Postive Grid Spark Go Thread

[rwillett]

Just got my Positive Grid Spark Go turn up. I ordered it 29/3/23 so six weeks isn't bad.

 

First impressions about the box are positive (no pun intended), you get the amp suspended in a pretty secure cardboard box with simple instructions, spare straps, a USB cable (It's USB-C based) and a spare grill in a slightly different colour.

 

It comes with a bit of battery in, so I downloaded the Spark app from Apple. It looks very simlar to Bias FX 2 which I have and I like. It has four presets that can be selected in the app or on the top of the amp itself.  None are bass orientated which is no surprise and no hardship as the four presets can be overwritten with whatever you like.

 

Easy to connect via bluetooth.

 

On the app itself there are a range of styles to choose from, Pop, Blues, Rock, Metal, Alternate, Bass and Acoustic. In each of the styles there are a few setups, so Bass has "Bass Driver" and "Comped Cleaner"

 

 

 

I'm afraid I have no idea what these are based on, so feel free to enlighten me.

 

Along the top of the app are the effect pedals, selecting them makes them show up in a large size on the bottom of the screen and you can change the values of the dials by dragging up and down. Much the same as most apps to be honest, so easy to use and consistent.

 

I've left the amp charging up, not sure how long that will take, once charged I'll plug a bass in and see if it actually works.

 

Rob

 

[Crusoe]

I've got one on order, so hopefully this means it will arrive soon.

[rwillett]

It looks nice, it's compact and nicely designed. I'll give it a few more hours and plug a bass in. I'm doing my rugby level 2 coaching award tomorrow, so for once I'm knuckling down and revising.

[rwillett]

Fired the Spark Go amp, connected it to my iPhone and played some music. Sounds nice and loud.

 

Connected it to a Fender Jazz, selected a bass amp and speaker and not so good. Really struggling to get any volume out of it and it sounds tinny with the bottom 'E'. It did sound very loud earlier so not sure what is happening. Sounds better on headphones. I'll keep experimenting but at this moment in time, the NUX Mighty Plug sounds better but is limited as its really headphones only.

[uk_lefty]

If you go onto the webpage for Positive Grid and download some better amps hopefully it improves your experience. I had the Spark full size version and thought it was tinny and disappointing but different presets sound so much better. Hopefully it's the same on the Go! Good luck.

[rwillett]

Just now, uk_lefty said:

If you go onto the webpage for Positive Grid and download some better amps hopefully it improves your experience. I had the Spark full size version and thought it was tinny and disappointing but different presets sound so much better. Hopefully it's the same on the Go! Good luck.

thanks. Will do so.

[rwillett]

Downloaded a fair few bass setups and the Spark Go is not much better, I have it on my desk and its not much louder than them. Music played through the iPhone is actually really good and loud enough. Playing through the bass is tinny and not good. headphones are better but I already have a NUX Mighty Plug.

 

I really, really want to like this, but the bass guitar volume output is so low and so tinny, it's not usable in my view. The speaker is so small, I can't see how it can even pump out the bass.

 

If anybody else has one on a bass guitar, let me know your views, otherwise it's not good enough and is going back. If it was £50-£60 I'd keep it for the iPhone, but at over £100, there are better bluetooth speakers.

Rob

[uk_lefty]

That's not good, the bigger unit is ok as a practice amp once you get some other settings on it but bass does just need bigger speakers.

[Greg Edwards69]

On 13/05/2023 at 19:35, rwillett said:

but at this moment in time, the NUX Mighty Plug sounds better but is limited as its really headphones only.

That's easily fixed by plugging it into a powered speaker, such as a nearfield monitor, frfr speaker, or regular bass amp, or even a battery-powered portable Bluetooth speaker (if it has a mini-jack aux in). I've done all of these and it works better than expected. So much so, I take mine to gigs (with an extra long mini jack-to-jack lead and adaptor) as a backup to my Helix.

Edited May 18, 2023 by Greg Edwards69

[rwillett]

@Greg Edwards69

 

Thanks for the update, its on my list to try it out, My Ampeg has a line in, just time to actually do things seems difficult to find

 

Do you simply take the stereo output and plug it in to the amp, or do you use an adaptor to combine them into mono or some other way of doing this.

 

All information welcomed.

Rob

[rwillett]

On 14/05/2023 at 19:10, uk_lefty said:

That's not good, the bigger unit is ok as a practice amp once you get some other settings on it but bass does just need bigger speakers.

Spark support have come back to help, likely to be the weekend before I get chance to pull a video together to demonstrate the issue. I would have thought other people on here would have a Spark Go and couldcomment.

 

Rob

[Greg Edwards69]

2 hours ago, rwillett said:

@Greg Edwards69

 

Thanks for the update, its on my list to try it out, My Ampeg has a line in, just time to actually do things seems difficult to find

 

Do you simply take the stereo output and plug it in to the amp, or do you use an adaptor to combine them into mono or some other way of doing this.

 

All information welcomed.

Rob

I use a long TRS to TRS (stereo) 3.5mm lead, then a 3.5mm TRS to 6.35mm TS adaptor to convert it to mono for the speaker.

 

Whilst it's technically possible to do it the other way round with a standard guitar lead and a 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter, I reckon the weight of the guitar lead would break the adaptor off inside the mighty plug.

 

FWIW, I'm considering replacing the mighty plug with a Mooer Prime P1. Whilst the Mighty Plug is great for a lot of things, it doesn't do a couple of things I need for practice, such as a pitch shifter, and octaver. This is also one of the things that has stopped me getting a Spark amp. I also have a Blackstar Core ID Beam, which is okay for bass, but again lacks a couple of essential features and can sound a bit 'woolly' and unrefined in the low end. I'm thinking a Mooer Prime P1 and a PJB Nano X4 could be a potent little practice combo.

[rwillett]

After a lot of to and fro with their customer support (who were very good), and downloading loads of different tones, playing through a Fender Jazz and an El Cheapo Precision Bass Clone I never managed to get it sounding like I'd like it to.

 

I did try it with a Westone 6-string electric and the Spark Go sounded very good indeed and if I was just after a little practise amp for lead and rhytmn practise, I'd keep the Spark Go, no questions at all.

 

Also playing songs through Bluetooth from my iPhone was very good. Not quite as good as my Bose Soundlink but not bad at all.

 

I'm kinda tempted to keep it and give it to my daughter who is learning to play guitar but I have a little Marshall practise amp thats probably better suited to her.

 

We also have a NUX Mighty Plug which is even simpler to use than the Spark Go, the NUX is headphones only but thats the tradeoff for such a small size.

 

I think the Spark Go is a great little amp for just everybody apart from bass players, so it'll have to go back, which is sad, because it's got so many things going for it, just not for me

 

Rob

[uk_lefty]

Shame it went that way but the form seems just too small for bass. There's plenty of good multi instrument practice amps out there, the "full size" Spark and the Blackstar BEAM are both adequate bass practice amps but come in to their own when used to record. Also, Fender's old Bronco 40 bass amp was impressive so I expect their newer modelling amps are very good.