I was thinking of buying the Spark Cabinet but your video made me change my mind. I'm glad I stumbled on it. Thank you. You have one new subscriber from Ottawa, Ontario.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for the post. I hope people can make an educated purchase. All the best. Rock on!

Thanls for this video. Will look for an alternative. CBA with faffing like that for home practice

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the post. Hope you find a great alternative. Rock on!

I received one a week ago, I was surprised by the noise at zero volume sounding like air going thru a ventilation shaft.. support said it's normal for high powered cab, I said I got a couple of 750w active pa speakers that are 10yrs old and forget to turn them off because you can't hear them.. they then instructed me to use the cables that it came with and make sure I power the 40 via the cab.. that's the 1st thing I did and preceded to inform them I have decades of experience in studios, bands and teaching. Thank you for a detailed description they said but can you make a video so we can see your setup, I said it makes the noise with all volumes off and nothing plugged in it! Oh but we need a video so we can sort the problem out. Help and support starting sound like safe and effective!

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the post. Same issue here. I have never heard this much noise on a “high” powered Cab. I have mine plugged into a “line conditioner” as well. No difference at all. They should have made a 10W, 70W, and 140W power selection switch then. There is no reason to have this much noise. Rock on.

@russellhughes4496

3 ай бұрын

Apparently all the first run of the Cabs have that noise.

@michaeljones9952

3 ай бұрын

@@russellhughes4496 great so positive grid skanked some of us with their crap! Great way to treat long-term customers..

A lot of players still don't get their patches volume or tone balanced convincingly between changes, it's a common trap, use a db meter if easier to check properly....use a looped guitar line for super accuracy if possible

A workaround could be running a mic in front of the amp and into the cabinet. Although it may get a lot of feedback? I typically make 3 sets of presets with different eq's. One for headphones, one for direct recording, and one for playing through the speakers, because every one sounds different

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

4 ай бұрын

Yes, definitely a work around. Thanks for the post. I just wish the cabinet worked WITH the Spark 40, meaning all the speakers playing. Making multiple presets is a pain, but indeed it can be done. I wish Spark was more straight forward about what the Spark Cab really was. Saying it "compliments" the Spark 40, really isn't true. It "replaces" the Spar 40 speakers completely. Thanks again for the suggestions. Rock on!

Nice one bro! I agree most modeller cabs are going to require a re-tweak of the tone/patch slightly or a lot when hooked in, I use a completely different set up and modeller/multi unit and I've worked for ages to get what I'm after for my thing, any decent P.A. cab with do the same task as a specific FRFR cab? at half the cost in most instances, in my day we never termed any P.A. anything other than a 2 way/3/way or 4/way system....modellers are replicating (or trying to) most amp styles AND their cabs separately or in conjunction with etc, I found the absolute grail via my suspicions and it is a total trouser shaker if needed to the point it's downright terrifying!! my aim is to have a bit of fun with it live for a tour I'm locked into, I'm hiding my modeller and my modeller and cab in a bunch of dummy cabs on stage for a giggle with amp princesses in my audiences....I'm a fun boy!!!

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Sounds like a fun idea! Rock on!🤘

I sent mine back. I too was disappointed by the sound quality and I also notices a strange blowing hiss. Consider buying the Harley Benton G112A-FR, I like that one a lot better.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the post. I know for some to hiss is a lot to deal with and a deal breaker. Enjoy the Harley Benton. Rock on.

I set mine up on cheap plastic footstool, seems to help by getting it off the floor

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Great idea. I did the same. I set mine on a pedal board for now. It helped a lot to get it off the floor. Rock on!!!

If you have two Spark 40s (I know, I know but such people exist…) Get a good splitter box like the Radial Big Shot and take one output to the Spark 40 which is hooked up to the Cab and the other output to the other Spark 40. Put same preset on both Spark 40s and away you go, you have Spark 40 sound and Spark Cab sound. It’s overkill, but it works

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Very cool idea. Yes, overkill but if it works, go for it! Thanks for posting. Rock on!🤘

I wish that all speaker would work, too!!! Great video!!!

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the post. I really thought that was the idea Adding the Cab to the Spark 40 for a great combination of sound, but clearly that isn’t the case. I’ll keep trying to make adjustments to make it sound better. Just somewhat disappointed. Rock on.

@MrGlasstech

8 сағат бұрын

​@@LUKESTRONG4LIFEXsonic makes a looper for spark now. I'd wait a while I hear their ulopper has problems.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

5 сағат бұрын

@@MrGlasstech Thanks! I’ll wait!

Thank you Brad for the headsup, quick question: do you have any humming / white noise on the Cab? Me and A LOT of people who just received the Cab are suffering from a very distinguished noise coming out of the unit even when unplugged and the volume level is at zero. The support said it is normal for an frfr, but I don't believe that since my main objective is to capture bass using an amp sim with IR, and that noise IS very present (I tried any combination possible and another power source to check if it comes from my environment, it doesn't) Much obliged!

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Hello. I definitely have a noticeable noise coming out of the cabinet. No question. I pressed the ground button but no difference. I admit, overall I’m pretty disappointed. I was hoping for a compliment to the Spark 40, but clearly it is not. Thanks for the post. Please keep us posted. Rock on.

@damianthomson6402

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for this video and comments, I had a Black Star ID Core a while a go and it had a lot of background white noise, it annoyed me so much I got rid of it so this is important to my preference and would be a deal breaker

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

@@damianthomson6402 Understand. Makes complete sense. No reason to have hum at all. I’ll check the dB level and post it here later today.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

@@damianthomson6402 I measured the dB level and come up with between 15-20dB. I have a dB meter and my "quiet" room volume is around 40 dB. Turing on the amp raises the dB level to 55-60 dB. It is VERY noticeable. The only reason I do not hear it as much is that I have very bad tinnitus. Even with my bad tinnitus, it is very noticeable. Hope that helps some. Be well.

@damianthomson6402

7 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE thanks testing this, that's way too much for my liking

I wonder if that second speaker thing is something they can fix with a software update, or if its a hardware limitation (ie the jack that plugs them hard disconnects the power amp in the spark or something)

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Good question. I could be wrong, but I think it’s a hardware issue. I just wish they would have been up front and not sold it as a “complimentary” speaker. Time will tell if there is a work around. Thanks for the post.

@castleanthrax1833

18 күн бұрын

I think it disconnects the internal speaker manually when you plug in the jack... remember, you're plugging it into the headphones out socket (at least I think that's what he said in the video). Not much point having sound coming out of the speaker when you're using phones. It probably disconnects the internal speaker in much the same way an effects pedal disconnects the internal battery supply when you plug in a power cable.

I’m waiting for someone to swap out the 10 inch speaker with a Celestine. Curious to see how that would impact the sound.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Interesting idea. Ideally a bass, mid, and treble adjustment on the Cab would have helped a great deal. Thanks for the post.

if would weird for example with the spark go if it played sound along with the cab as its' totally different kind of sound, assumed it would switch amp off

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

I agree. But with the Spark 40, it should. It would at least be nice to have the option. Rock on.

Brad - DO you notice white noise coming from the Spark CAB when it is turned on - nothing pluged in and volume on 0 ? I have a Spark Cab and it has this issue- I have seen others starting to report this issue online. I measured about 20db of white noise at 12 inches from the speaker. Some of us have reported this to positive grid support and they give a canned reply that this is normal. I have multiple FRFR speakers and none of them have noise - just the Spark CAB - Wondering if yours does this?

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Yes. Mine does to. I will measure the dB and report it here. I remember it was very noticeable. Thanks for the post.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

I measured the dB level and come up with between 15-20dB. I have a dB meter and my "quiet" room volume is around 40 dB. Turing on the amp raises the dB level to 55-60 dB. It is VERY noticeable. The only reason I do not hear it as much is that I have very bad tinnitus. Even with my bad tinnitus, it is very noticeable. Hope that helps some. Be well.

Do you think your experience with too much low end has more to do with you setting your pre-sets with a lot of low end than it has to do with the frfr cab itself? The spark head has smaller speakers, so I'm guessing your pre-sets just don't transfer too well to a 10" speaker. Just a thought. I was considering buying this and saving a few bucks, but nobody has anything good to say about it, so I think I'll get a Tone Master FR10 or FR12.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

18 күн бұрын

Hello, The EQ can change the sound indeed, but this has a ton of low end. All the presets I made for the Spark 40 sound 5X deeper on the cab to the point that I can’t use the presets as is. I love deep low bass, but even this is too much for me. But yes, it can be tweaked and set up for each user. We all hear things differently. Good luck, Rock on. 🤘

Did you see the orb at 4:55 from top center to lower right in front.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

5 ай бұрын

Very cool! An orb from the guitar gods!

I keep hearing it from a lot of folks that it is just way too boomy. That’s a bummer, because it looks like a nice compact set up otherwise. The clean tones are very nice though.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

4 ай бұрын

Boomy is a good choice of words. It is too boomy. Yes, it can be tweaked to lower the boom, but the bottom end is too deep. If it played “with” the Spark 40, it would sound much better. Losing the speakers on the Spark 40’is the biggest bummer. Rock on.

The spark is a really good practice amp... What would have made it Great was a proper 1/4 inch out to turn the spark into a head for any cabinet... I think they have some cool features like powering things from your cab etc. but sound quality doesn't seem convincing enough vs something like even a headrush 1x10 etc

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Great point! That would have been awesome. That option would have been ideal. Something hopefully they can add in the future. Thanks for the post. Rock on!!!

@castleanthrax1833

18 күн бұрын

Yes. NuX has a little 40-watt desktop amp about the same size as the Spark that has that feature.

I will send mine back because of the unacceptable hum issue and the very unprofessional handling of this issue by PG. Happy with the Mini and Go though. A FRFR is the same as a normal PA system, in my opinion, so I have ordered the JBL EON 710 now as a) the digital amp should not have a noise issue and b) it has a built-in DSP/EQ (need that to get the optimum sound in my sofa-practicing setup in my living room :-)) OK, it is a "little" more expensive but after the PG Cab disappointment I needed to make a "frustration" purchase...

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for the post and for sharing the information. Greatly appreciated. I love the Spark 40 on its own because it is quiet. I agree the hum is a pain and can be distracting. JBL makes some great units. Enjoy your EON 710. Rock on! Keep us posted how you like the JBL compared to the Cab. Rock on.

@chrisvanhoven8562

7 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE Ok, got the EON 710 today. It sounds GREAT! The Spark Cab is nothing compared to the EON 710. Both could have stronger bass, but it's good enough for "sofa paying". The difference is that the EON 710 has a total absence of any ground noise, it sounds crystal clear and not boomy at all. And I did not even use EQ (for now - room measurement with REQ would take too long for my impatient mind). So I spent a little more than for the Spark Cab, but I got exactly what I needed. Highly recommended!!! PS though I would go for the 712 or 715 if I had a) the space for it and b) a girl friend that does not complain about shaky bass all the time :-))

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠@@chrisvanhoven8562 Awesome. Thanks for posting the update. Glad you are enjoying your cabinet without the him! I’ll definitely check it out. Enjoy the 710!!!!! Sounds like a winner.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

PS - The JBL EON715 is now $549 at Sweetwater. $70 price drop.

There must be more than one run (lot) of these, or they silently addressed the issues? I run a Spark GO through my CAB, and it sounds amazing at high or low volume. No hiss, or white noise at all, even idling, and full range of bass adjustments to eq it just perfectly, single coils or humbuckers. Either they Fixed it, or I got real lucky.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

23 күн бұрын

Glad you got a good one. Even Spark says the hiss is “normal”. It’s not a deal breaker for most, just something people should know about. Awesome that yours is silent. Enjoy and rock on! Thanks for the post!

All that Yankees stuff increases the bass level.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

3 ай бұрын

Agree!!! Good call!!!! LOL!!!!

Please make the cab compatible to hook up other amp heads to it. That would be great.

@christophergardner7843

4 ай бұрын

Well technically, if your head has a headphone jack (which some do, some dont) you can. Lol

@castleanthrax1833

18 күн бұрын

Why do you want to connect a different head to this? It's a powered speaker, so you could connect any (unpowered) modeller, but connecting a head would not be advised.

I think, that CAB should be used, when you need stage volume only. There it really shines! It always has too much bass on low level volumes.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Indeed. It would be nice though to have more bottom end at low volumes without all the noise and hum. I guess maybe in future models. Thanks for the post. Rock on.

Can’t you just lower the bass on each individual preset and save over it? I hooked mine to a PA with very little cab volume and it was still “boomy”. I will play with the presets a bit and retest.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Yes. That could be done. It just stinks then if you go back and use the Spark 40 alone. Then you’d have to change all the presets back. I wish they made it a better marriage with the Spark 40 especially. Rock on!!! Thanks for the post.

Seems like most amps don't have enough, the Spark has too much! What they really need to do is make it flat and then give you a 10 band EQ like the Katana. It's very difficult to get out the proper amount of low end. It often can make it sound fizzy.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Agree. An EQ would solve all. Maybe their next model!!! Rock on!!!!

Thanks, I am thinking of buying the cabinet for my Spark 40 too. So I thought I would check this out. I find the 40 to be a little too bassy too. But there is a "bass port" in the front of the Spark 40 cabinet (little hole between the two speakers), and if you take off the cover and plug the hole it takes away enough bass to make it a lot more even. I was wondering if you had popped the cover off the cab to see if there is a bass port in the cabinet as well? If so, plugging it could be helpful. Thanks again.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Hello, Thanks for the post. I have not tried to remove the cover. I’ll have to look into it and make sure it’s removable, but I assume it is because of your post. I’ll try to look into it this weekend and see if it helps. Thanks for the suggestion. Be well.

@guitarmemoir

6 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE Hi, the front of the Spark 40 is held on by strong Velcro. I am not sure if the cabinet has the same feature or has the bass port. But I would be interested to know, if you happen to check it out. Many thanks. Cheers.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

@@guitarmemoir Thanks. I’ll give it a look. Clearly I don’t want to damage it so I’ll have to see if and how it comes off. Thanks. Be well.

They don't sell repair parts if you are not a repair store or on garantee. I wanted to buy speakers replacements and they didn't want to sell them to me. I bought in the past repair parts from almost all companies, Yamaha, Peavey, Fender, Ibanez, Gibson etc but for some reason no customer service after sell. Sad!

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

2 ай бұрын

Sorry to hear. My guess is that they are afraid that people will void the warranty. Customer service is so important for all. Good luck and rock on!

@ChordsSounds

2 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE Well mine doesn't have the warranty anymore. Thanks for your word!

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

2 ай бұрын

@@ChordsSounds Keep us posted on the upgrades. Would love to find out how it went. Good luck.

The bigger issue is the annoying hum even in standby

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Agree. Many are unhappy about the humming noise. Thanks for the post.

@bassmanchristian1431

7 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE this must not be, I have contacted PG also for the bad very low setting of the cab. But they only replied with a weak excuse. I will return it. However I am very happy with my Spark Mini and Go

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

@@bassmanchristian1431 Sorry to hear about the hum. I know it is a deal breaker for many. In the end, I am going to keep mine and deal with it. But yes, the hum is disappointing. Rock on!

👍🤘

Turn off the contour button on the cab to reduce the bass

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Thank you. I did. Even with the contour button off, it still has a ton of bass. I still like the Cab. Rock on!!!

I believe the spark app is the culprit that is simply pushing too much bass making it seem like it’s the cabs fault. They should really just turn the bass down across the board on the app to fix this.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Through the Spark 40 alone, it is fine for me. It is when it is hooked up to the Cab that the bass is overpowering. Yes, it can be adjusted, but it shouldn’t have to be. I just wish the Can itself had a treble, mid, and bass control. The contour switch is not enough. Thanks for the post.

@wob6776

7 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE Does it sound decent if you just try and play music into it? Would kind of determine whether this is on the cab or Spark. My Spark 40 seems to have a good bit of bass to it already, might order this and find out if I need to dial that down even more or not. Which I guess I'd be fine with doing if this makes me loud enough to play over drums.

@gdkaiser

7 ай бұрын

It’s not a deal breaker, it has so much bass, because it’s completely usable for bass ,acoustic and electric guitars… so turn down the bass…

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

@@gdkaiser Hello and thanks for the post. The frustration is that many of us already have so many presets that were set up for the Spark 40. Through the Cab, the bass is way too much. I just wish the Cab itself had a treble, mid, and bass control. That would solve the problem. The contour switch is not enough. Enjoy the Cab. Rock on.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

@@wob6776 Thanks for the post. Yes, it sounds good having music put through it. I agree the Spark 40 already has a good amount of bass. Plugging the Spark 40 in to the Cab, to me, doubles the bass. I have to turn it down for each preset. The preset you have saved for the Spark 40 needs to be adjusted for the Cab, in my opinion. Rock on.

I bought a cheap e q pedal because of the excess Bass turned the bass literally off and found a happy place the hiss is there now I no this is normal.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the post. And EQ pedal is a great idea. Yes, the hiss is annoying! We need a pedal to get rid of the hiss! Rock on.

so the spark 40 sounds at the same time with the cab or bypasses the spark 40 when the cab is connected?

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

Ай бұрын

Bypasses. When plugged in, zero sound out of the Spark 40. Zero. Rock on.

Your bass left its body at 4:57

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

Ай бұрын

Indeed. That was the bass gods! LOL!

Once you have changed the bass, rewrite it and it stays on the preset. Or make the cab version if you are going between using cab and not.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

Yes, that can be done. Just a pain. I wish the low end wasn't so much. Plus the hum from the cab is a bummer. Rock on.

@ryanholio

7 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE I've found the noise less of an issue now I've got used to it. Thought I'd be returning it but has won me over.

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

7 ай бұрын

@@ryanholio Good to hear. I do not have any plans of returning it at this point either. Rock on!!!

I'm getting an empty Soldano (their new little brat) and parking my modeller into it behind the grill and doing likewise for a joke likewise with my 15'' 2 way superb P.A. bins into a wall of pretend 4x12 cabs to get my point across we need to listen with ears, not eyes.

Equalizer

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Adjusting the EQ can help, but frustrating because all the presets that we all created already will have to be changed. A user will need one setting for the Cab and one setting for the Spark 40. Wish the Cab had manual bass, mid, and treble controls on the cabinet. That would solve all. Be well.

@LIKEFUNK

6 ай бұрын

@@LUKESTRONG4LIFE You can eliminate that issue by resetting your main use patch/s to suit the new delivery cab...that way when you change tones if needed they'll already have been trimmed to suit where they're heading next....or an easy solution is to send it first to a quick grab small silent mixer sitting on flat and dry and stereo at the usual centre or as desired etc

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

@@LIKEFUNK Agree. Those are all solutions. Just disappointed it doesn’t work WITH the Spark 40 as is with the presets I created. Thanks for the post. Rock on.

I won't buy the cab I hear too many problems with a hiss noise. And the low bass

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for the post. In the end, we all just want to make an informed decision. The Cab will be great for many, but not for all. Hope you find a Cab that works for you. All the best. Rock on.

Hahahaha it clearly uses the headphone Jack to operate. When you plug in your headphones does the amp still work. Seems like that’s given knowledge 😂

@LUKESTRONG4LIFE

2 ай бұрын

Hi Brian, If you watch the original ads that came out for the Cab, there was no mention of the headphone jack output. It was stated it "complimented" the Spark 40, not "replaced" it. That is the issue that many people had. Not the biggest deal, but consumers should have all the facts before buying a product. It is not a deal breaker for most. Overall I enjoy mine, but the "humm" is another issue! Thanks for the post and rock on!