Hello there, and welcome back to yet another guitar pedal review! This time, we will look at one of the most affordable, easy-to-use, pedalboard-friendly friendly and great-sounding booster pedals on the market, TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster!
Table of Contents
As I mentioned in the most recently published articles here, I have been trying a lot of overdrive, booster and distortion pedals to find the best sounding ones in my current guitar rigs. TC Electronic Spark Mini was one of the pedals I always wanted to try and
As we always do, I will start with an introduction of the TC Electronic company for those who have never heard of it and also provide original photos of the Spark Mini Booster pedal, as well as a no-talking demo video in which I just play with the pedal with my rig!
About TC Electronic
TC Electronic is a Danish manufacturer specialising in high-quality audio equipment, including guitar and bass effects pedals, studio processors, amplifiers, and audio interfaces. Known for its innovation, pristine sound quality, and cutting-edge technology, TC Electronic has become a go-to brand for musicians, sound engineers, and producers worldwide. Their products are particularly revered for offering professional-grade audio tools that balance creativity with technical precision.
TC Electronic was founded in 1976 by two brothers, Kim and John Rishøj, in Aarhus, Denmark. Their initial aim was to create high-quality audio gear that could stand out in the growing professional music industry.
One of their earliest innovations was the SCF (Stereo Chorus + Flanger) pedal, which quickly gained a reputation for its exceptional sound clarity and became a favourite among guitarists.
Expansion into Studio Effects (1980s-1990s): As TC Electronic grew, the company expanded its product range beyond guitar pedals to include studio effects and signal processors. Best Tools For Guitars at Stewmac.com
In the 1980s, they launched the TC2290 Dynamic Digital Delay, a groundbreaking piece of studio equipment that became a classic in the industry. This delay unit was renowned for its versatility and high fidelity, becoming a standard in professional studios and used by artists like U2’s The Edge.
In the early 2000s, TC Electronic introduced the G-System, an advanced multi-effects processor for guitarists, which allowed them to seamlessly integrate effects into their live setups. This product set a new benchmark for multi-effects processors with its combination of flexibility and high sound quality.
In 2010, TC Electronic made another breakthrough with the release of PolyTune, the first polyphonic tuner that allowed guitarists to tune all their strings at once. This innovation simplified the tuning process and became a best-seller, further cementing TC Electronic‘s reputation for creating musician-friendly solutions.
In 2015, TC Electronic was acquired by Music Tribe, the parent company of brands like Behringer and Bugera, owned by entrepreneur Uli Behringer. Despite the acquisition, TC Electronic retained its commitment to quality and innovation, continuing to develop new products under its brand name.
Today, TC Electronic remains at the forefront of the audio equipment industry, consistently releasing cutting-edge gear for musicians and sound engineers. Their popular products include the Flashback Delay, Hall of Fame Reverb, and Ditto Looper pedals, all of which have gained a loyal following for their sound quality and ease of use.
They’ve also expanded into digital platforms with plug-ins for studios, maintaining their relevance in both the hardware and software worlds. Their combination of innovative features, ease of use, and superior sound continues to resonate with modern musicians and producers worldwide.
TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster
TC Electronic Spark Mini was released back in 2013 by the company. As the name suggests, the Spark Mini is a compact and extremely simple booster pedal that is easy to use.
It’s a fully analogue pedal offering 20dB clean boost. On top of the basics, Spark Mini features a very cleverly designed PrimeTime footswitch that allows you to change the behaviour of the footswitch.
You can actually make the footswitch work in different ways. The standard operation is a simple on/off, while the PrimeTime offers a momentary boost! Note that the PrimeTime feature is also a fully analogue design!
According to the official product description, Spark Mini offers a pure, clean boost without any alteration to your original guitar signal. The pedal also comes with a true bypass switching system that offers a pure signal quality when the pedal is off. Check out the best guitar pickup company, Seymour Duncan here!
Last but not least, I think we should mention the graphic work on the pedal. I believe TC Electronic made a great decision to apply this artwork, and I think it really helps this pedal stand out from the crowd!
As you can see, it’s a very simple, compact and easy-to-use pedal with minimal feature sets. So, there’s not much to mention here. Let’s jump to the tech specs and then to the sound demo video of TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster!
TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster Tech Specs
| TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Level | Adjusts the level of boost. On the minimum position, there's no added boost. The maximum position provides 20dB clean boost. |
| Input | 1 x 1/4" instrument input (mono) |
| Output | 1 x 1/4" output (mono) |
| Switch | True Bypass – ensures no signal coloration when the pedal is turned off. |
| PrimeTime | To engage PrimeTime, hold down the pedal's footswitch, to disengage, just release the footswitch. |
| Power Requirements | 9V DC power supply (standard center-negative, not included) |
| 9V battery operation is not possible due to the compact size of the pedal | |
| Current Draw | 40 mA |
| Dimensions | Height: 1.9" (48 mm) |
| Width: 2.8" (48 mm) | |
| Depth: 4.8" (93 mm) | |
| Weight | 160g |
| LED Indicator | LED light shows when the pedal is active. |
| Made in | China |
As you can see, it’s a very straightforward design that does one thing really well: Boosting your guitar signal! 🙂
Before we jump to the review section, let’s have a listen to the Spark Mini sound demo video below.
TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster Sound Demo (no talking)
For the demo, I used my regular loops that I had already recorded in my Boss RC-5 looper pedal, as I just wanted to do a quick demo.
In these loops, I used my FGN Boundary Odyssey, Cort M600, Fender American Standard Strat, Ibanez AR300 and Epiphone SG Custom Ebony guitars.
Apart from the guitars, I used my usual setup around a tube preamp this time, featuring my Brunetti Mille CR Preamp, Two Notes Opus, RME Babyface PRO FS and Genelec DP8020 DPM. Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
For the effects, I only used Wave Alchemy Magic7 as my reverb plugin. I also experimented with different channels on my Brunetti Mille CR Preamp to show you what this sounds like on a clean channel, as well as crunch and overdrive channels as a boost.
I wanted to test the pedal with my Brunetti Mille preamp, as the preamp offers a great clean channel as well as multiple Plexi-type circuits on the Crunch and Lead channels.
TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster Review
TC Electronic Mini Spark comes in a standard TC box, as shown below. This packaging and chassis template reminds me of my TC Electronic Impulse, which I had featured on my blog here.
At the bottom of the box, there are tons of details in possibly Chinese and other Asian languages, as the pedal is made in China. There’s also the serial number information shown below.
On the sides, we still have some information. For instance, the UPC & barcode of the product.
Also, some more information is possibly related to compliance with the manufacturing processes and how to dispose of the pedal, which you shouldn’t anyway! 🙂
The box content is also very lean. You only have a quick start guide, which you would never need and the pads for the pedal.
There’s no protection or additional packaging materials used in the box. And, the image below shows exactly what welcomes you when you open the box.
As I mentioned above, the graphic work on the Spark Mini needs a mention! I think it’s one of the best artworks done by TC Electronic so far! Really cool looking, well-made pedal.
On the back of the pedal, the serial number and typical labelling can be found. As you can see, there are 4 screws to hold the bottom chassis, and these are placed in a recessed surface on the edges, where you should install the pads that come with the pedal. Music Plugin Deals at Pluginboutique.com
As it’s a very compact and lightweight pedal, you may have to install the pads or use velcro if you are planning to use them on your pedalboards.
On the right side of the pedal, you have your standard input and 9V DC power in.
On the left side of the pedal, there’s only the standard output, and that’s pretty much everything about the TC Electronic Spark Mini! 🙂
Verdict
As you can hear in the demo video, TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster is a fairly transparent boost pedal that does one thing really well. Even though it claims to be transparent, I felt like it adds a little bit of polish on top of the base guitar tones. Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
I don’t think it sounds bad. But it was a different experience than playing the MXR Micro Amp, for instance. As I shared my experiences with such clean booster pedals, I must say I have had pretty mıch identical experience with the Spark Mini Booster as well.
I think these kinds of pedals are really useful on lower-gain channels or clean channels, rather than pushing an already overdriven or crunchy guitar sounds into a really saturated state.
Especially with single coils on clean channels, Spark Mini Booster worked great and did an excellent job of making that dull, weak guitar tone a very juicy and hot version of it.
I think if you are playing mainly your single-coil guitars, these kinds of clean boosters are a must-have pedal in your rig. But if you are looking for boosters to further squeeze gains out of your overdriven or crunchy sounds, I don’t think you should go for clean boosters.
Personally, I prefer various boosters to test with my mini Plexi so that I can add additional gain stages in front of the amplifier. Whenever I used pedals such as Crazy Tube Circuits Unobtanium Raw (especially Klon side), Digitech DOD 250 preamp/overdrive, Boss SD-1 or Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, I get the best results in terms of dynamics, variety and unique textures. IK Multimedia Tonex - Cutting Edge Guitar Tones!
But pure clean boosts always sound like I fully crank the amp, which I could already do by cranking the controls. I believe if you are playing gigs, this might be something you need. But if you are a bedroom guitar player like me, I would suggest you go for traditional overdrives and boosters.
Of course, these are just my opinions. A gigging guitar player would probably have a very different opinion on the clean boosters. I mainly play my humbucker-equipped guitars with my mini Plexi or Brunetti Mille preamp, and I like to experiment with different kinds of overdrives and boosters to get different gain textures and characters.
Where to Buy TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster?
Although the TC Electronic Spark Mini Booster seems like a recent release, it’s been around for more than a decade! It was first released back in 2013 and is still actively manufactured. That means you can always supply Spark Mini at almost any online or local store. As I always do, I got mine from Thomann along with other pedals that I have been featuring here.
Thomann always provides the best price based on my experience if you are based in the EU. But as I said, you will be able to find this pedal anywhere. TC Electronic Spark Mini is available at Thomann, Reverb and Amazon in any day of the year!
Check out TC Electronic Spark Mini on Thomann here
You can also check out your local marketplace on Facebook, eBay or any other local websites specific to your location for the used ones, as well as Reverb.com. It’s not always easy to find used ones for a good price, as it’s very easy to buy a brand new one at an affordable price tag.
Check out TC Electronic Spark Mini on Reverb here
Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
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