I ordered one online on a whim. Figured it'd be a handy little amp to take on the road, and the demos I listened to sounded pretty good.

Well, it's going back. It sounds just like the cheap boxy sounding amp I suspected it would be.

That's all......

I am actually sending one back as well tomorrow.  I kind of expected it to sound small, but the controls just weren't right for me either.    You have to turn the gain way up on the clean channel to get any sound out of the amp at all..  Even with the volume dimed.  

I called CS to make sure that was the way the amp was supposed to function.   The agent confirmed it, and was a little surprised himself how much gain was needed to get audible volume.   He suggested using a wired power source to maybe get a stronger signal, but that kind of defeats the purpose for me.   I specifically wanted something battery powered.  

Oh well, other amps to try.

Have you guys tried the big Katana head or combo? I have plugged into one at my friend's music store on a couple of occasions and was very impressed. He's been selling the snot out of them and it's the only non tube amp that he even likes himself. I would already have one, but between my Friedman and Splawn amps, and my Line 6 Helix LT... it's just overkill at this point. I've been actively trying to stop the madness of buying gear just to continue to stuff it in my man cave. I'm tired of always owing the store, as well as my Sweetwater and Musician's Friend credit cards. So for once in my adult life, I've been being an adult and not indulging my curiosity. If I didn't have the Helix, I'd definitely have the Katana head by now.

I have not tried any of the other Katanas.   They look interesting, especially with a built in acoustic amp.   The customer service agent seemed to suggest they were having some quality control issues.  He told me that a tech called with a similar issue saying he was surprised at the signal he was getting at a particular setting.    They were extremely helpful, however.   He actually grabbed a guitar and amp to test while I was on the phone.  

I would be interested in trying one, but I just don't have the need.  My Bugera G5 is super versatile, and I have a Fishman Loudbox Mini.     So I would be spending just to spend.   A small, portable, battery powered amp is definitely something I could use though.

I used my Fishman Loudbox Mini and SA220 ("Fishstick") for years in my solo acoustic gig. But the past year I've used my Roland Cube Street EX PA Pack and haven't felt a single thing missing. Before that, I swore by Fishman and wouldn't have touched anything else. But the Street EX has made me a believer. It's also amazing because you can run it on battery power for those gigs away from a power outlet.

I haven't tried the other Katanas either. And like you, RL, if I didn't have a gob of amps along with my Helix, I'd probably have a Katana head.

But my problem with the Mini wasn't volume, like PP had, it just sounded like crap.

Roger that. I'm generally not a fan of "mini amps". The only small amp that bowled me over was the Friedman Mini Dirty Shirley. That thing is a world-beater. But it comes at a high cost.

I do still want a Katana head though. Because that thing does sound amazing. Many guys buy them as backups to their boutique heads and end-up gigging them just because they like them, and like a tube amp they sound great! (And LOUD!)

Cool. Like I said, I haven't tried one out, but it sounds like a good candidate to leave over at a friend's house that I jam with occasionally. I'll probably find an excuse to buy one.

How close are the fires to you, by the way? I've been seeing some news about it on Facebook here and there.

I'm in Billings. Most of the fires were a couple hundred miles west of here. But we got to choke on their smoke for the past two months. Got very old. Fortunately, the cold, rainy weather has been here for the past two weeks and killed most of that crap off. I'm hoping that next week can be fairly dry though, as I have a motorcycle trip over to the Black Hills of SD coming up.

That's good to hear. The national news has been mum about the whole fire thing.