Positive Grid Spark Mini Vai Review: A Tiny Signature Guitar Amp For Everyone

Many popular musicians work with brands to create signature models of guitars and amps, but rarely are they so accessible as the Positive Grid Spark Mini Vai. As you may no doubt guess, this little amp was created in collaboration with legendary guitarist Steve Vai, and while it's not as crazy as his multi-headed Hydra guitar, the Spark Mini Vai is nonetheless a striking device.

At its core, the Spark Mini Vai is a Spark Mini, which means that in addition to beautiful custom elements of the design and exclusive tones, the amp comes loaded with all the smart features which make Positive Grid's amplifiers so desirable. That means you can access such tools as smart jam to accompany you while you play, or Spark AI to create entirely new tones to play with. The question is, is the Spark Mini Vai just a collectible for Steve Vai super fans, or is it something which might attract a broader audience?

Positive Grid provided a Spark Mini Vai for this Review.

A key aspect of the Spark Mini Vai is its exclusive custom tones, labeled as "fresh," "mild," "hot," and "fire" on the selector knob. "Fresh" is basically just a very clean tone, while "mild" lets the natural sound of the guitar shine through while adding some lovely subtle textures and a bit of grit if you want it, which I found pairs very nicely with acoustic guitars. Hot piles on the distortion, and fire is as gnarly as the name implies (great for solos). All together they serve a wide range of applications, with "mild" being my personal favorite for its pleasant sounds and versatility.

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As far as I'm concerned, these are the best default tones I've ever heard built into an amp. They are versatile while remaining quite distinct from those found in regular Spark amps, or something like my Boss Katana. They elevate this from just being a really cool looking amp with Steve Vai branding to something with unique instrumental utility.

Of course, with Positive Grid products, what's available on the amp itself is just the jumping off point. In the app you can customize your tones to your heart's content in several different ways, from tweaking simulated amps and effects pedals through a visual interface to Spark AI (beta), which generates tones based on your descriptions of what you're looking for. For example, you could ask it for a general emotional feel, or as I prefer, ask it to replicate the tones favored by a particular band or guitarist. Spark AI then gives you several different sets of effects to choose from which you are free to further tweak yourself.

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Another clever AI trick is the "Smart Jam" feature, where one of four virtual "musicians" accompanies you as you play. Essentially, it's a customizable, adaptive backing track, and it's a great tool for practicing guitar. There's also lots of other backing tracks and videos with tabbed songs performed by real musicians if you prefer.

Also in the app is a tuner, metronome, video recorder, and Spotify/Apple Music integration. However, since the Spotify integration is currently broken, and I don't subscribe to Apple Music, I was unable to test this feature.

10 watts may not sound like a lot, but for a practice amp the Mini Vai is more than adequate. It's quite capable of filling a moderately large room. It's an impressive sounding device which is capable of delivering great results with both guitars and basses. Given its portability and rechargeable battery, this high sound quality makes it a highly capable Bluetooth speaker, so it may be of interest even if you're only a very casual guitarist.

In terms of IO, in addition to the guitar cable jack, the Mini Vai is equipped with a USB-C port for charging, as well as AUX-in and line-out. The power button is on the back next to the pairing button, and on top you have your tone control, guitar volume, and music volume controls. I'm happy to report I experienced no issues with the Bluetooth connectivity between my phone and the Spark Mini Vai.

If you like burgundy, this is the amp for you, and so it's certainly the amp for me as I'm quite fond of burgundy. Both the tolex exterior of the amp and the custom woven guitar cable it comes bundled with are burgundy, with the cable ends featuring Steve Vai's logo. This logo is also to be found on the control panel of the amp itself. The profusion of burgundy extends to the included detachable handle, with gold lettering and accents on the amp creating a highly attractive contrast.

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Of course, the most striking aspect of the Spark Mini Vai is its eye-catching mandala patterned grille, which is quite stunning to behold when you first take it out of the box. All together, the Mini Vai is a bold and eye catching device, which could sit on a desk or shelf as art when not in use, and it's small enough that it fits even in cramped conditions where space is limited.

A significant advantage which the Mini Vai has over other portable amplifiers I've used is its built-in 3,000 mAh battery. Often such miniature amplifiers take AA batteries, so the Mini Vai's high capacity rechargeable battery is certainly a step up over those. I never found I had to worry about running out of juice, and it was only infrequently necessary to top it up.

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Power level is displayed via the indicator light, which gradually changes color from one side to the other as the battery is depleted. The Mini Vai recharges via USB-C, and is compatible with most USB-C chargers. All this is to say that, thanks to its built-in battery, this little amp isn't just small enough to go anywhere, it can be played anywhere, and if you want to place it somewhere in a room to display and use you don't have to figure out how to run an unsightly cord to it.

At $249, the Spark Mini Vai costs a bit more than the regular Spark Mini, but is a whole lot better looking with excellent exclusive tones. That price point places it alongside the more expensive class of portable Bluetooth speakers, but it has the sound quality to exist as a premium Bluetooth speaker even without its functionality as a guitar amp. Even with that $20 markup over the MSRP of the more generic Spark Mini, this amp does offer a decent value for your money, given all the things it's capable of doing.

Alternative small, battery powered amps from other brands include the Yamaha THR5 which is available for $209 on Amazon, and the Boss Katana Mini at just $99 on Amazon (prices quoted as of . I have no personal experience with the Yamaha THR5, but I do own a Boss Katana Mini, though I wouldn't recommend it as I've found it to be highly unreliable, it takes 6 AA batteries, and if you want to plug it in the power supply is sold separately. The Yamaha THR5 requires a whopping 8 AA batteries, but at least they throw in a wall adapter.

If you want more power (and some cool additional features), then the Positive Grid Spark 2 is an excellent option, and it's just $50 extra over the Mini Vai. However, it's also a much larger device, and the battery is sold separately.

Whether you're a fan of Steve Vai or just looking for a great, highly portable little amp for practice or travel, the Positive Grid Spark Mini Vai is a highly compelling option. It's one of the best music hardware collaborations with an artist I've seen, and at a price point which is accessible to a lot of people.

Compared to its direct competitors, the base level Spark Mini was already a superior product in most ways, and the Spark Mini Vai is just that little bit more compelling, thanks to its great exclusive tones and gorgeous, unique styling. All this comes at a slightly higher price point, but it's one I consider well worth it for an amp which is more likely to find itself in a prominent place in your home due to its convenient size. It sounds great, looks great, and is an incredibly versatile gadget which would be at home in any guitarists toolkit.

The Positive Grid Spark Mini Vai is currently available to pre-order from Positive Grid's online store for $249. Or if you're in a hurry or the Vai edition has sold out, there's always the non-Vai original Positive Grid Spark Mini on Amazon for $229.