Positive Grid Spark Cab/FRFR

[complex-barb.0t]

This looks interesting. Seems like the price will be $269 if you preorder. Includes XLR in and does not seem to be just for Spark amps. 140w.

Spark CAB

140-Watt powered guitar amp speaker cabinet optimized to work seamlessly with Spark 40, Spark MINI and Spark GO amps, as well as other modelers, instruments or amps. Versatile, high-quality sound for live performances, recording sessions and home practice.

www.positivegrid.com

 

[MaxOfMetal]

For the specs, the price is fair-ish. Not great, but it's not like it's expensive.

But, for about the same or a bit more you can get a significantly more powerful, flexible, and feature packed speaker, it's just not going to look like a guitar cab.

It follows the familiar pattern of taking long standing live sound gear and repackaging it as guitar gear for an up-charge.

 

[complex-barb.0t]

Some good points. The last cheap FRFR I bought was a headrush 10. Thing sucked. I am guessing this is likely better than that speaker.

This unit does have some novel features like USC-C power out. You could power a iPad+ audio interface with that. Would have been rad if you could have dropped the DC out to 9v to power a smaller pedalboard that had an ir pedal at the end of it.

 

[Deadpool_25]

Some good points. The last cheap FRFR I bought was a headrush 10. Thing sucked. I am guessing this is likely better than that speaker.

I tried one of those. It did suck. I'm now using a trio of EV PXM 12 speakers. About triple the price of these Spark thingies but I love them.

 

[complex-barb.0t]

I tried one of those. It did suck. I'm now using a trio of EV PXM 12 speakers. About triple the price of these Spark thingies but I love them.

I am debating a buy once, cry once and getting one of those EV’s. I might get the PG “cab” because I have been looking for a pretty portable practice setup I can run various modelers and IR-X into.

 

[Wiltonauer]

I always thought that PA-type equipment was for burning live mixes into people’s brains from across oceans. Are they any good for getting in-room guitar amp sound from modelers?

 

[GunpointMetal]

I always thought that PA-type equipment was for burning live mixes into people’s brains from across oceans. Are they any good for getting in-room guitar amp sound from modelers?

They are good at getting the full signal chain modeled tone up to performance volume. They will not sound like a guitar cab. You can try some far field IRs, but if you really want “cab in the room” sound you’ve got to put a cab in the room with you.

 

[Wiltonauer]

They are good at getting the full signal chain modeled tone up to performance volume. They will not sound like a guitar cab. You can try some far field IRs, but if you really want “cab in the room” sound you’ve got to put a cab in the room with you.

What if you turned off the IRs and just ran amp modeling (and maybe a few effects) into a clean, wide-bandwidth, linear, high-headroom amp driving a guitar cabinet?

 

[Shask]

What if you turned off the IRs and just ran amp modeling (and maybe a few effects) into a clean, wide-bandwidth, linear, high-headroom amp driving a guitar cabinet?

As soon as you use an IR, it basically sounds and feels like a recording of an amp, not like an actual amp.

Many people use solid state flat power amps into guitar cabs. That can sound pretty good with enough tweaking.

 

[ATRguitar91]

What if you turned off the IRs and just ran amp modeling (and maybe a few effects) into a clean, wide-bandwidth, linear, high-headroom amp driving a guitar cabinet?

Like a PA type power amp? That'll sound great, it's what I do

 

[GunpointMetal]

What if you turned off the IRs and just ran amp modeling (and maybe a few effects) into a clean, wide-bandwidth, linear, high-headroom amp driving a guitar cabinet?

Pretty common approach with modelers or preamp pedals. When I have to use backline gear I have some presets with a no-IR tone going to my Crate Powerblock and then to whatever cab is there and I still have an output with an IR for my in-ears and FOH.

 

[Wiltonauer]

As soon as you use an IR, it basically sounds and feels like a recording of an amp, not like an actual amp.

Many people use solid state flat power amps into guitar cabs. That can sound pretty good with enough tweaking.

Like a PA type power amp? That'll sound great, it's what I do

Pretty common approach with modelers or preamp pedals. When I have to use backline gear I have some presets with a no-IR tone going to my Crate Powerblock and then to whatever cab is there and I still have an output with an IR for my in-ears and FOH.

I had this same idea over twenty years ago, and I suspect many other people did, too. I was still a punter in those days, knocking around guitar stores and talking more than playing, and talking way more than buying. I’d talk to different people about wanting to find a reasonably priced, pro-grade amp that would be reliable and let the sound of the modeler and the cab come through.

Most of them would tell me that I needed to use a cranked tube amp — you know, downstream of the pre/pro that was supposed be imparting the sound of a cranked tube amp on my guitar signal. The thinking was, apparently, that the new signal processing designed to mimic the sound of a tube amp wasn’t really enough; you still had to use an… (check my notes here) actual tube amp in addition to your new modeler which you’d just purchased perhaps at least partly based on the manufacturer’s claim that it would free you from having to lug around… a tube amp.

It always seemed to me that, if you believed in the concept of amp modeling, you would at least be up for trying it.

 

[Shask]

I had this same idea over twenty years ago, and I suspect many other people did, too. I was still a punter in those days, knocking around guitar stores and talking more than playing, and talking way more than buying. I’d talk to different people about wanting to find a reasonably priced, pro-grade amp that would be reliable and let the sound of the modeler and the cab come through.

Most of them would tell me that I needed to use a cranked tube amp — you know, downstream of the pre/pro that was supposed be imparting the sound of a cranked tube amp on my guitar signal. The thinking was, apparently, that the new signal processing designed to mimic the sound of a tube amp wasn’t really enough; you still had to use an… (check my notes here) actual tube amp in addition to your new modeler which you’d just purchased perhaps at least partly based on the manufacturer’s claim that it would free you from having to lug around… a tube amp.

It always seemed to me that, if you believed in the concept of amp modeling, you would at least be up for trying it.

People have been doing this type of thing for years. Heck, around 25 years ago I had a Sansamp PSA-1, and a Mosvalve Solid State Power amp. I also used a POD PRO into a Marshall 8004 Valvestate solid state power amp for awhile.

The newer modeling units have gotten better at modeling the preamp+poweramp, vs just the preamp as the units from years ago.

 

[Wiltonauer]

Are people modeling the cabinet not as an electroacoustic transducer but as a dynamic reactive and physical load on the amplifier? So you tell the modeler what cabinet you’re using, and it models not just a JCM800 2203, but more specifically how a JCM800 2203 behaves when it’s driving an oversized Mesa 4x12 straight with a mix of V30s and T75s.

 

[Shask]

Are people modeling the cabinet not as an electroacoustic transducer but as a dynamic reactive and physical load on the amplifier? So you tell the modeler what cabinet you’re using, and it models not just a JCM800 2203, but more specifically how a JCM800 2203 behaves when it’s driving an oversized Mesa 4x12 straight with a mix of V30s and T75s.

The Fractal units are probably the most advanced in that area. You can dial in the impedance curve, the speaker thump, speaker compression, etc.... then pick what cab IR you want to use. I think the Fractal units are easily the closest in terms of not only tone, but also in dynamics.

 

[complex-barb.0t]

I forgot to mention I bought one of these, it had an annoying wooshing hiss so I returned it. It’s no replacement for a real cab.