Positive Grid Spark Edge – the best smart amp for busking and small gigs?
$449/£399, positivegrid.com
Positive Grid is starting to develop a reputation as the Apple of the guitar amp world – a company that has a knack for introducing products that we didn’t know we needed until they launched them, and then we wonder how we ever did without them.
READ MORE: Positive Grid Spark 2 review – louder, smarter and better than ever
The latest entry into the now extremely broad Spark amp range comes the Edge – a combo that is aimed squarely at the portable amp market that has been dominated for a very long time by Roland and its Cube family of amps. The rugged reliability, solid sounds, and easy portability of the Cube has made it a fixture of open mics and high street performers across the world, but the Edge promises something altogether more interesting.
Image: Press
What is the Positive Grid Spark Edge?
You’re probably familiar with the basics of what the Spark concept is by now, but for those who haven’t done the background reading, let me bring you up to speed very quickly. The Spark is a ‘smart amp’ – effectively a digital modelling amp with various advanced features (including learning and jamming facilities) accessed and controlled with a companion smartphone app via bluetooth.
The Spark app allows you to select from 36 onboard amps and 50 effects (with models catering for acoustic and bass players) and there’s also an onboard 60-second looper and tuner plus a bunch of other stuff – including AI-powered SmartJam feature and AI-created presets.
In common with the larger band-focussed Spark Live from earlier this year, the Spark Edge is designed to be more than just a guitar amp – it’s effectively a portable mini-PA, with four independent channels designed with different purposes in mind. Channel one is XLR combi electric guitar channel, with the ability to select four different amp and effects presets to use on the fly. Channel two is another XLR combi input, but this one is designed for vocals, bass or acoustic guitar – again you have four presets to tweak here.
Finally, you have a pair of 1/4” inputs designed for keyboards, drum machines or anything else – they’re designed to be used in stereo or independently. You can also pair it with your phone for streamed Bluetooth audio playback; so you can easily use backing tracks to play along to. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack for monitoring or quiet practice if you’re that way inclined, and MIDI input too.
The amp itself is a full-range unit with 120 degrees of sonic spread and 65 watts of solid-state power. It’s unlikely to shake the windows, but it’ll certainly make you heard in small venues and on the street. Despite its compact dimensions (240 x 242 x 333mm) the audio wizardry that has been so impressive throughout the Spark product family means it’s designed to sound plenty bigger than it is thanks to a back-angled design, and a pair of bass reflex ports on the bottom adding heft to the 6.5” woofer and 1” tweeter.
Portable amps are rather pointless without the ability to be portable of course, and if you want to play away from a power socket, you’ll need the optional rechargeable Spark Battery ($79). The handy thing about this battery being swappable versus in-built is you could buy a couple if you were worried about losing power mid-gig, though with PG’s stated life of 8-12 hours that would be one monster gig.
Image: Press
Positive Grid Spark Edge – ease of use
I’ve owned and gigged various portable PA systems and busking amps over the years – playing as a solo or duo act, it’s often expected that you bring some amplification of your own if you want to be heard, and candidly I’ve never really been totally happy with the results. Either they were lacking features, had lousy connectivity (especially when you need to hook it up to play backing tracks), or they just lacked the power and presence to really make your voice and guitar heard.
On unboxing the Edge, the first thing I do is download the Spark app and connect it to my phone – in a world where this stuff is rarely seamless, the ease of connecting and getting to grips with the app’s features is really impressive here. If you’ve owned any of the other Spark products, you’ll already be familiar with the app, but for newbies here you’ll find the section where you can alter the amp and effect settings for your guitar and vocal/acoustic channels, a practice/jamming section where you’ll find the Smart Jam and Groove Looper facilities, and even a handy camera for recording your performances with sound direct from the amp. You can download presets from others and save and upload your own to the cloud, and there are also sliders on the app to control the levels of the four channels. You’ll also find physical knobs for this on the top of the amp too but it’s nice to be able to have it there so you can set it just how you want it.
The amp weighs a little over 6kgs, which is pretty light for a combo of this kind, and the ease of portability is further enhanced by a very comfortable built-in carry handle. The tilt-back bottom has sturdy rubber feet so it doesn’t get knocked over despite it looking a little precarious.
Image: Press
Positive Grid Spark Edge – sounds
As I get to grips with the full gamut of its potential playable options – electrics, various acoustics (both a big-bodied Gibson and a LR Baggs AEG-1), a five-string bass and a vocal mic, I find that the truly impressive thing about the Edge is how well it handles absolutely everything. The sounds on tap are full and rich, with great dynamic range and power, never getting muddy or losing any of the qualities the instruments otherwise possess.
While it’s great to try it out with everything, realistically this is primarily aimed at busking and small coffee shop-type gigs, so the bulk of my testing involves an acoustic guitar and voice. It’s so easy to dial in a usable sound in this configuration – the four bespoke acoustic amps are characterful and sound great in different ways (I was partial to the Fishman-aping ‘Fishboy’) and even with the volume barely at 50 per cent, the volume and projection this small amp offers is impressive.
The smartphone controls here could be something of a pain if they worked less well. Indeed, I found myself barely touching the amp controls in favour of controlling everything in-app – if I was gigging this full-time, I’d probably get a smartphone clip for my mic stand to enable me to tweak things on the fly without having to bend down and fiddle with the amp settings in the dark of a dimly-lit cafe or bar.
Image: Press
Positive Grid Spark Edge – should I buy one?
The Spark Edge is a hugely impressive entry into the portable amp/PA market for guitar players – both in terms of the quality of sounds and user experience, but also the price. Roland’s Cube Street reigns supreme in this market, but the Spark beats it hands down in terms of sounds, usability and features – and even when you factor in another $80 for the battery, it’s still a whole lot more amp for $30 more than the Cube.
If you’re a solo or duo act that needs something small and easy to make you heard in a small venue, this is the new default choice – it could even do double duty as a great monitor in larger venues and with larger PA systems, such is the quality of the sounds onboard (and the ability to plug into a larger system with its stereo line-out). You can also go wireless by using the Spark Link adapters and the Spark Control X wireless foot pedal to fully have the most friction-free busking experience. The only thing that’s really missing is the lack of a speaker mount to elevate it when you need to, or a case to keep it safe in transit.
I was expecting big things with the Edge but I didn’t expect a 6.5” woofer and 1” horn to sound this immersive, or this loud. Nothing else has touched the Spark Edge in terms of sheer enjoyment in this class – you need to try one.
Positive Grid Spark Edge alternatives
If you want to get more of your friends in on the act and have a PA that’s ready for a full band, the 150-watt Spark Live ($549/£529) brings all the good stuff about the Edge but in a bigger package. The Roland Cube Street EX ($599) is a venerable servant of the small gig game – the sounds are good, it’s rugged and dependable… it’s a bit long in the tooth now though. If you’re after something that’s more of a general portable PA system, the JBL EON One ($499/£499) is a great option.
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