Fly HG

Still wondering why this took too long to happen. Blackstar's FLY 3 amp is now offered in a high gain manifestation. That NITRO button there offers a more sizzling amp drive often associated with heavy music. 

I currently own the standard version (since 2014), not this high gain version. The default overdrive was indeed insufficient to propel heavy music but I came to terms with it after plugging a Tube Screamer in. I'm looking forward to try this version: 1) I hope the NITRO mode doesn't scoop the midrange 2) The NITRO distortion doesn't make the tone fuzzy in view of the small driver on board.

Pics: Blackstar

BEAMed here

The Blackstar Beam mini is now in stock at City Music ($255). Tempting. Waiting for LANEY's Prism Mini to be available here to make the final decision.

Pic: Blackstar

Beam Mini

This is the new Blackstar Beam Mini. It shows that things are heating up in the portable, smart amp camp. We all know of the SPARK existence, JBL joined in very recently & we have this Blackstar jumping into the fray. Like it or not, this is the new portability movement, smart amps with supplementary phone attachments (edit / control). With such tech in mind, it is hoped that the number of creative musicians actively collaborating with one another would enrich the music scene here. I'm actually looking forward to acquire one of these in the near future.

Pic: Blackstar

Low

Been playing lots of acoustic lately. Attempted to play the electric today but my brain wasn't in the right gear to even churn out interesting riffs. So out came the bass. Did it help? Not quite. When you spend way too much time on guitars, you still think like a guitar player when playing the bass. Didn't last for even 30min.

Pictured above - my Ibanex Mikro bass & the Blackstar Fly 3 Bass. The idea was to chill on the couch with the amp close by. Maybe when I'm more clear headed, it might happen.

Another distortion

This was the last item I bought at Woodworks before they bowed out of the scene. This pedal was one of the leftovers because prior to closing, Davis GMC took over the Blackstar distributorship. If you are new to this brand name, the ISF control there is a voicing control. Blackstar offers both American & British type of distortion voicings & these are available on board the amplifiers. Despite being orange, it sounds quite removed from BOSS' DS-1. It sounds a little more intense but not quite the metal type of intensity. This is also one of those pedals whose LEVEL control adds quite a bit of intensity as opposed to merely making the pedal more audible. I have a few Blackstar pedals, one of which had been gladly handed over to brother Ijau over at West Malaysia.

Price watch (82)

If you play the ukulele, Kala would be a familiar name to you. The U-Bass you see here was made in the spirit of the instrument's niche appeal. It lists for USD349 (SGD470) on the manufacturer's web store so the asking price is a little unreasonable. 

If you have a shop & this is part of your inventory, reminding buyers of the original price, shipping & tax considerations might be a case in point considering it's the only one available here in the mean time. But this was a personal purchase so it should be treated as such. 

We note the Blackstar Carry-on ST bass is available at City Music for $295. It's similarly spec'd & much more affordable with after sale services by the store. For the record, the ST bass has a scale length of  23.46" so it is even shorter in this respect. On that note, I have nothing against the U-bass, just presenting a case here.

Pic: Blackstar

VZB

 Vox, Zoom & Blackstar products are now available at Swee Lee. Yes - Swee Lee.

LT

Was at City Music's YES & got this one since I'm in the mood for distortion. I was wondering if the ISF feature can do its magic to somehow mutate the distortion voicing but of course it cannot. However, it remains on my reference list as a good pedal if you wish to tinker with tone. 

James

The latest in amp town - Blackstar's St James. Surprisingly, this amp is propelled on account of its unbearable lightness of being an amp. The 50W head is 6.7kg, the combo 12.8kg & the 2x12 cab 13.6kg. Drivers are Blackstar's collab with Celestion, a ferrite-based Zephyr. 

When an amp is being pushed on accounts of everything else but tone, what does that really tell you? For gigging musicians, this might be helpful but the pros have roadies & other handling mechanisms to see this through. Also, when you buy one for home use, chances are, it stays put at a spot. Lightest amp for your money - not quite the pivot for reputation. Amps are all about tone.

If Blackstar has a signature tone to be proud of, the Series One are the ones to pay attention to. This St. James series isn't a flagship tone as far as I am concerned, it's something a Vox can handle when it comes to a good, get-by tones. We also have Morgan & Two Rock if you don't mind paying silly money for this kind of tone. I need to try this one in person for its hidden magic. Maybe.

St. James amps are available at City Music

• 50W head: $1,395
• combo: $1,515
• 2x12 vertical cab: $630

New department

New from the Blackstar camp - Department 10 tube laden pedals. Some of us had been through Blackstar's initial foray of tube pedals, the HT series. Those were quite a hit when they first debuted but they did not really latched onto any pedal geek's long term interest. This is the subsequent tube in a pedal adventure & they went one up by turning it into a speaker / mic emulator as well if you are into DAWs & stuff. The range consists of a boost, overdrive & distortion unit in the mean time. McRocklin here will show you the dynamics of one of them:

Pic: Blackstaramps

Review: Blackstar FLY 3 Bass

Blackstar FLY 3 Bass

The FLY 3 bass should be familiar to FLY 3 fans as it is a bass iteration of this series of mini amplifiers. This means the amp is a portable 3W unit, capable of running on both batteries & power adapter. We will take a dive into the amp’s capabilities in knowing its low frequency competence.

 

Build / features

The FLY 3 Bass (F3B) sports the exact dimensions as its guitar counterparts. The control panel is also located on top & features the extension cab possibility at the rear panel. If you are familiar with the guitar version then the bass version isn’t anything new. Like all FLY 3 units, this amp has a solid build giving confidence to the player in the knowledge that it’s a serious amp & not a token implement. The possible issue that might arise are those small control knobs on the panel (OD / Sub); our fingers are forced to observe a pinching demeanour which is bothersome. Also, those small knobs do not feature any visible markings so there’s no telling the level you are at till you do a close-up of things.

 

Rating: 80%

Tone 

The immediate concern here is whether the FB3 would rattle in use considering the tremendous low end it has to deal with in view of its driver size. You’d be pleased to know that with just the volume control in use, no such anomalies manifested. Even with the gain turned up, the amp remains clean. In overdrive mode, no audible distortion occurs until the level exceeds the two o’clock mark or so. What you would immediately hear is a volume boost & clarity. The drive on offer is actually a fuzz & it interfered very little with clarity. The EQ offers more low end when you turn it up clockwise quite the opposite of the guitar version. Also, at its extreme setting, the EQ induces fuzz. The compression feature is a little tricky. While it does what it says on the label, it is unable to bring up low frequencies if this is set to low levels at the EQ end. You would end up hearing dead E & A strings & wonder if there’s something amiss with your instrument. Finally, the SUB feature, simply put, is a fundamental octave generator. Turning it up would induce bottom end overdose & rattle the amp. As it is, you wouldn’t need this feature unless being excessive is your thing. 

 

The Line In option, once in use, is independent of the amp’s control (as with all other FLY 3 models). The Line out is necessary if you wish to link the amp up to an external device (computer / consoles / etc) for recording. These are bonus features that we can appreciate as they add value to the amp’s overall portable nature. 

 

Rating: 80%

 

Conclusion

The F3B is a deserving bass counterpart so every guitar adventure can now be complemented with the bass. The overall performance here is definitely above average & it shouldn’t be treated as a compromised tone source in view of its size. The tone options on  offer open up many possibilities & tweaking adventures thanks to the EQ, compression & SUB features which we can do without if we are strictly after a no-frills bass performance – thumbs up to these. Putting things into perspective, you can easily get a practice grade amp for about $70 & it would offer more in terms of volume projection & clarity. The F3B is easily $20 more with inherent limitations but its ultimate selling point is definitely portability & integral features preventing it from being a gimmick. If you prefer a wireless setting & constantly engaging the bass on the go, the FLY 3 Bass is it. We hope Blackstar would extend the Bluetooth feature into it in time to come as they did with the FLY 3 guitar amps. 

 

Final rating: 80%

 

Likes

·      Compact dimension

·      Extra tone features

·      Clarity 

·      Ease of use

 

Dislikes

·      Limited compression threshold 

·      Octave generator contributing to amp rattling

·      Limited volume performance

.       Small knobs (SUB / OD)

Blackstar: FLY 3 Bass ($95)
Availability: City Music

Pics: Richtone Music / Blackstar

Chilling it low

Have been taking it easy lately so it's just my bass & me on the couch on most days. This is my Bacchus WJB-Mini, a short scale bass which feels like a slightly longer baritone guitar (29.5" scale length) so it's nothing too overwhelming for me. 

 I'm also accompanied by the Blackstar FLY 3 Bass so it's strictly a couch moment. 😎

And it's goodbye February...

JJN combo

Not new, just the combo version (20W) of Jared James' fantastic Blackstar amp. If you are after more distortion but do not wish to enter heavy metal territory, this is the one to get. I tried the stack version I I believe that it will appease those blues rock fans who are after more intensity in the style of JJ himself. Particularly appealing if you have a fat single coil pickup to spare (P-90 is best). Hearing is believing:

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.

EQed

Saturday's amp EQ. The EVH 5150III, despite its lunch box dimensions, churns out quite a handful of bass. It's true at the other hand as well- excessive treble- especially at higher gain settings. 

Sunday's amp EQ. Tried to emulate some Gambale tone with an Ibanez & my Blackstar, the treble was subtracted entirely. The resulting tone was quite fat & smooth but nowhere near Gambale's sonic frequencies. I missed out the JB pickup in the equation, quite obviously. 

Earth Hour 2018

It was a different challenge for me this time round, the Earth Hour 2018 episode (last night) was actually filled with guitar playing. Kept the front door open to enjoy the corridor lighting, brought my Kiesel DC, Blackstar FLY3 amp & an OD pedal to the door vicinity & sat on the floor. The account:

1. Sitting on the floor with the instrument resting on the lap is a numbing experience. The leg  cramped up easily & it necessitated some stretching every other 5min or so.
2. Poor lighting affects fretboard visibility & induced mistakes.
3. Poor ventilation due to the 'dead' ceiling fan meant sweaty palms got in the way of playing as well.

I could imagine those performers struggling to manage themselves on dark stages or other poorly lit venues. Most of the time, I wasn't looking at the fretting hand & relied heavily on feel which didn't pay off because it's not how I usually play. I compelled myself to play for 30min before retiring to the couch with the cat.

Our cat had been a darling throughout the episode, she chose to sleep after this pic was taken. 👍

Anyway, Earth Hour as always, is hype. It's only acknowledged by people who bothered & remained truly committed to the cause. Respecting the ailing earth isn't on everyone's life agenda. The residents here showed no special acknowledgements of what Earth Hour meant to them. Doubt if they even knew it took place. I'm doing this to create awareness for my little girl here especially so when the school shared the event during brief classroom moments just days ago. By doing so, we manifest a concerted effort in addressing common concerns, it should not be a lopsided affair; learning institutions do not bear the brunt entirely when education is concerned. Kids look up to parents as well & we make efforts to ensure  learning becomes holistic. In any case, I do not see  environmental awareness becoming an embraced philosophy in the heartlands. Mind you, even Earth Hour itself has a commercial slant to it so a genuine care for the environment must truly come from the heart.

Wishing everyone a good week ahead- it's the final week of March.

Bass star

The Blackstar name is now accommodating bass tones. Seen here- the Unity Pro models ranging from 30W - 500W performance so this pretty much signals the manufacturer's intent. Please, let's not approach this from the guitar amp perspective just because we know where Blackstar is in terms of guitar tones- up there among the best. I like that simple logo that features a, you guessed it, black star. However, these will only be available at the quarter's end; spring time goodness for some of us.

Metal to the pedal

Throughout the years, I've discovered that the best intense distortion that does not impede playing fundamentals come from the amplifier. It makes sense because signals are processed at the amp end, not before. I started out with BOSS' Metal Zone which is still the standard to beat in terms of intensity & EQ manipulations. What puts me off when it comes to the Metal Zone is that it sounds nasal at higher volume settings. My distortion formula ever since had been to trust the amp's distortion. Currently my EVH 5150 III does the job, my Marshall JVM has that as well but with a more British flavour while the Blackstar HT Metal lets me hear something in between. The story with the pedals you see above:

• Digitech/DOD Death Metal: These pedals, to me, still tell a semi-tragic tale of an attempt which turned stale. There should be no more attempts to capture a genre defined distortion. You cannot package derivative tones into a single offering. It fails because the proponents of death metal formulate their tones through the use of several implements, not a single pedal per se. Most of the time it's a match between an amp & a drive/distortion pedal to get a slightly more embittered heavy tone; that crucial excess which defines the tone rather than bringing intensity into the next level. This pedal in its initial incarnation was strictly a niche appeal. The treble excess was excruciating & the amount of distortion on board was fixed, no less, no more, it's just there. The subsequent incarnation, the Digitech version, did not fare any better. The treble offerings were still much to be desired for but they kept it in check. In use, I had to basically turn it down to ZERO. The MID/LOW sweeps were more acute than the DOD version in that they actually let you hear the difference. 
• EHX Metal Muff: I was in fuzz territory for a while & EHX had (they still do) what I was comfortable with; a fuzz tone that did not squash the low frequencies too much. Eric Johnson is arguably one of the very few guitar-inclined individuals who managed to make fuzzy bass notes very musical. When the MM was introduced, there were no official dealer/distributor here, but someone was bringing it in & was operating online as a small time enterprise. I just went with the pedal instinctively & it proved to be a worthy risk. The MM still offers the grizzly fuzz responses but with a a different EQ consideration which facilitated intensity. To me, this was a marked difference. The top end boost added some depth in terms of clarity when it comes to solos so to me the MM was it. 
• Blackstar LT Metal: This pedal is much overlooked. At the time of its release, it's over-shadowed by its other, tube-driven sibling, the HT series. I tested the HT version but couldn't come to terms with how fuzzy & Marshall-esque everything sounded. The LT version, on the other hand, is focused on distortion intensity. It has no other details in trying to fulfil expectations (namely the tubeless technology) & it sounded good despite not having dedicated EQ knobs to oversee proceedings. The Blackstar name itself is formidable in the amplifier front so people look up to Blackstar for amps, not pedals. This one will remain insignificant until you hear it out in person

I have since stopped hunting for that elusive heavy metal pedal to out-amp an amp because they  turned out to be second best in this aspect; the amp distortion is still superior in terms of voicing if intensity is factored in. In fact, pedals were there to emulate an amp's performance to begin with. However it's all down to preference- some of us prefer amps to handle our driven tones, some prefer pedals, some prefer both. Whatever it is, do not stop experimenting what works for you. 

Present (2)

My birthday present. Neat 👍 I'm a fan of the FLY3 amps, this is an excellent inclusion. But then again, today is not my birthday.