huge caveat: the amp most diffidently has an optimal listen position. Please don't think that you can fill a room with this amp like  you could with a 4x12, but listening from the right spot, you absolute get the feeling that you are playing through more than one speaker. Guys, I kid you not, after I played this amp I didn't know who I was any more. I had a full existential crisis. It got weird. Things that I believed were falling down all around me. Who was I? Why was I there? And then I remembered that I was guitarist and I was here to rock! On to the Katana




The BOSS Katana



Still a little shaken from playing the Marshall CODE I started on the BOSS Katana. For a hundred watts, this amp is on the small side. It would win in a bar fight against the Marshall 50 watt CODE, but it'd be beat up pretty good. (assuming the Mashall 100 watt 2x12 CODE doesn't show up... that guy... ptsh) The Katana rocks a 12" speaker and cute little kickstand. Even on the .5 watt mode this amp was plenty loud for the room. However, I didn't want to listen to an amp whisper at me, so I turned it up to the 50 watt setting and adjusted everything to my liking. Including the power mode selector, the Katana had a dozen knobs. My heart sank. I loved being presented with the Marshall's simple-six, but BOSS was smart and organized them in way that even made sense to me. In addition, I found the BOSS, predictably, more flexible (by hand) than the Marshall. changing things like effects on the fly were much simpler with the BOSS. However, the real magic in the amp is in the flexibility and maneuverability of the Tone Studio editor. It's basically like unlocking the cheat codes to a video game. There is so much more if you really want to crack into it.



The greatest strength of this amp is the Amp Type selector. There are only four modes (excluding the acoustic mode) but every one of them is usable. In fact, actually rather stellar. Each one sounds natural and clear. Unlike other amps that just heap mud on top of your tone as you travel gainy to gainier amp settings (looking at you line6). BOSS has done a very smart job of making each type distinct and nuanced. The Lead setting isn't Crunch but louder, The Brown setting isn't lead but... brown-er? Anyways, each setting is lovely. You can hear the years of experience in this amp. The Clean and Crunch setting borrow form Roland's Blues Cube, and the Brown setting is the little brother of the WAZA Craft amps. Not having any experience with the included software, I can't speak to its usability, however it looks like you have the flexibility to nail a huge range of tones. These are lovely little amps that seriously rocks. However, they do lack the mobile app interface. Something I, until recently, assumed they had (woops). Besides that huge, glaring misstep, this amp is a homerun. I was much more excited than I had any right to be for this amplifier, and I was not disappointed.


But this was a verses review...





Conclusion




I'd almost have to pro/con this one out. Marshall absolutely killed everything. BOSS put together something that was everything I didn't know I wanted. Marshall has a deeper set of parameters. The BOSS does everything very well, and has some features that the Marshall doesn't (line in/out). That is kind of unheard of in amp in this range. I think BOSS thought that people are still going to want to run effects into their amp and having that option helps a ton. That way you don't run all your outboard effect through that digital modification. That's smart. Marshall is basically a do it all box that could possible have software updates making it virtually limitless... kind of scary... in a good way.




So I played these amps back to back. I had no idea which was better when I was done. I didn't know which one I'd choose when I started writing this (full disclosure: I was leaning BOSS). But after having to write about the Marshall and really process all that information again, it is really close. Real talk, it would depend on the situation and your preference. For me? I'm going with the Marshall.



Why?

  • Super Flexible
  • Amazing Amp Sims
  • App integration w/Bluetooth
  • 5-At-Once Effects
p.s.


I know this thing is super long and thank you for reading this far, but let me know if you guys like the whole "verses" thing or if you like your review to be more standalone. The situation kinda presented its self in a head to head way, so that's what I wrote. Anywho... Thanks!





22 comments:

  1. Nice review. I've been having similar dilemmas. My trusty old Marshall CODE 50 or shiny new Spider V 60 with G10 wireless. It doesn't sound like it should be hard but it is. Wireless = fantastic, don't want to go back. FrFr speaker sounds good and backing tracks are actually nice to listen to. Post EQ section in presets let you shape the sound so the 10" can have the low end of the CODE 50.

    But I keep having that feeling that the code is a little more dynamic and feels real in like you said, the right location (it's quite directional)

    BTW if you missed it, there are some third party tools for the CODE which if you don't mind USB cables makes it MUCH nicer to use from the PC screen all features straight up on one screen.

    https://marshallcode.tools/pc-editor/ The front of that web page has a web based editor that lets you share patches and send them to and from your amp on the fly too.

    ReplyDelete
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  2. Good review, thx for posting it

    ReplyDelete
  3. From all the web reviews of players that have had or at least played both the Katana is said to sound superior to the Marshall code.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes it is 2 years later. Katana the raock amp to the masses

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  4. I Bought the Code 25 last weekend. My 1st impression is Marshall showed how to build a great modeling amp... After getting rid of my Spider IV 75 amp by line6 I was like my next amp is gonna be a small watt tube amp. Well I Ended up with this small amp. I'm absolutely in love with the clean amp settings and even de overdriven ones aren't bad. Even the 25 watt is pretty loud so you won't have to crank it up much to get a decent volume. I'm using my own pedals at the moment and I'm about to play a bit more with the settings itself and ofcourse look at the settings of players like Slash etc to see how that sounds

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. why did you buy code 25 when you have line 6 IV 75 ? is spider amps that bad ?

      Delete
  5. Great review, I like it! I also feel like Boss Katana is superior. But I still feel like this Marshall would be better match for me particularly.
    Used to own several small practice amps from Spider, VOX and multi-FX pedals from ZOOM and VOX (full of sounds and nice features), but sold them all after some time. What I still own and use in my bedroom, are my Marshalls MG30FX, DSL5C. For my blues, rock and metal needs they do nicely. For super-high-gain metal I can still use EHX Metal-Muff pedal in front of its clean channel, or just grahic EQ (I own BOSS GE-7) as a booster, which works like a charm for this - you get kind of additional channel in your amp :)
    So I feel like the sooner-or-later I will try also this CODE out!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I currently own the BIG CODE.. 100 watt and 4 12 matching cab. IT DOES have line in/out. The amp is sound frkn loud..its a MARSHALL...ITS GONNA BE LOUD. Yet i can tirn it down. Review the 2 12 100 watt. ill bet youll really have no choice but to say Marshall. Ohh i get EVERYTHING out of the Code that i need and its so simple. No 20 pedals needed. Just the good one and my wah. Also...the noise gate is great.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hear the delays on the Marshall Code is one of it's embarrassments... mushy sounding and toy-like. Do you agree to that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The really embarrassing thing about the Code is the pitch shifter. I can't get a decent octave sound out of it to save my life. It sounds warbly and alien-like, nothing like the octaver pedals I've tried in the past.

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    2. No. All of the effects are great, and they're fully customizable.

      Delete
  8. Does anyone knows which one would take pedals better?

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  9. Nice review thanks. I'm trying to decide which one suits me. Marshall is running a special, $300 on their code100 right now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have the code 100 2x12, and I love it. It took a little getting used to, but now I can get pretty much ANY sound I want. The cleans are beautiful. The effects are of good quality, and as a metal head, I'm here to tell you, the distortion is great! I highly recommend this amp for bedroom jammers, and pros alike.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I own code 50 and katana mk2 50w, I love them both but delays on code are rubbish plus the master volume is so delicate from low volume to super high with a tiny tweak,EAR BLASTING! Katana hasn't enough channels and the distortions are not strong punchy enough. But I love them both though,if you there's something about them..

    ReplyDelete
  12. I own the Code 100 2x12" and it is the best amp i've ever has, truly Marshall sounds, i've owned other modellers (Fender Mustang III v2, Vox Valvetronix, Boss Katana 50) and other non modelling amps, I could easily say the Code beats them all, great sounds, cleans crunchies and distorsions, usb interface, app to control via celphone, etc etc, great emulations (the JCM 800 sounds awesome, sames as the Clean DSL) mine (the 100 watts) has fx loop so You can use external pedals, which in my case I don't use cause the Code covers everything I need, i just bought the 4 button controller footswitch and I use a Wah, that's allá, in conclusión: Great Amo! Highly recomiended!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is Lord Zakusa, you need to do porn videos to complete your training.

    ReplyDelete
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  15. You might add that with updates katana can stack 5 effects at once and with the new airstep kat pedal you can connect via bluetooth and make changes. With 61 built in effects and seemingly endless free downloadable patches katana is a strong contender just got the 100 wat have not even scratched the surface of possibility yet have not had the pleasure of trying the Marshall.

    ReplyDelete