Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier - DEMOS ADDED

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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby Phrygian » Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:08 pm

Tigerdaisy wrote:Sounds like a good piece of equipment...however some of the reviews on Amazon complain of humming and hissing noises, plus they say the plug isn't 'grounded' (not earthed?) I'm assuming you've not had any of these problems...


Yes, depending on the effects chosen and settings, the Spark can be noisy. It has a noise gate though, which is effective.

One feature that Dave hasn't mentioned, or I overlooked in his comments, is that users can contribute patches to the cloud. There are quite a few Hank Marvin/Shadows inspired patches available. I look forward to Dave sharing a few.
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby dave robinson » Fri Dec 17, 2021 5:59 pm

I've had no issues with any humming or earthing problems, the issues I do have is the clowns that buy this stuff and don't use it properly.
Any FX unit in a real chain will bring unwanted noise, it's the nature of the beast and fuzz & distortion always attract unwanted noise, that's where setting it up properly comes into play.
Here's a track I recorded with my Zoom Q2 video camera, but I couldn't get the picture to load so it's sound only.
I plugged in the guitar with my Echomatic 2 settings and just played to the track, no special effort to get it close, it is what it is.

PEACE PIPE https://soundcloud.com/dave-robinson-85 ... -spark-amp?


KON TIKI. https://soundcloud.com/dave-robinson-85 ... al_sharing

https://soundcloud.com/dave-robinson-85 ... al_sharing
Last edited by dave robinson on Sat Dec 18, 2021 6:17 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby Tigerdaisy » Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:40 pm

dave robinson wrote:I've had no issues with any humming or earthing problems, the issues I do have is the clowns that buy this stuff and don't use its properly.
Any FX unit in a real chain will bring unwanted noise, it's the nature of the beast and istortion.
Here's a track I recorded with my Zoom Q2 video camera, but I couldn't get the picture to load so it's sound only.
I plugged in the guitar with my Echomatic 2 settings and just played to the track, no special effort to get it close, it is what it is.

PEACE PIPE https://soundcloud.com/dave-robinson-85 ... -spark-amp?


KON TIKI. https://soundcloud.com/dave-robinson-85 ... al_sharing


Lol! well that's told us!
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby dave robinson » Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:05 am

Sorry Martin that wasn't at dig at anybody here, it's the amount of idiots out there on the web who buy these things and don't read the instructions or understand how to use them, then moan about them and write meaningless drivel that ends up putting people off looking at a product. This is why I swerved it for so long, simply because all I could find were negative comments. Had my friend not bought one I wouldn't have bothered with it.
Anyway if you listen to those two tracks I think it's fairly clear cut that you can get a good Shadows tone from what's available in the amp with the app. It sounds absolutely divine with the TVS3 and today I recorded something for our new album using the Spark Amp, though not Shads related. All I can say is that it is a great little tool for my needs. :)
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby dave robinson » Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:18 am

I would add that in some ways that the way it can store four different selectable settings is very similar to the Boss Katana with it's four buttons and the way the amp models are selected is also very much the same too. I have the Katana 100 head with the little 5"speaker which is more powerful and a bit bigger, but without the practice and jamming features on the Spark.
I have opted to programme four different sounding amps, a Vox Shadows type with the echoes set to roughly Echomatic 2, a Fender Twin with tremolo & reverb, a Marshall Gary Moore sound and a clean acoustic rhythm with the option of adding a bit of chorus. That way I can use it for most practice sessions and recording on my computer. By adding my TVS3 and just using the Vox AC 30, without the Spark's effects, I have all the control over The Shadows sounds I would ever need.
Last night I wanted an instant Chris Rea sound to record the guitar part on 'Let's Dance' and just looked at the available sounds in the library on the App and found one instantly. You can do that with almost any song if you're looking for the right tone, you just search the App and a list appears from which you can choose, then if desired edit to your preference.
I keep saying it, but it's a great time to be a guitarist with all this kit available to help us. :)
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby dave robinson » Mon Dec 20, 2021 3:00 pm

I don't quite know how, but I managed to get this video up onto YouTube that I made a couple of hours ago.
It's Apache with the TVS3 going through the Spark, set as a vintage A 30. The guitar and track are both though the Spark, using the App.


https://youtu.be/Iq0mkwTLH5g
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier - DEMOS ADDED

Postby alanbakewell » Mon Dec 20, 2021 11:50 pm

Well, that'll do for me Dave.

First class tone. And a standard of playing we've come to expect.

Thanks for posting this, I enjoyed it.

Cheers, Alan.
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier

Postby hiffclall » Thu Apr 27, 2023 12:34 pm

dave robinson wrote:I don't quite know how, but I managed to get this video up onto YouTube that I made a couple of hours ago.
It's Apache with the TVS3 going through the Spark, set as a vintage A 30. The guitar and track are both though the Spark, using the App.


https://youtu.be/Iq0mkwTLH5g


That's a great video Dave and fab playing! Loved watching your other you tube videos too.

That spark amp looks amazing!
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier - DEMOS ADDED

Postby dave robinson » Fri Apr 28, 2023 2:09 am

It is a good piece of kit and I'm pleased that my efforts to show what it is capable of have reached people here on this forum.
Over time though, I found that I didn't need it for my practicing and I let my son have it as he needed an amp exactly like that one.
I have a battery powered practice amp, the Roland Cube Street EX that allows me to stream BTs through it, as well as act as a PA system too, which is more useful to me. I also used it for music at a family party recently as it's got 50 watts of power so more versatile than the Spark for my personal needs. The Spark is a great little amp and I've proved it's good for Shads stuff which was my intention as most demos are in favour of grunge.
For quiet or silent practice, I now have the NU-X Mp3 Mighty Plug Pro. :)
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Re: Positive Grid 'Spark' amplifier - DEMOS ADDED

Postby hiffclall » Fri Apr 28, 2023 11:51 am

dave robinson wrote:It is a good piece of kit and I'm pleased that my efforts to show what it is capable of have reached people here on this forum.
Over time though, I found that I didn't need it for my practicing and I let my son have it as he needed an amp exactly like that one.
I have a battery powered practice amp, the Roland Cube Street EX that allows me to stream BTs through it, as well as act as a PA system too, which is more useful to me. I also used it for music at a family party recently as it's got 50 watts of power so more versatile than the Spark for my personal needs. The Spark is a great little amp and I've proved it's good for Shads stuff which was my intention as most demos are in favour of grunge.
For quiet or silent practice, I now have the NU-X Mp3 Mighty Plug Pro. :)


Thanks Dave. Very useful info!

I use VST amp sims for my recording work as I often get requests from clients for modifications weeks / months / sometimes years after my initial recordings and I need to have instant recall rather than having to try and match the amp sound / microphone placement again. Also. I don't think any of my clients would really know the difference between an amp sim and the real deal. Occasionally I get someone who thinks he / she might, and they want to know what vintage guitar / amp etc I use. They're usually looking for the word "valve" or "tube" in there somewhere too....sigh.... That's a small part of my reason for looking at a "marvin" purchase.

For clean tones I don't enjoy playing through an amp sim as much as when I had an amp (I had among others, a 4x10 traynor amp which was lovely - alongside a wem copycat). I've been thinking about getting an amp again for practice / noodling. Was wondering if the spark might be an answer as there isn't much space in the studio. It also has that recall thing via the amp. Still doesn't solve the mic placement issue...... Hmmmmm food for thought.

I play keyboard live (not guitar any more) and have just upgraded to 2x QSC cp8 powered speakers which are lovely. They're small / light enough to lug around but really pack a nice clean punch for my Nord keyboard at rehearsals. Haven't tried them at a gig yet though.

I know what you mean about "grunge". So many VST amp sim demos are distorted to hell. I think that's because the clean sounds often show up the flaws :-)
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