@astrofreq Yeah it is such a gem, I can not understand why manufacturers have not made these "smart amps" earlier. Positive Grid is miles ahead of any of the other manufacturers, especially with the app and all of the decent to great training tools you get with this product. What other product can I play music from youtube while at the same time playing to that music with my guitar with different guitar sounds even through headphones or out in the park with rechargeable batteries like this unit ? I can not think of any other product, this should be on every guitar players checklist to get. I have even seen many artists and pro-guitarists use these Spark products back-stage =)
Exactly that’s my favorite thing gone are the days of buying one pedal or amp at a time super cool loving Tec for guitar these days nothing more fun than having a backup band compared to a metronome like 30yr ago
Glad you finally gave that amp a little attention. lol I'm liking it. Thanks for all the crazy AI stuff too. From the middle of the desert in New Mexico.,. USA.
this is gonna become the norm in the future for all modelers I bet, all the headrushes, helixes, axe FXes, quad cortexes, and anything else. I wonder how this approach will work for profilers though, like all the kempers, tonexes, etc.
I own all the Spark amps-the 40, Mini, and Go-and the cab. I use them all the time. I just got my Spark 2 yesterday, and it's greatly improved. The looper is fun to nerd out on. No regrets here.
@gazzaduce3424 Definitely, yes, it's louder and better than my Mini in is own way. The only thing is that it's bigger in size. I use the Mini to play on the couch quietly and use the Spark 2 to practice louder and use all the features it has, so they both have their perks.
For ppl who’ve never had access to a range of amps and /or pedals, this is a great learning tool as well. You can look at a presets and learn the hows and whys. You can even look up a list of the actual amps that these are based on and give yourself an amp history lesson.
I don’t get how anyone can knock this thing. For $250 you get a ridiculous amount of capability. Sounds great to me when I’m jamming in my music room. Easy to use. Fun to play with tones. Cheap as heck. This product is excellent, worth every penny
I use the original spark as my main amp. I genuinely love this thing, thinking about getting the new one and giving the old one to my girlfriend who wants to start playing the guitar too!
Yeah. I wanted the Hotone Pulze but (a) I didn’t want to pay shipping to the US, and (b) this is much more affordable even if there are no lights and it doesn’t have a touch screen.
Yes, I received my Spark 2 and was able to use it for a week and a half. Went to use it and couldn’t get it to power on at all. I filled out the form for customer support. It took about a week to hear from them. without doing any troubleshooting on it. It started working. I put in a formal request to send it back for a replacement or a new one. I have sent it back to PG. It’s about a week,I have not heard any word from them.
Just ordered one cuz I liked your reviews between this and the mini. Love how far Amps have come since I bought my last new one in 2001 (a warhead). Needed something portable enough to bring to a friend's house to just jam out & teach him but powerful enough to not sound like a wet sock over a wired microphone....problem solved. I'm stealing your dimebag tones first thing lol
The AI on this within the next year is going to be a killer app. Positive Grid is doing this right concentrating on these packaged practice amps and when their software is right I am betting they do something more akin to a quad cortex platform with the AI and expanded pedals and amps.
Don’t tell people it has more bass than the original version lol. Less muddy bass is an improvement but it had plenty before. I’m the King of Spark on RUclips which makes me an unreliable resource 😜
Useful email arrived from positive grid. Days after receiving my spark 2 they said “don’t plug it into your spark cab”! Due to production delays an adapter is necessary to use the onboard power function from spark cab to spark 2. It will be sent free of charge at a later date. Fortunately I did not connect to spark cab with the old spark 40 DC connector wire.
I can’t really afford to upgrade to this right now but the looper, battery, and more presets would be worth upgrading to. Honestly the AI feature would not be something I’d use because you can get better results by searching through the tone cloud.
I love mine. This thing is a great little practice amp that gives you tons of options that does not break the bank. I have had zero issues with mine. I am 51 years old and if I would have had this as a teen, I would have been the coolest kid in town. 😂
A trick to get rid of hiccups . take a mouthful of water , but hold (dont swallow yet ) then plug your ears and nose at the same time , then swallow . if you do the hang ten 🤙 you can plug nose with both pinkies and plug ears with both thumbs and then swallow the water . your throat will relax and the hiccups are gone . some reflex thing , but my ex girlfriend was a nurse who showed me that trick and it always works
Great review, Ola. Thanks! I’m lazy and I’ll be getting one too. Hope it works, there’s one song’s particular tone I’ve been trying to figure out for years.
Hey Ola, the 12h battery is optional and not a standard feature in the spark 2. your statement could be a tad missleading in the beginning ;) thank you for a great review!
Could you please do a part 2 to this video? I would like you to play ten seconds of a top ten of key metal songs to see if they sound the same, e.g. 1) Irons maiden - Afraid of the dark 2) Sabbath - war pigs 3) Metallica - Master of puppets etc etc
Just bought that purple x Ola is playing and it is amazing. That thing is so incredibly comfortable and plays like butter. I love it so much more than I ever thought possible. I had known, I would have bought it so much sooner.
I've had my spark 40 for just over a month and I can honestly say it's made playing guitar fun for me again. BUT.... I've already managed to either blow a speaker or rattle something loose inside the amp. Their support service has been decent and they've already offered a replacement so that's good. Hopefully this thing isn't the guitar gear equivalent of the Xbox 360 (I red-ringed 4 of them lol)
Update: after a bit of back and forth I sent my damaged Spark 40 back to positive grid last week and my replacement arrives in 3 days! It took probably 2-3 weeks total from when I put in the support request to now.
So I can Connect this to every cabinet using the line outputs? I am New to the amphead / cab combo. But I really wanna buy this spark 2. It would be nice if I can use it as a head When I buy a cab. Certainly in the beginning. Then i do not need to buy a head and a cab but can I use this.
The AI feature is awesome. Get's you into the ballpark for whatever you are looking for. It may not be exactly the tone you want, but now getting there is a whole lot easier.
The AI tones are not very good. It is basically spark 1 without the muddy bass, an added looper, and 8 storable presets on the hardware. I think it sounds much better than soark 40 did.
@@Virtuosity109 Yes. I think it's worth the upgrade cost if you use a spark 40 as your main practice amp or need a practice amp. It sounds a lot better than spark 40.
"It's not very good"...*proceeds to list all kinds of improvements and cool new stuff.* 🤣🤣🤣...some people really aren't happy unless they're bitching. It's just a little practice amp. Chill and have fun with it ffs. lol
This review just confirmed for me that I am more than happy to keep my Spark 40 that I’ve had for a few years now and not upgrade to the Spark 2. I still think for a small practice amp, the Spark 40 is an impressive amp.
Great amp but, no pitch shifter included, which is basically the no1 effect for everyone who has only one guitar and wants to learn songs in different tunings (since most of the songs out there are not in standard). 😢
Whooooooa, i would be it is NOT LONG until we see the other companies with AI generated tones on their product. Wondering if Neural, Line 6, and Fender are gonna be updating their lineup to match. Would love to play with some AI tones through the cortex or helix.
Can these drive a regular speaker cab or does it have to be a spark cab!? Back in the 80s I wanted a gallien Krueger 250ml so bad this reminds me of something like that I have always liked small powerful portable equipment! If so I'm sure this thing will go the full spectrum of ohmage..4/8/16.. any info appreciated please and thank you!
So is the cab enough to represent the spark 2, or we need to wait for the cab 2? And is buying spark live just like buying spark 2 with extra features or since it was released pre spark 2, it is just a spark 40 with extra features?
What is the AI model trained on? Assuming it's based on all of the user generated presets' parameters - where alot of them don't sound like the tone the user was going for.
@@waynebeck6517 i thought about buying 1st version as the second one isnt available in Russia. Recently got Valeton gp-100 preamp and it does not change sound of my guitar at all no matter which preset i choose. And i watched many videos on RUclips about this spark amp, looks like really cool thing
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Mine showed up Saturday and I'm still loving it. Totally impressed with how good it sounds. I'm 52 now and can't imagine having this when I was 14!
You kidding? We were lucky to have a gorilla amp
@@metaldreams3595 My first amp was a Gorilla amp. :)
@@metaldreams3595 :D
@astrofreq Yeah it is such a gem, I can not understand why manufacturers have not made these "smart amps" earlier. Positive Grid is miles ahead of any of the other manufacturers, especially with the app and all of the decent to great training tools you get with this product. What other product can I play music from youtube while at the same time playing to that music with my guitar with different guitar sounds even through headphones or out in the park with rechargeable batteries like this unit ? I can not think of any other product, this should be on every guitar players checklist to get. I have even seen many artists and pro-guitarists use these Spark products back-stage =)
Exactly that’s my favorite thing gone are the days of buying one pedal or amp at a time super cool loving Tec for guitar these days nothing more fun than having a backup band compared to a metronome like 30yr ago
Ola, could you please zoom out a bit at 6:32? Thx 🙏
LMFAOOOOO
lololol
that was my favorite part
Glad you finally gave that amp a little attention. lol I'm liking it. Thanks for all the crazy AI stuff too. From the middle of the desert in New Mexico.,. USA.
I like the line out feature. You're not stuck with the speakers they give ya.
this is gonna become the norm in the future for all modelers I bet, all the headrushes, helixes, axe FXes, quad cortexes, and anything else. I wonder how this approach will work for profilers though, like all the kempers, tonexes, etc.
I own all the Spark amps-the 40, Mini, and Go-and the cab. I use them all the time. I just got my Spark 2 yesterday, and it's greatly improved. The looper is fun to nerd out on. No regrets here.
Does it sound better than the mini?
@gazzaduce3424 Definitely, yes, it's louder and better than my Mini in is own way. The only thing is that it's bigger in size. I use the Mini to play on the couch quietly and use the Spark 2 to practice louder and use all the features it has, so they both have their perks.
And keeps getting better and better
I have 2 spark 40s and a cab. Am so excited for my spark 2 to come in soon.
For ppl who’ve never had access to a range of amps and /or pedals, this is a great learning tool as well. You can look at a presets and learn the hows and whys. You can even look up a list of the actual amps that these are based on and give yourself an amp history lesson.
I don’t get how anyone can knock this thing. For $250 you get a ridiculous amount of capability. Sounds great to me when I’m jamming in my music room. Easy to use. Fun to play with tones. Cheap as heck. This product is excellent, worth every penny
I use the original spark as my main amp. I genuinely love this thing, thinking about getting the new one and giving the old one to my girlfriend who wants to start playing the guitar too!
@@zz-.- Agreed, this little guy rules. It's a bit of a shock to the system when you go from having no amp at home to basically ALL OF THEM lol
Yeah. I wanted the Hotone Pulze but (a) I didn’t want to pay shipping to the US, and (b) this is much more affordable even if there are no lights and it doesn’t have a touch screen.
Agreed! And the first edition is a really good practise amp, powers up in an instant and souds better than good.
Yes, I received my Spark 2 and was able to use it for a week and a half. Went to use it and couldn’t get it to power on at all. I filled out the form for customer support. It took about a week to hear from them. without doing any troubleshooting on it. It started working. I put in a formal request to send it back for a replacement or a new one. I have sent it back to PG. It’s about a week,I have not heard any word from them.
Got mine yesterday, it’s loads of fun and I’m still exploring options
It’s nice that that feature is out of the gate but it has a long way to go, certainly worth playing with if you have one of these
mine should be here by 8pm can't wait!
you like it???
Just ordered one cuz I liked your reviews between this and the mini. Love how far Amps have come since I bought my last new one in 2001 (a warhead). Needed something portable enough to bring to a friend's house to just jam out & teach him but powerful enough to not sound like a wet sock over a wired microphone....problem solved. I'm stealing your dimebag tones first thing lol
Ola Englund, I just bought a G model solar from you😮 Im waiting for it to arrive to Finland, exited for my first Solar
The AI on this within the next year is going to be a killer app. Positive Grid is doing this right concentrating on these packaged practice amps and when their software is right I am betting they do something more akin to a quad cortex platform with the AI and expanded pedals and amps.
Tried spark40 2 days ago. Plan on getting. perfect for what I need.
Spark is great ! I love it ! Thanks Ola for all your content !
Don’t tell people it has more bass than the original version lol. Less muddy bass is an improvement but it had plenty before.
I’m the King of Spark on RUclips which makes me an unreliable resource 😜
I think those are the best tones I have heard on your channel. I think for the price you can not beat it. 😮❤
Useful email arrived from positive grid. Days after receiving my spark 2 they said “don’t plug it into your spark cab”! Due to production delays an adapter is necessary to use the onboard power function from spark cab to spark 2. It will be sent free of charge at a later date. Fortunately I did not connect to spark cab with the old spark 40 DC connector wire.
@@mikey117us will ones shipped later not need the adapter?
@@BrandonCharlz they will all require the adapter until they make the spark cab 2?
Just bought it. Very pleased for practicing at home. Also a Bluetooth speaker so it’s versatile.
I can’t really afford to upgrade to this right now but the looper, battery, and more presets would be worth upgrading to. Honestly the AI feature would not be something I’d use because you can get better results by searching through the tone cloud.
I love mine. This thing is a great little practice amp that gives you tons of options that does not break the bank. I have had zero issues with mine. I am 51 years old and if I would have had this as a teen, I would have been the coolest kid in town. 😂
Was i the only one to expect a "Ola Englund Tone" prompt? That would be awesome to compare
I expected "chug", or some variant.
Damn, 5 seconds ago!!! Im looking forward to seeing you in Poland on your 2025 TOUR!!!
Ill be there too 🤟
I don’t understand the reason behind muting the speaker while using the line out option.
A trick to get rid of hiccups . take a mouthful of water , but hold (dont swallow yet ) then plug your ears and nose at the same time , then swallow . if you do the hang ten 🤙 you can plug nose with both pinkies and plug ears with both thumbs and then swallow the water . your throat will relax and the hiccups are gone . some reflex thing , but my ex girlfriend was a nurse who showed me that trick and it always works
I want to hear it do a cranked HM2 sound, like how gnarly can it get
The AI tone thing seems fun, combined with like community tones and voting etc. could be pretty cool
Wowzers. Thats actually magic.
Great review, Ola. Thanks! I’m lazy and I’ll be getting one too. Hope it works, there’s one song’s particular tone I’ve been trying to figure out for years.
Hey Ola, the 12h battery is optional and not a standard feature in the spark 2. your statement could be a tad missleading in the beginning ;) thank you for a great review!
Ah had no idea! Good call!
Was looking at the spark 1 last week, great timing!
Can you change the positioning of the signal chain?
Could you please do a part 2 to this video? I would like you to play ten seconds of a top ten of key metal songs to see if they sound the same, e.g.
1) Irons maiden - Afraid of the dark
2) Sabbath - war pigs
3) Metallica - Master of puppets etc etc
Next prompt try "his name was Robert Paulson" lol
i just got mine it is pretty awesome and louder than i expected, would like to try the wireless and footpedals
That amp sounds like hours, hours, and hours of experimental freedom
I am looking for exactly this video from you now and you released it 18 minutes ago :-D Thanks
Anybody know where I can get the same wall hanging decibel meter that Ola uses? Looks like a real nice one.
for almost $300 its so damn worth it, gonna get me one soon
Just bought that purple x Ola is playing and it is amazing. That thing is so incredibly comfortable and plays like butter. I love it so much more than I ever thought possible. I had known, I would have bought it so much sooner.
Glad you dig it man! 👊
Nice work! Looking fwd to trying this amp out
I use my IPad works awesome ! Fast app love it 👍
Got mine today loving it!!!
I've had my spark 40 for just over a month and I can honestly say it's made playing guitar fun for me again. BUT.... I've already managed to either blow a speaker or rattle something loose inside the amp. Their support service has been decent and they've already offered a replacement so that's good. Hopefully this thing isn't the guitar gear equivalent of the Xbox 360 (I red-ringed 4 of them lol)
Update: after a bit of back and forth I sent my damaged Spark 40 back to positive grid last week and my replacement arrives in 3 days! It took probably 2-3 weeks total from when I put in the support request to now.
OH CRAP!!
Man, my son had one.
I never got it. I went 360 elite and was glad I did.
I have the spark 40 and love it so far. I hope the same.
@michaelwilson2497 those were dark days lol
Hey I personally love this and tbh always digged dimes tones! I know some folk don't for some reason
So I can Connect this to every cabinet using the line outputs? I am New to the amphead / cab combo. But I really wanna buy this spark 2. It would be nice if I can use it as a head When I buy a cab. Certainly in the beginning. Then i do not need to buy a head and a cab but can I use this.
If you use it as a head, you would need a FRFR cab or speakers in you cab.
If I see Ola, I immediately press like
Hi Ola! I’m wondering how sturdy that brick is? Do you think you’d blow a speaker within a couple years?
08:52 Olaf Scholz mentioned!
Very pleased with these amps they sound very realistic and I find myself playing this more than my regular Boss Katana
The Spark is a great tool, got one but sincerely everything sounded kind of "boxy". Did they change that ?
According to most reviews, yes they did.
❤nice the sound
All I want to know is can it "... And Justice for All", Black Album, Puppets and RTL?
The AI feature is awesome. Get's you into the ballpark for whatever you are looking for. It may not be exactly the tone you want, but now getting there is a whole lot easier.
Would you recommend this over a Katana?
The AI tones are not very good. It is basically spark 1 without the muddy bass, an added looper, and 8 storable presets on the hardware. I think it sounds much better than soark 40 did.
@@JD-vj4go so do you like it or no
@@Virtuosity109 Yes. I think it's worth the upgrade cost if you use a spark 40 as your main practice amp or need a practice amp. It sounds a lot better than spark 40.
This is what I wanted to hear more about (no pun intended). Does the “cab” sound better than the Spark40. At least one dude, said “yes.” Good to hear!
@@JD-vj4go spark without the muddy bass alone is already worth it.. looper is just a nobrainer that should've been on there from the start.
"It's not very good"...*proceeds to list all kinds of improvements and cool new stuff.* 🤣🤣🤣...some people really aren't happy unless they're bitching. It's just a little practice amp. Chill and have fun with it ffs. lol
The AI is simply a search engine that searches the Tone Cloud to find patches that match the intent of your request.
Can It be used with neural dsp? 🤔
It does not. But its good by it self 👌
It looks like the "AI" just recognised "crunch" in "sexy manboobs crunch" and returned some crunch sounds... :D
Were you hoping for some Meatloaf type tones? 😅
This review just confirmed for me that I am more than happy to keep my Spark 40 that I’ve had for a few years now and not upgrade to the Spark 2. I still think for a small practice amp, the Spark 40 is an impressive amp.
4:27 Me introducing myself at a party.
Does it have spillover on the delay?
Interesting idea, next step is command Ai to do settings for like a Fractal or Kemper etc.
The tones of the community are very good. The IA is not the only choice 🤷🏻♂️
6:32
Ola, can you please zoom out a little more? I can still see some of this video. Thanks
How is it now?
I’ve been very curious about this one. Does it feel as warm and responsive as a tube amp?
how does this sound with a bass? does it make sense to use spark with bass?
Great review. What's the model of the guitar?
Great amp but, no pitch shifter included, which is basically the no1 effect for everyone who has only one guitar and wants to learn songs in different tunings (since most of the songs out there are not in standard). 😢
I like the idea of AI prompt tones. But, i don't think it's done very well. But soon enough, it will be.
can you use this for basses?
Sounds great
Whooooooa, i would be it is NOT LONG until we see the other companies with AI generated tones on their product. Wondering if Neural, Line 6, and Fender are gonna be updating their lineup to match.
Would love to play with some AI tones through the cortex or helix.
Can these drive a regular speaker cab or does it have to be a spark cab!? Back in the 80s I wanted a gallien Krueger 250ml so bad this reminds me of something like that I have always liked small powerful portable equipment! If so I'm sure this thing will go the full spectrum of ohmage..4/8/16.. any info appreciated please and thank you!
Ola! You are total badass!
Sounds pretty good to me! Might have to sell my Mini!
Ola love the sparkle finishes but come on need regular headstock
Your boy took a few bumps of some frank Sinatra for sure
Does the direct out suck or something? I thought that would be more the way it would duplicate tones.
need your preset from the intro
More Bass? I sure hope not. That was the problem with the fiest Spark 40 is it was way too bass heavy.
So is the cab enough to represent the spark 2, or we need to wait for the cab 2? And is buying spark live just like buying spark 2 with extra features or since it was released pre spark 2, it is just a spark 40 with extra features?
. The spark one is great i love it. Im not wasting money on this one. Good video though Ola.
There ya have it folks. We have reached maximum tonal hierarchy with "sexy man boobs crunch". What a time to be alive!
Pretty cool, technology is moving fast.
The intro tone rips!
Great update except for one thing... the line outs mute the internal speakers like the headphones out! That's a MAJOR FAIL!!
1. Not 25 percent louder. 2. Battery is a $79 option.
That said -- mine arrived yesterday, and it rocks.
is it louder by some margin at least? how is the bass in your experience; is it just as muddy as the 40?
Can get close with AI then tweak. Also interestting to see the patch details
Could you share the tone you're using at the intro of the video? Thx!
Nice little thing !
This could be really cool... OR completely stupid. You've just described most of my life choices. Love your channel👍✌
okay you convinced me man. imma buy it haha
What is the AI model trained on? Assuming it's based on all of the user generated presets' parameters - where alot of them don't sound like the tone the user was going for.
They say that the AI will become better the more people use it! We’ll just have to see
Is that guitar-only input? Or through pedals? Cant see it on the video
@@Fonya_Play it can, my neighbor got one, its cool for practice. Or on the go, playing songs thru the blutooth, then jamming along.
@@waynebeck6517 i thought about buying 1st version as the second one isnt available in Russia. Recently got Valeton gp-100 preamp and it does not change sound of my guitar at all no matter which preset i choose. And i watched many videos on RUclips about this spark amp, looks like really cool thing
Hello Ola 🤘
Katana gen 3 or spark 2?
Spark 2 for me.