When we awarded Positive Grid's Spark the best new amp award at this year's Winter Namm even we couldn't have predicted just now popular it would be with players. Now the company has started the huge operation of shipping units out to nearly 25,000 customers and counting who have preordered the innovative amp.
With the last chance to get a 25% discount still available on the $299 retail price (see below for the link), it's clear the amp has hit a sweet spot for players' budgets, and the features of the Spark that suggest even at full price, it's a lot of kit for the money.
As well as the vital BIAS Tone Engine delivering the sounds in a portable, desk-friendly 40-watt full-range combo, the Spark features real-time Smart Jam accompaniment and Auto Chord detection to offer a comprehensive practice tools for players.
Here's the highlights of the Spark's features from Positive Grid:
• Auto Chord Recognition: The Spark app provides easy access to platforms like YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music to analyze and display chords for millions of songs in real-time. Its easy-to-use controls let players slow down the song’s tempo or loop a difficult section to practice.
• Smart Jam Technology: The Spark amp and app work together to learn the player’s style and feel, and then automatically generate a bass and drum accompaniment track.
• Award-winning BIAS Tone Engine: Dial-in pristine clean tones, crunchy chords or soaring leads for electric guitar using its full-featured amp and multi-effects engine that provide realistic virtual tube amps and effects.
• Positive Grid’s ToneCloud community: Connect the Spark app to your iOS or Android mobile device and get access to Positive Grid’s ToneCloud where you can find over 10,000 more tones.
• Loud and immersive speaker design: Two custom-designed speakers and a tuned bass-reflex port are engineered to provide deep, full-sounding basses and crystal-clear highs for every style of music.
• Voice control: The Spark app responds to a variety of voice commands to stream a song or a backing track, ask for a virtual band to follow the user’s playing, and more.
• Full Featured Amp: Spark includes onboard bass, mid and treble tone stack controls; dedicated knobs for mod, delay and reverb effects; a built-in tuner and tap tempo; plus 4 user presets.
• Bluetooth connectivity for streaming music in hi def audio via the Spark app.
• USB audio interface: Easily record on a computer. Spark comes with PreSonus Studio One Prime recording software for free, allowing players to get started right out of the box.
• Versatility: Spark can be used with electric guitar, bass and acoustic guitar.
But before anyone asks, no we haven't got to jump the queue for one. But we can't wait to put the Spark through its paces and investigate those jam and chord recognition features in depth.
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