Blackstar Fly

Rocker

There is a lot of love on this website for the Blackstar Fly.  I saw one yesterday, in Maplins (Blanchardstown Shopping Centre) and was more than surprised at how small and light it is.  I thought my Pignose is small but it it a giant compared to the Fly.  Did not get the chance to try it out in the shop, Maplins is not a music shop, but I find it hard to take it seriously as a guitar amp.  Whereas with the Pignose, you have a 'real' guitar amplifier, one that won't be easily be pulled off the table. 

Sassafras

I won't be buying a Blackstar anytime soon. I'll stick with the Pignose.
Really great little amps and woefully underrated.
I just think people don't really understand how to use them properly.

mellowsun

I couldn't get on with the Pignose that I had. Great for boxy bee in a jar sounds I suppose. What is the best way to use them - I couldn't get a usable sound out of it!

Much preferred the Fly.

Dopesick

Might treat myself to a Fly full stack for an early Xmas present. Would be handy to use as speakers for my iPad as well.

simonk

I don't like the Pignose - it always sounded like a big bee stuck under a metal sink every time I've tried one. Whereas, I think the Fly is genuinely useful. Horses for courses though.

Sassafras

mellowsun said:

I couldn't get on with the Pignose that I had. Great for boxy bee in a jar sounds I suppose. What is the best way to use them - I couldn't get a usable sound out of it!

Much preferred the Fly.

Crank the volume right up and control it all from the guitar and use the lid of the Pignose as a tone control. I usually have it open by about 1/2 an inch or so otherwise it can indeed sound quite boxy and nasal.
They take pedals surprisingly well too.
I've never tried a Blackstar but I'm willing to bet the Pignose sounds huge in comparison.

TTBZ

I'm going to try out a Fly 3 next week, I'm hoping it will work as a half decent practice amp with headphone out. Has anyone compared the ID core 10 to the fly? Hopefully I can play the two side by side, the shop is in Northampton so they'd bloody well better have a good blackstar range haha.

stonevibe

I own both and would say the Fly is pretty decent, whereas the Pignose is more flexible for recording with and better with pedals.

Sassafras

Not sure why I got 3 LOLs for my Pignose praise.
You can laugh but I'm the one with the better amp.

Rocker

And I got a LOL for stating what is obvious in my post on this subject. The Pignose is actually a fair bit larger and heavier than the Blackstar Fly. I can't comment on the sound of the Fly biut my own Pignose amp sounds good and is loud enough for home practice and noodling. So why the LOL?

LooseMoose

The Fly is a superb amp - genuinely one of those 'wow' moments when you first hear it!

Steve922

I bought the Fly 3 amp with the extra box as my first amp. its for bedroom practice only and its great. I'm not a newcomer to Guitar but I am a newcomer to amplification. I've had it just over a week now and love it. The one thing I'm not keen on it the audible attack on the first repeat when using a longish delay value. I don't know if the delay on all amps sounds like this. The delay effect is good but needs to be set just right for my liking.

The Fly was £50 on its own and I decided to buy the extra box with it for £80 - it just seemed good value because it came with  a mains adapter (which the basic Fly 3 doesn't) The really nice thing is the ultra portability of the battery-powered Fly 3. A great sound for something you can carry in your pocket!

BUT - I'm now thinking I'd prefer the ID Core-10. Why? because it has significantly more effects available, I have plenty of room for it and its only the same price as the Fly 'stack.' Full price is £99 but it seems to be generally available at £89 and I'm sure I've seen it at £79. All the prices in this whole post include delivery. At the moment, it can be found even cheaper:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackstar-ID-Core-Stereo-Combo/dp/B00IMXBIBM/ref=sr_1_4_lp_prime?ie=UTF8&qid=1480102183&sr=8-4&keywords=blackstar+core

and I recently had an add via Gooogle where it was available at £65. Delivery was an extra £8.95 and I think it was from a European company, sounded Dutch (not Bax or Thoman.)

If I were buying again I'd go either for the £50 basic Fly or the Core-10 and I might buy the Core-10 anyway :-)

TTBZ

The Core 10 (v1, don't know if v2 is much different?) Is on sale at Coda for £65 at the minute.

Sassafras

On that amazon link it says the Core 10 has got 2x8 inch speakers which is amazing considering it's only about 13 inches wide.
I presume they mean 3 inch speakers?

mellowsun

Sassafras said:

Not sure why I got 3 LOLs for my Pignose praise.
You can laugh but I'm the one with the better amp.

Might be because you dismissed the Fly without trying it!

Sassafras

mellowsun said:

Sassafras said:

Not sure why I got 3 LOLs for my Pignose praise.
You can laugh but I'm the one with the better amp.

Might be because you dismissed the Fly without trying it!

I didn't dismiss it out of hand. I was just willing to take a huge chance on betting good money that the Pignose sounds better. Such is my faith in the Pignose that I would risk a whole £1 or £2 bet on it.

Steve922

Yes, Coda - that was the place with the £65 Core 10s  + £8.95 P=P

You also might like to read this before deciding : - https://www.blackstaramps.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4242&start=10

Its the first negative thing I've seen about the Core 10

DartmoorHedgehog

Steve922 said:

You also might like to read this before deciding : - https://www.blackstaramps.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4242&start=10

Its the first negative thing I've seen about the Core 10

My Core 10 does hiss a bit - I think it's just how they are.  For my purposes as a practice amp it's really not a problem.  Of course it would be nice if it wasn't there, but it's not loud enough to bother me.  If you're wanting to use it for recording, or have the amp on a table nearer ear height, it could be more annoying though.  Probably best to try one and decide for yourself - IMO it's an excellent small practice amp if you don't mind the slight hiss.

Deadman

I love my Fly3. One thing to bear in mind however is that it does seem voiced to accommodate humbuckers over single coils. It can sound harsh if not dialled in correctly and you have to use your guitar volume and tone controls. Forget using the gain channel with the ISF turned anywhere half way past left (US voicing) with a strat. It'll destroy your eardrums.
With a LP it sounds great whatever you do.

dindude

Deadman said:

I love my Fly3. One thing to bear in mind however is that it does seem voiced to accommodate humbuckers over single coils. It can sound harsh if not dialled in correctly and you have to use your guitar volume and tone controls. Forget using the gain channel with the ISF turned anywhere half way past left (US voicing) with a strat. It'll destroy your eardrums.
With a LP it sounds great whatever you do.

I kinda think the other way, I think it's quite a thick soupy sound for a little'un, and can sound a bit bland with humbuckers compressing it even further. I love the sound of my Jag through it, it slices through and brings a bit of character.

mixolyd

The Blackstar is amazing but it's definitely not a "real" amp.  It's like they screwed around with DSP and tuning until they found a sound profile that works with most guitars and has a very pleasing quality at low volumes through that tiny FRFR speaker.  You can't manipulate a bunch of different sounds and feels out of it like your u can a real amp: I guess it's more like a software preset made flesh.  I tried putting the headphone out through studio monitors and the result was underwhelming.

What other amp can you comfortably sit on the bed, couch, kitchen worktop, or just about any other surface while you sit back and practice?  The mass to tone ratio on the thing is unparalleled.