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Johnathan Schaaf
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2011
Art Director / Graphic Designer / Illustrator / Fitness Enthusiast / Guitar Player / Skateboarder / Husband & Father of 3.
Part 2 - Talking about my Spark 40 + CAB used in a live setting & some sound demos
This is part 2 of my Spark 40 + CAB review (after having the chance to use it in a live setting multiple times). I discuss my personal experience, settings, and also do some sound demos. This is a follow-up to a previous review I did shortly after purchasing this gear.
มุมมอง: 1 980
วีดีโอ
Nothing Else Matters Cover Attempt
มุมมอง 1545 หลายเดือนก่อน
Playing around with my Positive Grid Spark 40 and CAB - trying to get a decent recording of me playing "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, but my dog Charlie (Mini Goldendoodle kept interrupting - in the cutest way possible. Never did get a decent take, but the last one was decent. :)
5 of my Favorite Guitar Youtube Channels.
มุมมอง 966 หลายเดือนก่อน
This is a selection of my current favorite guitar TH-cam channels. This is by no means an exhaustive list - my plan is to do more of these as an occasional series. In my humble opinion, these are some of the best channels out there and they have been very instrumental (pun intended) in my growth as a guitarist. See if some of your favorites make the list - and by all means, feel free to suggest...
New announcement from Positive Grid gave me mixed feelings.
มุมมอง 9K6 หลายเดือนก่อน
Hot on the heels of my purchasing the Positive Grid Spark 40 and the 140 watt CAB, they just announced a brand new amp that basically combines the best of both. Needless to say I was left feeling a little conflicted. Sorry for yet another Positive Grid video, but I needed to vent a little bit. :)
My personal experience with the Positive Grid Spark 40 and the new CAB.
มุมมอง 14K7 หลายเดือนก่อน
With all the deals they offered over the holidays, I went ahead and purchased the Positive Grid Spark 40 amp, and the brand new 140 watt speaker CAB. I wanted to share my honest thoughts, talk about my experience so far, and my future plans for them. If you're considering buying either of them, hopefully this will help you decide. If not, I sincerly hope you enjoy my discussion on both - I real...
Happy New Year - 2023 into 2024 edition.
มุมมอง 2707 หลายเดือนก่อน
“Auld Lang Syne” duet with my daughter Rebecca who has only recently started learning the trombone. She wanted to play this song with me before the years end and has practiced for a just a few days. So proud of her enthusiasm and progress already. Happy New Year everybody! Hope 2024 is your best one yet. #auldlangsyne #guitar #guitarplayer #happynewyear #trombone #duet #gretsch #gretschguitars ...
Jamming outdoors with my Jaguar & Positive Grid Spark Mini.
มุมมอง 447ปีที่แล้ว
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted a video to my channel. A lot has happened since then, but I’m still here and doing my thing. Shot this quick vid while on a recent vacation. I’m playing outside with my Squier Jaguar, Positive Grid Spark Mini portable amp & beautiful Michigan scenery behind me. It’s a little finger-picking jam of my own composition. More content to come soon. :) #squier...
My personal experience with the Positive Grid Spark Mini amp.
มุมมอง 18Kปีที่แล้ว
Ahead of a vacation, I picked up a Positive Grid Spark Mini so I could bring along my electric guitar. In this video, I talk about my experience with the little amp so far, give a demo of how it sounds, and say whether I recommend it or not. Stick around till the end for my final thoughts.
New Guitar - Part 2 of 2 - Gretsch Sparkle Jet Clone
มุมมอง 2352 ปีที่แล้ว
This is the 2nd video of a 2 part series. I've always wanted a Gretsch Sparkle Jet but the $3000 price tag has kept it out of my reach. I decided to make a close approximation of one at a fraction of the cost, with a Gretsch Electromatic G5425 as the starting point. In video 1, I talk about my intentions with this project. In video 2, I talk about some of the issues that came up, show the finis...
New Guitar - part 1 of 2. Did I finally get my dream guitar?
มุมมอง 1562 ปีที่แล้ว
This is part 1 of a 2 part series. In this video (part 1), I first go over why I haven't posted anything in 3 months, then I show the new guitar I just bought, and go over the stock specs and what I plan to change about it. In part 2, I will talk about what I actually did to the guitar (upgrades), do the final reveal, and give a bit of a demo on the finished project.
Guitar Anthem In Honor of my Dad.
มุมมอง 2282 ปีที่แล้ว
I've been working on this for a few months now - wrote a guitar anthem in honor of my dad. He passed away on December 28th last year. With all that's going on in my life right now, I'm definitely missing him these days. Sometimes you just got to put your feelings to music. Hope you find it as therapeutic as I did putting it together.
Where have I been? Plus, a bit about the Squier 40th Anniversary Gold Series.
มุมมอง 4762 ปีที่แล้ว
Where have I been? Plus, a bit about the Squier 40th Anniversary Gold Series.
Can you convert a GFS Kwikplug pickup into a regular pickup?
มุมมอง 1.1K2 ปีที่แล้ว
Can you convert a GFS Kwikplug pickup into a regular pickup?
Queensryche - The Mission - Guitar Solo Only - No Backing Track.
มุมมอง 2632 ปีที่แล้ว
Queensryche - The Mission - Guitar Solo Only - No Backing Track.
New Year - New Look for my Jazzmaster. New Pickguard, Block Inlays, and added a fret!
มุมมอง 1K2 ปีที่แล้ว
New Year - New Look for my Jazzmaster. New Pickguard, Block Inlays, and added a fret!
Queensryche - The Mission - Full guitar cover.
มุมมอง 1952 ปีที่แล้ว
Queensryche - The Mission - Full guitar cover.
Playing a duet with myself on guitar. (Music reading practice)
มุมมอง 1032 ปีที่แล้ว
Playing a duet with myself on guitar. (Music reading practice)
Feeling like you should be further along as a guitar player? Watch this.
มุมมอง 1012 ปีที่แล้ว
Feeling like you should be further along as a guitar player? Watch this.
Practicing my music reading - some much needed work.
มุมมอง 382 ปีที่แล้ว
Practicing my music reading - some much needed work.
Queensryche Empire - Intro Cover - Guitar Only
มุมมอง 1542 ปีที่แล้ว
Queensryche Empire - Intro Cover - Guitar Only
Squier CV Jaguar - lead circuit cutting out intermittently - problem and solution.
มุมมอง 6032 ปีที่แล้ว
Squier CV Jaguar - lead circuit cutting out intermittently - problem and solution.
Quick Discussion on Copper Shielding (specifically on a Jazzmaster)
มุมมอง 4.1K2 ปีที่แล้ว
Quick Discussion on Copper Shielding (specifically on a Jazzmaster)
My parts-built Jazzmaster Pt. 2 - process from start to finish & the problems I had to overcome.
มุมมอง 4.7K3 ปีที่แล้ว
My parts-built Jazzmaster Pt. 2 - process from start to finish & the problems I had to overcome.
My Jazzmaster-Style Guitar Build - Part 1 - The Big Reveal.
มุมมอง 2.9K3 ปีที่แล้ว
My Jazzmaster-Style Guitar Build - Part 1 - The Big Reveal.
Planning to build a Jazzmaster style guitar with zero build experience.
มุมมอง 3.8K3 ปีที่แล้ว
Planning to build a Jazzmaster style guitar with zero build experience.
My cover of the intro guitar solo from Holiday by the Scorpions. Let me take you far away...
มุมมอง 2.1K3 ปีที่แล้ว
My cover of the intro guitar solo from Holiday by the Scorpions. Let me take you far away...
May the 4th 2021 - Star Wars Guitar Riffs - by an average guitar player.
มุมมอง 1563 ปีที่แล้ว
May the 4th 2021 - Star Wars Guitar Riffs - by an average guitar player.
Metallica's Fade To Black Intro and Solo Cover (by an average guitar player)
มุมมอง 2273 ปีที่แล้ว
Metallica's Fade To Black Intro and Solo Cover (by an average guitar player)
I bought the pedal and I like it. The lag time for turning on and off boost pedals it's not bad. Switching amps in the middle of a song the lag time is so bad, but all in all it was worth the money
The cab is excellent. Sounds fantastic. Lots of connection options.
I just purchased the cab and the power button on the cab has a short!
How'd it go???
the only thing I don't like about it is like 99% of the presets on tonecloud have the noisegate pumped up so high you have to lower or disable it every time, otherwise you can't play with any nuance or let notes ring lol. Mostly user made presets, the positivegrid ones seem to be lighter on the noise gate
Like everything in life, there's a learning curve. Kudos on posting the video, the internet tends to be a filthy place for those who are learning.
Beautiful Jazzmaster.
👌👍👀
I was considering the cab for my spark 40 until i tried playing my 40 through the stereo effects loop on my blackstar ID Core 100 and it works great and in stereo!
Are you kidding me ? Do nothing but talk ?😂
Sorry for my late response - I did a second vid after having it for a while and included sound demos. Check that out if you’d like. Thanks for the comment
Can you hook the cab to the live?
👍
Forty something man surrounded by star war toys and wearing a SW tee shirt is a sure sign to take everything he says with a very small grain of salt.
blah blah blah
beginning of video, that dog said "There he goes turning that box on again, Im out"
The new one is also a P.A. system.
Americans talk too much. 5 minutes in and still waffling.
I m for one totally agree with you i can use a bit more BASS sound on my posi amp..SO....it was a BIG disappointment for me i both that amp for the HEAVY BASE sound welll NOT MINE may be i got a defective one..
Hi there , have the spark 40 into the cab. I like the tone of the spark40 much better then through the cab. It’s good and loud but there is something that didn’t go through to my ears. I wonder if I would mic the spark40 into the cab if I would get closer to hear what comes out of the spark40
Just picked one of these up this weekend because, being in the Midwest, the weather is turning way too nice to be sitting inside. In the past, I'd bring out a 1x12 and a multi-effects pedal, chords, extension cord, the whole mess. This year, i watched several vids about these mini Bluetooth amps and decided to give the Spark a shot. Found one local for $160, and got the Bluetooth foot pedal to go with. I really like the sounds I'm getting despite the size of it. I haven't checked how loud it can go because I found a volume level that works for me. I haven't played my full-size rig since i got this because i can play in front of the TV now lol. Foot switch was $109 but was a must-have for me. That was one of the major selling points since i haven't seen any others have the foot pedal option. And if the battery is dead, you don't have to wait for it to recharge to play it - just plug it in and it will power up while recharging.
Thank You, very good review!
update to my last comment. Like I said I sold the 40 and the cab. The 40 was great the cab not so much for my purpose with using a lot of backing tracks. The Live does now exactly what I expected it to be. The best product from the whole line... I love. The Cab unfortunately looks great but did not sound as good as I wished. I really did ... but the live did not dissapoitn at all. no regrets I sold the other stuff... but with the 40 or live u can not be wrong. But in reality the Live is all u will ever need for home or small gigs... keep jamming out there
Thank you! EXACTLY what I needed to know!
This happens all the time. If your always waiting for the next thing you never have anything. Try building a PC
Does your Spark CAB hiss and or have constant wind noises even when not playing and also when you are playing? Mine does. It is so bad that I was pushed off of my church praise team band because of it. Someone in one of the FB Spark groups said the Positive Grid gave them a replacement. But I kind of wondering if I could get the Spark Live by returning the CAB & paying the difference to Positive Grid. But then there still seems to be issues with the Spark Live. I wish Positive Grid would fix their issues before selling their products/gear. I too have the AirStep SPK controller and am using it on the experimental mode.
That sucks they just kicked you off instead of just asking if you could find new gear, or borrow something until you got something new
Ok, im gonna stop you right there. Feel better about your setup. To create sound, you have to move air. And i know you know the bigger the speaker the better. Maybe the combined sq inch is more with the dual 6 inch. But, that 10 is going to move more air period. I would bet the new is going to sound smaller even though it is pushing 10W more power. And is that 10W RMS? Lol... Dont be sad. The new is more portable, and will sound like it too.
Thanks for your honesty and your thorough reasoning mate. I am still considering one of these. The access to the massive amount of effects and amp types is intriguing to me, but like you said, the threat of them one day pulling support for the amp is concerning… it’s between this and an Orange Crush or Orange Rocker for me. I love technology, but I’m always wary of it when it comes to guitars because I think practical effects are more expensive, but are at least dependable
Im looking at the cab and the orange crush as well. Which one did you go with?
I bought a Spark 40 I loved it and used it for almost 2 years before it started having issues with the media volume bottom then it would just stop making a sound or make a god awful like it was melting down or something but I liked it so much I bought another figuring it was from use but in a month the new one has all the same issues plus the tuner freezes everything up and more ugh. I wanted to buy the cab but now I hear it has quality issues and buzzes horribly. so that's out. I may try a live spark because I can play sing add a backing track and record but if this is a hunk of junk like the others I swear to the gods I'm going back to solid-state amps and pedals etc and never buy another positive grid product again
It looks nice bur £289 for a powered cab is just daft.
It is the same for me. I bought the Cab and then they announced the Live. I was really angry but I sold my 40 and the Cab to Go for the live. Biggest plus for me is other Channels to use a drum and looper pedal and mic and the EQ buttons. I feel the Cab and the 40 is very Heavy for Bass. Especially when u run Backing tracks with it. I also used the 40 to listen to music. With many Songs it just did not sound really well. But as soon as i get mine i will let u know if the change was worth it.
Same Story here. 3 Weeks After i bought the Cab The announed the Spark Live. I was so angry. But i had the 40 for quite a while… so i sold my 40 and Cab and go for the new Live now. For me at Home it has all i Need.
I'm enjoying your videos & plying. I have the 40 & considering buying the cab. Thanks
I got the mini coming in the mail today. Im hoping to eventually pick up a 100 watt orange crush amp later this year and, then connect it to my mini
Hi everybody, just got the Live and it’s good but I went to my buddy we both play guitar on the live and compared it to the cab. The cab sounds much better to our ears. More like a cabinet speaker more open while the live sounds direct compared more closed up. Since I heard it I can’t warm up to the Live anymore. Return is on me about 70 dollar. Think about that before you buy. No free return. Overall for someone using all the features of the amp I guess it’s good but if you only play guitar and you already have a spark40 get the cab you will thank me later.
Thanks for sharing your experience! :)
Charlie prepping you to play live with distractions. Cool.
You have inspired me to bite the bullet and get the cab! I'm also getting the control switch and a volume pedal in front for ambient swells. Much appreciated sir!
Thanks! Glad to provide some useful info. By the way - I would caution against getting the positive grid Spark control switcher… as of now, you can only use it while the app on your digital device is running. As soon as your screen goes dark or you exit the app, or go to another app, it no longer works. I have found the Airstep from XSonic to work perfectly - they have one specific to the Spark. It works reguarless if your in the app or not.
Very helpful, I wasn't sure which one to get but now I will go with the Xsoinc one. Makes no sense to run the app for the pedal to work. @@johnathanschaaf8731
@@johnathanschaaf8731 Does your cab make a hiss or a floor noise?
@@kylelujan89 Im so sorry for my late response - no, I haven’t experienced any weird sound or hiss noises at all. I still use it once a week in a live setting and it’s been fine. I have it plugged into a soundboard through XLR and have the speaker cab facing me like a monitor.
Takes a little time to get used to a new rig but it's sounding good. Any videos of your band on TH-cam?
I think you are better off as well with them being separated. More flexible IMO plus you can use the FR cabinet for a separate pedal board. I strickly have been using my spark 40 to stream backing tracks with a separate 20 watt tube Amp. I really like the backing tracks available from the spark Amp.
How did go? How did it sound? I'm thinking of getting one for my spark 40 for worship.
Awesome
Two completely different products for completely different things.
Wow
How well did it work?
That’s just bad timing. It happens. You can always sell the cab to someone who needs it for their spark 40. And then sell the 40 to someone else. Then buy the Live? I do like the Positive Grid products… but my issue is why do they continually refuse to add a Looper to any of their amps or app? 🤔
I wouldnt. I am betting the cab sounds better.
Hablas mucho
I just got mine last week - took it Sunday to a Blues meet where I usually take my acoustic - it was awesome - I love this little amp - I'm so happy with it. The drummer was loud - but I could still hear my guitar.
So how did it go
I have a gretsch 5220 that I’ve put a bigsby b7 on and put in Filtertron pickups and I’ve decided to repaint the top on it in a sparkle finish and I will also have to fill the post holes that held the tail piece. I hope mine turns out as good as as yours did. That looks great 👍
I'm curious about spark but haven't yet bought any of there stuff
First thing I don't like is the solid feeling, all metal switch that is used on many high end guitar amplifiers. The second thing I don't like is, i bought a virtual amp that is essentially a computer program and it comes with a power supply like I have for my computer. Don't worry guys if your keeping score he's going to say at least one more crazy thing before he hits the 10 minute mark. This video is not going to be an exhaustive review, there will be no tones in this short non-exhaustive... holy crap over 36 minute review. Buddy get it together, plan a bit beforehand, maybe write up an outline to stay on track. Good luck, see you next year on your next video.