Fly away

Blackstar's Fly 3 desktop amps are clearing for good prices at Davis GMC (starting at $68). One of the best of its kind, did away with others since I bought one. Limited quantity, folks, be informed.

TV & practice

Was watching TV two nights ago, had this set up going:

• Blackstar FLY 3. Nothing beats this one in the mean time in terms of the most desirable tone coming from a portable unit.
• BOSS DS-1. Giving the Fly a little boost, nothing extensive.
• Ibanez GRGR010LTD. The only Ibanez GIO in my possession. It's the one that keeps me firmly in check; it's not about the bling or the label, it's totally about what you must do with your talent.

I was actually watching the news but got pissed after 10min. From the very beginning, political figures made their presence felt. It was a live news coverage, they did a special on-location broadcast from a festival market here. If they are indeed inclusive, the programme would have included other prominent local figures & not just those political few. Switched the set off & played guitar for the remaining 20min. TV vs practice, practice wins.

Small victory

The good people at Blackstar are continuing their quest to serve good tones in small packages. This LT Echo amp is a good inclusion & on my to-check list.

Our beloved FLY3 desktop amp gets a Bluetooth upgrade which is awesome. So while something big is happening at NAMM 2017 in the mean time, never forget the small stuff.

The need to play

This was last night's set up. Had planned for a 15min simple workout but extended to the hour. There's this urge in all of us (more so for those who are dedicated players) to grab the guitar & play when triggered by an idea, a tune, an inspiration- we shouldn't be hampered by our set up. We shouldn't be waiting for the amp to warm up, the need for batteries in pedals, looking for that elusive hum-free cable- you get the drift. We need to grab & get going. I'm grateful for the simple gear that gets me through quickly & the honourable mention here is my Blackstar FLY 3 amp. Simply awesome.

Brown black

A simple set up for the evening; a CMATmods distortion pedal & a Blackstar desktop amp. Sometimes I feel very tired at the end of the working day but there's a very strong urge to play guitar, especially after listing to some very inspirational playing. I urge everyone out there to have a lazy set up going for days when you just need to play without the excessive preoccupation with tone. 

Simply works

Ladies & gentlemen- what triggers you to plug in your guitar & play the while away? I think a simple answer to that would be tone. If you have a good tone at the ready, you will be moved to pick that guitar up & start strumming/ shredding. So it begs the next question: What's a good set up to have?

That's quite personal, I would say. Your preferred tone might be sonic rubbish to me. So start taking note of what works for you regardless of the gear in question. It might be a cheap pedal, a seasoned guitar & a small boutique amp or whatever you can get your hands on, that works for you. Also, please exercise some permutations of combination. Combine what you have in different order, use batteries for you pedals on some days, maybe give a different string brand a try, use a shorter guitar cord at times- you get the drift. Very soon, you'll be going back to the stuff that you like hearing or know to work well for certain intentions. There you go. A ready set of reference at your disposal.

Coming back to this pic here, my Blackstar Fly 3 amp is a go-to reference on days when I wish for a quick but pleasant set up. It's not exactly the best in the house but it's a guaranteed affair & that's more important to me than trying to figure things out when I need a quick set up. I've been using this amp often enough to know that it benefits from a little kick in terms of overdrive so a mild drive/ distortion unit would usually be hooked up as supplementary. With these two going, pretty much any guitar I play will sound pleasant or I should say, to my liking. Enough satisfaction on lazy days, on lethargic days, on days when I need a quick fix.

Flying ash

My Blackstar Fly 3 is becoming the tool to weed out wimpy gear. I feel that if it doesn't sound good through this amp, then it's not worthy. I'm beginning to like the 1 X Vol + 1 X Tone configuration of the John Page Ashburn. Also liking lower output single coils with drive. 

Creamy goodness

There are no more excuses to procrastinate the acquisition of the acclaimed Blackstar Fly 3 desktop amp now that it's offered in another finish- cream. Otherwise, get someone else to buy it for you, tell them you deserve it for whatever reasons. Understood?

Fly-ing cab

When I acquired Blackstar's FLY 3 amp, I told myself it would strictly be a fun amp, something amusing that I would reach for on days when I am bored. However, the FLY isn't a novelty amp like what the other manufacturers offer, it has some very inspiring tones to keep you going so I thought giving it an extension would do it justice. Done.

Flying stereo

If you have been impressed with Blackstar's Fly 3 desktop amp, know that it's available in a stereo set featuring an extension cab & a PSU as depicted above. Limited quantities are currently available at Davis GMC.

Blackstar: FLY 3... just saying

In my two preceding FLY 3 entries, I've highlighted how this desktop wonder defied its pedigree in giving us a much needed quality tone which is arguably absent in other amps of its kind. Reiterating what I've mentioned before, the FLY 3 gives us some wonderful clean & driven tones in addition to doing well with a mild-type drive pedal in manifesting saturated dirt which is very pleasant to the ears. This segment serves to highlight what could be refined in heightening gratification (not alluding to a deficiency of any nature, of course).

1. EQ = ISF?

What do we understand by the term 'EQ' control? It is the manipulation of frequencies in giving the user more definition of some preferred voicing at the expense of others. In this context, a single control knob that allegedly controls the equipment's overall voicing often highlights the lower frequencies at one particular end & the higher frequencies at the opposition marking. The FLY 3's EQ knob doesn't manipulate the tone as such. As one dials it in a clockwise direction, one does not hear the removal of lower frequencies & the addition of higher ones making the amp going from bassy to trebly- no such effect was observed. In fact, this knob is adhering to the manufacturer's ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) definition; that voices the tone from an American voicing, to a more British take. So a small request here would be the provision of a real EQ control or remove that 'EQ' marking altogether & retain the ISF label so as to prevent confusion. Initially, I thought it was dysfunctional as I couldn't hear the desired EQ effect. 

2.Delay loss

I only discovered this upon the addition of a drive pedal to the signal chain. In a pedal-free set up, the DELAY effect was clearly heard in both clean & driven modes. Once a drive pedal is in use, the DELAY audibility was affected even with the level control maxed out. It's fair to say that players would want the DELAY function to stay true even with the introduction of external pedals in the signal route. If this could be refined- awesome!

With these in mind, it's just insufficient to reduce the FLY 3 from being an impressive little ditty.

Blackstar: Fly 3

Finally, a worthy desktop/ pocket amp that doesn't wimp out on tone- Blackstar's Fly 3.

This is a simple amp that packs a punch. Many other amps of this ilk manifest questionable tone so it begs the question- quality or novelty? Well done to Blackstar for putting in some thoughts into this one. The Fly 3 has decent cleans, it's typical small-driver serving stuff but it doesn't sound like it's on a budget. In OD mode, the Fly proves its worth, at higher volumes, the driver doesn't rattle & fuzz out the tone. This is important to me as it allows for some projection should I choose to do an impromptu lunch time performance at the office. It also means the Fly 3 has enough projection potential to rival a small practice combo so it's a great teaching tool. My only discord for it is the fact that it requires 6 AA batteries to get going but it'll accept an adapter which is sold separately. Great price to boot.

Blackstar: Fly 3

Availability: Davis GMC

Price: $60 $75