Blackstar Fly 3 Mini

[JustABluesGuy]

I was out running some errands and decided to hit a pawnshop that I hadn’t been to for a long time.

They actually had several decent items, including a Fender Champion 20, a Blackstar Fly 3, a Vox AC30 headphone amp, and a Donner Blues Drive.

I ended up grabbing the Vox and the Blackstar. I didn’t have any amps with a headphone out, and they both do that well. The Blackstar sounds quite good without headphones as well.

I got both for less than a Boss pedal, so I’m thrilled. I’m thinking about going back for the Champion and the Donner, but they won’t be as useful to me and they weren’t quite as good of a deal, and I don’t really “need” either of them.

 

[tery]

I keep hearing good things about the Blackstar Fly over & over.

 

[RodeoTex]

I was just playing with my Fly 3 stereo this morning.
I think I'm going to leave it in my pickup as a lunchtime amp.

 

[Rustbucket]

I use my Fly for business travel all the time. It fits nicely in my Carryon bag or backpack while I carry the Tele in a RB gig bag.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I keep hearing good things about the Blackstar Fly over & over.

So far I like it a lot! It isn’t just a toy like some mini amps. It would be nice if it could easily be connected to a standard external cab, but that isn’t a deal breaker for such an affordable practice amp.

The gain and delay are quite usable. I haven’t tried throwing any pedals at it, but I have heard that it takes them well.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I was just playing with my Fly 3 stereo this morning.
I think I'm going to leave it in my pickup as a lunchtime amp.

It’s very portable. As I understand it, it also has pretty impressive battery life as well, but I will probably buy the dedicated AC adapter for it, to save some money on batteries when there’s a plug available .

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I was just playing with my Fly 3 stereo this morning.
I think I'm going to leave it in my pickup as a lunchtime amp.

I’m retired, but it will be nice for travel, or just jamming with buddies out on the patio without all the hassles of running an extension cord.

I’m usually playing lead guitar with buddies on acoustic, and this amp allows me to get plenty of crunch at really low volume. My 2 watt tube amp requires pedals to get close this kind of crunch at really low volume.

 

[Knows3Chords]

I love mine. Got the two stack. It's perfect for playing at home when volume needs to be watched.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I love mine. Got the two stack. It's perfect for playing at home when volume needs to be watched.

It is, especially with the headphone jack. I’ve been using a Two watt tube amp, but it’s just volume and tone, and even at two watts, without a master volume I need to throw pedals at it to get much crunch at really low volumes.

Being able to grab and go is great as well. Lately I have been using delay more than reverb, so that’s another plus.

I’ve heard it called “stereo” with the extension speaker, but it’s really just dual mono, right?

I wish there was an option for connecting a standard speaker cab while muting the internal speaker since I have a bunch of different cabs and would love to hear this through them and maybe use it as a head sometimes.

 

[0SubSeanik0]

I have the Bluetooth version, so it doubles as my portable travel/bike/picnic speaker (sounds great)... It's also a convenient way to add "line in" functionality.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I have the Bluetooth version, so it doubles as my portable travel/bike/picnic speaker (sounds great)... It's also a convenient way to add "line in" functionality.

Yeah, I saw that after I got home with mine. Fortunately I have an acoustic amp with Bluetooth, but it would be nice to have in the Blackstar as well.

 

[Knows3Chords]

I haven't tried a pedal with it yet. I had a little Pig Nose when I was younger (a long time ago) and thought about getting another one, but I'm glad I got the little Fly.

 

[generic202]

I’ve heard it called “stereo” with the extension speaker, but it’s really just dual mono, right?

Yes and no. The guitar signal remains mono (including delay) but the line-in becomes stereo. I don't have the bluetooth version but I think that would be stereo as well. Sometimes, I use them as a stereo monitor for HX Stomp via line-in and I can hear stereo effects very clearly.

Aside from that, you can get different tones with the extension speaker. You can stack them vertically/horizontally or spread them out and they give you different EQ/sounds to play around with.

 

[howardlo]

I have the Vintage White Fly 3 with the second speaker and AC adapter. Works great, but prefer my Yamaha THR5. The Yamaha sounds really good. I also have the Yamaha THR5A (the one made for acoustic guitars). It also sounds really good.

THR5A

THR5

Also have the Spark Mini. It does a lot of stuff besides just being an amp, but the jury is still out on it. A lot to explore and learn.

 

[JeffBlue]

Hope I'm not beating a dead horse. I modified my Blackstar Fly 3 by upgrading the 3 inch 4 ohm speaker with one that is a more efficient Neodymium (better and louder than the original speaker) I added a speaker out jack (currently have it plugged into a vintage Fender Design Emminence 12 inch speaker) and a set of Schaller strap locks. Sounds excellent.

 

[middy]

The Fly is perfect for playing along with acoustic instruments, even piano played lightly. The built in analog delay is all I need, although a tremolo would be nice too. It has a decent sound for what it is, which is more than you can say for most amps that size.

 

[tacobender]

I have the Vintage White Fly 3 with the second speaker and AC adapter. Works great, but prefer my Yamaha THR5. The Yamaha sounds really good. I also have the Yamaha THR5A (the one made for acoustic guitars). It also sounds really good.

THR5A
View attachment 1095587


THR5
View attachment 1095645

Also have the Spark Mini. It does a lot of stuff besides just being an amp, but the jury is still out on it. A lot to explore and learn.

I tried the Fly3, found it wasn’t nearly loud enough for me to sing and play with. I bought the thr5. Much better. I brought it, a looper and my tele on a remote river trip. It was great. Eats batteries though.

 

[Knows3Chords]

Your right about it eating batteries.

 

[tacobender]

Your right about it eating batteries.

It was worth it though. Being able to jam out in the middle of nowhere was awesome. Easier than packing an acoustic.

 

[JeffBlue]

I wonder how the Blackstar Fly 3 would work with a portable solar charger?