Positive Grid BIAS Mini Guitar

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 06:49 AM

https://www.positivegrid.com/bias-mini-guitar/

Corey Christiansen is playing through these now.

**mr quick** · 08-06-2018, 07:34 AM

Looks cool enough, but a Helix LT isn't that much more expensive and would make for an even more compact rig, so I personally would rather go for that.

**AlsoRan** · 08-06-2018, 07:34 AM

They also have a solid state head that is 600 watts and small.

Going to get back and read about it...

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Marwin Moody

Looks cool enough, but a Helix LT isn't that much more expensive and would make for an even more compact rig, so I personally would rather go for that.

This is a 300w amp head. The helix lt is not powered.

**Pierrot** · 08-06-2018, 08:14 AM

Sort of GuitarRig software and hardware amp blended together. That looks very interesting and certainly opens a lot of possibilities.

Just one question intrigues me: they claim that 300watts would be enough for small to medium gigs. Therefore, what wattage would be necessary for a large venue? (This seems to presage pretty good incomes for otologists haha...)

**mr. beaumont** · 08-06-2018, 08:36 AM

Wow, very cool, and not that expensive.

Corey's a tone freak (I mean that as a compliment) so you can be pretty sure this sounds great.

Future is here, kids...

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Pierrot

Sort of GuitarRig software and hardware amp blended together. That looks very interesting and certainly opens a lot of possibilities.

Just one question intrigues me: they claim that 300watts would be enough for small to medium gigs. Therefore, what wattage would be necessary for a large venue? (This seems to presage pretty good incomes for otologists haha...)

Well , remember it's 300w into 4ohm which means 150w into 8ohm and 150w of solid state is probably more equivalent to a 50w tube amp.

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 10:02 AM

Just for reference the AcousticImg SL/R is rated at 650w into 4 ohm

**Tal_175** · 08-06-2018, 10:36 AM

This is probably just me, but I'm having hard time understanding the the wider appeal of these new generation high end digital amplifiers. Please shed some light to this for me.
Is the main benefit of these amps is the situations where there is a PA system at the place you're gigging or rehearsing, you can connect these directly to a PA system and the built in cabinet simulation is good enough that you won't miss your "real amp" and you only need to carry 5lbs in your backpack?
It also comes with 300watts, but using these watts means you need to bring your external cabinet, then you have a digital combo amp that's still bulky at the price of a Deluxe Reverb + a couple of good pedals (including the cost of the cabinet).
Rehearsal spaces I've used either have amps available to use or do not have PA systems. That leaves us to gigs, if you don't gig all the time and drive to the gigs anyway then it's a solution to a non existing problem.
So that leaves us with people who do a lot of gigs that require flying to far places or gig very regularly using the public transportation. Is that the main group that these amps are for?
Of course there is also the ability to experiment with million sounds that you can dial with them. That to me would take away too much time off of the valuable practice time and wouldn't be nearly as fun as just playing my guitar through my Princeton (at least after a while). But I can see some people having fun playing around with these sounds. So that's the other group of potential buyers?

**mr. beaumont** · 08-06-2018, 10:56 AM

I think that's exactly who it's for, Tal 175--gigging musicians who want a consistent sound in a small portable package.

But now they sound good too.

And carrying a speaker cabinet is a heck of a lot lighter than carrying a combo amp. My cab only weighs a bit over 15 lbs!

I'm a big fan of the head/cabinet idea, and now the heads are smaller, more versatile, and better sounding than ever...

I dig the joy of just plugging into a tube amp and playing, it's why I have a Fender Champ in my living room. But for gigging? Real world gigs...I don't know where everybody''s playing around here, but I'll often find myself on public tran, with no sound man waiting for me at the gig...I'm completely in charge of what I sound like...

**Pierrot** · 08-06-2018, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

Well , remember it's 300w into 4ohm which means 150w into 8ohm and 150w of solid state is probably more equivalent to a 50w tube amp.

You're right, Jack.

(As a former classical violonist, and also as an informed guy about how decibels are risky for the human hearing, I tend to be easily frightened by high power ratings)

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 11:21 AM

First of all, let's clarify...It's not a digital amplifier. It's a class D amplifier but with a modeling preamp built into it. So it's basically like a Clarus or other small head but with better amp/preamp sounds. And this particular system isn't stereo so it's probably not the ideal setup to use for stereo and plugging into a PA system. It's just designed as a head that happens to be extremely versatile.

And in terms of bulkyness, it's not any more bulky than using a clarus head and cab which literally thousands of players are already doing.

Regarding taking away practice time, have a listen to Corey Christiansen sometime and let me know if you think he should be practicing more.

Originally Posted by Tal_175

This is probably just me, but I'm having hard time understanding the the wider appeal of these new generation high end digital amplifiers. Please shed some light to this for me.
Is the main benefit of these amps is the situations where there is a PA system at the place you're gigging or rehearsing, you can connect these directly to a PA system and the built in cabinet simulation is good enough that you won't miss your "real amp" and you only need to carry 5lbs in your backpack?
It also comes with 300watts, but using these watts means you need to bring your external cabinet, then you have a digital combo amp that's still bulky at the price of a Deluxe Reverb + a couple of good pedals (including the cost of the cabinet).
Rehearsal spaces I've used either have amps available to use or do not have PA systems. That leaves us to gigs, if you don't gig all the time and drive to the gigs anyway then it's a solution to a non existing problem.
So that leaves us with people who do a lot of gigs that require flying to far places or gig very regularly using the public transportation. Is that the main group that these amps are for?
Of course there is also the ability to experiment with million sounds that you can dial with them. That to me would take away too much time off of the valuable practice time and wouldn't be nearly as fun as just playing my guitar through my Princeton (at least after a while). But I can see some people having fun playing around with these sounds. So that's the other group of potential buyers?

**Tal_175** · 08-06-2018, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by jzucker

First of all, let's clarify...It's not a digital amplifier. It's a class D amplifier but with a modeling preamp built into it. So it's basically like a Clarus or other small head but with better amp/preamp sounds. And this particular system isn't stereo so it's probably not the ideal setup to use for stereo and plugging into a PA system. It's just designed as a head that happens to be extremely versatile.

Good to know.

Originally Posted by jzucker

And in terms of bulkyness, it's not any more bulky than using a clarus head and cab which literally thousands of players are already doing.

The unit doesn't seem to be bulky. I was referring to the case where one has to bring a cabinet with the amp anyway. In that case compared to direct to PA system option, it doesn't seem to reduce the bulk than much than bringing a combo amp. Though much lighter perhaps as mr. beaumont said.

Originally Posted by jzucker

Regarding taking away practice time, have a listen to Corey Christiansen sometime and let me know if you think he should be practicing more.

Well I wouldn't know whether Corey Christiansen enjoys spending a lot of time fiddling around with the different sounds or he just dials in the sound he found that he likes, treats the unit as a convenient way to get that one sound consistently. Nothing wrong with either.
Barry Harris is 93 and he still practices everyday (someone who has regular phone conversations with him told me that). I heard Lorne Lofsky say in a podcast that he still practices several hours a day. So I wouldn't make conclusions about Corey Christiansen's current practice habits based on how good he sounds.

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 11:41 AM

Corey is a friend of mine so

a) I know he practices a lot
b) He tweaked the sounds of his amp to mimic a bunch of boutique amps that he likes
c) He does not have to sacrifice practice time because he has a versatile amp.

The advantage of this head over a combo amp is that:

a) It can take the places of a lot of different amps, i.e. dumble, fender, marshall, matchless, vox, etc.
b) 1x12 cabs are very light
c) He plays all over the world and takes his amp and just rents a cab
d) records direct
e) never has to worry about tubes going bad

**neilspeers** · 08-06-2018, 12:26 PM

I’ve looked at it, cool idea that could make a pretty good choice for gigging and old backs. I bought a solidstate Class D bass amp head that’s about 5 lbs, puts out 500 watts (@4ohms - 350@8ohm) and it kicks, so an amp head I could through in a bag or even a gig bag? As long as the sound matches the hype

If i wanted to design an amp, being able to tweak each aspect in the amp and try it at a gig could be great fun.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Jim Soloway** · 08-06-2018, 12:46 PM

$800 and it doesn't appear to be available anywhere. I don't know if that means it's not in general release yet or just on back order but it's clearly very early in the product cycle. Positive grid has a lot of fans so it will probably build momentum but between the complexity of modeling, the price, and the growing competition in the class D mini head arena, it may be a harder sell than it would have been a few years ago.

I started using class D power about 8 years ago with the modeling rig I was using at the time and I was sure that it was going to be the next big deal. It's incredibly light weight, inexpensive, simple, runs cool and sounds good with a decent preamp but it's taken a long time to penetrate the guitar market in a meaningful way. I guess the simplest answer is that the guitar market moves very slowly by its very nature.

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 01:10 PM

if you're on facebook check out my group modern jazz guitar where corey will be featured as artist of the week in the next few weeks. There are already several examples of his playing through that head on the group and they sound great and like a tube amp to me.

Originally Posted by neilspeers

I’ve looked at it, cool idea that could make a pretty good choice for gigging and old backs. I bought a solidstate Class D bass amp head that’s about 5 lbs, puts out 500 watts (@4ohms - 350@8ohm) and it kicks, so an amp head I could through in a bag or even a gig bag? As long as the sound matches the hype

If i wanted to design an amp, being able to tweak each aspect in the amp and try it at a gig could be great fun.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 01:34 PM

amazon.com, sweetwater and several other retailers are selling it in the states and nobody has anything like this at anywhere close to this price point. From Corey's clips and comments, it seems to be a great option for jazz, fusion guitarists and road guitarists. I love my AX8 and even though it's relatively small, it's still too much to setup for an impromptu sit-in jam...

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

$800 and it doesn't appear to be available anywhere. I don't know if that means it's not in general release yet or just on back order but it's clearly very early in the product cycle. Positive grid has a lot of fans so it will probably build momentum but between the complexity of modeling, the price, and the growing competition in the class D mini head arena, it may be a harder sell than it would have been a few years ago.

I started using class D power about 8 years ago with the modeling rig I was using at the time and I was sure that it was going to be the next big deal. It's incredibly light weight, inexpensive, simple, runs cool and sounds good with a decent preamp but it's taken a long time to penetrate the guitar market in a meaningful way. I guess the simplest answer is that the guitar market moves very slowly by its very nature.

**Jim Soloway** · 08-06-2018, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

amazon.com, sweetwater and several other retailers are selling it in the states and nobody has anything like this at anywhere close to this price point. From Corey's clips and comments, it seems to be a great option for jazz, fusion guitarists and road guitarists. I love my AX8 and even though it's relatively small, it's still too much to setup for an impromptu sit-in jam...

None in stock at Sweetwater, Musician's Friend or Sam Ash on-line. On Amazon I was only able to find the bass version.

**cmajor9** · 08-06-2018, 01:54 PM

Jack,

Have you been able to play one yourself? If so, what's your opinion from personal experience?

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by cmajor9

Jack,

Have you been able to play one yourself? If so, what's your opinion from personal experience?

i have not but i love corey and his playing and his glowing accolades about it have me convinced that it's a great product for the kind of stuff i do. I'm going to try to get one for a demo ride...

**Alter** · 08-06-2018, 04:38 PM

but I'm having hard time understanding the the wider appeal of these new generation high end digital amplifiers.

I think people do lots of gigs where convenience takes priority over sound quality. My best example is the ZT Lunchbox. If i play a corporate gig where i have to walk carrying the amp for 10 minutes in a mall/hotel/museum etc, then going with a backpack and a guitar is a godsend. Not as good as my princeton, but still a good sound. Plus these little amps have a sound of their own and sometimes it can also be very pleasant..

**jzucker** · 08-06-2018, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by Alter

I think people do lots of gigs where convenience takes priority over sound quality. My best example is the ZT Lunchbox. If i play a corporate gig where i have to walk carrying the amp for 10 minutes in a mall/hotel/museum etc, then going with a backpack and a guitar is a godsend. Not as good as my princeton, but still a good sound. Plus these little amps have a sound of their own and sometimes it can also be very pleasant..

i'm not sure this is an example of convenience taking priority over sound quality. From the clips corey's posted, this seems on par with some of the better, high end tube amps I've heard.