The Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w is a Boss amplifier, currently around $389.70. Close alternatives include the 1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King' and the Music Man 410 Sixty Five. It pairs well with the Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp and the Univox Super-Fuzz.
Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w
Boss · amplifier
The Boss Katana Artist MkII is a 100-watt Class AB modeling guitar combo amplifier loaded with two Boss G12W Waza loudspeakers designed to replicate vintage Greenback tone with substantially higher power handling. Five core amp characters — Clean, Crunch, Lead, Brown, and Acoustic — each with a Variation mode double the available tonal palette. The Artist MkII adds Presence and Resonance controls, a tube-buffered effects loop, and premium Waza speakers not found on standard Katana models. Five simultaneous effects blocks can be stacked for deep sound design. Boss Tube Logic technology drives the amp modeling for realistic response and dynamics. The Artist MkII is the flagship of the standard Katana series, targeting professional gigging use.
What stands out
“The Artist MkII adds Presence and Resonance controls, a tube-buffered effects loop, and premium Waza speakers”
— from the listing
“The five amp characters with variation modes cover virtually all genres convincingly, from sparkly single-coil clean to fat lead to djent-adjacent metal saturation”
— from the community notes
“Praised as the most tonally convincing and feature-complete Katana to date — the Waza G12W speakers add a warmth and vintage texture that elevates the amp character beyond the standard Katana 100, and the Presence and Resonance controls giv…”
— from the community notes
“The Boss G12W Waza speakers deliver vintage Greenback character with substantially higher power handling, improving low-mid warmth and clarity over standard Katana 100 speakers”
— from the reviews
“Five amp characters with Variation modes cover clean through high-gain saturation with genuinely responsive dynamics”
— from the reviews
- tube
- effects loop
- buffered
- resonance
- presence
- five amp characters
- lead
- vintage
Good for
- Live
- Practice
- Silent Recording
- Studio
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w is commonly used in
- Acoustic
- Djent
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
- Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
26% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (saturated → clean boost)
Stack Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp on top and a saturated tone tightens toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Univox Super-Fuzz
Univox
22% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Into Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w, Univox Super-Fuzz is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Goes in front of the amp
Friedman BE-OD
Friedman
20% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Friedman BE-OD wants
Goes in front of the amp
MXR CSP202 Custom Comp
MXR
16% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
MXR CSP202 Custom Comp leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Boss CE-2 Chorus
Boss
15% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w's bright voice out front: Boss CE-2 Chorus goes after Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it
Goes in front of the amp
Suhr Discovery
Suhr
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w's bright voice out front: Suhr Discovery goes in Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w's effects loop so its warm voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Strymon TimeLine
Strymon
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Strymon TimeLine in Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w's effects loop, clear of Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Tone City King of Blues
Tone City
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Tone City King of Blues is voiced for a clean amp's front end — Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w gives it exactly that
Cheaper alternatives
Similar character
1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King'
Mesa Boogie
49% similarityShared character: fat, presence, middle
Music Man 410 Sixty Five
Music Man
48% similarityShared character: middle, warm, clarity
Standel Super Custom XV
Standel
45% similarityShared character: warm, clarity, vintage charm
Boss Katana 100 MK3
Boss
42% similarityShared character: pick attack, presence, crunch
See all alternatives to the Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w?+
The closest matches in character are the 1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King', the Music Man 410 Sixty Five, the Standel Super Custom XV. Budget picks: Blackstar IDX:50.
What pairs well with the Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp, Univox Super-Fuzz, Friedman BE-OD — Stack Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp on top and a saturated tone tightens toward clean boost.
How much does the Boss – Katana Artist MkII 100w cost?+
Around $389.70 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).