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Keeley Katana V1 Boost Review – It Is now expensive, but why?
Introduction
I have wanted to try this pedal out for ages! I have had several saved on my Reverb account, tempting me to pull the trigger and buy it; however, I haven’t. This is a fairly iconic pedal now! They are getting harder to find, and due to that reason (as well as other reasons), the price is creeping up. It is the Keeley Katana V1 boost. A simple boost pedal that has been given so much praise and lore behind it.
Thanks to a certain famous guitar player, these have become very popular. However, I believe people don’t understand boost pedals anyway, so it’s a fusion between John Mayer using them and it also being a really useful pedal!
This pedal is on loan to me and will be going back, but depending on how much I enjoy it and my thoughts, I might invest in one myself. I won’t be comparing them, but I will be keeping my NUX Lacerate (Review Here) in the back of my head while playing around with the Keeley Katana. How do they compare!
Keeley Katana V1
The Keeley Katana V1 is a boost pedal at its heart. It simply takes your guitar signal and increases it. However, it does a few things that make it a little bit special.
On the outside of the pedal, you will find a solid white enclosure with very rounded corners. All the text is blue with the LED at the top and the foot switch at the bottom. On the side of the pedal is the clear plastic control knob. Pull the volume knob out, and you will add some subtle harmonic overdrive and grit to your sound. It doesn’t act as an overdrive; it is still a boost pedal but just adds a small amount of hair to your sound.
Inside the pedal, the circuit will take your 9v power and boost it to 18v. This gives you higher headroom and higher output. The Katana can provide between +30db and +35db of boost. This pedal can get loud. With the volume knob pushed in, all it is doing is increasing the volume. It won’t colour your tone and is very transparent.
More on the Keeley Katana V1
The Keeley Katana V1 only has one control. Granted, it does two things, but it is the only thing on the pedal you can adjust.
- Boost: This controls the amount of boost the pedal has. The higher the number, the more boost. You can pull this knob out to add some extra grit to your sound.
On the top of the pedal, you will find the 9v power input. On the left and right-hand side of the Keeley Katana, you will find the output and input.
This pedal is not available new anymore, so you will have to grab one from second-hand websites, marketplaces, or see if your local shop has one in as a trade. Warning, they are fairly pricey and hard to come by!
The Sounds
You will hear three sound samples in this demo video. The first one is with my amp set up fairly clean. Then using the Keeley Katana to push it further. The second is with my amp set up fairly overdriven and using the Katana to push it even further. The final sound clip will be using the Keeley Katana to push another pedal and allow you to saturate an overdrive pedal even more.
For the demo songs, I used the Keeley Katana V1 in various ways. The first demo song is using the pedal to push my amp into thick overdrive sound. The second demo is fairly clean with the pedal pushing the amp ever so slightly. I believe the first demo song has the extra grit mode engaged.
What are my thoughts?
The Design
There isn’t much to talk about when it comes to the Keeley Katana. It is a fairly simple and clean-looking pedal. My first comment is that it is a bit bigger than I had thought it was. I think the knob on the side expands the width ever so slightly, given the illusion that it is bigger than it is.
I like the knob on the side! It looks cool! I believe it was put like that so you could adjust the boost amount with your foot! However, that is a lot harder than I think they thought! So most people won’t be doing that. It does look awesome and makes the pedal look clean!
One thing I did notice is the LED being at the top of the pedal. I know other pedals do have it at the top, like the Way Huge Aqua-Puss (Review Here), but not many pedals are as empty as this pedal. So it genuinely stands out when it is on! Just a bright light on your board with nothing around it!
"The moment I plugged this pedal in and played through it, I fell in love with it!
The Sounds
First thing I noticed is that the Keeley Katana V1 is super clean! Like proper clean! Doesn’t change the tone, doesn’t add any overdrive (in the clean mode), just gives you oodles of volume and boost. I will talk about the boost mode shortly, but I think 80% of people will use a pedal like this for the straight-up clean boost!
I did quickly compare it to the NUX Lacerate (Review Here). They are like 85-90% the same, but the Katana V1 does have something a bit extra. I can’t work out what it is. It could 100% be just an exception bias, but I tried the pedal through a few different amps, and I was feeling and hearing something a little extra. It adds a sparkle without changing the tone. If you love the sound of your amp, the Keeley Katana will just give you more!
More on the Sounds
The ”dirty” boost really adds a punch. It isn’t an overdrive pedal, but it can push your amp into that sound! Comparing it to a Tube Screamer, with the knob pulled out, it gave that kind of John Mayer/SRV tone people chase. That overdriven amp gain. Slamming the front of your amp with a lot of signal.
I had to try (and you can hear in the sound samples) putting the Katana before an overdrive pedal! I love doing this with any boost pedal, but this will push your overdrive even more. Of course, with the amount of boost this pedal can put out, this works very well! Running it into a Klon or Tube Screamer will help you get even more saturation and overdrive! However, this also means you can turn off the pedal for a lighter overdrive! Really useful and a great tool to have if you don’t want to run multiple overdrives!
The Drawbacks
There isn’t a lot I don’t like about this pedal when I compare it against itself. However, if I grab the NUX Lacerate and then start comparing a few things, a few things do jump out to me. Unlike the Nux Lacerate (Review Here), you can’t activate the extra boost mode on the fly; you have to manually pull out the volume knob. Combine this with the hard-to-reach volume knob, and this kind of makes this pedal a set-and-forget pedal. Which you will do anyway!
Now, the biggest issue with this pedal is availability and price. They don’t make the Katana V1 anymore. So you will have to buy them second-hand, and believe me, people are asking for a fair amount of money for them. That is one pop-up. They are not as common as they used to be. You will find the V2 and reissue a fair amount online, but they are meant to sound a lot different.
"You may think that this pedal isn’t doing much, then you turn it off and find your tone sounds “thin” and “empty”."
Final Thoughts
Now, you could use this pedal at the end of your drive chain and use it as a solo boost. However, I much prefer to add it at the front of my drive sections and use it to drive other drive pedals. It allows me to run two overdrive pedals but have about six drive options in total. It really expands my drive tones.
I guess the main question is if it is worth the money. Should you buy a Keeley Katana V1? I think it is like anything. If you want a super high headroom boost pedal, then I would recommend the NUX Lacerate! It is more affordable and also easy to get. However, if you want the Keeley Katana specifically, then you should get it! For “just a boost pedal”, I do find myself using it a lot! It is great for adding that extra sizzle to your sound.
Conclusion
So there you go! The Keeley Katana. It does have something special to it. It is different from most boost pedals, but at the current price, I don’t think they are worth the money! I will stay with my NUX for the time being. The other option (and I have already started looking) is the Keeley Katana Mini! They are a lot more affordable and also smaller and more compact. They are meant to be the same as the V1s. So I might try to grab one of those as well!
I have tried out a few classic pedals recently! I hope you have all enjoyed my reviews! If there is anything you would want to see, then please let me know. I want to do more of these kinds of pedals. Not just pedals either, I love checking out gear that has a big following and trying it out. Seeing what my thoughts are! For any of you that don’t like these kinds of reviews, I have some super affordable gear reviews on route as well!
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Keeley Katana V1 Links:
- Nux Lacerate Boost (Andertons Affiliate)
- Nux Lacerate Boost (Thomann Affiliate)
- Andertons Affiliate Link
- Thomann Affiliate Link
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