Blackstar Fly 3 review

Fly-away tone from this micro amp

  • £49
  • €59
  • $69
The Fly 3 has a ridiculous feature set for its size - including two channels, delay and ISF

MusicRadar Verdict

A huge innovation in a tiny field.

Pros

  • +

    Evolves the micro amp concept. Excellent tones for the size/price. Great value. Built-in delay!

Cons

  • -

    Not much.

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Building on the already compact ID:Core series, the Fly 3 takes the micro amp concept and runs with it, packing three watts, two channels, digital tape delay and Blackstar's Infinite Shape Feature for British and American sounds.

"It's the tone that makes the Fly 3 such a resounding success"

What's more, you can even buy an extension cab (£19.99) to create a stereo rig, which works brilliantly for playing tunes via the 3.5mm audio-in jack.

It's the tone that makes the Fly 3 such a resounding success, though; it sounds as good as practice amps four times the size, with a meaty bass response, American-style cleans and hefty gain. Dialling in a touch of tape delay helps to enhance the size of the sound, too.

Michael Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com (opens in new tab), in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe (opens in new tab).