Kiss it better amp settings — Positive Grid Spark MINI

The Rihanna guitar tone for “Kiss it better”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark MINI with a Fender American Professional II Stratocaster. Studio album version, Anti (2016) — iconic soaring intro and verse lead hook played by Nuno Bettencourt

Original rig

Washburn N4 (Bill Lawrence L500 bridge pickup) into modded Marshall-style high-gain head, stereo chorus, studio digital delay, and plate reverb

Sustaining, compressed '80s-style lead guitar hook with prominent digital delay and stereo chorus

Amp settings — Positive Grid Spark MINI

CHANNELOD 1 (or '90s High Gain model in the Spark app)BRIGHToffBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	6
Reverb	5
Master	7

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Onboard Compressor Block (Red Comp / LA Comp)

Spark app onboard pre-amp block for singing sustain and compression

Sustain 7 · Level 7

02Onboard Chorus Block (Chorus)

Spark app onboard modulation block

Rate 4 · Depth 6 · Tone 5 · Level 5

03Onboard Delay Block (Digital Delay)

Spark app onboard delay block; set time to dotted eighth notes (~400ms)

Time 5 · Feedback 4 · Level 5

Why these settings

Nuno used high-output humbuckers with cutting upper mids, so your Strat's single-coil bridge pickup needs slightly elevated amp midrange and the tone knob rolled off to 8 to tame glassy top-end spike. Because the Spark MINI is a modeling amplifier, all saturation, compression, chorus, and delay are handled cleanly via its onboard DSP engine without external hardware. The Spark MINI physical faceplate lacks a presence knob, so power-amp bite is sculpted using the amp model's treble setting.

PRO TIPPick firmly right next to the bridge saddles and dig in with aggressive, wide finger vibrato to replicate Nuno's percussive attack and singing sustain on the opening slides.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark MINI. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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