Positive Grid Spark Guitar Amplifier, Electric, Bass and Acoustic Guitar 40-Watt Combo Amp, Mobile App (Spark Black)

Product Information

A mind-blowing portable powerhouse, Spark MINI delivers innovative smart guitar playing to go. With multi-dimensional high-quality sound, all-new Smart Jam, video creation, and Bluetooth® audio streaming, it’s the biggest smallest rig ever.

The Spark is fully equipped with amp models designed for electric, acoustic and bass. A perfect solution for multi-instrumentalists and those looking to expand their musical horizons.I also tried to update the firmware from another MacBook Pro (same version of Catalina OSX though) and the result was the very same. For a super-brief moment it seemed to have find it and then crashed and produced a "crash report"... I rebooted the computer and the Spark innumerable times, tried all the USB cables I got, nothing. :-( Simply put, I love the way this little amp sounds. It delivers excellent tone with plenty of beefy volume, and the Amp Type dial provides a nice variety of amplifier sounds. I particularly like the Crunch setting for playing leads, but think the Bass setting could be fatter. Select a song from the millions available across a number of online platforms/libraries and Spark's app will show you the chords to songs, letting you play along in real-time. You can also loop individual sections or adjust the speed to learn at a tempo that is comfortable for you. When you couple it with the Spark app, all new possibilities are presented. In terms of tone, you have 30 different amps, five compressor pedal models, nine overdrives, 10 modulation pedals, six delays and nine reverbs to play with. That enables guitarists to play along with any song via an embedded YouTube video, and is especially handy when also using the app as a Bluetooth speaker.

This is the little amp that could, and did, offering 40 watts through a stereo speaker setup, and making its respectable wattage count for a lot. Play it at house-friendly volumes or through headphones, but if the mood takes you, this amp can really sound expansive and loud, with modelling tech that offers valve-like dynamics in a digital practice amp format. Other issues: Firmware updater doesn't work, it doesn't "see" the amp. Weird, as the USB works and the Spark shows up in my computer's "Audio" settings. Even in MIDI Studio, the amp is there, but when Felix from PG asked me to remove it from the list it hasn't been possible. So to this moment I can't update the firmware of my amp nor remove it from the list in MIDI Studio. The great thing about this is you’re not limited to how the tone is configured. Every knob on the amp is adjustable via the touchscreen by swiping up and down on it (hence the reason the tablet app is preferable). As is every knob and switch on the effects pedals in the array. And, if you don’t want the delay or reverb at all, you can swipe up to turn that pedal off completely.

I thought that it could be useful, for both we users and for Positive Grid staff, to have a single thread that gathers and lists all the issues the users are experiencing with the Spark Amp/App. And I mean real "issues", meaning things that do NOT work properly, with the phisical amp or the app. Therefore, no delay issues, or communication issues, or tones one is not satisfied with etc. :-)

The amp also manages Bluetooth Audio connectivity, which enables you to use the unit as a speaker for playing music from a connected device. There’s no Wi-Fi connection, but it isn’t necessary with the app. Spark Mobile App But there is more to it than that. Positive Grid recognises one central truth about guitar players; most of us play at home. And they have kitted out this desktop amp to provide all the features you might want from your stay-at-home amplifier. The set up os very much plug-in-and-play. The app isn't necessary to get started. The dual 4" speakers put out an impressive amount of volume, and a deeper than expected voice. The headphones output is handy for silent practice. Modelling tech typically lives or dies on its ability to imitate a valve-amp response, and the Spark does an excellent job of this. The amp might be avowedly digital but it knows how to communicate with organic matter such we guitar players.Certainly, it makes a convincing case for being the ultimate amp for the home. The Spark comes in a compact format, with a pair of 4" speakers offering stereo performance from a unit that weighs just 5.2kg. Furthermore, you have full control over the signal chain. You can save your favourite sounds and then assign them to any of the seven amp voices across four preset banks. TIPS:We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars. It isn’t a perfect replacement for the effects pedals, though. Sometimes you just need that little stomp to switch from the clean to distorted channel, when playing Smells Like Teen Spirit, for instance.