Spark 40 – Bright Spark Mod (Mk. 0) Release

Limited run of 10 bright Spark mod (Mk. 0) kits now available

A few days ago we a preview of our Bright Spark Mod for Positive Grid’s Spark 40 modelling amp on social media and we were happy to find that many people were interested in the project (hooray) and wanted more information about the mod & how to get hold of one themselves – in this post we will try to answer some of those questions.

What is the Bright Spark Mod?

Positive Grid’s much loved Spark 40 amplifier is a very featureful, compact, and versatile practice amp. Although the spark 40 is very capable out-of-the-box, naturally people wanted to get more out of the spark and so communities of enthusiasts online have taken to modifying the amp to take it to the next level – the Bright Spark Mod is our take on this trend.

This mod takes the original spark hardware and puts it in a new more spacious home. The Bright Spark cabinet differs from the stock model as follows:

1. Designed to work with four drivers: the spark’s original two 4″ drivers, plus two additional 8 inch drivers of your choice,
2. Standard Penn Elcom pressed dish panels to let you add any additional I/O you want to the cabinet,
3. Two slots for storing the TalentCell lithium ion Battery Pack NB7102 within the cabinet,
4. Removable back panel for open back or closed back configuration,
5. Option for internally mounted power supply,
6. Strong and durable design & construction from 18mm marine birch ply wood.

Note: We are not selling a pre-assembled cabinet with all parts installed – this mod is a kit of parts for self-assembly.

We hope people take our mod and run with it – you can use this cabinet however you like! This mod will definitely give your spark a bigger fuller sound, but it will also give you a lot of new options for how to use your spark + mod it even further.

What is included in the kit?

We are offering the kit in two forms:

1. The cabinet + the pair of new 8″ speakers, crossovers & other related hardware included, or;
2. As a standalone cabinet kit with no hardware, for you to fit out however you like.

What you will need

To assemble this kit and set your spark hardware up in its new enclosure you will need:

1. Wood glue
2. A nail gun / nails & a hammer
3. A screwdriver (PH2 and PZ2 types used)
4. Sandpaper
5. Some cleaning wipes (for cleaning up excess glue)
6. Clamps / ratchet Strap / something heavy
7. Any materials you wish to use to finish the cabinet (For the model you see above we used some grey + red spray paint and some fret cloth we bought on ebay)

Note: The cabinet is supplied with square joins on all corners and external edges – if you wish to have rounded corners like you can see on our demo box above, you will also need a router & suitable bit e.g. bearing guided 12mm round over.

How to assemble the kit

The assembly process is quite straightforward, but to make it as simple as possible we will be posting a photo-guide later this week which we will post on this site & on the product page.

Only 10 Kits Available – Working Towards Mk. 1

We are very happy with the mod but we are continuing to iterate on the design! This model is the result of lessons learned from other prototypes and we think it ticks the boxes we were aiming for, but it is just a preliminary model which will only be available in a limited run of 10 because we are currently developing the Mk. 1 Bright Spark to improve on it.

This is what we are working on for the next release:

• Developing a finishing process we’re happy with (tolex wrap or other) so we can offer a pre-assembled model in addition to the kit, for people who would like that,
• Considering alternate handle configurations,
• Addition of a mounting location for an iPad,
• Taking on board all the feedback we get back from the musicians who get their hands on the first ten!