Spark Mini & recommendations for a good mini amp?

After hearing rave reviews about it.
I took the Positive Grid Spark mini for a test drive

I just didn't feel good about buying it sound unheard in person.


after trying several settings (for guitar) I was on the fence disappointed;
after trying a bass setting (for bass) I just turned it off and walked away.

I am having trouble reconciling the reviews with my own in person experience.

My Spark Go shipped today.  It's even smaller, quite a bit smaller, than the Spark Mini... think of it as an extra thick iPhone.  I ordered it on a lark, the pre-release price being a significant drop from the retail price.  

I'm considering the purchase a 'toy' but I thought it might work when and if I ever take my electric to a get together... something I've never done before.  Or a second amp for when I have a visiting player... something that has happened before.  😉

Anyhoo... at the worse it will serve as a Bluetooth speaker for streaming.  My expectations are low so any disappointment will be minor.  

I didn't do the due diligence you did... the Go is a new product and wasn't scheduled to ship until "late May."  We shall see.

https://www.positivegrid.com/products/spark-go

I’d be interested in hearing your take on this John as I’m thinking of getting one myself. 
Moe

right on.

i have the spark 40 and absolutely love it, it has a got a bit of a learning curve and you do need to use the app to get the best out of it but as a home practice amp it gets used more than my custom built tube amp which says a lot because i am generally a tube amp snob when it comes to guitar (and probably own too many), it'll never replace my JTM45 but it's not designed to got head to head with an amp like that it's more a versatile practice tool but there is no one amp that rules them all so maybe it's just not the amp for you?

I have to agree with everything @fuzz0x said about the Spark 40.  Everything! right down to the tube amp snob!    I have my Blues, Jr., which I love, as well as a POD HD 500X and a Quilter Microblock 50.  But the Spark 40 is just so quick and easy to plug in an practice.  I wouldn't use it if it didn't sound great....but it is just so convenient😉

This doesn't answer the OP about the mini, but if the experience of some of us with the 40 is any indication satisfaction.  

And we had the 40, then the mii, now the Go.  If this trend continues, is the next amp going to go on your key chain?!😆🤪

Speaking of key chains....

My Spark GO arrived Saturday and I gave it a try.  Since then, I've done one practice session with it, the second being delayed by this post.  😉

The sound is better than I expected, not as good as I hoped.  The key for me (and all of us) is to understand that this is a 5w, battery powered amp.  It is approximately 5" X 3" X 2" and contains therein a 2" speaker.  It weights 12 ounces.  It comes with four presets of sounds/modes and has what appears to be a very, very deep app of sounds and modes and capabilities.  And that's why I can't write a decent review.

Note my GT username.  I live in a rural area, about a half-hour east of Missoula.  While T Mobile serves the area it is the only company and not the one I use.  Furthermore, I don't use/carry a smartphone as I'm simply not into 'that'.  GT is as close to social media I get and my cell phone is strictly for phone calls (when in range of my provider)... maybe twice a year in town.  So, while I don't consider myself a Luddite, indeed surfing the 'net' for almost 30 years, I can't download the app (OS or Android) and I can't speak to the all the goodies and sounds it provides.  I knew that going in but, at the least the GO looked like a fun toy.

Of the four presets, three provide a sound that I would call heavy metal, distortion and/or overdrive.  While I appreciate music described as that I don't play it myself.  I like a clean sound when I'm doing electric.  The remaining GO preset does an OK job of doing that although I wish it were a little more 'mellow.'  But again, the physical specs... the GO does an admirable job for its size, but...

I benefitted from a pre-release sale and got the GO for a good discount.  I have no regrets about the purchase and recently My Lady has talked about paying for it herself as a gift to me.  Ya' can't beat that! 👍

I wish I could help those that are interested in the GO a little bit more but, in reality, I'm missing most of what the amp has to offer.  Later, I'll see if the app can be downloaded to my iPod.  I don't have high expectations.  The Positive Grid website is a good one and has lots of stuff about the GO.  There's more on the web so you guys should dive deep.

It's worth the money it cost me (or her 😋) but it won't get much use, unless...

It's small yet, at full volume, it fills the large room I practice in.  I use a Bluetooth remote to hookup and it's super-simple.  The GO sits on my desk and I don't have to get up to mess with my 'real' amplifier.  I'm thinking I might use the GO specifically for that part of my practice that is electric.  It could probably serve to play around a campfire or on the beach... if campfires weren't so frowned upon here in MT during the summer and if MT had a beach.  😂

john

if you can get the app downloaded either onto a tablet or smart phone it is well worth doing as it will give you access to so many more amps and effects which you can then save onto one of the presets for future quick use, the Dumble amp is one of my favourites to use, the Orange amps are are also very nice.

The tone cloud is also worth looking at although there's thousands of tones there so can be a bit overwhelming but once you have the app installed you don't need internet connection to use most of the features.

Another area where these amps really shine is when using them with headphones so if you haven't tried that yet i highly recommend giving it a go.

Fuzz,

Is there a way to search through the tones for something specific on the app? Say I want a Chris Stapleton sound on an old Fender Princeton could I type something like that in or do I just have to test out all amps and effects until I find what I like?

Thanks,

Moe

P.S. Thanks John for the review

if you use the tone cloud part of the app (you do need an internet connection for this feature) then most of the people who have uploaded tones tend to do so by either artist name or by song, so for example of you wanted a sound similar to Jimi Hendrix on the song Little wing you can search by just Little Wing, Jimi Little Wing or Little Wing Hendrix and it should bring up all tones that are already uploaded under those key words. 

I just did a test search for Chris Stapleton and approximately 40 tones came up so i'm sure there would be one similar to what you like, i tried a few and they sounded pretty nice as well.

When you do a search you get the option to download the tone to your spark if you like it or you can just hit the play icon and use it without having to download it so you can try a few out before deciding which one you like, obviously if you do download it you will have to save it as one of the presets on the Spark  but once it's there you are also able to tweak it to your own tastes.

One thing i will say is if you are searching for a tone it's worth trying a few out because even though you may want a Fender Princeton sound for example you may find the tone cloud version that sounds closest to the album version you are looking for may use a Dumble or Matchless type amp but these are basically hot rodded Fender amp at heart anyway but this is really where the try before download feature really comes in use.

if you need any help feel free to ask and i'll try my best to help you out any way i can.

Awesome thanks.

I have the same thoughts as you, we are the same 

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