Use it as a preamp. Then, you can use all the apps. Like having all the grid programs ran into your favorite amp. I love it. For 129 it's cheaper than alot of stomp boxes. You will need a mini stero 8th inch adapter. We all have one laying around. Very cool.

Positive Grid really seems to be nailing the digital simulations with each new product… very impressive!

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

True.

I just bought one, and not only is it very handy for transportation, but people tend to forget that all of these devices have a headphone jack on them... Which means that when I'm at home, I pair it with a JBL Partybox 310 and it sounds really good. Often when people complain about the sound quality of these small devices, they tend to forget that these are small portable speakers, they're not meant to sound the best in the world. They're made to be enough and portable, and if you couple that with a good sound system, the problem is solved since suddenly the speaker is no longer an issue. Everything will depend on the quality of the modeling. And I sold my tube amps and a transistor to switch to a more minimalist setup, I'm keeping a Spark mini, a Spark go, my old Roland Micro cube, and my Fender LT40s, and not only does it sound way better than any tube amp, but in addition to that, it's much lighter and less bulky.

@daniellarson3068

Жыл бұрын

Yes - I fretted quite a while whether to put money towards this thing. I did. I was surprised that it is kind of rugged. I found it's great for listening to podcasts. I found the headphone jack can be plugged into the class D amp driving my old Roland Cube 80 speaker. It sounds pretty good. (The Cube amp bought the farm some time ago.) It works sort of like a pedal. As you said it's a good minimalist setup. Good review from Elmo. If you try the headphone thing, start with low volumes to protect your amp.

@renodavid

Жыл бұрын

You nailed it. I’m doing a similar thing with my little Nux Mighty Amp. The Nux sounded much too tinny (like a transistor radio from my youth) on its own, but once I plugged it into my old Fly 3 and its extension cabinet, it sounded quite decent. The combination actually works perfectly for my living room noodlings. I imagine the JBL takes things to another level. 🤘😮👍 I think I’ll keep an eye out for a good deal on a Go. It would be fun to play with.

@alexdenton6586

Жыл бұрын

@@renodavid with the JBL it’s completely different , very good basss etc I was shocked at first

@renodavid

Жыл бұрын

@@alexdenton6586 Yeah, that’s quite a powerful speaker you’ve got there. I wonder how it compares to one of the FRFR guitar speakers out there. I bet there’s not much difference.

@alexdenton6586

Жыл бұрын

@@renodavid I've tried the Headrush 12 inches and honestly it was worse so I've returned it The big JBL is way better for this

You are the only one I can trust in review gears. Great job again! Thank you! 👍

I like your reviews, they are straight forward honest. I didn't know how good of a guitar player you are, until you said you were on Spotify. I was truly amazed at how good you are. Very talented.

It does record really well via usb....I threw together something quick in Garage Band & the guitar/bass parts I recorded sounded really great...Excellent demo as usual...

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

For ultra portable this Spark Go fits in the tiny pouch on a Traveler guitar case with wireless transmitters. It’s unbelievable how flexible that is.

Thanks Elmo, great playing and demo, as always. Its a fun little piece to play around with, provided you run it into an effects loop, of a Real Amp. The stock speaker sounds even worse than imagined, Trash, but the app alone, is worth the low price. Id highly recommend to Buy an adapter cord when you order this toy.

I have a Go and I wouldn't even really consider using it as an actual amp with the speaker. But as a headphone amp it's pretty brilliant.

Thanks as always for your honest review…🎉Cheers Elmo have a Great Day see ya next week 🙏✌️❤️

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Rick! See you on Thursday :)

I got the Spark Mini two weeks ago. I picked it due to extreme portability. My second home is 3 000km away and this is perfect to carry between homes.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Sure is.

Got this for my son for his first guitar. The spark go with the app is a great combo for a beginner. It's a lot of fun to play around with the available sounds. The retail price is good for all of the functions. If you get it through Musician's Friend, you can get an even better price.

You're going to blow that tiny thing up playing Queen through it 😄Amazing sound. It's a lot better then the ones that were around when I was growing up

@christophersheeler4380

Жыл бұрын

The return of the fake Elmo. ☹

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

@@christophersheeler4380 I reported the channel.

OLD amps, cheap to buy and lots of good stuff. Good review and you give good advice. Great playing.

@MrPolevaulter

11 ай бұрын

Thanks!

I think it is worth noting, that if you are mainly going to use it with headphones, then the smaller version will be fine. Also if you can plug in to a good stereo system or studio monitors via the line out/hedphone out, it doesn’t matter which one you get. And yes I do have both 😂😂😂

Just got the spark mini. It is absolutely amazing for this type of amp and for the money. Its a bit expensive overall, but look at how much money you save on buying pedals. The spark app with all of the effects is a true game changer. And being able to download other peoples settings for certain sounds is great.

@ActivateBeastMode1

Жыл бұрын

It's all most guitarists outside of working gigging pros really need

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

It sure is good.

Sounded good to me Elmo. I have to confess that I had the Spark amp for a time but overall I wasn't all that impressed. It sounded ok to me and having all the bells and whistles was interesting and fun, but the tone just wasn't there for me. Great video!

Jus ordered one 😊

Elmo, your modeling skills are to die for! Hahahaha!

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Haha 🤣

I got it a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t really realize how small it is. It’s tiny. It’s plenty loud for me to play around with my guitar and the app is great.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Cool bananas :)

aint talkin bout love! also i would like to see one made with a 12" speaker

I am such a huge fan of this device! Sits on my desk wherever I am, and makes practicing on the go with good tone/options a breeze. Looking forward to exploring the rest of Positive Grid's product line!

Shiny ! Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Cheers!

0:22 - that was classic comedy perkele 🤣👍

You know, I’m not big on this whole modeling thing, BUT, this sounds pretty good!

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

It does, yeah.

tHANKS A LOT FOR THE SONGS YOU MUST HAVE THE LOGICIEL OR IT S INCLUDE IN

It's amazing how much you can get in such a small box and make it sound kinda decent. Would be fun if you could pair this with some Bluetooth headphones, that would be perfect for traveling (you might bring headphones or in-ears anyways).

@csh9853

Жыл бұрын

It has Bluetooth so I don't know why you couldn't.

@rjScubaSki

Жыл бұрын

@@csh9853It is a bluetooth audio target but doesn’t seem to support being a source. Hard to know if that could be added in an update.

@Saif-bi6zd

11 ай бұрын

Bluetooth would be too laggy anyway

@chadhosegood342

9 ай бұрын

You can achieve that by plugging a BT Transmitter into the Headphone Output

I've got this one. I've been impressed with sound for the size. But mostly I use it with headphones. Spark go replaced fender Mustang micro as my practice solution. It's more flexible. 👍🤟🙂

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Cool bananas :)

@Dami1rush

11 ай бұрын

,Hi, does it sound better with headphones?

@Stu411

7 ай бұрын

@@Dami1rush Yes, if you have proper good headphones.

The other compromise is the Riff and use headphones/laptop/pad/phone. Same software, device drops to walkman size, and the budget goes on the extras. Oddly, seen Spark reviews, but not Riff ones.

Hi Elmo I have a Spark 40 and it's really good (possibly a tad bass heavy but hey, you can sort that quite easily). I think though that while the wee tiny Spark Go fella ain't bad, the Spark Mini just sounds so much better than it, in general, especially on cleaner settings. However the caveat is that, what do you really expect from something so damn small? It is a great fun tool for sitting in the back garden and having a wee go without driving your neighbours nuts, which is quite a good thing. Also you could play along with a guy on an acoustic and not drown him out, which is also good. I have an open opinion on it really, for some folks it'll be better for them than others - depends very much on what you're aiming for I suppose. Anyway that's my two quids worth. All the best. Alex the K

I have it and fits me (moving through floors with guitar and the go). It is definitely not perfect, but comes very near. I would like to have more out ports (normal jack/L+R), maybe 25% more vol, cheaper footswitch option, the Hendrix package is very expensive and it is a bit unpleasant that this might be the software's future. Update: it is like a swiss pocket knife, can replace many things: amp, multieffects, pc interface, headphone plugamp, tuner and so on but ofc has it limits. The build quality feels nice an sturdy, but 150EUR is too much, got it for 100EUR for preorder. More updates: forget the factory presets, make your own, also there is a very important but also very hidden setting which let you choose do you have a high output pickup or low output, this will make the crackle go away, for me I have a high output ceramic humbucker in the bridge so I choose the high output option and it has maybe 5% less vol but the crackling is gone which was present at max vol.

The phase effect is very close to the sound of an actual MXR Phase 90 pedal. 3:38

I have that and take it places and use it with headphones when people are sleeping

I have the whole set of spark amps now and they're all really awesome. The best part of having multiple versions is the same app stuff works across all of them. The app is really the big improvement over other similar amps since it works awesome and has a ton of features. My own review would be that the spark 40 has the best ASIO audio interface capability but is a bit too bassy with the stock speakers, and requires AC power. The Spark mini currently doesn't have ASIO driver support for audio interface but I find the Mini to be the best in terms of functionality and overall sound for the size. Mini is small enough to put in carry-on luggage, and is a great bluetooth speaker for listening to music. The spark go has all the same functionality with the app but has the same lack of ASIO support as the mini. Spark Go is probably the best option for bedroom practice or headphones use, and fits in a backpack or gig bag pocket easily. Supposedly ASIO support will be added at some point. I agree with Elmo that the Mini is the best of the three to get unless you're needing extreme portability. The Spark 40 is usable for live gigs and can go pretty loud, like small club or coffee shop type gigs. The mini would be fine for busking/street performance stuff and is battery powered. The Spark Go is probably too small and thin sounding for live performance except maybe subways or places where you can't play loud at all.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Cheers!

@tweakrr99

10 ай бұрын

Update: Positive Grid just added ASIO drivers for the Spark Mini and Spark Go amps!

Is it finally time to re-examine the guitar with the built in speaker?😮 I remember the disappointing I had with the 1 from my childhood.

Elmo could plug into a shoe box and make that sound good

@francoisthibeaux-brignoles8399

Жыл бұрын

Pretty much. It's mainly the person, and only then the gear.

@stas.kobets

11 ай бұрын

That’s why it’s be great to see the little-to-zero experienced guitar player trying that amp

I've noticed one thing about all of these tiny amps........ you can either get great sound quality or you can get effects. The Spark Mini is the best combo of the two, but still comes up short on the sound quality for my tastes. I do love the mini though, it's good enough at everything that I'd tell people to wait and save up for it....and maybe catch it on a Christmas season sale price if they're really that cash-strapped.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'd go for the Mini as well.

@csh9853

Жыл бұрын

All of them can be connected to bigger speakers via Bluetooth or cable if you need more power and bigger sound.

For the size it is great, but for me it was a return and upgrade to the mini. I could not make out the power or any of the lighted buttons in the sun. They were under the thick (reinforced rubber?) and again not visible out. Then the volume, or what it is its great but just needed that extra mini which again for me is where it's at!

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, the buttons can be a pain I would imagine.

Spark Mini is $46 off on Prime Day. Got mine 👍

I had the 40-watt version, and it sounded great but sold it on because at the end of the day it's limited by the small speakers. The modeling is great but the speakers don't do it justice.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I ended up selling mine as well.

Think of all the possibilities... of being the reason the nearest grocery store has "no electric guitars, no amps" sign on the front door!

I got the mini, I like it.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

So do I.

I love it

@mhenkka

Жыл бұрын

I have Spark40, but this I can play at my cottage where I have only solar power...

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Cool 😊

Have you even thought of making a patch and uploading for everyone to use? I’d be really interested in downloading one if you decide to do it. I like really your tone presets when you play neo classical stuff 😊

@MrPolevaulter

11 ай бұрын

I think I put it up on my Patreon.

00:30 missed opportunity for PANTERA "walk"

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Did "Walk Thid Way" instead 😀

What specific pickups are you using in that strat? It sounds great, and I just wanna do the research and see if they’re something that would help my overall sound! Btw, I got the Keeley darkside pedal! Two words for you bro; GET ONE!!!! I absolutely love it!

@MrPolevaulter

11 ай бұрын

Seymor Duncan Little 59, DiMarzio HS-3 and some single coil in the middle, which I can't remember.

😂😂IMAO....ELMO ( 0,40) I imagine you like a musician street ...with that faces.... You made me laugh a lot... 😊 .

@MrPolevaulter

11 ай бұрын

😊

When Eric Clapton starts using one on stage , then I'll buy one . 😊. On the other hand the Spark 40 is more my league . On the other other hand Elmo likes it so it must be good , great , better then the competition . 🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🎸🎸🎸🎸✨✨✨✨✨☮️

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

I think we'll have to wait a while to see Clapton using one of these live 😂

@trevorgwelch7412

Жыл бұрын

@@MrPolevaulter It would be a great promotion for Spark

@chrishyde1216

10 ай бұрын

I'm just imagining one of these on stage with Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall.

It can be used with a nylon string guitars?

I think I will stick with searching for a Roland Mini cube. I found one for $80 U.S. but the voice selector pot has some issues. Thanks Elmo! Skal!

@fretworkband3204

Жыл бұрын

I paid about that for one a year or so ago, and now it’s my main practice amp. The on/off switch is broken so I just leave it on and turn off the switch on the multi outlet.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

The Roland is a brilliant amp still.

Is it possible that you will also test the Kramer Baretta Special when the opportunity arises? I would be interested in how good the guitar for 199€ really is or if it's just a hype.

@MrPolevaulter

11 ай бұрын

Maybe at some point.

What is the recommended headphone impedance?

the usb audio doesn't work so well on mine either. when trying to use it as a speaker it goes to full volume and you can't turn it down via the spark or the connected device.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear.

Check out some great alternatives.

The Mini wins hands down for me. If you can afford the extra 100 the 3 speaker sound is far better. The Go is surprisingly good for the size, but you can't 'chug' on it.

Elmo how is the Mini in sound compared to the Micro Cube? I also have the old micro and looking for something with more options.

@MrPolevaulter

9 ай бұрын

I use the Mini these days and also a Micro Cube. Happy with both. The Mini is probably a bit better, but only just.

So, in a teaching situation Spark Mini would be more enjoyable to play through? Either student, teacher or both having one?

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

More enjoyable than what?

How do you make a custom amp/pedal chain? I own one just don't know how to do it

@MrPolevaulter

10 ай бұрын

Not sure I understand the question.

They should make the speaker as the same as the mini Bose portable speaker

Spark Go vs Blackstar Fly3 charge Which one is better sound ??

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Spark imo.

How does the Spark Go headphone sound quality compare with the Fender Mustang Micro? Thinking about getting this but not sure if its worth getting because of the external speaker option.

@MrPolevaulter

10 ай бұрын

Didn't try it, as I never use headphones. Sorry.

@jimmyjames2022

7 ай бұрын

Good question! No direct experience with the Go sim engine but I have Positive Grids Bias FX2/Amp sim engine on a PC and the Bias amp sims beat the Mustang Micro non Fender sims. The Micro has no gain control only volume, you can only get gain in the amps selections, while the Go sims have gain control in the phone app. The Mustang Micro Fender amp sims are pretty good but the fx are pretty limited. That said the Micro is tiny and very portable and the headphone quality is fine. I'm contemplating the GO for a headphone amp cause with the phone app it's pretty versatile and it's the same price as the Mustang Micro in Canada. Gave my Micro to my grandson.

im a fool for min amps i bought a lot of junk ill get this also

Spark Go or Katana mini for just home noodling? Which would you choose?

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Probably the Go.

@danpena4472

Жыл бұрын

@@MrPolevaulter Wow..

Hey nice review!! I just got one but I don’t now how to get my favourite to the preset can you help me please thanks 🙏

@MrPolevaulter

3 ай бұрын

You don't know how to save a preset?

@izdou1

3 ай бұрын

@@MrPolevaulter thanks for your reply I did it very easily on my spark 40 watts but I struggling on the mini go. For example I select preset 3 go to my favourite on the app select a preset and save but for some reason when I go back to preset 3 on the amp it’s not saved and it’s the preset that comes with the amp. Thanks for your help

@MrPolevaulter

3 ай бұрын

@@izdou1 Don't know what the problem is.

@izdou1

3 ай бұрын

@@MrPolevaulter it’s ok Thanks for taking the time to answer Have a great day!

review blackstar debut 50r

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

I have the smaller one waiting.

Is your mahogany yjm strat wired 250k or 500k?

@MrPolevaulter

11 ай бұрын

Can't remember.

agree, the Mini is better and should be worth the price diff, unless you you want to do the funny stuff you did in the intro then you need the Go

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Yeah.

New Demo Riffs... me likey...

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Glad you do :)

I got mini it's just not loud enough. I should've gotten 40 watt version.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear.

@quit293

Жыл бұрын

@@MrPolevaulter but your reviews are fantastic Elmo!!

I like small amps but this is going too small, sounds way better than the lil mini amps from the big brands.

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Fair enough.

you selling the Spark MIni

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Nope. Still keeping that.

Is there a his problem? I hear that mini has some issues...

@MrPolevaulter

5 ай бұрын

Mine hasn't.

It seems like a toy. Searching for more info, I'm seeing they're only saling it on the Positive Grid website and apparently they send it from Hong Kong... what about the EU import taxes, VAT, etc?

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

None when I bought it. They sent it from somewhere in Europe. I forget from where now.

@fungar

Жыл бұрын

@@MrPolevaulter That's good to know, thanks!

0:12 - have you spoken japanese here? 🤣

Tiny price? Don't know. For nearly the same price you can get a real Valve amp (HB Tube 5).

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

It's not a lot, especially for something this versatile and good, although there are cheaper amps out there.

@sunlightevidence4359

7 ай бұрын

You kidding. I bought it for $100.

It was all going so well until... Peppa Pig! 😱 Brought back memories/trauma of a day spent at Peppa Pig World here in the UK when our kids were... Well, into Peppa Pig. It was not a good phase. Have you noticed how the extremely annoying Miss Rabbit seems to be able to drive, operate and fly EVERYTHING!? 😲

@MrPolevaulter

Жыл бұрын

Haha :D

Or……… Get a spark 40 with a battery pack

Shame about the software so unreliable

this thing is awesome, fits in the pocket of my gig bag. i use to lug my deluxe reverb around when I would spend nights at my gfs place and wanted to practice but those days are over lmao.