Blackstar Fly 3: Gear Review

[@DChunk]

marshal headphones into blackstar amp.. some people just want to watch the world burn

[@ScienceofLoud]

+kieron caton Once again KZbin prevents me from replying directly, so I hope you see this. The band I played are called Altered Sky and you can find a link to their website in the description box of this video

[@Syrun81]

+CSGuitars What Song?

[@KimmyJongUn]

In NK we have air guitars and air amps

[@Leonhart72metal]

+Kim Jong Un right on, supreme leader...hail to you and your family for generations

[@williamdeka2055]

Kim Jong Un I bet you can get a killer tone out of gear like that

[@tankdarla637]

awesome! how much?

[@tankdarla637]

I bet they are super light

[@lapinmaki]

AA- batteries is the best thing in portable amp ( or in cameras). You can buy them almost everywhere. AND you can buy rechargeable AA- batteries. So, what is the problem?

[@ericellis2729]

I like having mine around. When I'm not really feeling like firing up my 50 watt tube head and 2x12, this is a nice little practice amp. It takes pedals pretty well, in my opinion. Because it doesn't produce high gain tones, I will usually plug my Boss SD-1 in for some extra saturation and it doesn't overload the Fly in any way. Nice video!

[@joesoap109]

Great review, was in two minds about picking up a micro amp. I was sold after this review and have not regretted it. The OD is fantastic (in comparison to the vox plugins/Marshall equivalent)

[@TheKaneDestroyer]

That black star fly 3 amp you recommended does wonders with my distortion pedal. Thanks for the recommendation, I am now the proud owner of one.

[@TwistedIdentity]

I've got a Fender Blues Deluxe, a Peavey Vypyr 75, and a Peavey 6505+...as well as this little Blackstar Fly 3. What do I go to if I'm just learning a new lick or I just wanna try something out really quick? The Blackstar. This thing is by far the best of the mini amps out there. It blew my mind when I first heard it in person.

[@vernarddevilliers7899]

All your videos are professional and deliver great content in an entertaining way. You deserve more likes mate.

[@geoarthur6593]

I got the extension speaker along with mine in a package that means you get the power adapter free, plus makes it double as a desktop speaker system and no battery hassle .. great buy, and it sounds brilliant .. recommended..

[@zalmonellar]

I got the same set and now double it as a computer speaker, great way to practice or just jam along!

[@geoarthur6593]

yes, you can blend your guitar in easily for a good jam along with whatever your listening to..

[@brians1793]

Just ordered used on Amazon for $48, can't wait. The vids I've watched all sound really promising and I'm sure it's better in person. I don't even have an amp right now lol, sold my Vox DA5(older model) because I really don't like the distortion modeling at all. I would only ever plug in to see how my shredding sounds plugged in, or when doing something like the Mean Streets intro to see how my tapped harmonics sound with distortion. But rather than practice with a clean sound to hear what I'm doing wrong, I've always preferred to just play unplugged I figure that's better yet. If tapped harmonics sound consistently strong unplugged they should sound really great plugged in.

[@Pedro28725]

You can connect everthing, except for you brand new iphone 7

[@sethhat9620]

You can, but only if you have a bluetooth adapter for aux though.

[@hebleh5771]

Set Hat Way to ruin a joke dude.

[@wss33]

You get an adapter with the phone so yes you can still use normal aux cable.

[@TheEchelon]

Or just use the included dongle...

[@Yupppi]

Just noticed this review. Great job catching the essence of it with microphones, I didn't manage to catch the sound. One thing this little champ does great is take pedals. From germanium fuzzes to whatever boosters and distortions or effects, it happily accepts them. My favourite sounds from this box have come from traditional booster pedals like ts, sd-1, klon into barely dirty fly 3. You might expect horrible buzzy noise boosting an amp like this, but it actually starts to roar. I would've never expected a 3 inch speaker like that to sport sounds that I'm happy with playing at home in general. The price is also spot on, don't even need to save for it. Also spot on about the power critique. It seems like the 6.5 V power adapter was designed solely to make the customers buy the proprietary power supply instead of using for example their high quality pedal power supply of 9 V. Or for a kid the usb plug like you mention. The battery power for mobile use isn't bad if you had to do it only when you get on the road, but without a way to plug it to a wall without proprietary supply, big boo.

[@jeffpettit3119]

I got this for fathers day this year... I like it. It sits on the table by the couch and gets lots of use with my modded bronze warlock. I'm looking for another one to leave at my office for playing on lunch.

[@rhcpmd]

Jeff Pettit do yo use it with pedals?

[@jeffpettit3119]

No just straightforward as is

[@ThatBlindGuy247]

Ordered one of these today as i found it to be the nicest sounding out of the mini amps

[@christiansk]

Great video! Man, your channel is the best for gear tips and reviews, always insightful and well informed comments. Thanks and keep it up!

[@deweyhiller]

Love love this tiny wonder!! Haven’t changed batteries yet after over a year!

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Yes, same here, their awesome

[@mattx5499]

They actually added a cab simulation to the circuit that makes the amp sound good with so small speaker. Other manufacturers should do the same because most small amps sound like poop with high gain settings. And that ISF control is really effective not like typical tone control that goes from mud to buzz.

[@7775Kevin]

Good review. Thanks for your hard work putting it together.

[@wrenchtheroo6557]

Should be reverb instead of delay imo

[@Wren6991]

Turn the delay time all the way down. You now have a reverb. On the other hand, you can't do the converse with a reverb. So the delay is more versatile.

[@ericellis2729]

Luke Wren - Correct. It won't produce lush, concert hall type reverb, but it will give you good room reverb. I prefer the delay on this around 7or 8, gives it good body.

[@elymolloy8333]

@@Wren6991 The EXACT same reason i pick a phaser over a chorus ( if i only have the option of one or the other)

[@j_player200x3]

@@elymolloy8333 I think phaser and flanger go better with comparison, while chorus and rotary seem closer

[@harryturdknocker82]

Just ordered used on Amazon for $48, can't wait. The vids I've watched all sound really promising and I'm sure it's better in person. It sounds really amazing for the money so I doubt I'll be at all disappointed, I'll probably love it and play on it even after I get a Yamaha THR10X in a few months after finally upgrading my guitar. I don't even have an amp right now lol, sold my Vox DA5(older model) because I really don't like the distortion modeling at all. I would only ever plug in to see how my shredding sounds plugged in, or when doing something like the Mean Streets intro to see how my tapped harmonics sound with distortion. But rather than practice with a clean sound to hear what I'm doing wrong, I've always preferred to just play unplugged I figure that's better yet. If tapped harmonics sound consistently strong unplugged they should sound really great plugged in. So the Vox was good for cleans, blues and rock distortions weren't bad but not great either, metal distortions were just bad but the others didn't work well enough for metal and tapped/pinch harmonics so I never really used those. So the Vox was really kinda useless to me. This amp is very simple by comparison but instead of cramming in 6 types of digital distortion models in an inexpensive portable amp, it has one really good and versatile distortion(solid state?) from the sound of it. I guess the main thing that I didn't like about the Vox is the digital distortion, which isn't always bad it's just that solid state is usually much better. You really can tell how bad digital can be when you hear how poorly a wah works with it. Basically you hear it's working but it doesn't sound at all like it should, doesn't change the sound as much as it should. Wahs probably work best with tube amps but definitely better with solid state vs an amp that's all digital. Seems like with a guitar like the Chapman ML-1(getting the ash one soon, REALLY excited for that and to see how it is with this amp) which has HSS configuration but also with coil tapping and the ability to use all 3 pickups at once, and I also think the neck/bridge rather than your typical 5-way switch options, with all that tone versatility you could probably get great blues, rock, and metal tones just from that one distortion on a $60 amp. It's probably the least suited for metal though, at least in terms of versatility between metal sub-genres, it just sounds like it would still be good for it in general. I love how single coils sound on this amp at mid-gain, sounds really bluesy so I know it'll be great for that. I never thought I'd be this excited over a $60 amp lol, wow. I'm also especially interested to hear how it sounds with an extended range guitar, my next guitar after the ML-1 is most likely going to be the Agile Pendulum Pro 92528, 25.5" - 28.625" multi-scale 9-string. I'm thinking the size alone means of course it might not have the big sound you'd like from an extended range guitar, but I'm fine with that as long as the bass at least has some presence and/or good enough extension even if it sounds thin/small. I'd be fine and also very impressed if it's at least there well enough to notice it.

[@theotherhouse5910]

Just picked one up today for $30......love it

[@broderick.8054]

Yup guys, it's official. It'll never shred.

[@hertegovinul7564]

I don't shred, so it's perfect

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

​@@hertegovinul7564exactly,I play my acoustic electric through it & it's great 😊

[@benjr4057]

"this lethal unit.." Like ur presentation my friend

[@jakecanter_]

that little amp just looks like it was made incrediblely well...

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Yes, their made well, I've had mine for about 5 years & only changed the batteries twice,& it's never died on me,I just change batteries every 2 or 3 years just in case 😊

[@almas7123]

Just received yesterday. I have not tried it yet but my first impression: feels like a toy when you pick it up and disappointed a power chord was not included 😏. I think I will be returning it.

[@tinnitusattacks]

Waiting for my Blackstar Fly 3 to arrive at the moment. I'm excited about it and watched and read so many rave reviews. I wanted something really small and portable, so I got the Marshall MS-2. But it's pretty disappointing. Feels very cheap and plasticky, especially when you compare it to the much sturdier Marshall bluetooth speakers. Please be good, Blackstar! Counting on you.

[@Doug5524]

Hi Colin Super demo as usual not a bad little amp for the money but as it does not have the leads I will give this a miss I would have been happier if they had charge a bit more and put the leads in the box sorry Blackstar I'm sure that someone in the company suggested that there should be cables ,that person should be promoted

[@christiansk]

Hey Colin, what are your thoughts on this amp vs. the Boss Katana Mini? Any chance of a review of the Katana? Thanks for the great channel!

[@FranMonajGuitar]

Man! insane tone! congrats

[@tankdarla637]

I STILL want one of these little amps with the extra cab...

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Yes their great one their own but better with the ex/ cabinet 😊

[@NetoHikari]

but dose it djent?

[@rzultypies]

Neto Hikari not really tbh

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

I don't understand?

[@nmacog]

Just ordered one with the ext cab - it does sound the bizz !

[@axxywaxxy9316]

You sure need a boost pedal for more articulate and saturated sound. Just purchased one. 😬😬😬

[@BallistaBomber]

I NEED IT!!!

[@lightspeedyestermoon274]

absolutely stunning little amp, 10/10

[@Knakrack0xTreme]

This little things is even more worth than my "big" stereo blackstar AMP...

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Wow that's interesting

[@jeffhachtel]

Thanks for the video. Great job.

[@petert6012]

Great sounding lil amp

[@franciscovillegas3170]

That's great but does it djent? (Haha, nice vid, bro)

[@mikesmith8187]

Hey Colin, have a look at the Donner 5watt amp with drum machine, tuner, and Bluetooth,

[@georgephillips1263]

I have one of these beauties. You can buy a power pack for a tenner so it's always available.

[@2beJT]

I am glad it doesn't have some batteries that are non user serviceable. AAs are everywhere and you can buy 12 low discharge rechargeable AAs and never stop jamming.

[@brentstewart4360]

thanks for another great, well thought out review

[@spark300c]

it has lot features for the mini amp class. mini amps and a lot practice amps have only drive ,volume, tone.

[@joesiff]

what are your thoughts on the Vox minis? I'm looking for a busking amp and I was curious what you think about them. (best review on this amp I've seen :)).

[@riffdigger2133]

Although I like it sounds abit muddy, without the sparking highs - even lacking head room. Perhaps if you boosted the treble more it would register...

[@nmccarrick]

this amp sounds spectacular

[@Subilon]

I run my Line6 pocket pod thru it sounds fantastic.

[@mahmoudzener6775]

How can i get a John frusciante sound with BlackStar Fly3 ?. for example, what settings would you use to play "Cant Stop" ?

[@harveymagher]

Nice DD Tour poster dude! Sick review man.

[@georgetimp9223]

I would like to know if this amp is for an acoustic guitar too and not only for electric guitar.Thanks

[@makaveliii1786]

George Timp what

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

I use it exclusively with my electric acoustics, absolutely brilliant

[@elgalactus]

Does anybody know if there is a noticeable improvement using a guitar with active pickups on this amp? Nice review.

[@chrispygingerpie]

Issues that you pointed out are valid, but you take away from their higher end BEAM... if the Fly 3 had those features.

[@blenderfoto]

Hi, i already have some speakers and i was wondering if i could connect this to the speakers directly. Also, if i were to buy an electric guitar, would i need something else or would it just be plug-n-play? Thanks!

[@Hermes810]

Wellstar I belive you only need a guitar, a cable and some batteries with this thing to get it working.

[@danieljwillen1993]

Still loving that bugera man?

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Great review. Would you say this amp is loud enough to busk with on a busy high street?

[@ScienceofLoud]

+johnyrobo No where close, this is for personal listening. You'll need something considerably more powerful if you want to busk. Roland Cube is generally the go to for portable busking amp.

[@JRobsonGuitar]

Cheers!

[@wadeolder7193]

I put a db meter in front of mine. 110 to 115 db. Depending on what you are doing street wise it could work. Maybe better with the two speakers?

[@kylemccombe3238]

Mine sounds fine until I put it into distortion and it just doesn't sound good is there any suggestion for this? Cheers!

[@cansavaryego7193]

+Kyle McCombe Well it also depends on your guitar, cable, settings and you

[@jaemza6800]

Can you do a video on amp distortion vs. pedal distortion, that's if you don't already have one, but it would be awesome because I'm having trouble deciding which on I should use! :D

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Nate Bray I've done several videos already that touch on this subject. It's almost always best to use the distortion on your amp. Distortion pedals are no substitute for the sound you get from an amp. Using a Boost pedal, or an overdrive with a low gain setting to boost an amps dirty channel is an excellent idea however. I plan to do a few videos on boosting soon.

[@jaemza6800]

+CSGuitars thanks that helps a lot, I will DEFINATLEY watch them! And a tone boosting one! But if you don't mind me asking, can you think about doing a video on how to get a good smooth metal tone like around parkway drive sort of vs. very crunchy, I know getting the exact distortion is impossible but just something similar (if you don't already have a video like that) anyways thanks again!

[@twwds]

CAn I plug mic and guitar at the same time?

[@jeffhardyultimte]

how would you reccomend transporting this thing? I picked it up and it kicks all kind of ass. but I wanna jam with my friend at school at am worried about transporting methods

[@ScienceofLoud]

Wrap it in a t-shirt and stuff it in a backpack. It's not a delicate little flower, it'll survive

[@nicholasross6914]

Mine has fallen several times (from roughly 2.5 feet) and still works and sounds fine.

[@ZakuBlk]

7:21 can anyone please direct me to a video where this picking and strumming is better expounded on. i dont suck at guitar but my strumming is a horrible joke with punch line. i need a way to improve

[@Zockerbeatz]

Is it loud enough to jan with a cajon player? (Perhaps with the extension cap?)

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Zockerbeatz I would say so, yes. It is surprisingly loud.

[@melvoid01]

Have you tried putting the line out/headphone into your marshall mini stack to see what the gain is like with bigger speakers? I ask because I have that same marshall mini stack you have and was wondering what would happen.Obv leave the Marshall clean and maybe a bit of its inbuilt reverb, then see what the gain and delay on the Blackstar can really do.Of course if some one in the comments section can tell me why this would be a bad idea and would probably make the solar systym explode or summat I would be interested.

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Yes I've heard that done with my one & it's good 😊

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Nah the solar system stays the same, but amp still sounds good 😊

[@julientrez]

Is it an OK amp for low tunings?

[@mhw6160]

Thanks for the excellent review. Even though it's £150 instead of £50 I can't help thinking that people would be better off spending the extra to get the Yamaha THR5. Much better tone, more features and not a lot bigger.

[@bubbanderson]

Er it's £49 ... bought one last night.

[@mhw6160]

Yes £49. That's what I was saying. I picked up one used for £25 after watching this video. At either price it is superb value. My point was that the THR5 is £100 more expensive but has better sound quality. It is bigger and heavier though. Each to their own. You could take the Fly in a gig bag. I wouldn't be without the Fly. It's a keeper.

[@bubbanderson]

It arrived today and I'm in love with it ! I'm using it for blues harmonica and it sounds great. Haven't had time to plug a guitar into it yet ... been havin too much fun on harp. Those Yammies are very cool and I had the THR10. It does lots of great stuff for the money but I found the sound a tad sterile. Both great amps but with slightly different applications. The Blackstar isn't advertised as being "wife friendly" ie looks good in the living room. As my wife has buggered off such things are of no concern ;-)

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Good to know

[@wrenchtheroo6557]

Hmmm, this blackstar or the orange micro crush... cant decide

[@mostlyirishcarguy8955]

get this one

[@rhcpmd]

Can I power this amp with a regular 9v power supply? Like the one spot or voodoo lab

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Miguel Diaz no

[@MachOverspeedsPlace]

What's it's sound like with pedals?

[@RED_indiemusic]

I'm wondering that myself

[@axxywaxxy9316]

Ive been using it with pedals for more saturation and gain. Its better though. Try it!

[@bartenderofhell]

I have this little amp and use a Engl straight to hell pedal on it, it is pure mayhemic brutality, never dissapointed!

[@erdoganborklu]

what is your guitar model? brand? I thought you're playing telecaster?! thank you for review!

[@broderick.8054]

I think its his handmade one, I'm not sure though.

[@erdoganborklu]

Ive seen a guitar like that but couldn't find which brand is that.

[@ScienceofLoud]

+M. Erdoğan BÖRKLÜ The guitar used in this video is one that I built myself. It features in many of my more recent videos if you are interested in seeing more of it.

[@dreamcoma2213]

Can I gig with this?

[@poisonjoe1812]

How much U.S. Dollars is one of these?

[@alive437]

This amp or marshall ms-4 ?

[@aixpert291]

I have a FLY and I'm a little disappointed in mine. it doesn't really do "quiet" all that well. I bought it for hotel room travel and the sound isn't all that good at low levels and the quality isn't all that great, to me. I mostly just end up using my HoneyTone instead. for almost $50 more, I just don't see it.

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

Interesting,mine sounds good, but I think you can't ask too much of it, it's only a baby amp. after all😊

[@wingsofpurityofficial4031]

What kind of mic is that directly in front of the amp?

[@ScienceofLoud]

Sennheiser e609, the old black face version.

[@saucyjack1375]

Does it take pedals?

[@christianganigan829]

Hello, Just want to ask if you can still use normal pedal effects and attach it on the mini amp? :) Thank you sir!

[@ScienceofLoud]

Yes, you can run pedals into the amp.

[@dantrag2890]

+CSGuitars none of the digital amplifiers from Blackstar I've used in the past sounded good with pedals.

[@ericellis2729]

+Dantrag28 It's a practice tool. If anybody is buying this thing or others like it in hopes of turning heads, maybe people need to re-evaluate their expectations.

[@dantrag2890]

+Eric Ellis I was just stating the obvious, digital amps are not really geared towards pedal users...then again it may not be the obvious for some people, because I tried doing it when I first started out.

[@zylonchar]

It'll shred fine if you use an overdrive pedal.

[@josea.salinas6784]

somebody knows where can i buy it to colombia south América?

[@rhysreynolds9118]

Is there a way i can use a mic with this too, to use it for busking?

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Rhys Reynolds the amp is in no way powerful enough for busking.

[@kbzonmarko]

whats the difference beetwen using 6 AA batteries and 1 9Volts battery? To be honest using 1 9V Battery should be better, right?

[@ScienceofLoud]

+ZeroTheHero the difference is capacity. One 9v battery has only a fraction of the stored energy that 6 AA batteries do. 9v batteries are only good for low current devices, AA on the other hand can be used in devices that draw a lot of current.

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

The unit can't take a 9 volt, it's as simple as that

[@tonyd7137]

How do you like it compared to the Roland Cube Lite?

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

The Roland cube is in a different catagorie,the Fly is Mimi amp, the Roland Cube is 4x the size

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

The Roland Cube is 4 X the size, there's no comparison,the fly3 is a mini amp

[@draxlerchronicles5851]

I thought your argument about the batteries was pretty daft tbh.

[@ScienceofLoud]

You got shares in the AA industry, aye?

[@benjaminherbst811]

is it loud enough for band practice?

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Benjamin Herbst not even close

[@Pedro28725]

If you want a small, portable amp for band practice, try the orange micro terror. With the small 8 inch orange cab it will be louder then the drums and if connected to a proper cab (i have a 4x12 in the studio) it has an amazing tone as well. I even prefer it over my marshall jcm 900 sometimes.

[@PrashantSamlal]

You sound a lot like James Mcavoy

[@marrsbar5040]

Can you use your pedal board with it?

[@LuciFernato]

Marrs Bar you can use a pedalboard on any guitar amp

[@MrChris5254]

The battery Laney mini amplifiers are better.And 3 plus 3 and Stereo too.

[@TravisFleckenstein]

This can be powered with a 1spot and proper adaptor.

[@fuadhairel7213]

should i get this or vox pathfinder

[@TheGalwayFarmer]

nice guitar

[@DonaldRoycroft-sm3rp]

There Fantastic 😊😊

[@ccrosetti12]

What would be the use of the ethernet port? Is this amplifier coming with some specific software ?

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Carlos Crosetti that is the port to connect the amp to its extension cabinet. For some reason they are using an rj45 connection for it.

[@aalidas8951]

shouldve dimed the gain at the end but good video

[@C_mao]

Can you power it off of your vehicle's 'cigarette lighter' ?

[@rkan665]

C. mao Yes.

[@Kipp274]

Whats the song played at 7:08?

[@ScienceofLoud]

+Thison It was a blues backing track in B minor I found on youtube. You can jam along to it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5DRZJeDf5mCiqs

[@BadMotivator66]

it will never shred

[@jamesrogers9887]

+Bad Mouth Men will it ever shred?

[@rmp5s]

Just gone one and I've been really impressed! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGjQdoCNl6iGf5o Sounds damn good considering its size and the fact it runs on batteries. lol

[@Bl1nkFreak3171]

What was the name of the band you played?! That was beautiful but I can't understand the band name.

[@ScienceofLoud]

Altered Sky Link to their website is in the description

[@kieroncaton6334]

what i would like to know is the name of the band you played, i didn't hear it as i am a bit deaf, and on that note, wear ear pro, or you'll end up like me lol XD and not properly hear what he's saying.

[@matko8038]

kieron caton shazm?

[@some1udontknow84]

it's so cute!!!