Positive Grid’s Spark amps have become a popular part of the company’s line-up, offering a convenient way to take their renowned amp and effects modelling to the stage. The latest product to bear the name is the Spark Pedal, which as its name suggests, makes the power of the Spark platform available in stompbox form. 

The Spark Pedal runs on Positive Grid's HD Tone Engine, the same DSP architecture that powers their flagship Spark 2 amp. It comes loaded with 33 amp models and 43 effects, and offers access to more than 100,000 tones through Positive Grid’s online ToneCloud community. Helpfully, it supports the use of presets created with other products in the Spark family, meaning users can easily load in any of their previously saved presets. Silent practise is possible thanks to a headphone output, and Bluetooth streaming makes it possible for users to play along with their favourite tracks, and thanks to the option of battery operation, the Spark Pedal can be used just about anywhere.  

A set of multi-function knobs on the unit’s top panel offer hands-on control over both amp and effects settings. In Amp Mode, the controls adjust Gain, Bass, Mid and Treble; in FX Mode, they offer control over Drive, Modulation, Delay and Reverb parameters. Holding down the centre multifunction knob activates a built-in tuner, and the Spark Pedal includes a 60-second looper with Record, Overdub and Undo functions accessible via the unit’s footswitches — the switches can also be used to store six presets across two banks. 

The Spark Pedal's capabilities are then extended by a free companion app. Text to Tone allows the user to describe a phrase, song, artist or feeling and receive matching tone suggestions to tweak or save, while a Build Your Rig feature lets players construct a signal chain from a library of amps, cabinets and effects and fine-tune them. Auto Chords displays guitar chords in real time as a song plays through the app, and ToneCloud provides access to tones shared by musicians worldwide. The app also offers remote control of the pedal’s looper.

The Spark Pedal is available now, priced at $199.

www.positivegrid.com/pages/spark-pedal