Designed for guitarists and bass players on the go, the Spark MINI by Positive Grid is a pint-sized-yet-powerful portable 10-watt stereo amp that’s perfect for practice sessions, jamming with friends, warming up before gigs, and general sonic experimentation.

I’m sure I don’t need to explain the basics of how it functions as an amp — just plug in your guitar and go. However, what I will say is that the real fun comes from the crazy number of tonal possibilities available to you. The Spark MINI comes stocked with 33 realistic amp models and 43 effects and pedals, the resulting tones of which can be assigned to one of four preset slots using the free “Spark” companion app.

That same app allows you to create your own tones, and you get access to a library of additional community-made tones that numbers in the tens of thousands. What’s more, there’s even an AI-powered backing track feature that learns from your playing style to generate drum and bass grooves on the fly, à la real studio musicians!

Watch this demo video to get a sense of what the amp can do:

The folks behind that video also did an interview with the lead product designer, who offers some interesting bits about their team’s philosophy behind the Spark MINI and the engineering that went into it:

I’m an audiophile, so I really enjoyed designing Spark MINI. We committed to delivering high-end audio, and we put a lot of energy into the details to provide high-fidelity tone. For example, we tested several versions of the cabinet using different thicknesses and acoustic formulas to see how they influenced the tone. We even looked at the design of the feet, which contact surfaces at just three points. This configuration helps isolate the Spark MINI from whatever it is sitting on, and therefore produces taut and focused bass frequencies. It’s a tiny little detail you might find in a high-end music speaker, rather than a guitar amp, but it makes a significant difference to the sound quality.

When you just want to listen to music without playing along, the Spark MINI doubles as a sweet Bluetooth speaker that simply sounds great. On the flip side, if you’re looking to work the amp into your recording setup, you can connect it to a computer as a USB audio interface. Whatever use you have for it, you can expect the onboard battery to last for 5–8 hours on a charge.

This is more than just a ultra-portable guitar amp — it’s a music creation and tonal discovery machine. Get it for $229 on Amazon in your choice of Pearl White or Black.

Posted By Chris Gonzales