ROAD TEST
Positive Grid Spark Mini Portable Smart Amp
By Manus Hopkins
What is it exactly that guitarists want out of a small , portable practice amp ? Surely , it doesn ’ t have to be much — most of us have or have access to bigger , louder , better sounding amps we can use for shows , and we ’ re probably looking for the opposite in a practice amp — something small and quiet , without too much concern regarding great sound quality .
This is why I wasn ’ t expecting to enjoy playing with Positive Grid ’ s Spark MINI anywhere near as much as I have . I ’ d been happy enough with a different little practice amp to use in my apartment , and though this one never blew me away in any capacity , it didn ’ t matter too much , because it was just something for low-volume practice at home . I didn ’ t realize the full scope of what a practice amp could offer — or what I ’ d been missing — until trying out the Spark Mini .
Living in a downtown apartment , being able to practice quietly is essential for me . I ’ m not opposed to practicing with headphones , and I ’ ll do that too , but I prefer to play out loud , at a low volume when I can ( though it should be noted that this amp can also be used with headphones and has a standard headphone jack ). I actually first tested out the Spark Mini as a Bluetooth speaker before plugging a guitar into it , and immediately noticed two things : how clear it sounds , and just how loud it actually gets . We ’ ve been over volume , and loudness isn ’ t something I really wanted or needed , but right away , I was hoping I ’ d get that same clarity with a guitar . I did , but I also got a lot more .
Very simply designed , the Spark Mini has just three dials — a volume knob each for its amp and Bluetooth speaker functions , and a preset selector . While this amp isn ’ t designed to be used with a whole pedalboard or anything , its four presets offer enough options for a solo practice or songwriting session . I first tried out the rhythm preset — the cleanest of the four . I wasn ’ t expecting a little amp like this to have multiple settings , so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I could get more sounds than just a basic clean tone , but this tone is a decent sounding one , nonetheless . The clarity of the sound makes it great for practice , as every note can be heard distinctly at a loud enough volume to pick up on nuances , while still being quiet enough to play in an apartment . I ’ ve been using this setting for learning and writing new licks , so I can practice them slowly and hear them clearly , but the setting works just as well for anything you ’ d want to play clean , including strumming chords , since it has a nice , bright reverb to it ; while it is clean and fairly standard sounding , it ’ s not at all dry .
Next , we have the lead preset . It ’ s a bit gainier , and better for practicing those higher-up licks , but has a beefy enough low end for power chords and less clean rhythms too . This setting has a sort of dirty , bluesy sound to it , but also has some reverb to give it a fuller sound . Continuing on this trajectory , the solo preset is ganier and sharper sounding than the lead , and great for practicing those little solo bits , with enough reverb to give a good sustain to those bands , hammer-ons , and pull-offs .
Finally , the fourth and final preset before we get into the other possibilities is the custom setting . This is the one I find myself using the most . It has fairly good highs , though the solo still takes the prize on those , but what the solo preset is best for is those bottom-heavy , chugging riffs and pounding power chords . The custom setting delivers a nice rock tone without sounding messy , which makes it ideal for practicing heavy music , as that precision still lets players really hear every detail of what they ’ re playing . Again , none of the sounds on this amp are stage or studio sounds , but they don ’ t claim to be , and for practicing alone , they get the job done and then some .
Once I ’ d familiarized myself with the presets , I downloaded the Spark app onto my phone and was excited to see the endless possibilities for achieving new tones . The app , which connects to the amp via Bluetooth , has a virtual pedalboard and amp for each of the presets , and by tweaking the settings on the in-app pedals and amps , players can change the tones
to what suits them best . There are pedals for overdrive , reverb , delay , noise reduction , and more . If the four presets weren ’ t enough for a little practice amp , these features really level up the Spark Mini even more .
Additionally , the app has a tuner , a metronome , a bank of instructional videos for various songs , a self-record video function , and can be connected to Spotify and Apple Music accounts . There ’ s nothing I could think of that I ’ d want for a solo practice session that isn ’ t offered between the Spark Mini and the companion app .
Furthermore , the amp is truly portable — it ’ s very small and lightweight , with a strap so it can be hung from pretty much anything , including a belt to hang at the player ’ s waist . A single charge can last hours upon hours , so this amp can be taken anywhere without having to be plugged in for use , which says just as much for the easy portability as the actual size and weight . While I ’ m always looking to discover , test out , and accumulate new gear , I don ’ t think another practice amp is something I ’ ll be looking for anytime soon .
Manus Hopkins is the Assistant Editor at Canadian Musician .
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