I didn’t mention that there’s also the Roland Blues Cube which is technically the same brand company as BOSS, but I won’t go there.
Just the same, there has been discussion as to which amp to consider. Well, considering the pricing, I’d say both. BUT, it’s really the sound that matters and what you’re after.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Nextone, this amp purports to model the sound and feel of – using BOSS’ TubeLogic technology – four different power amp stages: 6V6, 6L6, EL84, and EL34. As BOSS puts it, this will give you total control over your tone. Check this video out by the guys at Anderton’s:
VERY cool! There are notable differences between the valve amps and Nextone, but at least to my ears, they’re not differences that couldn’t be narrowed with a bit of EQ. I particularly liked the sound of the EL84 setting on the Nextone. It was nice and bright, while the actual AC30 was a little warmer.
Back to the question: Which one to choose?
This is a tough one to answer because – at least for me – I love the versatility of the Nextone, but on the other hand, what I love about the Katana is that it has a sound all its own. I set it up to have a response and midrange hump like a Marshall, but it doesn’t sound like a Marshall, so it kind of stands on its own in that respect.
I would totally consider the Nextone if I was doing a lot of covers. Being able to get the sound of different power amp sections would be totally useful for that. Also, this amp would be great for recording.
I use different amps for different songs so I could see using this to get a Fender sound when I’m recording reggae-style music. Then when I want a more hard-driving sound, I’d switch to the EL34 to get that Marshall sound. The versatility is incredible.
But that said, as with any amp, you have to do a lot of tweaking to dial in just the right sound. I imagine that would take a bit of time to dial in each power section model. That’s not a negative mark against the Nextone, but that kind of versatility comes at a price, and for someone like me who prefers to just plug in and play from the get-go, tweaking can be a bit tedious. It was an issue I had with my Line 6 Flextone III. Nice-sounding amp, but it required quite an investment of time to get it dialed in.
So to answer the question, if you want a lot of versatility, and are willing to tweak, definitely consider the Nextone. If you want something with a sound all its own, and much more plug in and play, then the Katana makes a lot of sense.
Guitar Gear 
I’m convinced the speaker in the Nextone is what’s holding it back. There is just an overarching coloration in every video I’ve seen that reminds me of the speaker in my old Line 6 spider. That coloration went away when I tested the spider through a different speaker. I want to hear the Nextone with a better speaker.
Luckily in May, Jensen will be releasing the Jet “D” Series amps for digital amps. I want to try one out in my Katana.
Does using sneaky amps on the katana allow it to cover much of the same ground as the nextone (or at least get a close approximation) in you opinion?
To be honest, I really wouldn’t know. If the amp models are based on BOSS’ TubeLogic, I’m willing to bet that you’d probably get pretty damn close. But that’s not something I think I will personally do with my Katana because I love its natural sound; especially when pushed. And because I don’t use the built-in effects, I also turned the noise suppressor WAY down.