GEAR REVIEW
POSITIVE GRID ’ S SPARK MINI AMP | Eric Dahl
KEY FEATURES
• Super Versatile Practice Amp
• Onboard & Programmable Effects
• Jam Along Bass & Drum Feature
• Bluetooth Speaker for Regular Music Use
I ’ m a fan of small amplifiers , especially for practicing at home , so that it isn ’ t necessary to fire up the tube amps , pedalboard , and bother my neighbors with too much volume .
Positive Grid has been making waves in the music gear market with the launch of their fullsize Spark amplifier and now the Spark MINI . When the Spark MINI arrived , I wondered if Positive Grid accidentally sent me the wrong package since the box was so small and light . But the Spark MINI battery powered practice amp was inside and measured 5.76 x 4.84 x
6.49 inches and weighed 3.3lbs .
When you first look at the amplifier itself , it seems too simplistic to achieve what Positive Grid says it can do . You have three control knobs on top of the amp for Music , Guitar , and Preset selection , plus a ¼ ” input for your guitar cable . Connectivity on the back of the amplifier consists of a 1 / 8 ” headphones / earbuds lineout , 1 / 8 ” auxiliary input , USB input for charging the battery or use as an audio interface for recording , Bluetooth pairing button ( activates the tuner also ) and a power button .
What expands the Spark MINI exponentially is when you pair it with your smartphone or tablet with the free Spark App . Onboard effects through the App include 33 Amplifier models and 43 effects that can be adjusted and saved via your smart device . Presets in the Spark App are Pop , Blues , Rock , Metal , Alternative Bass and Acoustic . Under the Hardware tab on the APP , you have Ch1 for Rhythm , Ch2 for Lead ,
Ch3 for Solo and Ch4 for Custom . Each preset comes with an array of rewritable amp and effects models ." Adjusting the pedal and amp settings feels like you are dialing in the real thing but in a virtual space .
The Smart Jam Live function provides backing tracks that you can practice with featuring bass and drums . With the Auto Chords function your chords are displayed in real time on any praise song you are working on . The built-in Tuner and Metronome are handy and as a Bluetooth speaker for just playing music the Spark MINI shines .
Currently Positive Grid offers the Experience Jimi Hendrix for Spark package for an additional fee but I ’ m certain more will be offered in the future . Construction wise , the Spark MINI is solid with a vinyl covering , two x 2 ” custom-designed speakers and a passive radiator on the bottom . The amplifier is only rated at 10-watts , but it seems much louder thanks to the design . Once