Instead they’d prefer to stick to the physical controls and are more focused on the built-in sounds. For some, that’s just not what they want in a guitar amp. Many people will be disinclined to use the app regardless. Still, while you can sort by popularity and browse by broad genre categories, there’s no rating system or descriptions beyond whatever its been named. Of course, with over 10,000 options uploaded, it would be hard not to be. The ToneCloud section where users can upload combinations of amps and effects they’ve designed, is similarly messy. While it was decent enough at detecting what chords I was playing and staying in key, the rhythms always felt like they were basically picked out of a hat and I had to adjust what I was playing to match. I also have to say that the Smart Jam feature is kind of inconsistent. Especially when there’s a tab dedicated entirely to recording video of yourself playing, a feature that feels tacked on.

Sure, these things are all related, but it’s still a lot crammed into a single place. These videos cover everything from bland genre backing tracks, to tabbed versions of popular songs, to just plain old music videos that have been analyzed by Positive Grid’s Smart Chord system. The music tab at the bottom is home to the Smart Jam backing tracks and YouTube videos. And there’s no indication in the UI that double tapping is how you change out amps and effects.Įven the other parts of the app, while functional, lack some polish.

The signal chain relies heavily on double taps which just aren’t as common in a mobile app. But some of the rough edges are just questionable interface design. I’m just not huge on heavily skeuomorphic designs. Now, to be fair, some of this is down to personal taste. The app unfortunately isn’t quite as polished as the hardware. It even eschews the usual amp format of a single 12- or 10-inch speaker in favor of a pair of four-inch ones. The white vinyl, unique grill cloth and fluted knobs give the whole thing a classy vintage vibe that straddles the line between guitar amp and home stereo. As with Yamaha’s THR series, you could easily leave this out in your living room and it wouldn’t feel out of place. But the Special Edition Pearl model is especially attractive. The regular Spark is already a pretty great looking amp. Let’s start with one thing that Positive Grid knocks out of the park: design.

Review spark amp