I think this might be the best comparison video of those two amps I've ever seen - you just cut the crap and show the real use case (like the idea to record it in more 'real to life' way) Thanks for making it!
I love my spark 40. Ive been playing almost every single night since i got it over a year ago. I love the tones i can get and i actually like that it has alot of bass. As a hobbyist, who rarely gets to play with others, i find a fatter tone is more pleasing by itself than a thin tone. When we think of our favorite "famous" tones we are hearing them in our heads in a mix. If you seperate that guitar track out, its not usually going to sound like you think its going to. Thinner and sharper than you would expect typically. When we go after one of these tones in a bedroom/music room ,hobby situation, you want to be able to put a bit of the "fat" into the tone because it sounds fat on the album. Not to mention the fact that the spark is a bass amp too, its gotta be able to handle both. I say Bravo to Positive Grid for creating, what i feel, is the best PRACTICE amp ever. And to all the gig snobs and amp purists out there CAN IT! Keep it to yourself! This amp isn't for you its for US!
Very interesting and original point. I must try out a Spark. Btw, guitarists bang on that the best tone is from tubes. I've tried several tube amps at home, where I play. None of them sounded good, so I returned two and sold the other. My best tones at home come from a Yamaha THR. Home playing is different from playing at a gig or with a band.
@@chrishyde1216 Yes. I absolutely agree. Tube amps sound great and respond to playing in a special kind of way, if you can crank em way up. But how many regular guys heve that luxury at home. I have a Peavy Bandit trans tube collecting dust becaus even at like 3, way before it sound good, its already way too loud. But the Spark sounds fantastic even at very low volume. How many amps can boast that. I play at night, mostly, after my daughter is in bed. It still sounds rich and full and the reverb sounds like its all around me.
I got the 40 when they first came out because I just wanted something I could play quite enough in the house without the family yelling at me. I was impressed really. A lot of people complain about too much bass but I rolled the master back and use the output for amp volume and it cured it. The biggest benefit I noticed is I started picking my guitar up a lot more than I used to.
As per usual, I'm tardy to the party on this amp. I got it yesterday and I've been watching videos on how to use this amp properly and to potential nonstop since. I've been 'noodling around' with guitars for a half century. For the most part, I'm a Tube Amp Snob ... won't deny it. Bought the PG Spark 40 and never even powered it up ... I gave it away because it was somewhere between a practice amp and an amp you could play small clubs with. I've been wanting a true practice amp for 40 years. The Spark Mini does that and a Whole Lot More. A practice amp is supposed to make you Want to practice. The Spark Mini does just that.
The app has eq adjustment now, so you can kill that bass, another thing would be taking it off the floor if that's where it's sitting and you can also put a towel under it, also helps.
These both seem well designed for their place in the market. I don't really need either but I do really appreciate the comparison. It was well done. Thank you Dylan... and thanks to the community for being here.
I just bought the 40 and I love it! I struggled on which one to get. The extra knobs are nice if, for whatever reason, I want to plug it in and use it without the app I can still adjust the tone. If I want to use headphones, I use my Fender Mustang Micro. It doesn't get more compact than that. Thank you for your honest assessment and presenting them in such a realistic way. It will help others in their decision. By the way, if the mini was $150, I would add it to my 40 but the prices are currently too similar.
That's what turned me away from the mini as well. This micro stuff that's happening today might've been spearheaded by Bose a few decades ago, and that really worked out well. It was actually mind blowing at the time. But I'm just not used to the idea of a tiny thing like that having the same tonal possibilities as the larger version. Still, the big one does have two four inch 🤣🤣 speakers, sure to blow one's socks off.
I absolutely appreciate this review from the perspective of having it for a while and comparingthe two. I just ordered the Mini using your partner link, keep up the great content!
it's incredibly frustrating to me that positive grid havent just updated the spark 40 to have a global EQ that just does a simple low shelf cut. it would solve so many headaches for users like myself who end up fiddling with the EQ pedal in the chain for every preset and sacrificing a modulation effect.
Not to mention Time spent practicing. I end up getting more done through my Pignose than my Spark 40. Still can’t get enough. If bass is an issue there is an EQ pedal you can add to your Spark tones that makes it so you don’t have to tinker with all each individual effect. Save, re-name, done. Just ordered Fishman Classic Pickups to upgrade my PRS Standard 24 so I don’t see Spark mini or headphone playing in my near future.
It would be so much better for the spark 40 knobs to be endless encoders with an LED ring around them to indicate position. That way they could easily represent what's set in the app.
The way you mike them is actually what I wanted to hear. Too many demos put the mikes right against the speaker, which makes them sound great, but that is not what you would hear in the room. Thanks, good demos.
Excellent demo and review - thanks! I got the Spark Mini several months ago and am amazed at how good it sounds, even at its higher volume settings. Plus, it opened up a lot of room in my practice area! Great value, as far as I'm concerned!
With the EQ the problem doesn't exist anymore. Maybe if you really use the amp only, but why would you do that. I'd get a whole other amp if I did not plan to use the app.
Thank you so much for doing this. This is why your channel is always at the top of my list. You do things that nobody else seems to do on UA-cam. I think the key takeaway here for me is that the Spark mini sounds more or less the same through the speakers as it does through headphones. Meaning, you don’t have to change the settings on the amp when you switch to the speaker. I hate that about my Fender Mustang I v2 amp. I get it set up and sounding great through the headphones, then it sounds awful through the speaker and I have to change everything! Perhaps Positive Grid should do a Spark 40 v2 with a USB C output and speaker setup that sounds more like the headphones…
I was hoping you'd show the difference with the volume all the way up. I've got the 40 and love it. I took an old entertainment center (what everyone had before we started putting tvs on the wall) and made it my guitar amp station. It's always set up and ready to go. I play all the time now. I use headphones most of the time but love to blast it without too. I've been known to also play in the living room just using the app without the amp. Electric guitar just not plugged in.
As a postal carrier, I need the mini. I can bring it, and a decent, affordable guitar and practice during my lunch. If you see a mail carrier jamming on Baroness or things like that, don’t mind me.
I am looking for something that will be used more as a bass amp but still has guitar capabilities. Sounds like the 40 might be more in line with what I'm looking for.
I find my Micro gets too distorted and loses definition using hot humbuckers, yet sounds awesome using Fender single coil pickups. By comparison my Vox Amplug2 CR can handle the hot humbuckers great.
I ordered a set of JBL Club 422F 4" Speakers to replace the cheap stock set in my Spark 40. Used a Dremel to rout space for the slightly larger mounting brackets. Took 10 minutes total and the sound quality is WAY BETTER. Bigger magnet and far superior build materials made a massive improvement.
Well... there ya go. I have upgraded the speakers in almost every comb I've ever owned. The conversations often center on the pre-amp/amplifier which is important, but the first transducer (pick up) and last transducer (speaker) are paramount.
I just gotta say it. 😀 For my use case, I would have an opposite choice, but obviously, neither of us is wrong. I use mine to jam with friends where it's just a couple of us with guitars into practice amps. My Spark is small enough (and I have the carry bag) to go with me anywhere, I can set up the volume to sit next to a Katana or other practice amp as well, but there's no way the Spark Mini would be able to do that, even at apartment levels. I also have it here in case friends come over and I'm the host. I also have it set up in a room at super low volumes to play when I'm just messing around, listening to boring UA-cam videos (wink-wink); or when I'm waiting for a queue in Final Fantasy XIV. As you said, through the headphones or through an interface, they will sound identical, so there's no winner in that category. Lastly, when it comes to the buttons, I usually just use my phone to make changes, but if I'm at my friend's house and I need to make a quick adjustment on the fly while we're jamming, a reach and a twist without unlocking my phone, and I'm on my way. When I bought my Pearl Spark over the recent holiday, it was $229 with the bag, and at the time, the Mini was $229... No brainer to me to have options that I might need than not have them available and wish I did. I had the original Spark early, so I have been using it for what, almost 2 years? Over 2 years? Everyone's use case is different, and in this market, the Spark Mini and the Spark are definitely different beasts for different people. Neither is better, one will be the right fit for the individual and their needs.
So purely tone wise, which do you like better, the Katana, or this? And is it the Kat 50, or the 100? I have a 50 that one day just wouldn't turn on. I used that as an excuse to buy the Spark 40, as I'd seen Darrell Braun's vid about it, and because with the bench charges today, relative to the original purchase price of under 300 bucks, I figured 7 years was a healthy lifetime for something made today. It did kind of worry me when I heard that pignose tone coming out at one point, but again at that price point coupled with with all the onboard tonal modification, I figure I won't have a problem.
This was very interesting. Thanks for mentioning that they make the custom grill covers. I thought they did a marketing blitz or something because all the Tubers seem to have custom grilled minis. I'm guessing it's not possible or feasible but no one has discussed using one of these with a cab. I took a quick peek at them last time I was at the GC and I really didn't see any way to do it either. Unless you're supposed to use the headphone jack or something.
I've had my Spark 40 for 3 years. Got it when it first came out and yes I waited 4-5 months until arrived. I line out thru the headphone output with 1/8" TRS to a 1/4" TRS Jacks Box, the out to a Fender Acoustasonic 40 2X6.5". I can use the Fender EQ to eliminate any heavy bass and add more treble.
I liked this Spark comparison very practical. I'm still waiting for one of these to have a wireless headphone option, the only bluetooth connection is for settings and backing tracks. If you want headphones you have a headphone cable tying you down. It's why headphone amps are so useful, a tiny thing on your guitar output and no cable across the room. Maybe it's a limitation of bluetooth.
I sold the Spark 40 not too long after I acquired the Spark Mini. It’s a little more work to get the sounds I want; def not great for “on the fly” changes. BUT …THE PORTABILITY! No wall wart/step-down doodad or cable to keep track of. USB-C charging and interfacing … BRILLIANT. Does it sound great? Well … it sounds pretty dang good for a practice amp; esp. w/headphones. “VIVA SPARK MINI!”, I says.
@@GhostMlone I won’t tell you that the mini sounds as full as the Spark. That being said, it SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD.; bass response is quite surprising. The wireless connectivity plus USB charging (no wall warts with which to contend) are what makes the difference for me. I have other gear for full, or loud sound. I have used the Mini to play incidental music in small rooms; the, “take it anywhere”, convenience has been a game changer for my practice, and small venues. It perfectly fits the need I have for a small practice amp.
@@GByePorkPieHat wow thank you so much for your reply, I think I will definitely try to pick me one up, I wanna run it in stereo with my spark 40. It would be like endless amp tones choices to run together in stereo.
I just ordered my Spark Mini looking forward to playing it its a no brainer less dialing in and having to tweek it with each setting pitty they dont have a looper built in
Love the spark, bought two of them after I saw saw how cool it was, I tell anyone who asks to look into a Spark first...get a good battery pack ($30-$40) it'll run for 7-8+ hours totally portable..... Spark is $250+ - paid $230 for mine still on sale a few weeks after it came out & had the long wait....... A Mini @ $230+ Is I think over priced by $70+- for what it is. ..I get the portability, and it's able to put out decent tones perfect for practice. If you travel ALOT take a guitar EVERYWHERE & need to to keep the smallest footprint w/your traveling gear, it makes sense but still over priced.. at $159 - $165 they'd have sold a TON more....but then most of you'd be waiting 4 months to get one .. ;-) another thought... Will be interesting to see what the mini's start goin' for in used ads...... I see perfectly clean used Spark 40s for $175 +-
I love the Spark 40. I could see boomers not liking the fact the knobs don't match up with the app. That doesn't matter to me, I just use my iPad for all adjustments. The Spark is an incredible "amp" and I will never give it up. I've had the Yamaha one and the Boss one and I always come back to the Grid.
I recently sold my Spark 40 on Reverb.. It was an excellent amp just not for me as 99% of my playing is beside my very powerful PC with the amp ALWAYS connected via USB so using apps on a phone to control the amp makes no sense if I have a PC connected anyway. So I sold it and got a 100W Katana MKII and couldn't be happier.. I can practice and have way more contol over the effects, and if I want to record, I can record in stereo direct through USB which is something I couldn't do with the spark. It would only record mono through USB.
Well, to each his own, of course, but the sonic depth of the 40 ( more speakers, bigger enclosure) makes me have to go with the 40, which I use as my 'next to the bed' practice amp, or something to use on the fly to test out ideas. It also accepts pedals pretty well. And I have even used it for recording. The Mini, although cool in its own right, just doesn't have the sound.
Dude facts. People in here acting like the Spark 40 isn’t “portable” is crazy to me. I take it anywhere I travel it’s not like it’s big at all and it doesn’t fart out like the mini does on higher volume. It’s far superior if you don’t just want to use headphones.
Were I to use the Spark 40 in a coffee shop situation I would definitely pick up the Spark wireless footswitch controller which allows you to choose your presets, choose effects as well as starting, stopping, rewinding and changing to half speed any Jam Tracks you have set to accompany yourself. You can set up your own functions and recall them when you want, a handy accessory for solo live gigs. The complaints about the bass heavy and muddy tone of the speakers was heard and addressed by Positive Grid with their first software update which in addition to adding a Dumble OD 50, a Blues Junior and Klon pedal also included a graphic eq foot pedal which is much better at fixing the bass problem over just turning down the bass tone control. For my situation the 40 is relegated to my music room/studio and the Mini is the perfect grab a guitar and play4 living room amp.
The mini seems to be a must have with all the new connected devices yet simplier; gets the job done easily. Plug and play. Probably time to upgrade the single transistor Fender mini/micro amp MA-10.
Someone downthread here brought up the fact that the Spark line is for Bass as well as guitar, which is a great point as far as everyone complaining that the amps are “too bassy”. Why hasn’t anyone addressed this fact?
My Yamaha THC has 5 presets and all sound great but, I use one, and I had to use the app to get what I wanted because, turning the knobs on top doesn't allow access to intensity/depth of an affect. It cost $300 new and is only loud enough for bedroom practice or intimate gigs. A battery (rechargeable) powered FRFR amp (with a mic input) run by a phone app for all amp and ab sims and effects would be ideal would, I believe be ideal.
The Spark Mini certainly has it’s place & convenience . But the Spark 40’s speaker system sounds more full … (and of course much louder ). Maybe hooking up a Spark Mini to a PA or bigger sounding sound system. Maybe use the Spark Mini hooked up to the fuller & louder speakers system of the Spark 40 ? Maybe 🤔 🤗?
You’re hitting on all cylinders here with me. So many topics lately are things I’ve been looking into. I usually play with a 15 watt tube amp. I’m looking for something small to use at my GFs house. Been looking at the Spark 40 but now idk. Was also looking at the Blackstar 1 watt. I don’t need a lot of settings to practice.
Careful with Positive Grid tho. I fell into the trap of following their ordering FAQ, and the service is HORRENDOUSLY BAD. Ordered a Spark Mini for my little sis for Christmas, on Nov. 20. Because the shop system had somehow switched the color from white to black between the item’s page and the order form, I did as their order FAQ suggested, cancelled the first order and ordered again, this time making sure it made it through in white, and wrote an email to their support team like their twitter person had instructed me to (they apparently can’t switch the colour once you have ordered, even immediately afterwards; they want you to cancel & reorder). First, they didn’t manage to stop the cancelled order before shipping it (days after I had cancelled it). Then it took them weeks to send me an RMA form. Then, they had made that to be with a different carrier service I had received the amps with, and wanted me to drive around the country side for an hour to get to the pickup point for that carrier. I said no, find something better, we’re fixing your mistake here (shipping it out despite it being cancelled). It’s been almost two weeks again. THEY STILL HAVE MY MONEY. It’s been SIX WEEKS since I canceled the order.
Totally agree with the headphones in the 40. It sounds amazing with headphones on but when you take them off and play in the room it sounds totally different and muffled.
I keep the big one home and travel with the mini. The best sound I get with the 40 is using the orange clean amp and the OCD style pedal. It also takes dirt pedals well using that same amp. I think all the other amps sound terrible. But through headphones sound good. It’s the damn speakers in the 40. They suck.
I got the 40 and I love it. I was thinking about getting the to take a friend's house because we usually end plugging into a mixer anyway. But I was also considering the mooer prime p1. Anyone have any luck with it? There are so few videos about it here on UA-cam
I also have both and feel the same way, but the new EQ in the last update eliminated the woofiness in the 40. The MINI sounds well-balanced and you can't argue regarding the convenience of portability. One charge lasts a good long time!
Thank you. This was exactly the type of information that I was looking for in the comparison of these two units. Additionally, I just want to say that I appreciate your presentations no matter what the topic; they are consistently clear, concise and educational without a bunch of useless showboating. Thanks again for all your efforts.
I kinda want a mini, but it costs just enough to feel like it’s hard to justify when I already have the 40 and use it all the time for practice. The mini would be cool for trips and stuff, but isn’t that what an acoustic is for? 😊
Normally I would have choose the big 40 spark but after tons of research-reviews here on yt iv decided to pick the mini and I totally agree spark40 sounds too bassy ,,thanks for your opinion and review 👍
Just wanted to tell you I’ve consumed thousands of hours of guitar content on UA-cam for the past 15 years or more and your channel is now one of my favorites. Do you have an opinion on the Spark Go vs the Mini?
My first real amp was a 1967 Vox Berkeley II...a whopping 18 watt SS amp with a separate 2x10 cab on rollers...I kept that until 1975 (??) and then got a new silver face Fender Pro Reverb. So, I still prefer a full set of controls ON the amp as opposed to using apps.Old school I know ! I bought a Spark 40 about 14 months ago and it def is a bit bass heavy but with my Jazzmaster it makes a good combo. I'm in the process of building a 2x10 ext cab for it...can't decide whether to use Jensen alnico 10's or Celestion Greenbacks tho. Any suggestions ???
Hi from the UK! Just stumbled across your video as I'm considering a spark as a replacement for my katana. Great explanation and, yet again, the mini sounds better to my ear and is simpler to set up and use. Great stuff! Subbed
When will an updatedSpark be out? That should be something, if they listen to users and don’t gouge on pricing. Does the current version have effects loop? Love your analysis’, because you are very detailed and objective, unlike so many others who play more than they talk. Keep it up. Here’s a weird idea. How do the old Fender Cybertwin, Cyberdeluxe compare with today’s modelers. Thank you.🎉
I have a THR30mk2 which I love, but for Christmas I bought myself a Donner Cyclops just for a laugh. It's in the same size range as the spark mini, but there's no app - what it can do is all accessible from it's control panel. It has a built in drum machine, which is partly what attracted me to it, and it runs on any triple A batteries you can find, so it's ultimately portable, I mean you can always find AAA's anywhere, and it does come with a wall wart psu too. It has 6 amps plus flat, chorus/trem, delay (analog and digital types) and adjustable reverb - room/plate. The usual built in tuner, bluetooth etc, and looks kind of retro styled. Soundwise, well I think it's supposed to be 5w, but it's 5 bullsheeet wats lol - maybe 2 in reality, but it's plenty loud enough to prat around with without messing with the neighbors too much. The cleans are actually clean and the dirties are really quite, well, dirty lol, though you can clean it up to a crunch if desired. For what it is, it really isn't bad sounding at all - it can't hold it's own against the Yamaha THR, but those things are way expensive, heavy and require an app to get the best from them, where as the Cyclops is the exact opposite - you can chuck it in even a small bag with your little wireless guitar transmitter/receiver, and away ye go no worries, not even charging worries. In the USA they are about 90 bucks, though they don't sell them here in the UK so I imported one through Amazon which worked out more or less the same in UK pounds. The wall wart was multi voltage, so it works in the UK with a travel adaptor. Honestly they're worth a look, and I'm not sorry I bought one. I know the above reads like an advert for it lol, but honestly I don't work for them or have any connection at all - I just like the thing :)
I have the Donner Cyclops, I did an extensive review for it on Amazon. I wasn't terribly impressed by the clean channels, my Roland Micro Cube does cleans better, but, a few of those crunch channels were rather impressive. Massive amounts of sustain, really good tones. The on board effects are very good too as long as you keep them at around 11 or 12 o'clock. The drum machine is too hard to program or I just don't have the patience for it. Overall I really like a few of the channels on the little amp and I currently keep it at a relative's house because it takes up little space and if I take a guitar over there I can practice.
This was very helpful! Just bought my first Positive Grid Spark GO and it gets poppy around 60% volume (not happy with it). I’m just using it at my couch, so I’m going to exchange it for the Mini. Heads up, I canceled my GO “preorder” because Positive Grid said it wouldn’t ship for a couple weeks. Even though it was available to ship everywhere else including their site when I reached out. I ordered through Sweetwater and it arrived 4 days after I ordered. Doesn’t make sense to preorder when you can wait until it’s available and get it 2 weeks before people that “preordered.”
if you end up getting the spark go, I'd really like a review just like this comparing it against either or both of these amps.. in a way, it's a shame you didn't plan this video a few months later lol
I have had the Mini for a year or so and love it but I wanted the ability to adjust things without using the app. Sooo.. today the Spark 40 arrived . I gotta say my initial impressions pretty much are the same as your evaluation as far as how they sound. I can get the 40 to sound good but I really have to mess with tone controls on pretty much everything in the chain... Part of it I am sure is due to the volume level I am able to play at but first day impression is that the mini was probably all I needed. If I have to crank it up to get it to sound balanced I could just break out my Blues Jr. and not fuss. 😂
Dylan, you were the first person I’ve seen that noted the same thing I did that I needed to tweak my tone patches for each of the two amps because the characteristics of the speakers are different - good advice! I personally use the 40 version more because I like the way it sounds in the room better but I agreed with all of your points.
I think the reason for Spark 40 that it's bassy because it can be used for Bass guitar as well. To use it for guitar, you can just adjust the bass settings. In spark mini, I think bass guitar sound is not good
I have the 40 but just can’t love it though I wanna. I bought a Yamaha THR30ii the moment I plugged and played one that belonged to a friend to to me its sound , feel and ease of use are unmatched. I played the mini at a guitar store and it sounds much more balanced than the 40. It is the one I would get if I bought a Spark again.
Hey the fender mustang micro headphone amp might be a good mention when speaking on options especially for the smaller spark. I love mine. And it has Bluetooth where I can hear my phone and guitar through headphones at the same time is really cool.
GREAT video ! Hey, quick question: Assuming I have both Spark 40 and Spark Mini: Can I connect the Mini's output into the 40's speaker to make it sound fuller in the room? Also, if I do that, will that still have the 'bassy' issue that you had mentioned with the 40, OR is connecting them this way eliminates the 'bassy' issue you had mentioned? I'll MUCH appreciate someone reply to this if they know. Thank You !!
The 40 is a great practice amp and best used for just that. Get your presets in how you like 'em and practice. If you want a good practice amp and gigin' amp, get a Boss Katana MK2.
Can someone recommend some speakers that would be much better than the original ones? Because it's great, but I find the speakers are just the weak link.
to me they are both impressive devices. i have been using the 40 mic'ed with a spark control in a church worship team setting. i have been getting a excellent sounds. i would love the 40 more if it had a decent balanced line out that wouldn't turn off the speaker so i wouldn't need a mic. i actually tried the mini live and it was pretty good but not quite enough headroom to use as an on-stage guitar monitor. the 40 is definitely overly bassy but it can be tweaked to make it do what i want. for practicing i never use the 40 because the mini is just way too convenient and it sounds pretty amazing for such a small device. i often find that the fixed set of blocks in the software isn't quite enough and it would be really nice for that to be more variable. some of the amps are very quiet so it's hard to get patches to be at uniform levels. it would be great to have an extra block where a boost could be added after the amp to compensate. i used the positive grid iOS app with an A/D converter a long time ago and that had much more flexibility than the spark app that controls the 40, mini, and go.
Never dropped a negative comment on a video before. While I appreciate the back-to-back sound check, and in fact the Mini does sound/better as a lead guitar amp in the comparison here, everything this guy has said here is mostly opinions that don't necessarily to speak to everyone's experience. Several of the comments he made hold no substance - I have a 40 and I love it. Also, the 40 isn't just good for 'coffee shop' gigs with 'acoustic jams'. I'm in a band and I take my 40 to gigs. I even have to dial down the volume at times. The 40 can get pretty loud. The battery pack rig is very easy and not that expensive. The knobs not reflecting changes made on the app is a minor, first-world problem, imo. I might be getting more bass with the 40, but I get volume, and the volume makes it more versatile than the mini. Pair that with the fact that the prices are nearly identical despite the fact that the 40 comes with a free carrying bag and the mini doesn't, and you get a much better deal on the 40. It just all depends on the use case.
I'm split between this and the yamaha ones.. I like that the yamaha tones are just better straight forward. You don't have to mess with anything,.. but Sparks are cheaper.
I just got the Go and it is a fun little amp - can go anywhere with it. I also have both the 40 and the mini. I use headphones primarily on the 40 and just regular on the mini. The addition of the EQ makes the 40 sound much better but the mini sounds great no matter what settings or amps I use. The Go does as well and is loud enough for the wife to ask (tell) me to use my headphones! Have fun with it when you get it.
I got my Spark Mini ~2 weeks ago and love it. Surprising sound from such a small box Not having a collection of pedals it was a super fast and easy way of experimenting with these concepts as a beginner I don't know that a more experienced player would do this but I've been using the Bluetooth audio connection to play backing tracks and other instruments out of the Ultimate Guitar app
The mini does sound far better and has much more portability. Now they have released the Spark 150 watt cab so that any of the three sparks can hook up and to one be used at full band rehearsals and gigs or at home for an expanded sound... I think positive grid will soon release a newer and more refined version of the spark 40 with better sounding speakers that will address the muffled bass issue and any other clitches... After all...the 40 was their first one to which they can build the future on, just like they have already done by releasing the far better sounding and much more portable.. Spark mini.
The whole spark modeling software in my opinion coming from a line 6 Helix which is the gold standard amazing songs. EVERYTHING IS JUST TOO DARK. Try to go into a computer into better monitors that have better frequency response it gets even darker I don't know what it is but it just sounds dark to me especially when I play it I don't like it it does not inspire me like the line 6 Helix. I only use the spark mini for playing around a campfire if I don't want my acoustic guitar maybe with some backing tracks it just makes it loud enough to sing with my natural voice
I've had both. Mini wins hands down. Only problem with the mini is that it screeches at certain frequencies and volumes BUT it is not as annoying as the bass response from the original spark.
I put a towel in the subwoofer of the Spark 40 when I first got it. Sounds good to me, but i haven't really A/B'd it against my reference monitors and I'm sure I messed with the presets. I guess I've gone digital because I have a tube amp right underneath my Spark and I rarely turn it on.
On the awesome customer service, I bitterly and wholeheartedly disagree. Can't get them on the phone because they don't have one, no email address, and the headphone logo for summoning the autobot doesn't work. But again, it's coming tomorrow and I'll be up all night in gleeful anticipation like a kid on the night before Christmas...and I'm 69 years old!😂😂😂😂😂
"Get a Princeton Tonemaster and a regular pedalboard" - the Tonemaster is $899 alone plus all the cash you're gonna spend on pedals, while the Spark is $299. That's kind of a steep price to pay if you want to just turn knobs on an amp. I like to turn the knobs on the amp and for $600 I'll take the pain of creating the presets this way :))
I think this might be the best comparison video of those two amps I've ever seen - you just cut the crap and show the real use case (like the idea to record it in more 'real to life' way)
Thanks for making it!
I love my spark 40. Ive been playing almost every single night since i got it over a year ago. I love the tones i can get and i actually like that it has alot of bass. As a hobbyist, who rarely gets to play with others, i find a fatter tone is more pleasing by itself than a thin tone. When we think of our favorite "famous" tones we are hearing them in our heads in a mix. If you seperate that guitar track out, its not usually going to sound like you think its going to. Thinner and sharper than you would expect typically. When we go after one of these tones in a bedroom/music room ,hobby situation, you want to be able to put a bit of the "fat" into the tone because it sounds fat on the album. Not to mention the fact that the spark is a bass amp too, its gotta be able to handle both. I say Bravo to Positive Grid for creating, what i feel, is the best PRACTICE amp ever. And to all the gig snobs and amp purists out there CAN IT! Keep it to yourself! This amp isn't for you its for US!
Great take! I hadn't really thought about that point about solo guitar tracks in mixes being thinner than you'd expect but makes a ton of sense
Very interesting and original point. I must try out a Spark. Btw, guitarists bang on that the best tone is from tubes. I've tried several tube amps at home, where I play. None of them sounded good, so I returned two and sold the other. My best tones at home come from a Yamaha THR. Home playing is different from playing at a gig or with a band.
@@chrishyde1216 Yes. I absolutely agree. Tube amps sound great and respond to playing in a special kind of way, if you can crank em way up. But how many regular guys heve that luxury at home. I have a Peavy Bandit trans tube collecting dust becaus even at like 3, way before it sound good, its already way too loud. But the Spark sounds fantastic even at very low volume. How many amps can boast that. I play at night, mostly, after my daughter is in bed. It still sounds rich and full and the reverb sounds like its all around me.
I got the 40 when they first came out because I just wanted something I could play quite enough in the house without the family yelling at me. I was impressed really. A lot of people complain about too much bass but I rolled the master back and use the output for amp volume and it cured it. The biggest benefit I noticed is I started picking my guitar up a lot more than I used to.
I don't have the 40, but someone else said try stuffing some foam into the bass port to tame the bass.
As per usual, I'm tardy to the party on this amp. I got it yesterday and I've been watching videos on how to use this amp properly and to potential nonstop since. I've been 'noodling around' with guitars for a half century. For the most part, I'm a Tube Amp Snob ... won't deny it.
Bought the PG Spark 40 and never even powered it up ... I gave it away because it was somewhere between a practice amp and an amp you could play small clubs with. I've been wanting a true practice amp for 40 years. The Spark Mini does that and a Whole Lot More.
A practice amp is supposed to make you Want to practice. The Spark Mini does just that.
The app has eq adjustment now, so you can kill that bass, another thing would be taking it off the floor if that's where it's sitting and you can also put a towel under it, also helps.
@@thatotherdan9984new update? Really?
I never play my 40 since I got my Mini. Just so convenient and sounds great for what I'm needing.
These both seem well designed for their place in the market. I don't really need either but I do really appreciate the comparison. It was well done. Thank you Dylan... and thanks to the community for being here.
I just bought the 40 and I love it! I struggled on which one to get. The extra knobs are nice if, for whatever reason, I want to plug it in and use it without the app I can still adjust the tone. If I want to use headphones, I use my Fender Mustang Micro. It doesn't get more compact than that. Thank you for your honest assessment and presenting them in such a realistic way. It will help others in their decision. By the way, if the mini was $150, I would add it to my 40 but the prices are currently too similar.
That's what turned me away from the mini as well. This micro stuff that's happening today might've been spearheaded by Bose a few decades ago, and that really worked out well. It was actually mind blowing at the time. But I'm just not used to the idea of a tiny thing like that having the same tonal possibilities as the larger version. Still, the big one does have two four inch 🤣🤣 speakers, sure to blow one's socks off.
I absolutely appreciate this review from the perspective of having it for a while and comparingthe two. I just ordered the Mini using your partner link, keep up the great content!
Glad it was helpful!
it's incredibly frustrating to me that positive grid havent just updated the spark 40 to have a global EQ that just does a simple low shelf cut. it would solve so many headaches for users like myself who end up fiddling with the EQ pedal in the chain for every preset and sacrificing a modulation effect.
Not to mention Time spent practicing. I end up getting more done through my Pignose than my Spark 40. Still can’t get enough. If bass is an issue there is an EQ pedal you can add to your Spark tones that makes it so you don’t have to tinker with all each individual effect. Save, re-name, done. Just ordered Fishman Classic Pickups to upgrade my PRS Standard 24 so I don’t see Spark mini or headphone playing in my near future.
It would be so much better for the spark 40 knobs to be endless encoders with an LED ring around them to indicate position. That way they could easily represent what's set in the app.
And if we were all fat, we'd all be closer together! Old Chinese proverb.
The way you mike them is actually what I wanted to hear. Too many demos put the mikes right against the speaker, which makes them sound great, but that is not what you would hear in the room. Thanks, good demos.
Excellent demo and review - thanks! I got the Spark Mini several months ago and am amazed at how good it sounds, even at its higher volume settings. Plus, it opened up a lot of room in my practice area! Great value, as far as I'm concerned!
Got a 40. Don't need the portability feature of the mini. 40 sounds better. Thanks for the review!
If I didn’t already own the 40 I’d get a mini. When they updated the 40 the EQ pedal they added helped a lot with the excessive bass.
With the EQ the problem doesn't exist anymore. Maybe if you really use the amp only, but why would you do that. I'd get a whole other amp if I did not plan to use the app.
@@ondrejcvrcek1927 so is it worth getting the 40 over the mini then?
Thank you so much for doing this. This is why your channel is always at the top of my list. You do things that nobody else seems to do on UA-cam.
I think the key takeaway here for me is that the Spark mini sounds more or less the same through the speakers as it does through headphones. Meaning, you don’t have to change the settings on the amp when you switch to the speaker. I hate that about my Fender Mustang I v2 amp. I get it set up and sounding great through the headphones, then it sounds awful through the speaker and I have to change everything!
Perhaps Positive Grid should do a Spark 40 v2 with a USB C output and speaker setup that sounds more like the headphones…
I was hoping you'd show the difference with the volume all the way up. I've got the 40 and love it. I took an old entertainment center (what everyone had before we started putting tvs on the wall) and made it my guitar amp station. It's always set up and ready to go. I play all the time now. I use headphones most of the time but love to blast it without too. I've been known to also play in the living room just using the app without the amp. Electric guitar just not plugged in.
Thanks! Just what I needed to hear. I'm going for the Mini and when I need it loader, I'll just plug it into a bigger PA etc
As a postal carrier, I need the mini. I can bring it, and a decent, affordable guitar and practice during my lunch. If you see a mail carrier jamming on Baroness or things like that, don’t mind me.
I am looking for something that will be used more as a bass amp but still has guitar capabilities. Sounds like the 40 might be more in line with what I'm looking for.
Thanks for the review. Personally I just use my Mustang Micro on the go and hook it up to speakers or a PA if I am in a pinch.
I find my Micro gets too distorted and loses definition using hot humbuckers, yet sounds awesome using Fender single coil pickups. By comparison my Vox Amplug2 CR can handle the hot humbuckers great.
I ordered a set of JBL Club 422F 4" Speakers to replace the cheap stock set in my Spark 40. Used a Dremel to rout space for the slightly larger mounting brackets. Took 10 minutes total and the sound quality is WAY BETTER. Bigger magnet and far superior build materials made a massive improvement.
Hmmm
Well... there ya go. I have upgraded the speakers in almost every comb I've ever owned. The conversations often center on the pre-amp/amplifier which is important, but the first transducer (pick up) and last transducer (speaker) are paramount.
I just gotta say it. 😀 For my use case, I would have an opposite choice, but obviously, neither of us is wrong. I use mine to jam with friends where it's just a couple of us with guitars into practice amps. My Spark is small enough (and I have the carry bag) to go with me anywhere, I can set up the volume to sit next to a Katana or other practice amp as well, but there's no way the Spark Mini would be able to do that, even at apartment levels. I also have it here in case friends come over and I'm the host. I also have it set up in a room at super low volumes to play when I'm just messing around, listening to boring UA-cam videos (wink-wink); or when I'm waiting for a queue in Final Fantasy XIV. As you said, through the headphones or through an interface, they will sound identical, so there's no winner in that category. Lastly, when it comes to the buttons, I usually just use my phone to make changes, but if I'm at my friend's house and I need to make a quick adjustment on the fly while we're jamming, a reach and a twist without unlocking my phone, and I'm on my way. When I bought my Pearl Spark over the recent holiday, it was $229 with the bag, and at the time, the Mini was $229... No brainer to me to have options that I might need than not have them available and wish I did. I had the original Spark early, so I have been using it for what, almost 2 years? Over 2 years?
Everyone's use case is different, and in this market, the Spark Mini and the Spark are definitely different beasts for different people. Neither is better, one will be the right fit for the individual and their needs.
So purely tone wise, which do you like better, the Katana, or this? And is it the Kat 50, or the 100? I have a 50 that one day just wouldn't turn on. I used that as an excuse to buy the Spark 40, as I'd seen Darrell Braun's vid about it, and because with the bench charges today, relative to the original purchase price of under 300 bucks, I figured 7 years was a healthy lifetime for something made today. It did kind of worry me when I heard that pignose tone coming out at one point, but again at that price point coupled with with all the onboard tonal modification, I figure I won't have a problem.
thank you. I was just wondering which one to go with, and thanks to you I was able to make a decision.
Definitely if I didn’t already have the 40 I’d get the mini. Love the 40 for easy recording and practicing.
Thanks Dylan, I was torn between the two. I think you just helped me make my decision! 👍🏼
This was very interesting. Thanks for mentioning that they make the custom grill covers. I thought they did a marketing blitz or something because all the Tubers seem to have custom grilled minis. I'm guessing it's not possible or feasible but no one has discussed using one of these with a cab. I took a quick peek at them last time I was at the GC and I really didn't see any way to do it either. Unless you're supposed to use the headphone jack or something.
There are UA-cam videos of people figuring out how to use the Spark 40 with an external speaker cab. Search 'em out! :)
@@freesk8 GTK Thanks ;)
NUX just released Mighty Space. It's their representative against Spark 40. There's almost no comparison video to these yet.
I've had my Spark 40 for 3 years. Got it when it first came out and yes I waited 4-5 months until arrived. I line out thru the headphone output with 1/8" TRS to a 1/4" TRS Jacks Box, the out to a Fender Acoustasonic 40 2X6.5". I can use the Fender EQ to eliminate any heavy bass and add more treble.
This video was exactly the info that I was looking for in order to make my decision. Thanks man!
I liked this Spark comparison very practical. I'm still waiting for one of these to have a wireless headphone option, the only bluetooth connection is for settings and backing tracks. If you want headphones you have a headphone cable tying you down. It's why headphone amps are so useful, a tiny thing on your guitar output and no cable across the room. Maybe it's a limitation of bluetooth.
I sold the Spark 40 not too long after I acquired the Spark Mini. It’s a little more work to get the sounds I want; def not great for “on the fly” changes. BUT …THE PORTABILITY! No wall wart/step-down doodad or cable to keep track of. USB-C charging and interfacing … BRILLIANT. Does it sound great? Well … it sounds pretty dang good for a practice amp; esp. w/headphones. “VIVA SPARK MINI!”, I says.
Does the mini sound as good, warm and full as the spark 40? I like a little bit of low end too lol
@@GhostMlone I won’t tell you that the mini sounds as full as the Spark. That being said, it SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD.; bass response is quite surprising. The wireless connectivity plus USB charging (no wall warts with which to contend) are what makes the difference for me. I have other gear for full, or loud sound. I have used the Mini to play incidental music in small rooms; the, “take it anywhere”, convenience has been a game changer for my practice, and small venues. It perfectly fits the need I have for a small practice amp.
@@GByePorkPieHat wow thank you so much for your reply, I think I will definitely try to pick me one up, I wanna run it in stereo with my spark 40. It would be like endless amp tones choices to run together in stereo.
@@GhostMlone You’re gonna LOVE that setup!
I just ordered my Spark Mini looking forward to playing it its a no brainer less dialing in and having to tweek it with each setting pitty they dont have a looper built in
Love the spark, bought two of them after I saw saw how cool it was, I tell anyone who asks to look into a Spark first...get a good battery pack ($30-$40) it'll run for 7-8+ hours totally portable.....
Spark is $250+ - paid $230 for mine still on sale a few weeks after it came out & had the long wait....... A Mini @ $230+ Is I think over priced by $70+- for what it is.
..I get the portability, and it's able to put out decent tones perfect for practice. If you travel ALOT take a guitar EVERYWHERE & need to to keep the smallest footprint w/your traveling gear, it makes sense but still over priced.. at $159 - $165 they'd have sold a TON more....but then most of you'd be waiting 4 months to get one .. ;-)
another thought...
Will be interesting to see what the mini's start goin' for in used ads...... I see perfectly clean used Spark 40s for $175 +-
I love the Spark 40. I could see boomers not liking the fact the knobs don't match up with the app. That doesn't matter to me, I just use my iPad for all adjustments. The Spark is an incredible "amp" and I will never give it up. I've had the Yamaha one and the Boss one and I always come back to the Grid.
I recently sold my Spark 40 on Reverb.. It was an excellent amp just not for me as 99% of my playing is beside my very powerful PC with the amp ALWAYS connected via USB so using apps on a phone to control the amp makes no sense if I have a PC connected anyway. So I sold it and got a 100W Katana MKII and couldn't be happier.. I can practice and have way more contol over the effects, and if I want to record, I can record in stereo direct through USB which is something I couldn't do with the spark. It would only record mono through USB.
You can record in Stereo through the headphone Output directly Intro your interface / in you have 2 inputs
Well, to each his own, of course, but the sonic depth of the 40 ( more speakers, bigger enclosure) makes me have to go with the 40, which I use as my 'next to the bed' practice amp, or something to use on the fly to test out ideas. It also accepts pedals pretty well. And I have even used it for recording. The Mini, although cool in its own right, just doesn't have the sound.
That is pretty cool. Yeah you are using it differently than I am. I dig it.
Dude facts. People in here acting like the Spark 40 isn’t “portable” is crazy to me. I take it anywhere I travel it’s not like it’s big at all and it doesn’t fart out like the mini does on higher volume. It’s far superior if you don’t just want to use headphones.
Were I to use the Spark 40 in a coffee shop situation I would definitely pick up the Spark wireless footswitch controller which allows you to choose your presets, choose effects as well as starting, stopping, rewinding and changing to half speed any Jam Tracks you have set to accompany yourself. You can set up your own functions and recall them when you want, a handy accessory for solo live gigs. The complaints about the bass heavy and muddy tone of the speakers was heard and addressed by Positive Grid with their first software update which in addition to adding a Dumble OD 50, a Blues Junior and Klon pedal also included a graphic eq foot pedal which is much better at fixing the bass problem over just turning down the bass tone control. For my situation the 40 is relegated to my music room/studio and the Mini is the perfect grab a guitar and play4 living room amp.
Dylan, seriously, stop selling me stuff I never knew I needed. 😅😅😅
The mini seems to be a must have with all the new connected devices yet simplier; gets the job done easily. Plug and play. Probably time to upgrade the single transistor Fender mini/micro amp MA-10.
I have no need for either of these, but the custom grills still tempt me. 😂
So cool
Someone downthread here brought up the fact that the Spark line is for Bass as well as guitar, which is a great point as far as everyone complaining that the amps are “too bassy”. Why hasn’t anyone addressed this fact?
My Yamaha THC has 5 presets and all sound great but, I use one, and I had to use the app to get what I wanted because, turning the knobs on top doesn't allow access to intensity/depth of an affect. It cost $300 new and is only loud enough for bedroom practice or intimate gigs. A battery (rechargeable) powered FRFR amp (with a mic input) run by a phone app for all amp and ab sims and effects would be ideal would, I believe be ideal.
The Spark Mini certainly has it’s place & convenience .
But the Spark 40’s speaker system sounds more full … (and of course much louder ).
Maybe hooking up a Spark Mini to a PA or bigger sounding sound system.
Maybe use the Spark Mini hooked up to the fuller & louder speakers system of the Spark 40 ? Maybe 🤔 🤗?
For me the mini. Just sounds killer in that package.
You’re hitting on all cylinders here with me. So many topics lately are things I’ve been looking into. I usually play with a 15 watt tube amp. I’m looking for something small to use at my GFs house. Been looking at the Spark 40 but now idk. Was also looking at the Blackstar 1 watt. I don’t need a lot of settings to practice.
Love them Dylan , but I’m gonna keep,using my Yamaha Thr 3o till these arrive in New Zealand to check ‘em out . Cool vid , thanks
Careful with Positive Grid tho. I fell into the trap of following their ordering FAQ, and the service is HORRENDOUSLY BAD.
Ordered a Spark Mini for my little sis for Christmas, on Nov. 20. Because the shop system had somehow switched the color from white to black between the item’s page and the order form, I did as their order FAQ suggested, cancelled the first order and ordered again, this time making sure it made it through in white, and wrote an email to their support team like their twitter person had instructed me to (they apparently can’t switch the colour once you have ordered, even immediately afterwards; they want you to cancel & reorder).
First, they didn’t manage to stop the cancelled order before shipping it (days after I had cancelled it). Then it took them weeks to send me an RMA form. Then, they had made that to be with a different carrier service I had received the amps with, and wanted me to drive around the country side for an hour to get to the pickup point for that carrier. I said no, find something better, we’re fixing your mistake here (shipping it out despite it being cancelled).
It’s been almost two weeks again. THEY STILL HAVE MY MONEY. It’s been SIX WEEKS since I canceled the order.
You gave the info we were looking for thanks man
Great review. I like the mini which I play in hotel rooms with my Donner Hush. It all fits easy into the 737 overhead bin.
Totally agree with the headphones in the 40. It sounds amazing with headphones on but when you take them off and play in the room it sounds totally different and muffled.
I will be getting my first guitar this year at some point definitely getting the mini has well can't go wrong 33 amps 43 pedals a no brainer
The hell with the practice amps, how are you liking that SG ?
I mean… the amps are real…. The SG is fine.
I keep the big one home and travel with the mini. The best sound I get with the 40 is using the orange clean amp and the OCD style pedal. It also takes dirt pedals well using that same amp. I think all the other amps sound terrible. But through headphones sound good. It’s the damn speakers in the 40. They suck.
I got the 40 and I love it. I was thinking about getting the to take a friend's house because we usually end plugging into a mixer anyway. But I was also considering the mooer prime p1. Anyone have any luck with it? There are so few videos about it here on UA-cam
I have both and I think the mini sounds better. The 40 is too woofy sounding.
I also have both and feel the same way, but the new EQ in the last update eliminated the woofiness in the 40.
The MINI sounds well-balanced and you can't argue regarding the convenience of portability. One charge lasts a good long time!
Thank you. This was exactly the type of information that I was looking for in the comparison of these two units. Additionally, I just want to say that I appreciate your presentations no matter what the topic; they are consistently clear, concise and educational without a bunch of useless showboating. Thanks again for all your efforts.
Great to hear!
I kinda want a mini, but it costs just enough to feel like it’s hard to justify when I already have the 40 and use it all the time for practice. The mini would be cool for trips and stuff, but isn’t that what an acoustic is for? 😊
Positive Grid has a new one coming out called the "Go".. it's tiny.
@@ellesnyder942 Sooooooo lame. We want bigger, louder, and able to be connected to a cabinet without having to do a hack.
@@Lovell93 "we" lol. positive grid knows their market.
@@ellesnyder942 plenty of people out there asking for that...
@@ellesnyder942 the Go is so dumb. And the price is a ripoff just like the mini.
Love the custom grills they let you create. I've got a Tulsa Flag / Rt. 66 one for my Mini. Thinking about glowing tubes for the 40 (irony).
I've got a swastika as I'm Indian.
So proudly Nazi eh?
Joking obviously, 🤣
Normally I would have choose the big 40 spark but after tons of research-reviews here on yt iv decided to pick the mini and I totally agree spark40 sounds too bassy ,,thanks for your opinion and review 👍
Just wanted to tell you I’ve consumed thousands of hours of guitar content on UA-cam for the past 15 years or more and your channel is now one of my favorites.
Do you have an opinion on the Spark Go vs the Mini?
My first real amp was a 1967 Vox Berkeley II...a whopping 18 watt SS amp with a separate 2x10 cab on rollers...I kept that until 1975 (??) and then got a new silver face Fender Pro Reverb.
So, I still prefer a full set of controls ON the amp as opposed to using apps.Old school I know !
I bought a Spark 40 about 14 months ago and it def is a bit bass heavy but with my Jazzmaster it makes a good combo.
I'm in the process of building a 2x10 ext cab for it...can't decide whether to use Jensen alnico 10's or Celestion Greenbacks tho.
Any suggestions ???
Good Luck getting any help from Positive Grid Customer support. Mine became a brick after a month and PG was totally unresponsive. what a waste of $$
Hi from the UK! Just stumbled across your video as I'm considering a spark as a replacement for my katana. Great explanation and, yet again, the mini sounds better to my ear and is simpler to set up and use. Great stuff! Subbed
When will an updatedSpark be out? That should be something, if they listen to users and don’t gouge on pricing. Does the current version have effects loop? Love your analysis’, because you are very detailed and objective, unlike so many others who play more than they talk. Keep it up. Here’s a weird idea. How do the old Fender Cybertwin, Cyberdeluxe compare with today’s modelers. Thank you.🎉
I have a THR30mk2 which I love, but for Christmas I bought myself a Donner Cyclops just for a laugh. It's in the same size range as the spark mini, but there's no app - what it can do is all accessible from it's control panel. It has a built in drum machine, which is partly what attracted me to it, and it runs on any triple A batteries you can find, so it's ultimately portable, I mean you can always find AAA's anywhere, and it does come with a wall wart psu too. It has 6 amps plus flat, chorus/trem, delay (analog and digital types) and adjustable reverb - room/plate. The usual built in tuner, bluetooth etc, and looks kind of retro styled.
Soundwise, well I think it's supposed to be 5w, but it's 5 bullsheeet wats lol - maybe 2 in reality, but it's plenty loud enough to prat around with without messing with the neighbors too much. The cleans are actually clean and the dirties are really quite, well, dirty lol, though you can clean it up to a crunch if desired. For what it is, it really isn't bad sounding at all - it can't hold it's own against the Yamaha THR, but those things are way expensive, heavy and require an app to get the best from them, where as the Cyclops is the exact opposite - you can chuck it in even a small bag with your little wireless guitar transmitter/receiver, and away ye go no worries, not even charging worries. In the USA they are about 90 bucks, though they don't sell them here in the UK so I imported one through Amazon which worked out more or less the same in UK pounds. The wall wart was multi voltage, so it works in the UK with a travel adaptor.
Honestly they're worth a look, and I'm not sorry I bought one. I know the above reads like an advert for it lol, but honestly I don't work for them or have any connection at all - I just like the thing :)
I have the Donner Cyclops, I did an extensive review for it on Amazon. I wasn't terribly impressed by the clean channels, my Roland Micro Cube does cleans better, but, a few of those crunch channels were rather impressive. Massive amounts of sustain, really good tones. The on board effects are very good too as long as you keep them at around 11 or 12 o'clock. The drum machine is too hard to program or I just don't have the patience for it. Overall I really like a few of the channels on the little amp and I currently keep it at a relative's house because it takes up little space and if I take a guitar over there I can practice.
Adding the battery, as I did, to the 40…. Makes it the perfect house amp, inside and outside
Where does the battery go ?
This was very helpful! Just bought my first Positive Grid Spark GO and it gets poppy around 60% volume (not happy with it). I’m just using it at my couch, so I’m going to exchange it for the Mini.
Heads up, I canceled my GO “preorder” because Positive Grid said it wouldn’t ship for a couple weeks. Even though it was available to ship everywhere else including their site when I reached out. I ordered through Sweetwater and it arrived 4 days after I ordered. Doesn’t make sense to preorder when you can wait until it’s available and get it 2 weeks before people that “preordered.”
the mini does the same thing unfortunately.
Dylan, I use the EQ "pedal" in the app and that takes care of the bass I love my Spark 40
I will try it!
if you end up getting the spark go, I'd really like a review just like this comparing it against either or both of these amps.. in a way, it's a shame you didn't plan this video a few months later lol
Is Spark Go out yet? Do you have one? Great review.
I have had the Mini for a year or so and love it but I wanted the ability to adjust things without using the app. Sooo.. today the Spark 40 arrived . I gotta say my initial impressions pretty much are the same as your evaluation as far as how they sound. I can get the 40 to sound good but I really have to mess with tone controls on pretty much everything in the chain... Part of it I am sure is due to the volume level I am able to play at but first day impression is that the mini was probably all I needed. If I have to crank it up to get it to sound balanced I could just break out my Blues Jr. and not fuss. 😂
Dylan, you were the first person I’ve seen that noted the same thing I did that I needed to tweak my tone patches for each of the two amps because the characteristics of the speakers are different - good advice! I personally use the 40 version more because I like the way it sounds in the room better but I agreed with all of your points.
I think the reason for Spark 40 that it's bassy because it can be used for Bass guitar as well. To use it for guitar, you can just adjust the bass settings. In spark mini, I think bass guitar sound is not good
I have the 40 but just can’t love it though I wanna. I bought a Yamaha THR30ii the moment I plugged and played one that belonged to a friend to to me its sound , feel and ease of use are unmatched. I played the mini at a guitar store and it sounds much more balanced than the 40. It is the one I would get if I bought a Spark again.
Hey the fender mustang micro headphone amp might be a good mention when speaking on options especially for the smaller spark. I love mine. And it has Bluetooth where I can hear my phone and guitar through headphones at the same time is really cool.
GREAT video ! Hey, quick question: Assuming I have both Spark 40 and Spark Mini: Can I connect the Mini's output into the 40's speaker to make it sound fuller in the room? Also, if I do that, will that still have the 'bassy' issue that you had mentioned with the 40, OR is connecting them this way eliminates the 'bassy' issue you had mentioned? I'll MUCH appreciate someone reply to this if they know. Thank You !!
The 40 is a great practice amp and best used for just that. Get your presets in how you like 'em and practice. If you want a good practice amp and gigin' amp, get a Boss Katana MK2.
Can someone recommend some speakers that would be much better than the original ones? Because it's great, but I find the speakers are just the weak link.
to me they are both impressive devices. i have been using the 40 mic'ed with a spark control in a church worship team setting. i have been getting a excellent sounds. i would love the 40 more if it had a decent balanced line out that wouldn't turn off the speaker so i wouldn't need a mic. i actually tried the mini live and it was pretty good but not quite enough headroom to use as an on-stage guitar monitor. the 40 is definitely overly bassy but it can be tweaked to make it do what i want. for practicing i never use the 40 because the mini is just way too convenient and it sounds pretty amazing for such a small device. i often find that the fixed set of blocks in the software isn't quite enough and it would be really nice for that to be more variable. some of the amps are very quiet so it's hard to get patches to be at uniform levels. it would be great to have an extra block where a boost could be added after the amp to compensate. i used the positive grid iOS app with an A/D converter a long time ago and that had much more flexibility than the spark app that controls the 40, mini, and go.
Probably because I'm dumb - I never thought about splitting my modeler presets by guitar. I've been doing it by amp. I think i'll switch that up. 😆
Nice comparison and helped me.
Thanks for thia. I will be getting the mini
Never dropped a negative comment on a video before. While I appreciate the back-to-back sound check, and in fact the Mini does sound/better as a lead guitar amp in the comparison here, everything this guy has said here is mostly opinions that don't necessarily to speak to everyone's experience. Several of the comments he made hold no substance - I have a 40 and I love it. Also, the 40 isn't just good for 'coffee shop' gigs with 'acoustic jams'. I'm in a band and I take my 40 to gigs. I even have to dial down the volume at times. The 40 can get pretty loud. The battery pack rig is very easy and not that expensive. The knobs not reflecting changes made on the app is a minor, first-world problem, imo. I might be getting more bass with the 40, but I get volume, and the volume makes it more versatile than the mini. Pair that with the fact that the prices are nearly identical despite the fact that the 40 comes with a free carrying bag and the mini doesn't, and you get a much better deal on the 40. It just all depends on the use case.
So… everything I said …. Was correct….
I'm split between this and the yamaha ones.. I like that the yamaha tones are just better straight forward. You don't have to mess with anything,.. but Sparks are cheaper.
I need to get a Yamaha
Is the these better or the Boss Katana Mini better?
Sounds great with the Tele .
...and where is the awesome carrying case for the 40!? I would love it if they were selling them!
I love my Spark 40, don't dig you knocking it. I also have the mini and the GO will be delivered end of May.
I love the spark 40 too.
I just got the Go and it is a fun little amp - can go anywhere with it. I also have both the 40 and the mini. I use headphones primarily on the 40 and just regular on the mini. The addition of the EQ makes the 40 sound much better but the mini sounds great no matter what settings or amps I use. The Go does as well and is loud enough for the wife to ask (tell) me to use my headphones! Have fun with it when you get it.
I got my Spark Mini ~2 weeks ago and love it. Surprising sound from such a small box
Not having a collection of pedals it was a super fast and easy way of experimenting with these concepts as a beginner
I don't know that a more experienced player would do this but I've been using the Bluetooth audio connection to play backing tracks and other instruments out of the Ultimate Guitar app
The mini does sound far better and has much more portability. Now they have released the Spark 150 watt cab so that any of the three sparks can hook up and to one be used at full band rehearsals and gigs or at home for an expanded sound... I think positive grid will soon release a newer and more refined version of the spark 40 with better sounding speakers that will address the muffled bass issue and any other clitches... After all...the 40 was their first one to which they can build the future on, just like they have already done by releasing the far better sounding and much more portable.. Spark mini.
Would you mind sharing your presets for each of your guitars on the spark mini? That would be cool ;)
Second.
Great points !
The whole spark modeling software in my opinion coming from a line 6 Helix which is the gold standard amazing songs. EVERYTHING IS JUST TOO DARK. Try to go into a computer into better monitors that have better frequency response it gets even darker I don't know what it is but it just sounds dark to me especially when I play it I don't like it it does not inspire me like the line 6 Helix. I only use the spark mini for playing around a campfire if I don't want my acoustic guitar maybe with some backing tracks it just makes it loud enough to sing with my natural voice
I've had both. Mini wins hands down.
Only problem with the mini is that it screeches at certain frequencies and volumes BUT it is not as annoying as the bass response from the original spark.
I put a towel in the subwoofer of the Spark 40 when I first got it. Sounds good to me, but i haven't really A/B'd it against my reference monitors and I'm sure I messed with the presets. I guess I've gone digital because I have a tube amp right underneath my Spark and I rarely turn it on.
You should use it as a head
was going to get the mini. i dont think i even have enough space for the 40.
I think both!
I have a spark 40 and love
Nope, really good review, Dylan. Thanks!
On the awesome customer service, I bitterly and wholeheartedly disagree. Can't get them on the phone because they don't have one, no email address, and the headphone logo for summoning the autobot doesn't work. But again, it's coming tomorrow and I'll be up all night in gleeful anticipation like a kid on the night before Christmas...and I'm 69 years old!😂😂😂😂😂
"Get a Princeton Tonemaster and a regular pedalboard" - the Tonemaster is $899 alone plus all the cash you're gonna spend on pedals, while the Spark is $299. That's kind of a steep price to pay if you want to just turn knobs on an amp. I like to turn the knobs on the amp and for $600 I'll take the pain of creating the presets this way :))