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I was pretty much convinced about the blackstar fly based upon other videos, but after seeing your impassioned presentation you've completely pushed me over the line. Good to see someone happy and appreciating a great product.
This little amp is absolutely wonderful. Great home use, great tones clean and crunchy overdrive. The batteries last really a long time also with many hours of playing.
Cooper, I think you did a GREAT job explaining the Blackstar Fly 3. The recorded sound was very good too. You talked slow enough so I could easily understand you. I think some YTers drink to much Caffeine. Anyway, Thanks for this Video.
Hey friends, I made a lil' video about "How to Achieve the Fly 3 Sound's Sweet Spot" to help you dial the knobs for the best sound: ua-cam.com/video/QCPSq__znEg/v-deo.html Also - here's a free E-book I made with a bunch of other great accessories I discovered - The 13 Best Guitar Accessories You Should Own: guitarhippies.com/best-accessories-ebook/ And here's the link for the amp itself: amzn.to/2P2DkOq Enjoy! -Cooper
If that power light starts dimming when you play that means it's time to change the batteries. When it starts going really dim even while you are not playing then the main amplification starts breaking up, but the second backing music input still keeps working fine, so it continues to work as a general speaker on really low battery.
It’s a real nice amp thing :) I bought one from a market place where it said that it was defective. I bought it for 10 bucks, so no biggy. But I found out the guy selling it didn’t look what was wrong with it, and sold it before checking. I saw a battery wire was broken, so I put a new wire in it and it works good :) I’m very content with it, tho I bought myself an adapter with it because I don’t want to keep buying batteries. It’s really cool that there’s a good bass sound in it for a small thingy.
Thanks a ton.. I was on the fence to get this or not as a beginner.. But you made my choice smooth a butter.. Thanks man.. Am getting the Union Flag version here in Dubai.
There are often deals on them, I picked up the stereo pack on a weekend deal for £59 and got the power supply and extra speaker - you only have to use the other speaker if you want to. a month for a pack of batteries is really good though!
Exactly what I needed, perfect for in the house and just as good as that Vox. I was worried that people were impressed because it's a mini amp, and that it may just sound like a fender frontman. Thanks, you said the perfect things here. You may be selling this amp to many other pike me :)
British /Vox AC30 sounds to the right, American/Fender Blackface to the left. Don't look back in anger sounds great all the way to the right. I'm not flaming you, just trying to truly help. You're a good player and I love that guitar.
I've owned the amp and the 3 extra watt extension cab for four 5 months and love it when the "stereo" effect kicks in .. I plug backing tracks through my phone , when you plug in the backing tracks with out plugging in your axe it "cancels" all the amp controls so volume is only controlled by your phone .. Plug in your axe and the volume and effects again are under your control , so you have "clean backing tracks" .. Personally I love the 3.5 ft of cord between the amp and extension cab .. It's then you get the stereo effect well .. Enjoy I do ... !! Best little amp under a 100$ I've ever bought and I have the more expensive Yamaha THR10 also .. and the Fender twin tweed ..
Minor slip of the tongue error. You've described using the ISF control application back to front. Rotated all the way to the LEFT (the Fly 3 manual refers to it as CCW for Counter ClockWise) has a more American characteristic tone, to the RIGHT (CW) right affects British. Those directions BTW, are standard convention on Blackstar amps featuring ISF such as the ID:Core series. If you play "all the time" with the ISF knob turned as you show (rotated fully CCW to the LEFT) and describe, you've been playing characteristic American tones. Which doesn't matter BTW, as long as you like them. Just sayin'. Good down to earth review about how everyday people will use this amp. I'm about to press the buy button on one too. I already use a NUX GP-1 pocket socket headphone amp as my go anywhere at whim practice amp. But the Fly 3's compact size for just grab and go easy portability, freedom from needing to fuss with a PSU or find power point in conjunction with its respectable volume and tone achievable make it too hard to resist.
Nice informative video! I was wondering, is the blackstar loud enough to use outdoors? I want to use it for my acoustic guitar outdoors, to loop myself and jam with myself outdoors in a somewhat noisy setting (flowing river, people talking etc) Do you think it would provide sufficient volume at good quality sound in such a setting?
DanTheMan 92 definitely. I know people even use it for street playing for little audiences so for what you mentioned the volume would be enough. However I am not sure how it sounds like with acoustics, and each acoustic is different, so I’d give it a try at a store before purchasing
Blackstar makes an acoustic amp in the same format, so I’d try that instead. (I don’t own one yet, but probably will!) It’d be hard to get a lot of volume out of the electric guitar Fly without getting a little dirty-sounding, which is great with electric but not acoustic.
Cooper, have you tried it with a blues harp? As far as I`ve poked around, there`s no proper harp review with this amp. I`m looking for a cheap amp for practicing at home or maybe with some friends when hanging around in the backyard, drinking beers and BBQing, etc. I`m not willing to invest a lot, since harp is just a hobby for me, and i`m not playing on stage, or with other musicians.
I dont know if you still replying to the comment. Im planning to buy vox pathfinder 10. But after read some reviews about practice amp, this fly 3 caught my eye. If you have experienced for both amp, your advice is very much appreciated. Thanks.
I have been told that ISF EQ is american sound left counter clockwise zero and british sound right clockwise ten. American means boosting bass and treble over mids and British boosting mids. Am I right? I also ordered this cause needed a small battery powered amp with decent sounds and also possible to have a power supply charger.
Nice job fella, I'm curious about the strange noises from the VT40. I have a VT30 which started to make a thumping noise on every channel except the clean, ac15 & ac 30. I just bypassed all the electronics and have a clean amp which the effects still work on. It's worth doing and perhaps a boost or overdrive pedal will get you back where you want to be
Joelle Brodeur Thanks for the tip, brother! This little sweetie is my gal on the side, but if it can get even sexier?!... sweet Jesus am I in trouble 😎
Hi man. Thanks for the review. I just got this amp and i plugged in my strat yamaha pacifica 112j. Something is weird. I got quite buzzing when i use the middle to back (?) pickup. But the neck/clean pickup is good, no buzzing or whatsoever. Do you happen to experience this as well? Thanks. 👍
Thanks for your review, enjoyed your playing too! A question: do you manage to make this amp feedback? Maybe with lots of gain and a pedal... I'm asking this since I'm interested in recording guitar feeedback and noise at bedroom levels.
In my experience you can definitely make it feed back when you turn up the gain and volume on the distortion channel. I dont know if you can still call that "bedroom volume" though :-) Btw, I totally agree on the awesomeness of this amp, I love it!
Yes about the battery, regarding the cover, it all depends what is the size of the place. You can easily play to several people in a small-medium room but more than that and I'd get another amp for the task.
I’m pretty sure the stereo is cool but it adds a lot of hassle and makes the whole thing much bigger and harder to carry around - which is what I like the most about it.
Check out my redesign of Blackstar Fly 3: instagram.com/p/Bf0KTKNn_Mv/?igshid=1wvr0val1j9da I think it'll be more portable to carry on. BUT, needs extra money & extra time to make the prototype. BTW, I'm on my way to make it happen. Sorry for my poor english 🙏🏻
That's no problem at all. I got the amp with the extension speaker on my desk, with the power supply connected permanently. If I want to use it outdoors I just unplug the PS and the extension cab and off I go, so there is just benefit if you get the Fly Pack. As to the sound this little thing is amazing. I find that you have almost the same response as with the Blackstar HT-1 all-tube amp, by plucking harder or softer and thus go from almost clean to crunchy or even distorted with the same gain and volume setting. The built-in delay I find extremely cool, and the character of the guitar is clearly audible, e.g. Strat or Les Paul. The best feature for me is that after years of searching I finally got a great lead sound at very low level so I find there is absolutely no need for headphones even if your old lady is asleep in the next room.
I guess the point of it is to be portable and using a power adapter lessens that value. Most people who buy this don't want to pay extra for a power supply they don't want.
Hi friends, I've got something new for 2022 - the Songwriting Inspirations course. Unblock your creativity with me and write your most beautiful songs so far songwritinginspirations.com
I was pretty much convinced about the blackstar fly based upon other videos, but after seeing your impassioned presentation you've completely pushed me over the line. Good to see someone happy and appreciating a great product.
Indeed, I love it!
Such a great price too
thank you for reassuring me too...
(waiting for the delivery)
I’ve had my Blackstar fly3 for a week, and totally agree with you! Great video!
thanks man glad youre enjoying it
This little amp is absolutely wonderful. Great home use, great tones clean and crunchy overdrive. The batteries last really a long time also with many hours of playing.
Got my blackstar fly 3 last week and its a killer, loved it!
What battery’s does it take
@@lucash5323 1.5 A (6batt.)
Cooper, I think you did a GREAT job explaining the Blackstar Fly 3. The recorded sound was very good too. You talked slow enough so I could easily understand you. I think some YTers drink to much Caffeine. Anyway, Thanks for this Video.
DD547 my pleasure man (:
Hey friends, I made a lil' video about "How to Achieve the Fly 3 Sound's Sweet Spot" to help you dial the knobs for the best sound: ua-cam.com/video/QCPSq__znEg/v-deo.html
Also - here's a free E-book I made with a bunch of other great accessories I discovered - The 13 Best Guitar Accessories You Should Own: guitarhippies.com/best-accessories-ebook/
And here's the link for the amp itself: amzn.to/2P2DkOq
Enjoy! -Cooper
Gracias..Bago.
@I M I am Israeli my friend, well spotted (:
Are you able to plug your phone into the amp and the guitar at the same time and have music come from both your phone and the guitar?
If that power light starts dimming when you play that means it's time to change the batteries. When it starts going really dim even while you are not playing then the main amplification starts breaking up, but the second backing music input still keeps working fine, so it continues to work as a general speaker on really low battery.
ALoonwolf true, thanks.
It’s a real nice amp thing :) I bought one from a market place where it said that it was defective. I bought it for 10 bucks, so no biggy. But I found out the guy selling it didn’t look what was wrong with it, and sold it before checking. I saw a battery wire was broken, so I put a new wire in it and it works good :) I’m very content with it, tho I bought myself an adapter with it because I don’t want to keep buying batteries. It’s really cool that there’s a good bass sound in it for a small thingy.
Best review on the blakstar fly 3. Well done! Very informative and clear explanations. Thank you! My fly 3 is on order with guitar center.
Well...seen many. I think ISF went opposite.
Awesome little amp just waiting for delivery 📦 ❤
Ordered mine today and I'm so excited to get it!
I appreciate you good review, concentrated on the amp and its features, ...and solid understandable playing
Thanks a ton.. I was on the fence to get this or not as a beginner.. But you made my choice smooth a butter.. Thanks man.. Am getting the Union Flag version here in Dubai.
Thanks for a great review. You gave us a really useful overview of its features .
Sublime review, brother. Please keep em coming! 🙏
Slim Rhyno I will(:
There are often deals on them, I picked up the stereo pack on a weekend deal for £59 and got the power supply and extra speaker - you only have to use the other speaker if you want to. a month for a pack of batteries is really good though!
David Williams Nice!
nice playing man, I like your style.
Daniel Vin thanks Daniel, much appreciated
Exactly what I needed, perfect for in the house and just as good as that Vox. I was worried that people were impressed because it's a mini amp, and that it may just sound like a fender frontman. Thanks, you said the perfect things here. You may be selling this amp to many other pike me :)
Haha enjoy! Glad to hear that.
British /Vox AC30 sounds to the right, American/Fender Blackface to the left. Don't look back in anger sounds great all the way to the right. I'm not flaming you, just trying to truly help. You're a good player and I love that guitar.
About the cons...there is a package that comes with two amplifiers and the power cord for a little bit more than getting just the power cord.
I've owned the amp and the 3 extra watt extension cab for four 5 months and love it when the "stereo" effect kicks in .. I plug backing tracks through my phone , when you plug in the backing tracks with out plugging in your axe it "cancels" all the amp controls so volume is only controlled by your phone .. Plug in your axe and the volume and effects again are under your control , so you have "clean backing tracks" .. Personally I love the 3.5 ft of cord between the amp and extension cab .. It's then you get the stereo effect well .. Enjoy I do ... !! Best little amp under a 100$ I've ever bought and I have the more expensive Yamaha THR10 also .. and the Fender twin tweed ..
Good to hear, makes me wanna get the stereo duo.
Minor slip of the tongue error. You've described using the ISF control application back to front. Rotated all the way to the LEFT (the Fly 3 manual refers to it as CCW for Counter ClockWise) has a more American characteristic tone, to the RIGHT (CW) right affects British. Those directions BTW, are standard convention on Blackstar amps featuring ISF such as the ID:Core series. If you play "all the time" with the ISF knob turned as you show (rotated fully CCW to the LEFT) and describe, you've been playing characteristic American tones. Which doesn't matter BTW, as long as you like them. Just sayin'.
Good down to earth review about how everyday people will use this amp. I'm about to press the buy button on one too. I already use a NUX GP-1 pocket socket headphone amp as my go anywhere at whim practice amp. But the Fly 3's compact size for just grab and go easy portability, freedom from needing to fuss with a PSU or find power point in conjunction with its respectable volume and tone achievable make it too hard to resist.
Thanks for the heads up, glad you found the review helpful. You'll enjoy this one for sure.
Indeed, thanks!
you re right about ISF left is american sound - I got this amp -its really great- great videos Alon -keep them comming....
It’s a great little amp. I love mine.
Think 🤔 u can plug bass in it too with clean tone & not over distort? Headroom? Thx
Great little amp
My son got the marshall mini. But i reckon this is way better. The marshall is more like a toy amp tbh
2:45 On my Fly 3 USA is on the left (CCW) and UK is on the right (CW).
good to know, so ppl can pay attention
l got one and love playing it to much to let go
Super little thing 🤟.I have a tele and a faith acoustic works fine 👍👍
Rock on Paul!
So you use this with an acoustic guitar?
I've got an option to buy one (not the acoustic version) but can't try it 1st, it works OK?
@@MrSteveMy works fine cracking liitle amp with extension speaker even better
I just got mine! Works great
It is possible connect phone, play music as incidental music from phone and in the same time play guitar?
Yes, there’s a 3.5mm line in jack. 👍 6:28
Very cool vídeo bro, I have the danelectro Hodad, but I'm definitely buy this! (Did you try the vox ac2?)
Glad you liked Nacho! And no I did not
Nice informative video!
I was wondering, is the blackstar loud enough to use outdoors?
I want to use it for my acoustic guitar outdoors, to loop myself and jam with myself outdoors in a somewhat noisy setting (flowing river, people talking etc)
Do you think it would provide sufficient volume at good quality sound in such a setting?
DanTheMan 92 definitely. I know people even use it for street playing for little audiences so for what you mentioned the volume would be enough. However I am not sure how it sounds like with acoustics, and each acoustic is different, so I’d give it a try at a store before purchasing
Blackstar makes an acoustic amp in the same format, so I’d try that instead. (I don’t own one yet, but probably will!) It’d be hard to get a lot of volume out of the electric guitar Fly without getting a little dirty-sounding, which is great with electric but not acoustic.
Cooper, have you tried it with a blues harp? As far as I`ve poked around, there`s no proper harp review with this amp. I`m looking for a cheap amp for practicing at home or maybe with some friends when hanging around in the backyard, drinking beers and BBQing, etc. I`m not willing to invest a lot, since harp is just a hobby for me, and i`m not playing on stage, or with other musicians.
PLEASE GET THE EXTENSION CAB FOR THE FLY 3. it makes a HUGE difference
I dont know if you still replying to the comment. Im planning to buy vox pathfinder 10. But after read some reviews about practice amp, this fly 3 caught my eye. If you have experienced for both amp, your advice is very much appreciated. Thanks.
Hi. Yes the Blackstar is still nice but now if you are willing to spend a bit more and get something bigger so the positive grid Spark is amazing.
great no nonsense review
Nice review! PS...How do you like the Hagstrom? I had a Hagstom III back in the 60's and loved it.
Thank you. I actually LOVE the Hagstrom. More so than any other Gibson 335 that I've played. The neck is super slim and just feels perfect.
@@GuitarSongsMasters Thanks! It's nice to hear, I will have to check one out. Take Care...
Yes this amp is quite good. Does it sound better than my EVH Iconic Combo, my Marshalls and Vox amps? Of course not.
I have been told that ISF EQ is american sound left counter clockwise zero and british sound right clockwise ten. American means boosting bass and treble over mids and British boosting mids. Am I right? I also ordered this cause needed a small battery powered amp with decent sounds and also possible to have a power supply charger.
Yes I agree regarding what you asked.
Nice job fella, I'm curious about the strange noises from the VT40. I have a VT30 which started to make a thumping noise on every channel except the clean, ac15 & ac 30. I just bypassed all the electronics and have a clean amp which the effects still work on. It's worth doing and perhaps a boost or overdrive pedal will get you back where you want to be
Thx, but honestly I'm not even motivated to try it now that I have the Fly 3w and don't do gigs with my own amps anyway.
Get this as the expansion pack. It's more awesome with the extra speaker.
Joelle Brodeur Thanks for the tip, brother! This little sweetie is my gal on the side, but if it can get even sexier?!... sweet Jesus am I in trouble 😎
I got the pack a month ago. It was very worth it! Now I can jam with my classmates at our room without bringing my 65w Laney LOL
Hi man. Thanks for the review. I just got this amp and i plugged in my strat yamaha pacifica 112j. Something is weird. I got quite buzzing when i use the middle to back (?) pickup. But the neck/clean pickup is good, no buzzing or whatsoever. Do you happen to experience this as well?
Thanks. 👍
Thanks for your review, enjoyed your playing too!
A question: do you manage to make this amp feedback? Maybe with lots of gain and a pedal...
I'm asking this since I'm interested in recording guitar feeedback and noise at bedroom levels.
Hey man. Thanks! And nope, it does not really feedback.
In my experience you can definitely make it feed back when you turn up the gain and volume on the distortion channel. I dont know if you can still call that "bedroom volume" though :-) Btw, I totally agree on the awesomeness of this amp, I love it!
Nice review!
I'd like to ask you will it still sound good if I plug in pedals into it(or a guitar processor)?
Dipjyoti Chakravarty hi my friend, thanks. I have never tried so cannot tell you.
There are some adds showing it with pedals. If you take time to match the gain level you should be fine.
Can I use an adapter for constant power supply?
For me boss katana mini is the best practice amp
Is this okay for acoustic guitars?
Yes just plug in i have a faith works super
is it wood? Just curious how the "cabinet" feels in hand. If its plastic or covered plastic (with tolex) or wood, covered...or none of the above.
Hi. It is plastic but it feel pretty solid.
@@fabioa.565 ditto
what is name of guitar that you play? it looks great!
Thank you, Hagstrom Viking
i bought the UK one Very great amp for travel but if you're looking for something small that chugs don't go for this
You mean like metal,. What about van Halen type thing? Mind U it's cheap can't be picky
Is it true only use battery and how am i want to cover a song is it enough only using one amp ?
Yes about the battery, regarding the cover, it all depends what is the size of the place. You can easily play to several people in a small-medium room but more than that and I'd get another amp for the task.
@@GuitarSongsMasters so can i cover a song only using one amp?
How is the headphones sound?
Ca va, why don’t you like the second speaker for stereo? I was thinking of buying the package
I’m pretty sure the stereo is cool but it adds a lot of hassle and makes the whole thing much bigger and harder to carry around - which is what I like the most about it.
Check out my redesign of Blackstar Fly 3:
instagram.com/p/Bf0KTKNn_Mv/?igshid=1wvr0val1j9da
I think it'll be more portable to carry on. BUT, needs extra money & extra time to make the prototype. BTW, I'm on my way to make it happen. Sorry for my poor english 🙏🏻
That's no problem at all. I got the amp with the extension speaker on my desk, with the power supply connected permanently. If I want to use it outdoors I just unplug the PS and the extension cab and off I go, so there is just benefit if you get the Fly Pack.
As to the sound this little thing is amazing. I find that you have almost the same response as with the Blackstar HT-1 all-tube amp, by plucking harder or softer and thus go from almost clean to crunchy or even distorted with the same gain and volume setting. The built-in delay I find extremely cool, and the character of the guitar is clearly audible, e.g. Strat or Les Paul. The best feature for me is that after years of searching I finally got a great lead sound at very low level so I find there is absolutely no need for headphones even if your old lady is asleep in the next room.
I got one coming in the post, it seems great, good demo, however i'm bummed you have to buy a separate power supply
Yep-it sucks.
I find the batteries last a long, long time.
I guess the point of it is to be portable and using a power adapter lessens that value. Most people who buy this don't want to pay extra for a power supply they don't want.
Can you busk with it???
Have you tried any pedals with it?
Hi, no, I haven't
Hi have you tried using a looper or any other pedals?
JP nope. I think it might be too much for this small speaker and sound a bit muddy
@@GuitarSongsMasters thanks
How is it on acoustic I wonder
Jana Sali bad
They made a different one for acoustic
Toda raba, Shana tova
Jana Sali to you too 🙂
איזה מלך
What is playtime?
Kailash Marasini battery time you mean?
@@GuitarSongsMasters I mean battery life...
Haha what the heck. You have the same guitar AND amp as me. That's wack...
hahaha wow that's a rare one! Is your Hagstrom also red?
holy shit mine was not 55$ lol
It's not WIRELESS.🤔🤨🙄
there is a Bluetooth version