Positive Grid Spark Smart Guitar Practice Amp 40 Watt (Pearl)

As a practice amp, you will soon lose interest if the tone is thin, boxy and generally sounds like crap. The Spark is none of this. An incredibly wide range of tones are available via the app with sounds that you just don't expect to come from such a small package. The sound is loud, rich without the boxiness that you seem to get with amps loaded with small speakers. If you've used PG's Bias software, you'll be in very familiar territory - great emulations that have a depth that rivals some of the serious modelers available now. The effects, while not giving you a massive selection, supplies pretty well every type of effect you would ever need. The reverbs and delays are particularly good and while more than good enough for noodling at home, are more than up to the ... MoreAs a practice amp, you will soon lose interest if the tone is thin, boxy and generally sounds like crap. The Spark is none of this. An incredibly wide range of tones are available via the app with sounds that you just don't expect to come from such a small package. The sound is loud, rich without the boxiness that you seem to get with amps loaded with small speakers. If you've used PG's Bias software, you'll be in very familiar territory - great emulations that have a depth that rivals some of the serious modelers available now. The effects, while not giving you a massive selection, supplies pretty well every type of effect you would ever need. The reverbs and delays are particularly good and while more than good enough for noodling at home, are more than up to the task of recording.The unit is quite sturdy with a timber cabinet and looks great - very traditional with an "English" type of styling. Using the Spark as a Bluetooth player for music is more than up to the task - good bass, clean mids and treble and loads of volume.The app overall is very good with some truly inspiring practice opportunities, though the function where the app analyses your playing and constructs a suitable backing track is hit and miss and is probably the weakest part of the app.Bluetooth connection for both control functions and audio playback is stable and very quick to pair with your device.Overall, I don't think you will find and amp sounding this good with the flexibility and functions available, from anywhere else and that is before taking into consideration, the extra functions the app gives you.

30 years later.. along comes Spark.

I rarely ever write reviews, but when I do they're warranted.I picked up a Positive Grid Spark amp as an upgrade replacement to the practice amp that came in my guitar kit. My old amp had lots of stray noise, 60hz hum and I needed pedals and lots of fiddling to make things sound cool. All that just made it not-so-fun to pick up and play.Out of the box the Spark cleaned up my sound and I found the downloadable effects. But what became apparent after a couple months is that I was having so much fun and playing so many different things that had broken the 30 year plateau I was on.Now I pick up my guitar for at least 15 minutes a day during a work-break, and just follow-along to the music I listened to growing up. Amazing how now all the old songs which seemed so ... MoreI rarely ever write reviews, but when I do they're warranted.I picked up a Positive Grid Spark amp as an upgrade replacement to the practice amp that came in my guitar kit. My old amp had lots of stray noise, 60hz hum and I needed pedals and lots of fiddling to make things sound cool. All that just made it not-so-fun to pick up and play.Out of the box the Spark cleaned up my sound and I found the downloadable effects. But what became apparent after a couple months is that I was having so much fun and playing so many different things that had broken the 30 year plateau I was on.Now I pick up my guitar for at least 15 minutes a day during a work-break, and just follow-along to the music I listened to growing up. Amazing how now all the old songs which seemed so complicated are now as easy as following the on-screen tab. It's so much fun and I'm finding more every day!Thanks Positive Grid! Love the product!

Best Amp & App Combo Ever!

I LOVE the versatility of the Spark amp and app! I'm amazed at all the things it does. The music featured in the app is limitless! I also love the ability to download my own playlists! Use of the playback feature has helped me improve my guitar playing significantly via the ability to slow things down to 50% and 80%. This helps me better detect strumming patterns and master difficult chord progressions when learning a new song so when I'm ready to play the song at full speed it sounds great! I also like the video recording and playback feature as this allows me to track my improvements (and mistakes) over time. I've used the app with my electric, bass and acoustic-electric guitars and all sound GREAT! I also enjoy that the amp is able to play both a song by the ... MoreI LOVE the versatility of the Spark amp and app! I'm amazed at all the things it does. The music featured in the app is limitless! I also love the ability to download my own playlists! Use of the playback feature has helped me improve my guitar playing significantly via the ability to slow things down to 50% and 80%. This helps me better detect strumming patterns and master difficult chord progressions when learning a new song so when I'm ready to play the song at full speed it sounds great! I also like the video recording and playback feature as this allows me to track my improvements (and mistakes) over time. I've used the app with my electric, bass and acoustic-electric guitars and all sound GREAT! I also enjoy that the amp is able to play both a song by the original artist in the background and my guitar at the same time w/separate volume controls for each! To date I haven't used all of the features of the Spark amp & app, but I'm so excited to learn more and uncover new possibilities going forward!!!

Can’t register my amp for Studio One software

I am playing a Fender Jazzmaster Acoustasonic . The amp works great and works as advertised. The sounds and volume that comes out of this small box is impressive. The Spark app works well and gave me access to a multitude of different sounds. That’s the part I like.I have to give it three stars however because the Studio One software which is included with the amp purchase cannot be installed because I keep getting an error message relating my serial number is invalid. I emailed customer support on 2/13. I received an e mail confirmation relating to supply my serial number which I did, but am still waiting for a response.I will change my rating if my problem is resolved. As this would have been my first exposure to a digital studio, I was really looking forward to ... MoreI am playing a Fender Jazzmaster Acoustasonic . The amp works great and works as advertised. The sounds and volume that comes out of this small box is impressive. The Spark app works well and gave me access to a multitude of different sounds. That’s the part I like.I have to give it three stars however because the Studio One software which is included with the amp purchase cannot be installed because I keep getting an error message relating my serial number is invalid. I emailed customer support on 2/13. I received an e mail confirmation relating to supply my serial number which I did, but am still waiting for a response.I will change my rating if my problem is resolved. As this would have been my first exposure to a digital studio, I was really looking forward to trying it.

Fantastic for Experienced Guitarists Too

I am a gigging musician with an expensive board and an incredibly heavy boutique amp, but I've always practiced without power (until now). It's too much of a hassle to set up my rig every Monday after playing the weekend, and when I did, it was too loud when I ran it at the levels I needed to get the sound and response that were useful.In comes the Spark! At worst, I was going to give it to my kid to use, but I absolutely love this thing. I work from home and the spark sits next to me on my desk. The first thing I do every day (after logging into work), is to turn this on and bring up the app. My guitar never leaves my hands during the day. Having instant access to all of the effects and different amps has been so much fun. It's an entire element of ... MoreI am a gigging musician with an expensive board and an incredibly heavy boutique amp, but I've always practiced without power (until now). It's too much of a hassle to set up my rig every Monday after playing the weekend, and when I did, it was too loud when I ran it at the levels I needed to get the sound and response that were useful.In comes the Spark! At worst, I was going to give it to my kid to use, but I absolutely love this thing. I work from home and the spark sits next to me on my desk. The first thing I do every day (after logging into work), is to turn this on and bring up the app. My guitar never leaves my hands during the day. Having instant access to all of the effects and different amps has been so much fun. It's an entire element of practice/rehearsal/composition that I have been missing out on for years.I have had a borrowed quad cortex on my desk for a couple of months, and the spark is so much more accessible and available than that. I just can't say enough about the spark.A couple of quick notes:The Smart Jam feature is actually very useful. Sometimes I need the beat to be a little more simplistic than what it gives me, but the ability to put in a chord progression + bpm, and then just take off has been a game-changer.Clean tones are pretty incredible on this thing. My favorites are what you can get from the old Fender-style amps and PG's copy of a matchless. Also, their blues amps are dead on. I'm practicing more blues style now just because I love how the spark mimics these tones (blues jr. is very well done)It's PLENTY loud. I actually like cranking it up (to 4.5) and playing around. It's very responsive to touch and picking when it's up loud. My dog always has to leave the room though.This is great for kids. Seriously. I didn't give it to my 7-year-old, but he uses it all the time. Getting to learn guitar with all of the effects is so much more encouraging and exciting for them.Just buy it. It's the best practice amp that has been created.If you are new to guitar, the spark gives you so much for the money, you are wayyyy ahead of us who took it up 15 years ago.If you are an experienced musician, the ease of use will bring the fun to your practicing that you have been missing.

Good, could be better.

Over all it’s a great bedroom/practice amp. Sounds pretty good over all, lots of effects and it’s all easy to use with the app. I bought the optional pedal board also. Not sure I’d recommend it, works well but seems unnecessary so far. The quality and feel of the amp is great. Even without the app it’s impressive. The parts that could use improving are mostly what you read from any review. Describing the sound like a Bose sound bar is the best description I’ve read, and most accurate. So you’ll either think that’s good or awful. It is in my opinion overly bassey and not in a good way, in a muddy sort of way. I would like to be able to change the position of the pedals in the chain which in a real pedal board makes a big difference in tone. I haven’t tried plugging ... MoreOver all it’s a great bedroom/practice amp. Sounds pretty good over all, lots of effects and it’s all easy to use with the app. I bought the optional pedal board also. Not sure I’d recommend it, works well but seems unnecessary so far. The quality and feel of the amp is great. Even without the app it’s impressive. The parts that could use improving are mostly what you read from any review. Describing the sound like a Bose sound bar is the best description I’ve read, and most accurate. So you’ll either think that’s good or awful. It is in my opinion overly bassey and not in a good way, in a muddy sort of way. I would like to be able to change the position of the pedals in the chain which in a real pedal board makes a big difference in tone. I haven’t tried plugging my pedal tuner in line with it but have been told by positive grid they don’t recommend using actual physical pedals in line at all. The on board tuner is ehhh. Compared to a tuner style pedal it’s awful in my opinion. I just picked the guitar back up after a 20 year hiatus and I wish I had something like this back then cause maybe I wouldn’t have ever lost interest. I can’t see purchasing a standard amp and pedals as a beginner over this any day. It’s perfect for a bedroom player or someone starting out. And if they loose interest you still have a great Bluetooth speaker. Which honestly for the price you can find Bluetooth speakers that sound similar or worse and aren’t a guitar amp.

Revolutionary

This is the practice amp reinvented. The integration with a mobile device gives you access to modeling and effects which are easily modified. A cloud connection gives you access to thousands of patches. Just type in your favorite guitarist and find their sound. Packs a punch for a 40 watt amp. It's a smart device, will accompany you with drums and bass based on a few measures of playing. Allows you to play with your library of mobile device music. It's a great creative tool for developing ideas. It has plenty of hardware controls, including delay and reverb. This is the next generation of practice amps and is fabulously versatile. And it sounds pretty darn good too. Recommended to me by a professional musician who bought this amp for each member of his band.

Sounds so-so, returning the amp is an expensive chore

I'll offer 3 stars for the amp sounds and a 1 (0 if possible) for the return experience. The amp sounds so-so, which is understandable given the size. I bought it more to try out the integrated features like jam along and chord analysis. The features turned out to be no more than pulling backing tracks from YT. I found it convenient, but not worth the amp cost and so-so sounds. Returning the amp took 5 email exchanges with Positive Grid to explain why I wasn't interested in the amp, provide the serial number, get an RMA number, etc. The customer is also responsible for return shipping which was $60. This was anything but a "hassle-free" return. These sell on Amazon with free return and no info exchange. Why was the experience with PG so arduous?

Unreliable amp, horrible customer service!

I have had this amp for just over a year. When it works, it is a fun amp. The ability to use the app and select a number of model settings is great. After I had the amp for 5 months, it started to pop when turning on and off. Positive Grid send me a reconditioned amp as a replacement (it took about 3-4 weeks to get it). Now about 5 months later the speakers are bad, either a grounding problem or speakers going out. Waiting to see if they will replace or repair it (the original warranty ended a couple weeks ago). Fun amp when it is working, but it is not very reliable. Although I like the amp, I won't buy another from them. Too unreliable. Even worst, customer service is horrible. Positive grid had no telephone number. They only communicate through email during odd ... MoreI have had this amp for just over a year. When it works, it is a fun amp. The ability to use the app and select a number of model settings is great. After I had the amp for 5 months, it started to pop when turning on and off. Positive Grid send me a reconditioned amp as a replacement (it took about 3-4 weeks to get it). Now about 5 months later the speakers are bad, either a grounding problem or speakers going out. Waiting to see if they will replace or repair it (the original warranty ended a couple weeks ago). Fun amp when it is working, but it is not very reliable. Although I like the amp, I won't buy another from them. Too unreliable. Even worst, customer service is horrible. Positive grid had no telephone number. They only communicate through email during odd hours, usually between 11pm and 3am EST.

Very nice practice amp with great affects.

I've had my Spark for about a week now. Surprisingly loud enough for small use. I also picked up the Spark Control. It works well too. Be aware however that the Spark APP and the device its on has to be open the entire time you're using the amp for changes using the spark control to take affect. The Spark Control connects to your phone/device via bluetooth (as does the amp). So pressing a switch on the control changes the settings in the spark APP, which then relays to the amp. If the device goes to sleep, the bluetooth is lost and the amp stays with the last settings it was using. Overall a very pleasant experience and nice amp. Recommended.