Looking back while resolutely shifting things into the future, the Positive Grid Spark combo has all the looks of an old school valve amplifier, but team it up with the Spark Smart App (for both iOS and Android), and you're greeted by a mass of sound options and practical tools. The special Tone Engine doesn't just kit you out with a full army of insanely realistic guitar amp simulations, but bass amplifier simulations. And that's piled on top of an immense array of effects. Then, you could take advantage of the Positive Grid Tone Library: a stack of over 10,000 presets for both guitarists and bassists, and if you hit the ideal sonic combo, you can even save it as a preset, upload it and generously share it with other users.
When it comes to the more physical features, you're getting the fully-defined, full-range sound of two 4 inch Custom Designed speakers that are calibrated to handle the bass as well as guitar - whether they're electric or electro-acoustic models. And, as well as converting this Positive Grid offering into a high-grade Bluetooth speaker, the integrated Bluetooth module also supports backing track playback so you can properly rehearse and tighten up your timing. If not, you could simply dive into the Smart Jam section of the Spark and build yourself a virtual band out of authentic-sounding bass lines and beats.
The Positive Grid Spark can even be set up to serve as an audio interface, so it can be directly hooked up to a computer and even comes including a copy of PreSonus Studio One Prime recording software just in case. Want to learn some new material? Rather than scrolling through bad tabs on the internet, use the Auto Chords section of the app, which detects and displays the chords of a track in real-time; allows you to loop more tricky sections so you can nail them at your own pace; and can even change the tempo so you can start slow and speed up when you're ready. Finishing in true Positive Grid style, the 40-Watt-strong Spark amplifier even supports Voice Command - so, you can control the app with nothing more than your own voice.
