Anyone tried mandolin thru a Boss Katana amp?

[Snakum]

I've been a tube snob my whole career, but I got one for Xmas, a 100 watt Mk2 combo. I already have channels set up for my Les Paul and Gretsch, as well as two different acoustic tones. Am working on a mandolin preset and was curious if anyone has tried it already?

[Caleb]

Sorry, have not tried a mandolin through it, but I do have a Katana and like it a lot. When you say 'mandolin preset,' are you talking about the Tone Lab deal? I messed around with all that stuff for hours and was never able to get it all up and going, so I just ended up using my Katana as a regular amp. Unfortunately, if you're using Mac and iPhone, it's apparently pretty common to not be able to use the accompanying software for the amp. It seems to most be set up for Windows and Android users.

[Snakum]

I haven't downloaded the software yet, and I think I can get everything I need from just the amp. I have patches set up for two flavors of acoustic guitar, four for electric (Les Paul and a Gretsch hollowbody), and one for mandolin. It's working okay so far with my little stick-on transducer but gigging may be a different story. If it works I'll only have to carry the Katana and my Hartke combo for electric bass and upright and be able to leave the pedalboard at home.

[Murphy Slaw]

I use the Bose S1-Pro and also an L1-Compact.

One, or the other, and if needed, both.

My tube amps are for the Les Paul and Tele.

[mandroid]

With an older Schertler Dyn-M (a passive dynamic contact Mic essentially)

+ an Impedance matching transformer (same thing a flute playing friend puts on the cable between an SM58 mic & a Fender Tube amp)

I can use any guitar amp input..

Undisclosed; what is the signal source from your Mandolin?

[mandroid]

I have an AC 60 Roland ... 2 channel : mic & Instrument XLR to mic channel but 1/4" TRS cable can go in either one..

[Snakum]

I'm using the small KNA UP-2 transducer. Which works surprisingly well as long as I'm not moving around.

[Snakum]

The Katana is working pretty well, so far. I have patches set up for all my acoustic and electric guitars and for the mandolin. I'm not ready to sell my tube amps yet but I am kinda impressed. It's been great for recording.

[mandroid]

Piezoelectric pickups have a much higher impedance than a magnetic pickup...

so - the purchase of a preamp with a handshake input also on the mega ohm range, would help
as would just getting a magnetic pickup electric mandolin...

[Billy Packard]

I play mandolin with 100+ prerecorded accompaniment tracks I have developed.

My current minimalist gear setup for small venues is,
-one Bose S1Pro battery powered,
-iPad w/bluetooth to the Bose,
-mandolin plugged into the Bose using a Myers clamp-on condenser mic.
Super simple with acceptable tone fidelity.

I can grow my set up with a second S1Pro, ToneMatch and a L1 Model 2.

Billy

ps re. electric guitars, I'm a Fender guy, guitars and tube amps new and old.

[Snakum]

Piezoelectric pickups have a much higher impedance than a magnetic pickup...

so - the purchase of a preamp with a handshake input also on the mega ohm range, would help
as would just getting a magnetic pickup electric mandolin...

Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to buy a RedEye or something similar to dial it in for live shows and go to the board. There's just a missing something or too much something at gig volumes that I'm not sure a K&K pickup will fix. It works okay to a looper when I'm laying chords to play the melody over Red Haired Boy (my first real song). But turned way up it's nasal and I'm having a hard time dialing it in.

[SandyBeach]

I've got the same amp, the Katana 100 Mk II, used for a Fender 5-string electric mando, the FM-60E, so the signal is from a single-coil electric guitar-style pick up. I can get good tones from it, particularly on the clean or crunch settings. However, my particular amp has unacceptable hum and hiss when the volume is turned up or the watts setting is turned up. I contacted Fender support, and the suggestion was to turn the master volume all the way up, then use the channel's volume and gain to adjust. This helps a bit. I still need to determine if my amp has abnormal noise levels: the tech told me that hum and hiss is a 'feature' to emulate tube amps!

It may be of interest to check out this video by Jens Larsen on youtube called, "Great Jazz Tone on a $250 Amp?", in which he plays around with an electric guitar and shows specific suggested settings for the Katana. At the end, he offers back end Tone Bank settings if you fill out a form and send him your email address, etc. I settled for just the faceplate settings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr-mTHlFlUE

[lflngpicker]

I have plugged acoustic guitars into my Katana 50, which works well tone-wise. I would think the acoustic setting would work as well for a mandolin. I wasn't expecting to get an acoustic amp when I bought it for my Strats and Casino. Nice surprise.