I got this footswitch to go with a new ?Boss Katakana 100? amplifier that I bought. The amp is fantastic and I?ll do a separate review on that. While you do not need the footswitch to use the amp (as everything can be operated from the front panel on the amp) I felt that to really get the most flexibility out of it, particularly in a gig situation, then I needed one.
Pros:
The f.s itself is very well made, built from sturdy metal (aluminum?). The switches are good quality and feel very solid and reassuring under foot. The unit should stand up to regular gigging provided it?s not overly abused.
In use this thing is as easy as chips, simply plug it in with the included standard guitar lead, and you?re up and running. The functionality is very impressive for such a simple looking pedal. You can access 8 presets (using the Katana 100) plus the current panel setting giving you a total of 9 different sounds instantly at your feet! And if that?s not enough, you can also turn on and off the individual stomp effects within each preset which makes this f.s extremely flexible indeed. For example while in any of the 8 presets you can see what effects you have assigned to that preset and turn them on and off just by tapping their individual switch. No need to move to another preset just to get rid off the delay, simply turn it off with a tap of its own switch. Refer to user guide for specifics!
Cons:
The only negative comment I can make about this unit is the price (¤99), and that?s down to Boss. It really bugs me when manufacturers don?t include the footswitch with their product and then charge a lot to sell you one separately. Reminds a bit of Ryan Air pricing! This footswitch actually costs one third the cost of the Katana 100 amp. Boss should consider giving a heavy discount (50%) when this is purchased WITH the amp.
Summary:
Anyway, my overall view and opinion is that this is a great footswitch, very well built and sturdy and adds great flexibility to using the amplifier, especially when gigging. I can definitely recommend it to anyone using a Boss amp, if you can stomach the price. Note, this f.s does NOT work with the 50 watt version of the Katana amp.
As for Thomann, as always, their service is 10 out of 10. Thanks!
