Positive Grid article
Positive Grid Explained: Features, Types and Tips
From the Spark amps to the BIAS software range, here's what Positive Grid actually makes, how its key features work, and how to get more out of them.
Positive Grid has become one of the most recognisable names in guitar tech, and for good reason: it built its whole business on making expensive amp tones accessible through software and a phone screen. If you have seen the Spark amps in a shop window or watched a demo online and wondered exactly what you are looking at, this guide explains the company's main products, how they fit together, and how to get more out of them.
What Positive Grid Actually Makes
Positive Grid is a music technology company built around one idea: modelling real amplifiers, cabinets and effects in software, then packaging that modelling into products a bedroom player can actually afford. Its output splits into two families that are easy to confuse if you are new to the brand.
- Spark — physical practice amplifiers with a companion app, Bluetooth streaming and built-in learning tools.
- BIAS — computer and mobile software for building virtual amp rigs, without any hardware attached.
Both rest on the same underlying modelling technology; the difference is simply whether you want a speaker on your desk or a plugin in your recording software.
The Spark Amplifier Family
Spark 2
The current flagship is the Spark 2, a 50-watt combo with two angled full-range speakers rather than a single traditional guitar speaker. That full-range design is what lets one small amp handle a modelled guitar tone, a bass line, an acoustic signal or a Bluetooth backing track equally well. It carries 33 amp models and 43 effects, arranged so a preset can hold one amp plus up to three effects before it and three after it. There is also an onboard looper with up to 60 seconds of recording time, Wi-Fi for firmware updates, and a newer feature called Spark AI, which reviewers describe as an assistant for shaping or suggesting tones through the app.
Spark MINI
Sitting below the Spark 2 in the range, the Spark MINI trims the size and price while keeping the same basic idea of an app-controlled practice amp with Bluetooth playback. It suits players who want the Positive Grid ecosystem in the smallest possible footprint, such as travelling musicians or anyone short on desk space.
The BIAS Software Range
For players who prefer working entirely inside a computer or tablet, Positive Grid's BIAS range covers the same ground in software form.
| Product | What it does |
|---|---|
| BIAS FX 2 | A full virtual pedalboard, amp and effects rig for recording or silent practice. |
| BIAS AMP | Focused amp modelling and custom amp-building, down to swapping virtual components. |
| BIAS PEDAL | Software pedal design and modelling, for building custom stompbox tones. |
Many guitarists treat BIAS FX 2 and a Spark amp as complementary rather than competing: the software for detailed studio work, the hardware for quick practice without opening a laptop.
Key Features Explained
A few terms come up constantly in Positive Grid's marketing, and they are worth unpacking briefly.
- Amp modelling — using digital processing to reproduce the sound and feel of a specific real amplifier, rather than using that amp's actual circuit.
- Smart Jam — a feature that listens to what you are playing and generates a backing track to match, useful for practising without a band.
- Auto Chords — analyses a song and displays its chords on screen, handy for learning tunes by ear.
- Full-range speaker — a speaker designed to reproduce a wide range of frequencies evenly, rather than colouring the sound the way a dedicated guitar speaker does.
None of this technology is unique in isolation — plenty of manufacturers model amps — but Positive Grid's contribution has been to wrap it in an app that most players find genuinely easy to use, which is a large part of why the Spark range sold as well as it did.
Getting the Best Tone Out of Your Gear
Whichever product you own, a little discipline with the workflow pays off. Set the amp model, gain and EQ first, and only then start layering effects — a strong core tone with modest reverb usually beats a fully loaded signal chain. Keep guitar and backing-track volumes balanced so neither buries the other, and save distinct presets for clean, edge-of-breakup and high-gain tones rather than constantly overwriting the same slot. If you try Spark AI's suggestions, treat them as a starting point and finish the sound by ear through whatever you will actually be heard on, whether that is the amp's own speakers, headphones or a recording chain.
Who This Amp Range Suits
The company's gear is aimed squarely at practice, home recording, teaching and informal jamming rather than being marketed as stage-first equipment. That makes it a strong fit for anyone starting out, for players wanting a flexible bedroom rig, or for guitarists who want one box that also plays music over Bluetooth. If you are choosing between models, our complete buyer's guide breaks down the specs that matter, and our roundup of the best options for the money compares them directly. Total newcomer to modelling amps? Start with our beginner's guide to Positive Grid instead.
The Bottom Line
Positive Grid has built a genuinely useful ecosystem out of amp modelling, whether you access it through a Spark combo on your desk or BIAS software on your laptop. The Spark 2 remains the most complete hardware option, the Spark MINI the most portable, and the BIAS range the deepest for anyone happy working entirely inside a computer. Understanding how the pieces fit together makes it far easier to pick the right one — and to get more out of it once it is home.
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