Guitar players, check out this practice amp/learning tool

[Reverend Conehead]

I've never been excited about a practice amp before. After all, that's just an amp to own so that you can practice without driving your neighbors nuts. But this thing blows my mind. You can choose from its accompanying amp just about any tone profile you can think of. And the tones don't suck! I've been disappointed by more modeling amps than I can remember. Usually, a modeling amp is an amp to approximate various famous guitar sounds, doing most of them like crap and a few of them barely passable. But in this PG Spark amp, the tones sound amazing. I promise I'm not a shill for the company. No one has paid me anything to write this, and I don't own the amp yet. But if the tones in these two videos I'm posting accurately represent this amp, I MUST have one. I think they must be accurate because I've watched numerous Youtube videos on this thing, and it consistently sounds great. Even SpectreSoundStudios gave this amp a good review, and he's made a career out of hating modeling amps. He shoved a 50-watt Marshall modeling amp off a building, and he shot another one with a firearm.

If this thing only were a practice amp with these great tones, that would be enough to get me to buy it. But it's got some other kick-butt features. You can actually auto-create base and drum lines to play along with. You can hook it up to a Youtube video and play a song, at it will figure out the chords for you. Then it's got a zillion different effects pedals built in. It even has a songwriting tool where you can play the chord progressions of a song you're writing, choose a style, and it will auto-generate drum and bass tracks for it. To be clear, I would NEVER dream of using that as part of a song I record and release. That's not its purpose. This is a practice amp/guitarist's tool. That feature is a God-send for song writing. I'm salivating all over being able to work on a song and then immediately try it out with bass and drums. When I have the final song, then I'll record it with real bass and real drums.

Again, I don't care one iota if anyone else here buys one of these things. If some other Cowboy fan watches these videos and says, "Well, that looks stupid," I'm cool with that. My reason for posting this is to talk about it with other guitar players. I'm just getting excited about sending off for this thing. Thanks to what's going on the the world today, I'm basically living as a hermit, doing my job from home, and rarely having any contact with any other human. So I'll get this cool practice amp/learning tool/song writing tool/effects pedal smorgasbord and just dive into my playing and songwriting.

Here are the videos for you to check out. If anyone else here is a guitar player or even another type of musician, I welcome your opinions. Like I say, you're not required to agree with me. I don't often get super exited about some piece of musical gear or technology. This is the most excited I've been since I ordered and was waiting for my first custom-build tube amp back when I was 17.

What the heck, I'll even include the video by that guy who smashed those amps.(Third video)

#1. Darrell Braun


#2. Tom Quayle


#3. SpectreSoundStudios (amp smash guy)

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

This thing has being shown on a multitude of guitar channels I follow.

Don't know if all of the people are getting paid or endorsed to do reviews or not.

 

[YosemiteSam]

These are paid reviews.

If you have a computer and an ASIO, you can buy software that will create basically any sound you want. (tones, cabinets, gain, compression, reverb, phase, etc) They can make you sound like anybody almost. (tone wise, not play wise) The Spark is basically a PC in a box with a speaker from what I can tell.

The device might be good, I don't know. Clearly they are marketing the hell out of it on Youtube. (probably giving them away free, or just flatout paying the guys to give it a good review.

So, if you plan on traveling with your practice amp, it probably makes sense. If you do like most when practicing. (at home) then you can use a PC with speakers (or headphones) and software. Why would you take a practice amp somewhere else unless that is your only amp.

 

[jsb357]

looks like it has some good features and at the current sale price not to bad

i did not make it through the entire review does it have an xlr out ?

 

[Big_D]

I might have to check this out. Looks like a great learning tool also.

 

[Creeper]

I began playing guitar in the 1960s. I practiced by playing along with records and that was a total pain in the neck so something like this to me is unbelievably cool. I really haven't played much for about 25 years. Life got in the way. I have no idea what other learning tools there are out there now but the ability to play with actual music, or with different music styles produced by this device with touch screen control is a great way to learn. I am not sure how good it is for someone who just bought their first guitar and is just learning what a fret is, but once past the early beginner stage this tool would have some real value.

The price isn't bad either. I looked it up and found it for $200 on sale. Considering everything it can do, I think it's worth the price. But, I wonder if an iPhone would be big enough to use with this? I am sure it would work but would it be clumsy to use with such a small screen? I don't have an I pad or a tablet. If I got the itch to play again I might spring for this. But again, I have no idea what else is on the market that competes with this.

The variations of sounds, effects and tonal qualities is pretty good for a practice amp. I paid $100 for a small Marshall amp about 15 years ago when I got the itch to play again and it has nowhere near the range of tones and effects the Spark has.

 

[Big_D]

I placed the pre order! Hoping to have it by the end of the month!!

 

[Reverend Conehead]

I began playing guitar in the 1960s. I practiced by playing along with records and that was a total pain in the neck so something like this to me is unbelievably cool. I really haven't played much for about 25 years. Life got in the way. I have no idea what other learning tools there are out there now but the ability to play with actual music, or with different music styles produced by this device with touch screen control is a great way to learn. I am not sure how good it is for someone who just bought their first guitar and is just learning what a fret is, but once past the early beginner stage this tool would have some real value.

The price isn't bad either. I looked it up and found it for $200 on sale. Considering everything it can do, I think it's worth the price. But, I wonder if an iPhone would be big enough to use with this? I am sure it would work but would it be clumsy to use with such a small screen? I don't have an I pad or a tablet. If I got the itch to play again I might spring for this. But again, I have no idea what else is on the market that competes with this.

The variations of sounds, effects and tonal qualities is pretty good for a practice amp. I paid $100 for a small Marshall amp about 15 years ago when I got the itch to play again and it has nowhere near the range of tones and effects the Spark has.

Yeah, I played in the 70s and early 80s and am just getting back into it. This thing blows my mind. Playing to records was a pain in the butt because it was too easy to scratch a record trying to repeat a passage again, so I always would record a record to a cassette tape. I rigged up something with my dad's old headphones that he probably bought back in the 60s. I figured out how to output in mono from my tape deck to the right speaker of the headphones, then I ran my tube amp to the left (being VERY careful to have it turned down way low). The amp I had could do distortion well at low volumes. So what I ended up with was a system that let me play along to songs with the song in one ear and my playing in the other. It took me a while to figure out, but it worked. But something like this practice amp .... wow, I would have salivated all over it. Such an amazing tool. Just the ability to have it auto-generate drums and bass for a song I'm writing would be awesome.

I have a large-screen Android, a Note 9, that should handle this pretty well, but I would consider getting a tablet for the first time just for use with this amp.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Okay. I went for it. I've ordered mine. They had it marked down to $224 through today, so I went for it. I was a little nervous because I know there's a heavy demand, meaning some people have needed to wait. But this thing is affordable and exactly the practice amp I want, so I forked over the bucks. I'm also in the market for an acoustic guitar (see my other post), but I'll let that one wait a little longer. It was a tough choice, but I'll live with my clunky Yamaha acoustic a little while longer.

I like the idea of being able to get quality tones at low volumes. One of the biggest reasons I quit playing years ago was because of some hearing damage and the fear of more of it. You used to have to crank amps really loud to get good tone. I used to practice at somewhat high volume, then rehearse with the band and very high volume, and then perform at insanely high volume. I intend to do all my practicing at low volume, and if I get in a band, rehearse at reasonably low volume. Nowadays, they have these electronic drum systems that allow you to even keep the drum volume down. I think I could only do actual performances at high volumes, and then use some of the nice hearing protectors that are so much better than what we used to have. I love music, but not so much that I'm willing to destroy my hearing over it.

Now is the waiting game for my Spark amp. The fact that so many people want this thing shows me they've made something good.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

I placed the pre order! Hoping to have it by the end of the month!!

Did they give you a turnaround time? I just ordered mine, but I just got an email with the basic summary of the order. No ETA was listed. Do me a favor -- when you get yours, come here and post about it, okay? I'll do the same. I'm excited to get mine, but there may be a bit of a wait.

 

[Big_D]

Did they give you a turnaround time? I just ordered mine, but I just got an email with the basic summary of the order. No ETA was listed. Do me a favor -- when you get yours, come here and post about it, okay? I'll do the same. I'm excited to get mine, but there may be a bit of a wait.

I got an email on 7/2 said 4 to 6 weeks. So I’m hoping by the end of July? I’ll keep you posted!

 

[Reverend Conehead]

I got an email on 7/2 said 4 to 6 weeks. So I’m hoping by the end of July? I’ll keep you posted!

You'll get yours before I get mine, but I'll still keep you posted. We can swap tips. I was hesitant because some people have been complaining about having to wait for their amps, but I've seen nothing else out there quite like this. One guy did a comparison review to a Line 6 modeling amp, but that one just wasn't like this one. He had to tinker a lot with the ready made settings to get decent tone. This Spark seems to have amazing tone just from choosing one from the menu. With this sale thing, I only paid $224. I totally would have paid the $300 full price.

And I specified not to leave it on my doorstep. I'll go in to pick it up if I'm not home when the delivery comes. Stinkin' porch pirates ain't getting their hands on this baby.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Hey, Big_D, I thought you might be interested in this video about the Spark amp. This dude records a basic song with just the Spark amp and basic music arrangement software on his Mac. He kind of poo-poos it as just a quick and dirty test song, but I think he makes it sound pretty good.



Here's another video by the same dude, but it's not really good news. It's about how long people are waiting to get this thing. A bunch of people are saying it took 6 months, and the company didn't do a very good job keeping them posted. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's better to know the truth than to be waiting and wondering without knowing. Of course those are the results of previous orders. Maybe they've gotten better since then. I hope so. If that turn time holds up, it means you and I getting ours around December. I'll just wait it out and keep using what I have now until then. It is, of course, possible they're doing better now. Maybe they quoted you that ETA because they knew they could beat it. This thing's in heavy demand, and the pandemic thing isn't helping.

If you hear anything about how they're doing, do share it here. I'm betting on it being worth it. I've never seen any practice amp be able to do what this one can as well. That one dude compared it to a Line 6 modeling amp, which seemed okay, but really not as impressive. And I was totally underwhelmed by the Marshall modeling amps I've seen, which were huge disappointments given the respect I have for that brand. The Marshall 50 watt modeling and others sounded like cheap solid state amps doing approximate imitations of classic tube amps. After a bunch of tinkering, they sounded a little better, but I get why that one guy shoved his off a building. It couldn't make anywhere near the tone of this Spark amp.

I do have a practice amp to use for the time being. It's a 15-watt Fender that doesn't sound completely terrible. Gonna just wait it out. Best of luck to you, man. Here's hoping we both get this thing in the best time frame possible with no quality sacrifice.



Edit: I was reading in the comments. Some people said two months and others said 3 months. I'd bet it makes a difference which country you're in.

 

[Big_D]

Hey, Big_D, I thought you might be interested in this video about the Spark amp. This dude records a basic song with just the Spark amp and basic music arrangement software on his Mac. He kind of poo-poos it as just a quick and dirty test song, but I think he makes it sound pretty good.



Here's another video by the same dude, but it's not really good news. It's about how long people are waiting to get this thing. A bunch of people are saying it took 6 months, and the company didn't do a very good job keeping them posted. I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's better to know the truth than to be waiting and wondering without knowing. Of course those are the results of previous orders. Maybe they've gotten better since then. I hope so. If that turn time holds up, it means you and I getting ours around December. I'll just wait it out and keep using what I have now until then. It is, of course, possible they're doing better now. Maybe they quoted you that ETA because they knew they could beat it. This thing's in heavy demand, and the pandemic thing isn't helping.

If you hear anything about how they're doing, do share it here. I'm betting on it being worth it. I've never seen any practice amp be able to do what this one can as well. That one dude compared it to a Line 6 modeling amp, which seemed okay, but really not as impressive. And I was totally underwhelmed by the Marshall modeling amps I've seen, which were huge disappointments given the respect I have for that brand. The Marshall 50 watt modeling and others sounded like cheap solid state amps doing approximate imitations of classic tube amps. After a bunch of tinkering, they sounded a little better, but I get why that one guy shoved his off a building. It couldn't make anywhere near the tone of this Spark amp.

I do have a practice amp to use for the time being. It's a 15-watt Fender that doesn't sound completely terrible. Gonna just wait it out. Best of luck to you, man. Here's hoping we both get this thing in the best time frame possible with no quality sacrifice.



Edit: I was reading in the comments. Some people said two months and others said 3 months. I'd bet it makes a difference which country you're in.

Thanks for the videos. I'm looking forward to the day it comes because the demand seems ridiculous!! I plan on watching all the vids on the site also. It's gonna take some time getting used to it when it does finally arrive. Maybe by 2022 I might have a handle on it. lol Almost 78,000 pre orders according to their site? Hope we both get it soon!!! Just looking forward to tinkering everyday. Plus it should really help the learning curve. Good luck with your delivery also. I'm still hoping for the end of July! We'll see??

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Thanks for the videos. I'm looking forward to the day it comes because the demand seems ridiculous!! I plan on watching all the vids on the site also. It's gonna take some time getting used to it when it does finally arrive. Maybe by 2022 I might have a handle on it. lol Almost 78,000 pre orders according to their site? Hope we both get it soon!!! Just looking forward to tinkering everyday. Plus it should really help the learning curve. Good luck with your delivery also. I'm still hoping for the end of July! We'll see??

Yeah,it's insane. They've really hit a place where there's demand. Modeling amps have never been the massive hit that this one is frankly because they've been crappy. Then the Kemper profile amps were excellent, but insanely priced. I would definitely use this Sharp to both practice and to record. I wonder if I might get away with performing with one in a small venue. It does make me wish they would come out with a performance version, basically the same amp, except 50 or 100 watts as a head and then a 4x12 cabinet. If you could pre-store the exact sound you want, amp+effects pedals and then just have that available via stepping on a button, and maybe you have up to 8 of those, that would be killer! Perform with a classic 1960s-era Marshall Plexi sound for your overdrive and then switch to an ultra clean Fender Twin Reverb for your clean tones, maybe with a little phaser or or chorus. How cool would that be? I'm 55. The thought of not having to lug a heavy tube amp to a show and worry about breaking my tubes, that's a huge deal. I've considered using one of those Orange Crush solid state amps for recording because they get good crunch for a transistor amp and are light, but this thing beats it for tone.

I guess we'll see how long we need to wait. Best of luck.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Hey, Big_D, wasn't sure if you knew, but Positive Grid has an order tracker. Did you save your original email? Make sure you do. It has your order number in it. You just go to positivegrid.com/spark and click on "track order" at the top, then you put in your email address and your order number. Thank goodness they're doing this. If you keep checking, you'll know when it's out for delivery. I specified in my order not to leave it at my doorstep because I don't want to give any of the porch pirate dirtbags a shot at it, but you never know if they'll do that. So I'll make sure to be home when mine is delivered.

 

[Big_D]

Hey, Big_D, wasn't sure if you knew, but Positive Grid has an order tracker. Did you save your original email? Make sure you do. It has your order number in it. You just go to positivegrid.com/spark and click on "track order" at the top, then you put in your email address and your order number. Thank goodness they're doing this. If you keep checking, you'll know when it's out for delivery. I specified in my order not to leave it at my doorstep because I don't want to give any of the porch pirate dirtbags a shot at it, but you never know if they'll do that. So I'll make sure to be home when mine is delivered.

Thanks for the heads up. I'd like to be home for delivery too. Trust no one!

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Thanks for the heads up. I'd like to be home for delivery too. Trust no one!

Oh, I know. I work in home security, and I see way too many cases of some dirtbag stealing right from someone's doorstep. They typically don't even know what they're stealing, but if someone went through the trouble to order it, chances are it's something they can re-sell online. There are jerks who stalk through neighborhoods shortly after typical delivery times, just looking for packages to snag. They're human scum, and if they get their butts totally kicked, I won't feel sorry for them.

I saved a neighbor from this crap. He had a package on his doorstep, next door to mine, and I saw some creepy slimeball eyeing it, so I grabbed it and took it into my apartment with me, then texted my neighbor to let him know I had it.

I look forward to hearing how you like your Spark amp, and to sharing with you what I'll be doing with mine.

 

[DandyDon52]

Yeah, I played in the 70s and early 80s and am just getting back into it. This thing blows my mind. Playing to records was a pain in the butt because it was too easy to scratch a record trying to repeat a passage again, so I always would record a record to a cassette tape. I rigged up something with my dad's old headphones that he probably bought back in the 60s. I figured out how to output in mono from my tape deck to the right speaker of the headphones, then I ran my tube amp to the left (being VERY careful to have it turned down way low). The amp I had could do distortion well at low volumes. So what I ended up with was a system that let me play along to songs with the song in one ear and my playing in the other. It took me a while to figure out, but it worked. But something like this practice amp .... wow, I would have salivated all over it. Such an amazing tool. Just the ability to have it auto-generate drums and bass for a song I'm writing would be awesome.

I have a large-screen Android, a Note 9, that should handle this pretty well, but I would consider getting a tablet for the first time just for use with this amp.

there is a girl named Ayla on youtube , who demonstrates this in one of her videos .
She is great at playing guitar too.
search Ayla Since I been loving you. then on her homepage you should see the one about tones she uses the spark amp.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

there is a girl named Ayla on youtube , who demonstrates this in one of her videos .
She is great at playing guitar too.
search Ayla Since I been loving you. then on her homepage you should see the one about tones she uses the spark amp.

I've seen Ayla play. She's amazing. I've seen the Since I've Been Loving You video, but not the Spark one. Thanks for the heads up. She's an amazing player and is really young.