“I am so in love with it, they asked, ‘You wanna sprinkle a little Vai fairy dust on it?’” Steve Vai and Positive Grid have launched a signature Spark Mini inspired by his five-neck Hydra guitar – and it’s got four Vai-designed presets
Positive Grid has partnered with yet another electric guitar virtuoso to launch the latest signature edition of its hugely popular Spark Minipractice amp.
Since debuting the flagship Spark Mini in February 2022, Positive Grid has re-released the tiny smart amp in a variety of signature formats for the likes of Paul Gilbert and Zakk Wylde.
For its latest spin-off, Positive Grid has tapped Steve Vai, who has helped produce a Mandala grille cloth that comes embossed with an artwork inspired by his internet-breaking five-neck Hydra guitar.
As was the case with the Gilbert and Wylde amps, Vai’s contributions have extended beyond the amp’s aesthetics. Here, this particular Spark Mini is also loaded with four custom presets designed by Vai himself.
The first 100 units will be signed by Vai, who, it turns out, is a long-time fan of the firm’s fan favorite desktop amp.
“I gotta tell you, I don’t go anywhere without it,” says Vai in a launch video. “I really don’t. It sounds great. I have one backstage. I have one on the bus. And I have one for my hotel room.
“I am so in love with it and I use it so much, they asked, ‘Hey, you wanna sprinkle a little Vai fairy dust on it?’ And here it is.”
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(Image credit: Positive Grid)
(Image credit: Positive Grid)
Now, the amp itself looks very cool indeed – perhaps the best signature Spark Mini we’ve seen so far – but the key selling point here is the fact it’s got Vai-approved tones.
There are four in total – Fresh, Mild, Hot and Dirty – which can be further edited using the Positive Grid app.
Of course, they’re all good to go from the off, with Fresh, Mild and Hot climbing the dirt scale for a range of delay-tinged cleans and gritty rhythms. Fire, meanwhile, is designed especially for solos.
Aside from the internal tonal perks and the unique cosmetics, Vai’s signature Spark Mini performs much the same as any regular Spark Mini. That means the battery-powered unit offers 10 watts of output, with Bluetooth compatibility and “endless tone options and interactive features”.
“For me, this Spark Mini is an excellent portable practice amp,” Vai notes. “The 4 tones allow for inspirational playing and I built these presets around my interests.”
A pre-order period will start on September 3. 100 of the amps sold within this window will arrive hand-signed by Vai. An official price hasn’t been announced, but Gilbert’s own model went for $299 – so expect a similar price this time around.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
