Do your solos sometimes drown in the background or feel stale? Then you need a good boost pedal like the tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER. You can get loud yet clean volume bumps or some extra gain for searing leads.
Furthermore, it has a signature dual-mode switch that promises extra convenience and flexibility.
In 1976, two Danish brothers with a passion for electric guitars founded tc electronic. Over the years, the company has produced many impressive guitar pedals, such as the SPARK boost. High quality and innovative designs keep them among the most well-renowned effect pedal brands.
Mini pedals have gained much popularity in the last few years. No longer a mere gimmick, they can often provide equal sound with less space. Being such simple effects, boosters are perfect candidates for shrinking. This tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER review will show you what this tiny stompbox can do.
tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER Sound
The tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER is fully analog and grants a smooth, transparent volume boost. A full 20-decibel boost with no coloring of the timbre is impressive, making it one of the best booster pedals on the market.
Beyond the obvious benefit of making your solos loud and clear, you can also use a boost pedal to push other effects further. For example, driving your amp for a rounder tone or hotter overdrive. Or slamming a compressor pedal for a fatter sound.
The tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER stays transparent regardless of settings and works with all electric guitar types. That also makes it ideal for all genres.
Many famous guitarists use tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER pedals. Great examples include Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, and Opeth’s Fredrik Åkesson. The one and only Devin Townsend is another SPARK MINI fan. So are Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen.
tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER Features
As you may know or have guessed from the name, the tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER is a smaller version of another pedal. The original SPARK has tone controls and the mini doesn’t. Other than that, it’s the same pedal but smaller.
This boost pedal has a discrete high-quality sound circuit that raises the volume by a whopping 20 dB without distorting it. The stylish casing is hard metal, and the whole design is very durable.
Like most boosters, it only has one knob. You use it to set the level of extra volume. Then there’s the footswitch, which has a nifty special feature. In addition to normal switching, it also has something called PrimeTime switching. If the effect is off and you press it down and keep it depressed, it’ll only stay active until you release the button.
Do you sometimes wish you could make that one lick or passage stand out a bit more from the rest of your song? That’s when the PrimeTime boost comes in handy. You won’t have to worry about turning the boost off at the right time since you can simply lift your toes and keep playing.
Technical Specs
- Size: 1.9 x 1.9 x 3.7 inches
- Input impedance: 1 megaohm
- Output impedance: 100 ohm
- Maximum boost: 20 dB
- Bypass: True-bypass
- Powering options: Standard center-negative 9-volt power supply (not included)
For more information, see the manual.
tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER – To Buy or Not to Buy?
Boost pedals may be somewhat unexciting and hard to tell apart, but the tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER stands out in a few positive ways. The convenient PrimeTime feature and the loud, transparent boost are the two most significant ones. Then there’s the compact size.
I hope this tc electronic SPARK MINI BOOSTER review has helped you decide. If you’re building your effects chain, you can find heaps of useful information in my other guitar pedal reviews.
Thank you for reading, and check in regularly for more guitar gear goodness.
