Blackstar Fly 3 is a very popular guitar amplifier. It’s a small amplifier with a Bluetooth connection and other good features.
Although it’s a popular amplifier from a well-respected brand, I assume you want to know how good is it, right?
Well, here I’m to review Blackstar Fly 3 guitar amp and will tell you my honest opinion.
Design
As you already know Blackstar Fly 3 is a very small amplifier. So, it has a very compact and simple design.
The front of the amp has a Blackstar logo and black grill cloth. No ornaments like you find on Yamaha THR30.
On the back, it has a container for batteries, output for the external speakers, and connection for Blackstar Fly 3 power supply.
Every control knob and other inputs are on the top panel which has a very simple layout.
This is all you get design-wise. Nothing special. Very minimalistic.
Amp Models & Effects
Blackstar Fly 3 mini amp doesn’t offer too many sound options. It’s a 3-watt battery-powered amp. And it’s expected.
This small combo has no options for different amp sounds. It’s a two-channel amplifier. You can use a clean or overdrive channel.
And to be honest I don’t like it. Because some other mini guitar amps offer more amp sounds.
So, if you want to have a couple of built-in amplifiers, this amp is not for you.
And the same goes for effects. It only has a delay and you can control the amount and level of the effect.
That’s another reason you may don’t like it. Amp and effect features are not that great in the Fly 3 small guitar combo.
But if you want a tiny, battery-powered amplifier to travel with, then this would be a good choice.
How Does Blackstar Fly 3 Sound?
Now, let’s talk about the sound of Blackstar Fly 3. In general, it sounds decent for its size and power. But it’s not great.
The clean sound is quite good and pretty loud considering the power. But the sound is not anything special. Just has a good clean sound.
You can play clean guitar riffs and solos. Or you can practice your scales. There are no issues here.
But if you want to play some heavy riffs, it’s not good for that. The dirty and heavy tones are not great.
Yes, I know that it’s a 3-watt amp and it’s not for metal but I know many mini amplifiers that offer better hi-gain sound.
For practice or having fun, it’s a great amplifier. It’s small and you can take it with you anywhere you go.
Perhaps for some people, it’s enough but I expected much more. I thought it would have better sound.
The best sound in this amplifier is the delay. It’s digital but sounds organic. I liked it the most.
Features
I’m not impressed with the sound features or quality. I think they are decent. But I like the features of the Fly 3 amp.
Blackstar Fly 3 Bluetooth connectivity is one of these features. You can connect your smartphone or other device and listen to music or play along.
It offers headphones and MP3 input. Also, you can use an external speaker if you want.
The preamp section and sound controls are also very good. You don’t have too many options but it’s enough.
You have gain and volume control, and instead of standard EQ, it has only one knob – ISF.
This is specific to Blackstar modeling amps and it allows you to choose between American and British amp sounds.
You can use only American or only British sounds. But also, you can blend these two sounds which is a good feature.
And that’s it. You have everything you need in a 3-watt guitar amp. But it could offer a little more.
Final Thoughts
To sum up my Blackstar Fly 3 review I will say that this is a decent mini amplifier. Offers a very minimalistic design and options. The best use of it is for practice, and having fun, and it is a great traveling guitar amp. There is nothing more to say. I hoped it would have more options and better sound. Because I have played much better amplifiers in this category.