Blackstar Amped 3 Review
Our Verdict and Review Summary
We love Blackstar amps to begin with, and the Amped 3 is a great expansion on the solid product line they already offer. Its onboard overdrive is an aggressive distortion with several tube model options (power amp level), and an equally pleasing clean tone. Add in MIDI control and USB interface capabilities and you have a fantastic floor amp.
The Amped 3 series by Blackstar is a significant cut above other floor/pedal amps like the Strymon Iridium and Walrus Audio ACS1. It just does more and has a far better gain range, capable of heavy and modern-sounding distortion, which is not something you get from most comparable floor amps.
Like the Blackstar amp heads and combos, they do a great job with high gain distortion, in both tube and solid state forms.
While the Amped 3 is a re-creation of a traditional tube amp tone, it's a convincing replica, especially at higher gain levels. The modes are labeled OD1 and OD2, but it's definitely heavier than what I'm used to hearing from an overdrive pedal.
I've got my full Blackstar Amped 3 review below.
If you're okay with taking my word for it, the comparison table is next.
The Amped 3 is one of the most complete floor/pedal amps we've tested, and some serious competition for the Strymon Iridium.
Compare to Similar Pedal Amps
As I mentioned, the Strymon Iridium and Walrus Audio ACS1 are both good comparisons. Despite the additional expense, I like the Amped 3 a lot better. You can compare them here, covering pricing and basic specs.
PEDAL | Name | Rate | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstar Amped 3 | 92.5 | |
 | Strymon Iridium | n/a | |
 | Walrus Audio ACS1 | 88.7 | |
 | Universal Audio Dream '65 | 90.0 |
Compare More Pedlas
You can add more pedals to the comparison bar at the bottom of this page. Search our database for brands and models, then add whatever you want. We don't have everything, but we have a lot, and are adding to it regularly.
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Our disclosure↬
The Amped 3 is probably more amp than pedal. It lacks nothing.
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Summary Scorecard for the Amped 3
Keep in mind that our scoring system is subjective and not meant to tell the full story of the Blackstar Amped 3. View it as an overview and a barometer to help you decide whether or not it would be a good fit for your situation.
IDEAL FOR: Recording, gigs, amp replacement, heavy distortion, cleans, modern tones, portability.
TONE
97
CONTROL
99
VERSATILITY
91
PRICE/VALUE
83
- Distortion models sound fantastic
- Multiple power amp tube models
- MIDI controllable
- Cleans sound great
- Doubles as an audio interface via USB-C
- Balanced and unbalanced outputs
- Lacks nothing in the control department. Nothing.
- Reverb sounds kind of faint
- Expensive
Price Guide
Price updated Mon, September 25th, 2023.
Sweetwater Price
Alert
History
Price History for Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3 100-watt Guitar Amplifier Pedal
Statistics
| Current Price | $599.99 | September 25, 2023 |
| Highest Price | $599.99 | June 4, 2023 |
| Lowest Price | $599.99 | June 4, 2023 |
Last price changes
| $599.99 | June 4, 2023 |
Clean and Distorted Tones
In my demo below you can hear the cleans first, then distortion for awhile, then back to cleans to close things out. I'm not a soloing guy or a speedster, so I stayed away from most of that stuff. Cleans are brisk and brighter than I expected, while distortion tones can run the table between subtle breakup and modern saturation.
It think the Amped 3's wheelhouse is in the heavier tones and not the blues side. That's why I was surprised that they labeled the third channel "overdrive" instead of dirty or distortion.
It's too aggressive to be just an overdrive.
Overall, I loved the distortion, liked the cleans, and could take or leave the light gain.
Flexibility and Control
I got most of the variety I needed from just mode switching and then using the pickup selector on my guitar. Whatever EQ and reverb adjustments I made on the Amped 3 seemed subtle, so I was very quickly in a set-and-forget kind of setup for all three channels.
Reverb was honestly a bit too subtle. I wish I could have gotten a little more ambience out of it, but that's a small complaint.
There's a comprehensive, wide spectrum of control on this pedal, including the following:
- Three-band EQ
- Pre and Post Boost
- Reverb (dark and light modes)
- Presence
- ISF
- Gain/volume
On top of all this, you have a power tube response selection with the following three options:
- 6L6
- EL34
- EL84
After this you have a wattage selector, crunch/super crunch on the second channel, and OD1/OD2 on the third channel.
All told the Amped 3 lacks nothing in the control department.
It's perfectly capable of replacing most amps if you want to consolidate.
There isn't a single thing I could add to the control scheme.
Settings I Preferred
I liked the OD1 mode with the gain cranked up. From there, I bumped ISF up pretty high, and dialed in a low-leaning EQ to get a nice percussive crunch for palm muting.
The EL34 power amp response was my personal favorite.
It sounds like a lot to learn, but the front panel is actually quite easy to use.
Once I had my settings dialed in, I didn't feel the need to change much.
Price and Value of the Amped 3
This pedal is about the price of a mid-tier tube amp, and costs more than a lot of solid state comps. However, you do get some flexibility with the Amped 3 that's missing from a lot of tube amps, like the I/O, MIDI control, power amp tube selection, the ease of transport, and the wide range control/tweaking options.
But I would still classify this as a "pedal" despite the fact it can definitely replace your amplifier.
You'll need an external speaker cab if you don't want to run through one of the following:
- Headphones
- USB audio interface (USB-C)
- PA System (from balanced output)
If you want the flexibility, this is a good option, and much cheaper than going after an amp with a built-in attenuator.
The price is steep, but fair.
The price is high, but fair.
Final Thoughts & Questions
As of this review, the Amped 3 is my favorite floor/pedal amp of everything I've tested. It gives you three channels, a fantastic high-gain tone, and plenty of flexibility.
Even for the high price tag, I don't think there's anything else I know of that's better.
Now, I can't speak to the Amped 1 and 2, so I might be late to the party.
But either way, this is a great amp-replacement option and might even belong in the amp category, as much as the pedal category.
It's a beast.
Buy confidently.
If you have questions, hit me up in the comments section. Thanks for reading and trusting our content.
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Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Amps & Reviews
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Amps & Roundups
Hi Bobby, what about taxis? Thank you,
Sorry, but I’m not sure what you mean. Taxis? Am I missing something?
Did you get a lot of high gain hiss? When I plugged in anything into the effects loop it seemed to accentuate the hiss. With nothing it was relatively quiet.
Not particularly. Although a couple of my guitars tends to have some noise issues, so I didn’t think much of it. Were you just having issues with the gain moved up?
I was going through the presets and when I activated a gain channel it had very noticeable noise when anything was in the loop. If nothing in the loop very little noise. Still trying to figure if I have a bad cable or a bad loop.
What were you running it through? Headphones, amp, audio interface?