Positive Grid Spark Guitar Amplifier, Electric, Bass and Acoustic Guitar 40-Watt Combo Amp, Mobile App (Spark Black Bag Bundle)

I've been playing guitar for almost 29 years now, and teaching for 16, so I know at least a little about guitar gear. The sound quality on this is much better than you might expect for something so small, and in this price range and compact size it's only second (in terms of sound quality) to the Yamaha THR range (which I also own).Where this stands out is with the versatility and interactivity afforded by the free app. I have used this with an iPhone and iPad, so cannot comment on the android offering, but have found it to be relatively straightforward to use.The one obvious issue on the sound side of things is that it kicks out way more bass than a guitar amp should. This has the benefit of making it sound great at bedroom volume levels, which is almost entirely what this is designed for, but will not be to everyone's taste. You can easily alter this with one of the included EQ pedals found within the app by turning the bass down a fair bit.The auto backing track function is a little gimmicky, but still usable.The play-along function is a lot of fun but is limited to songs that you have on either Apple music or Spotify. Strangely, the app then finds a version of that song on YouTube for you to play along to which begs the question of why you need to have the song to begin with. This then brings up a chord sheet for the song you chose, with a karaoke-style highlighting of which chord you're on now, and what's next. The truth is that this is not always accurate at all. It often indicates incorrect chords (D instead of D minor or D5 for example) and the bar lines aren't always correct. That's why I've marked this down a little on its suitability for beginners as it could send a new guitarist down the wrong path by giving them some incorrect information.I treat it as a fun guitar tool with the chord suggestions being 'general guidance' for songs I've not played before, and can easily lose hours of time playing along to absolute bangers, sometimes choosing the guitar tones that the app suggests for the songs.All-in-all this is a great sounding and impressive bit of kit that can work well in a number of situations. Just don't think of it as a magic bullet that can teach a beginner everything through the interactive app.Several friends and students have bought one based on my recommendation and they've all been very happy with their purchase so far.

6 months ownership now. I was torn between this and the katana as most people are. I picked this one and I love it. The sound is huge for such a small amp. People have complained about the bass but you can simply adjust using an eq pedal in the app (which I have always found to be one of the most important items in any pedal train anyway). It's an ideal practice amp for at home and I wish I had one of these 25 years ago instead of the cheap nasty amps we all started with back then, however, saying that it may be too complicated for a beginner who simply needs to focus on learning to play first. Positive grid have since released the additional cab but I'll give that a miss, I wish they would just stop messing about and release a full sized 100w cab for gigging musicians. This is the area that the katana has them beat. I have a friend that has the katana and I can confirm it is a fantastic bit of kit however when it comes to home practice the positive grid app has boss beat.

The app and all of its options are extraordinary but, and it's possibly a deal breaker for me is the hardware. The sound quality is abysmal. The cabinet colours the sound giving it a very bassy colouration. Top end is completely gone and mid is significantly attenuated. Some folks will love the sound, but what you hear from the speaker cabinet and what you record from the usb are completely different.Also there is a very annoying squelch that operates when no sound is playing silencing the input channel. Great when it works, but as your sound gets quieter significant hiss is audible before and after the squelch operates. So what you say, well if you're mic'ing up this cabinet the recording from the mic is dreadful.Sorry for being so negative. I love the concept here and Positive Grid really have worked hard on the app. If positive Grid had a device that just did the modelling and plugged into my guitar amplifier then great. I cannot recommend this iteration the sound from the cabinet is poor and needs to be more neutral. Otherwise a great little practice amp and for beginners and pros and the app modelling is amazing.

If you want a great all-round guitar amp with an excellent integrated App; then the Positive Grid Desktop amplifier is a must.The Amp and its accompanying App (Spark for IOS, Android, Windows) is a great setup, especially for practising solo.Well designed and solidly manufactured.I consider the Positive Grid Spark 40W Amp extremely good value for the money.