How Good is the Positive Grid Spark Mini?

Рет қаралды 6,211

Күн бұрын

#positivegrid. #sparkmini. #spark40 #positivegridsparkmini
Concise review of the Positive Grid Spark Mini. You won't believe how much this amp fills the room with sound. Positive Grid has engineered what seems almost impossible. And believe me when I tell you that the Spark Mini is a busker's dream! I take to the streets with a guitar and the spark mini strapped to my back! In this video I answer 4 questions:
1. How does the Spark Mini compare to the Spark 40?
2. Which Spark Amp is more convenient?
3. Which Spark Amp is the better buy?
4. If you own the Spark 40 is it worth buying the Spark Mini too?
In less than 6 minutes here's all the info you'll ever need on the Spark Mini.
00:00 - Intro
00:24 - I'll answer these questions...
00:39 - Specs
00:55 - Spark Mini vs Spark 40
01:24 - Physical layout
02:48 - Clean tones
03:24 - "Dirty" tones
03:50 - Hi Gain tones
04:43 - Good for busking?
05:28 - Which is better: 40 or Mini?
06:09 - What if Taylor Swift tickets go down?
Links to My Favorite Gear
(some links below are affiliate links. Your final cost or buying experience is not affected in ANY way but I may receive a small commission from your purchase)
Rok-Lok Universal Strap Lock amzn.to/3DFKsuE
Rok-Lok Bundle (2 sets) amzn.to/3rYJAyq
12 STRING GUITARS
Vangoa 12 String (Natural) amzn.to/3XSvKK2
Vangoa 12 String (Black) amzn.to/44jQtsy
Vangoa 12 String (Sapele) amzn.to/3Derg7a
Taylor 362 12 String Guitar amzn.to/3PWYaAC
Taylor 150e 12 String Guitar amzn.to/46I5ZQN
Rickenbacker 360/12c63 FG amzn.to/3OGx67u
Rickenbacker 360/12 Maple amzn.to/3KogjUo
Takamine GJ72 12 amzn.to/46KnLmd
Yamaha FG820 12-String amzn.to/3KkokcL
Guild Starfire 12 String amzn.to/3rW01ff
SPARK AMPS
Positive Grid Spark 40 amzn.to/3XOfee7
Positive Grid Spark Mini amzn.to/3Q3PYOS
Spark Foot Controller amzn.to/44p5Uj4
Positive Grid Spark GO amzn.to/3XUK1Wv
12 STRING GUITAR STRINGS
D'Addario SX 12-String Light amzn.to/3wimWDn
EB Silk and Steel Soft 12 amzn.to/455Vsgk
EB Earthwood 12 String Light amzn.to/3QnJYAH
Elixir Strings12-String (light) amzn.to/3DwrEy1
Elixir Strings (.012.053) 3 pack amzn.to/43kphbW
Martin 12 String amzn.to/3w0ruZt
GUITAR ACCESSORIES
Music Nomad Cradle and Mat amzn.to/45d9Xzk
Music Nomad Fret polish amzn.to/35RDnGx
Music Nomad Fret conditioner amzn.to/3w3vR5L
VANGOA 12-STRING GIVEAWAY FEB/MARCH 2024 (updated 2/24)
Use any one of the affiliate links in the description of any video to go to Amazon. I receive a small commission for some items.. You DO NOT need to make a purchase to enter the contest. I just ask that you it and the next time you shop on Amazon maybe you'll remember me. :). I also ask that you subscribe to the channel and opt to receive notifications to enter. Thank you so much for your support. *If you have any questions about gear, how to play a certain song, or about anything else music related, don't hesitate to email me at markaranalli@gmail.com.*. I usually respond within 72 hours.
Thank you so much for your time and support. I truly appreciate it. -Mark
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Пікірлер: 74

@100Aces Жыл бұрын

Great video as always Mark! Always super informative!

@stankruger6823 Жыл бұрын

I just bought it. Thanks for the review!

@NDFlyFisher Жыл бұрын

I love my Spark 40. Really appreciate your advice on whether to buy both. I trust your recommendations.

@marklee6516 2 ай бұрын

I really appreciate you going the extra mile and actually seeking out footage of Liverpool city centre for your busking the Beatles 👏

@rwhit104 Жыл бұрын

Hey Mark, great video and overview. I too would be not be rushing to get one. I believe I have watched every video except the longer hour versions of your videos. I wanted to go back and see the channel growth and your approach to the video's and music made that very easy. Keep doing what you do and ROCK ON!!

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Hey Rich. You've been INCREDIBLY supportive and I truly appreciate it. When I started growing I told people that I would answer every comment no matter how big the channel got or how many comments. I was told that at 1000 subs, it would become impossible. I was able to do it until about 15k subs. I would spend hours each week (one video that did really well got 3000 comments and took me 10 hours to get through). At this point it is impossible unless I want to throw out a faceless "thanks". Personally, I'd rather not get a comment at all then get a meaningless one. Have a great weekend. Mark

@webjammer1 Жыл бұрын

If I did not already own the Spark 40 I would be fine with the mini. My only complaint is no mono direct out to connect to a PA or powered monitor. I use the headphone out in to a Radial Stage Bug SB-2 which converts stereo headphone level in to mono line level XLR output. The only issue is that it mutes the internal speaker, but at that point it is going to an iem or wedge anyway.

@bigtruckbrad Жыл бұрын

Mark, Thank you for sharing your talent and informative opinions on this channel. You have inspired me to further my guitar journey. I have been a 12 string owner now for a week, partially due to inspiration from this channel.

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Hey Brad. I'm so glad to hear that and I really appreciate you taking the time to share that with me. Sometimes I get caught up in the numbers and I know this sounds like a cheesy line but comments like yours really do make all the hard work worth it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and take care. Mark

@sandrataylor51 Жыл бұрын

Looks like a nice small amp and sounds good, but as you say if you already have the 40 then there's not much point, unless you are out and about or if you get a power cut at home 🎸🙂

@TheFreeman4955 Жыл бұрын

I have both. I use the mini most the time. I also got a cheap wireless off Amazon for the guitar and it’s great. No plugs or cords to look for or fumble with!

@alonzowhite3046 Жыл бұрын

Great Review, Man!!

@ToddS. Жыл бұрын

Great advice. Great vid. And especially great busking😮

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Thanks dude

@clemlabelle8740 Жыл бұрын

I can't believe the sound you're getting out of that thing. Good call to keep the mics wide open. Great playing too!

@michaelvaughan2520 Жыл бұрын

I have both, love both of them.

@freesk8 Жыл бұрын

I own a Spark 40. Thanks for the great review! Glad I don't have to also get a mini! :)

@dap82 Жыл бұрын

Great vid! The Mini seems pretty cool, but this video actually convinced me to go out and buy the Spark 40. It seems crazy to me that the two them are so close in price.

@roklok9856 Жыл бұрын

somebody finally put the Rok Lok to good use. Nicely done!

@amandadavidson6228 Жыл бұрын

yes

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

God gave Rok Lok n Roll to you

@stankruger6823 Жыл бұрын

Great video. I'm surprised people aren't commenting as much as usual!

@amandadavidson6228 Жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

I dont know Stan. Reviews never do as well as other videos

@besalon9931 Жыл бұрын

Yes

@besalon9931 Жыл бұрын

Great video!

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Thx

@onlyguitars Жыл бұрын

I had the Spark 40 but when I decided to change from amps to multieffects, then the Spark 40 wasn't so useful to me. I realized I wouldn't be using it and sold it. I use now a Fractal FM3 and use it on top of the desk, great size, use it with my iLoud micro monitors and are the same I sue to listen music so very straightforward and outstanding quality and options. Since that's always fixed works great for me, but the Spark 40 I used it a lot back then so was great, although I agree with some comments, was bassy, althugh the EQ pedal when they added it, improved the sound a lot. But the Mini I saw it back then being launched but just today I realized it had in built battery. And wow, that's something I find useful, plus being so small is really portable. The 40 even with a battery you can mod, its still big and something etremely portable, although it can. So just ordered the Mini, cos in my situation and my needs and with its strengths, will be able to give it some good use!

@salvadorsepulveda6415 Жыл бұрын

Good morning Mark, hope you had a great Thanksgiving 👍

@peterpedersen1641 Жыл бұрын

Hi Mark, interesting little Spark... I mess with my buddy "Cousin Vinny"'s Spark 40 and find that a great amp. This looks pretty cool. Good video review!

@amandadavidson6228 Жыл бұрын

Wow. Amazing amp,

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

It definitely is something. Technology continues to do the impossible

@ericstockman1627 Жыл бұрын

That little thing packs a punch! I like my 40 however.

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Well said. Wait, isn't that what the guy in the video said.

@guitarsrruss2009 Жыл бұрын

I only have a small practise room and it's tight for space and 10w is ample. I also use the app 95% of the time so I've just purchased a Spark Mini and am selling my Spark 40

@TheNightstalker80 2 ай бұрын

When I started playing I bought the BOSS Katana MK2 because I wanted to have decent but not to expensive amp, I knew a tube amp with decent pedals is considered "the best way" but I don't have the budget and also need to play at moderate volume which is a bit inconvinient on a tube amp. However, the BOSS is cool, you can do pretty much everything but then you can't because you always have to plug it to your PC. Also it is big which is good for the sound but sucks if you wan't to move it. If you have a dedicated room or place in your house / flat where you can have a permanent Setup with all the Stuff then that (or even a tube amp + all the pedals) is great. However, I always felt the need of a smaller, more portable and, most of all, more easy to control modeling amp. I love messing with different sounds but almost never did on the BOSS because I always had to plug it to my Laptop. Then the Spark 40 came and I was really excited but I wished it had a battery because I wanted to simply take it with me wherever I go. So when the Spark Mini was announced it was an instant day 1 buy for me. I ordered and couldn't wait to get it ... And I don't regret it at all, it is exactly what I was hoping for. I can change sounds within second and even edit them, it sound's great for it's size (definitely enough for a typical room) and you have all you need on board. For a more professional use it's missing a few things like several dedicated dials, a footswitch (even tho there's a way to use one but it's not straight forward) and some other stuff but I don't really need that. If there's ONE THING I could wish for then it would be some sort of looper functionality, that's the one thing I really would like to have!

@glorman123 Жыл бұрын

I like the sound of the Mini better than the 40! I sold my 40.

@Xantulle 11 ай бұрын

Me too! I love fender clean sounds, and the 40 was too muddy/bassy for me, mini sounds more clear!

@blakewilliams3702 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video. Is the battery the regular replaceable type or an internal rechargeable? Have you run the battery down to see what kind of run-time one can expect? Sorry I missed the live chat and video premier, is there a way to see the chat transcript? Thanks Mark!!

@felixuscinewicz4660 Жыл бұрын

You can a battery on the 40.

@bobshomewoodshop7996 Жыл бұрын

I switched accounts to give you a second thumbs up, then the screen went blank and there was no sound. I wondered what I did wrong, but when I went to play the video back I found that there is no sound or picture after 6:22, but the total time is 7:59. What happened?

@grievouserror Жыл бұрын

Great video, Mark, and a completely impressive amp. Still acoustic at the moment, how would it work with an electric acoustic?

@freesk8 Жыл бұрын

Pardon me for butting in, may I answer your question? Unless you are busking or doing a coffee shop gig, you don't need an amp for an acoustic guitar, whether it has an internal pickup or not. I am like 75% of the time on my acoustic, and I never use my acoustic amp. The only time I have used an amp was for open mic gigs, and they always have their own sound system. But, if you do fancy the need for an amp, I suggest the Fishman Loudbox. Get the bigger one, the one with the phantom power. (The "mini" does not have phantom power.) That way if you ever need it for a gig, you can plug a condenser mic right in. The condenser mics are much better than regular ones, and they need phantom power, and it is a pain to carry around one extra little power-supply box just for your condenser mic. Just my 2 cents! :)

@grievouserror Жыл бұрын

@@freesk8 No need to apologize and thank you for your viewpoint. It was a casual interest since the last thing I really want to do at the moment is amplify the sounds I make. I've had this acoustic electric for a couple of years and have never found the need for an amp either. I can, however, imagine that there could conceivably dawn a day when those circumstances might have changed. Even less likely, but still a non-zero probability, is that I might improve to the point where I'd feel justified in getting an electric again. Either way, I have to agree that I don't have a burning need for an amplifier at the moment. Unless I decide I'd like to experiment with a few well-chosen pedals, just for fun.

@freesk8 Жыл бұрын

@@grievouserror One thing that IS fun about an amp for an acoustic is reverb.

@TheVitalEdge Жыл бұрын

Spark Mini looks like a little brother of Spark 40. What they do with app accessibility is amazing. I guess it has its place but the 40 is not that much bigger in size and the price differential is not that big. Have you tried out the Fender Mini Mustang? You need headphones as it is a practice amp without speakers. I am impressed with its presets. You can dial in just about any sound you can think of. I'd like to hear your opinion... a video, perhaps? #10

@ernestochang1744 4 сағат бұрын

Spark mini sounds harsh in the high frequencies and Tiny, while the spark 40 may sound like a muddled mess of bass it can eventually be dialed out by setting bass to 0.5 and treble to 7

@malcolmbrewer Жыл бұрын

I just ordered one online. Looks legit, $239 usd. Other sellers are almost $80 more. Does this price sound ok?

@kevbob Жыл бұрын

Do you need an account to store your settings with Positive Grid amps? If so, is it a subscription? How about if you get a phone call during your playing, is anything interrupted? I too think the $230 price is too high for the mini. I was enthused when I first saw it teased some time back but I really think this is no higher than a $125 amp. I’m satisfied with my mini Vox amp for this use case.

@kaushvaidya7429 Жыл бұрын

Mini me!

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Your comment says 'translate to English'. Lol

@jadm110 Жыл бұрын

the spark mini looks cool, can we get the amp at retail stores or do we have to order from spark

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Hey jadm. You can get on Amazon. I'm not sure if they have it in stores. They should though. PG would sell a lot more of these if people heard what they sound like in the room. If they hired a rep to play one at the entrance to every Guitar Center, every 5th person that walked into the store would walk out with one. Thanks for checking out the video. Take care and have a great day. Mark

@roberthudson9942 Жыл бұрын

Oh and you are on Edinburgh Scotland

@tomg8888 Жыл бұрын

Nice, small amp, how would it work for an acoustic?

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Pretty well. That vid is coming soon

@tomg8888 Жыл бұрын

@@8MinuteAxe Great!

@davidnellis8893 Жыл бұрын

This is #8 for the 12 string give away.

@katecandland905 Жыл бұрын

How do I enter the giveaway

@christopherfoss6528 Жыл бұрын

@yellowcat1310 Жыл бұрын

so do you only announce winners at the end of the chat during the livestream? i've only seen it one time but then somehow even when i'm right by my computer i seem to miss the livestreams. i suppose you email them too.anyway, off to find vids with under 1k views.

@alainaherman Жыл бұрын

@emac1652 Жыл бұрын

Seems kinda pricey, but looks fun. #7

@williammolina9792 24 күн бұрын

If you go 80% of volume, it will rattle...

@roberthudson9942 Жыл бұрын

I do like the mini but the wife will kill me if I buy more stuff

@user79592 Жыл бұрын

Tell her to sell some of those shoes 🤣

@roberthudson9942 Жыл бұрын

@@user79592 can’t say much to her she bought me a Gibson Les Paul for Christmas

@Billsingsong Жыл бұрын

How much is it too much talking let’s hear it and then talk

@8MinuteAxe Жыл бұрын

Hey Bill. Fair enough. For what it's worth, the average review takes over 4 minutes to get to the playing. I usually start each video with playing. This time I opted for a 2 minute intro. I was thinking the same thing though. I should have hit it with some playing early on. I do make it a point to always have a minimum of 50% of every video playing and not yapping. I'm not sure if you follow the channel but if you do you'll notice that recently it's been more like 80% playing. Anyway, thanks so much for checking out the video. I appreciate your candidness and for taking the time to give me some constructive feedback. Have a great week and take care. Mark

@Billsingsong Жыл бұрын

@@8MinuteAxe even your reply is lengthy and verbose😁

@irishoak7269 Жыл бұрын

I tried paying attention, but I can't stop looking at that PRS Mark is holding. In my opinion the BEST cheap amps that ever existed were those Gorilla amps from the 90's. They were pretty damn loud and built to last!

@nostalgicnicknacks 15 күн бұрын

Great video!

@8MinuteAxe 10 күн бұрын

As much as I want to thank you for the kind words right now I'm hung up on the fact that I have no recollection of making that thumbnail. I wish more of my thumbnails were more creative. I'm grateful for your time and comment. Have a great day. Mark

@nostalgicnicknacks 10 күн бұрын

@@8MinuteAxe you’re very welcome! We all learn and grow! Still working on my KZfaq thumbnails myself! It’s an art in and of itself. 👍🏻