I had heard some great things about the Blackstar Fly 3 watt mini amp so I was very keen to try it. I was looking for the ultimate portable, battery operated guitar amp and I can confidently say, I think I’ve found it. This tiny combo has all the features you need for practicing and home performances. Its best asset is the lovely crystal clear sound it provides, which is in no way tinny.
The Fly 3 is a little smaller than the average box of 80 teabags. You can pick it up easily in one hand, making it extremely portable. The big sound is a surprise! The casing is well made; sleek and modern looking and the four main control knobs on the top (gain, volume, EQ and delay) are chunky and operate smoothly.
There are two channels, switchable at the touch of a button. I mainly use the clean channel. I have mostly played my Fender telecaster through the amp.I generally have the volume at about halfway up and the gain about a third. This is more than loud enough for me to sing along to, so that will give you some idea of the potential volume the Blackstar can put out. At this level, when I switch to the over-driven channel I get a nice, fairly subtle, crunchy sound with lots of bite. But of course, it can go a lot louder and more distorted than that. It really is quite amazing that these sounds come from this little box. You have to hear it to believe it.
The delay is of fantastic quality for a unit like this. I would say it is equal to using a good quality effects pedal. It ranges from a gentle reverb to a long very clearly defined delay.
I bought this amp about seven weeks ago and have used it a lot, yet it is still operating on the original set of batteries that come supplied with the unit, so I have felt no need to buy the power supply. I am keen to buy the extension speaker cab which turns it into a stereo unit, which must produce an even fuller sound.
Other features are a bright power on light (so you never leave it switched on by accident,) a headphone socket and a line in for an mp3 player. My tunes sound great through it and I also listen to audio books on it.
I just love the unique tone of this Blackstar amp. It’s very clear, bright and full. I’m a very happy customer.
