Spark arriving tomorrow - Should I update Firmware?
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My Spark is due to be delivered tomorrow, but I'm becoming a bit concerned, having read all of the posts here about firmware issues and lack of support from PG.
Should I go ahead and attempt a firmware update before use, or would you suggest waiting for PG to release another update?
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@guitarbloke I wouldn’t, it might be an easy fix but you’re more likely to win the lottery and be struck by lightning at the same time than you are to get anything approaching support from this bunch of charlatans. They don’t care about customers. I’m still waiting after a week of trying to get them to even answer me, let alone fix the issue
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@guitarbloke Definately confirm its working before any firmware update. unfortunately the app version i had would not work without a firmware update so i could only use the knobs on top and the bluetooth speaker,
I did get at least a response per day trying to work through the same issues as everyone else and once escalated to technical support was very pleasant and got sent the (AKM_WIN) firmware version (same as posted by ramonster) which worked for me (on the 5th pc i tried). Theres definately some timing / luck / planet alignment issue that impacts the success of the updater
best thing i thought to do was to plead that they establish a presence in these forums rather than trying to fix one by one
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Well my Spark arrived, and I ignored the firmware update.
The amp seems great – some really nice tones are possible from it, and the tone cloud has a lot of really great sounds (as well as some really terrible ones haha!).
I’m not so keen on the Smart Jam feature, I had hoped it would act more like a looper, and add bass and drums to a loop that I create, but that’s not how it works. I’m not so keen on it really, some of the progressions it generates are less than ideal, but that’s not the reason I bought the amp so I’m not too butthurt over it.
The tabbed lessons are ok, but not great and not a particularly large selection that I could see through the app, but again, not the reason I bought the Spark, so I can deal with that.
The ability to stream my own backing tracks through it and jam along is great, and overall I’m really pleased with the amp. It seems solid and well made. I can definitely see this prompting me to practice at home more often between band rehearsals.
I’ve no idea what additional tones/features I’m missing out on (if anything) by not updating the firmware, but I’m going to wait until there’s a definitive fix for it before I risk that.
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For whatever it's worth, I received my Spark yesterday, ran the firmware update (1.5.4.102) with no trouble and the amp is working as advertised. I've got a Headrush pedal, a 25 year old Boogie DC50, a bunch of pedals, etc. - this is just a small practice amp for me I keep in my bedroom and use for fun. For that, it does what I need so far. Will it hold up? Don't know yet. In the less than 24 hours I've had it, I haven't had to interact with support, so I suppose I'm lucky, but I've used it for about 2 hours and enjoyed the experience.
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@eliotfrick thanks for the review
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@guitarbloke Hey there, Caitlyn from PG here. Wanted to give you a clear answer here. We're definitely having some unexpected issues with firmware. Some, we're able to fix, and some we haven't found a clear solution. It was nothing we could have prepared for, but I promise we're working hard on a fix here. As you can imagine, wait times for our Customer Service channel are much higher than normal, which again, we're working on, but trust me, I know it's a pain (and would do something about it if I could.)
Honestly, I would wait until we have a clear solution for this. You'll still be able to experience all the best part of Spark without the update. I can keep you guys in the loop with what's going on with the update. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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@gary_hutchings Hi Gary, Absolutely agree, thanks for your insight.
To give you an idea of what I do: I'm fairly new with the company and am working to understand and build our community, understanding that first starts with Customer Experience. Alas, I am only one person and problems like this aren't fixed overnight but we are really working right now to build a strategy to drastically improve our customer service and experience.
We understand that proactive communication about these issues will really help our customers, so we're building an outreach plan to help with this. We're trying to create an email or SMS system that will contact users about firmware issues, shipping delays, etc. My goal is to help create a more transparent company. Please continue to give feedback on this page. I'll be popping in and out to answer questions that I have the answers to, or find answers to those question, as well as keep you updated as much as I can on these issues! Thank you for sticking around, using our products, and helping us fill in the gaps!
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