Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig v2 Bass Multi-effects Pedal Reviews

I was looking for gear that added a bit to my Bass sound(s) to give more tone and depth. I did not want 1,000 effects I would never use. This equipment provides just what is needed in a small package. Lightweight, compact size, and solid casing make this a perfect addition to my gear.

The Tech 21 has everything I was looking for in a bass preamp/effects unit. It's intuitive and user friendly, and it has a great sound, my band mates like it as much as I do. A big shout out to Tom at Sweetwater too, exemplary customer service, thanks Tom!

Being a minimalist, this thing is distilled power. So convenient and complete. Mobility, simplicity and versatility are priorities to me. I've played bass for a while now but still consider myself a noob at sound. My fellow bass players strongly advised me to get the Fly Rig. I'm having a blast exploring all the possibilities this little piece of gear offers. And my ear is getting educated in the process.

Hands down one of the best overall pedals I've ever owned. Absolutely love it. I'm a veteran bass player with 40 yrs experience. I've just about owned every pedal and amp configuration you Could think of. I love my old SVT but the years of packing big gear are over. This is the answer. It's a SVT in a box but that's not all it offers. The overall tone is on believable. The compression is highly usable and sounds very good. The chorus and fuzz are not the best I've used but it's respectable and far from being the worst on my list. And it has a tuner to boot. If you want a classic sound that'll kick yer butt. If your searching for the holy grail tone and want to lighten your load to one box. This will put smile on your face and your back will thank you.

Thank you very much!!!!

Really enjoying this pedal. Like the ability to switch between Sansamp BDDI and VT tones with the push of a button. Compression is very impressive and useable too as I use this pedal for recording. Don't use the fuzz or chorus effect much but is there if you need it. Bite switch dose exactly what it is supposed to. Awesome pedal! Thanks to Ben Robinson and sweetwater for the best customer support in the business!

I love the Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig (V2)! I have used the BFR(V1) since 2016 and switched to the version 2 as soon as it became available. I play in an 80s tribute band so the effects are necessary. Before the Bass Fly Rigs, I ran a SansAmp or a VT Bass di with various effect pedals. I run direct to the PA and use IEM's. If you spend the time to get to know how to use the unit, you will LOVE the BFR (V2)! The effects seem to be the same on version 2. The best thing Tech 21 did was create a video on YouTube about the Octafilter section. This seems to be the most discussed/debated part of the unit. My original BFR sat in a road case for over six months because I didn't like the octave sound it produced(everything else I was happy with). When I took some time to figure out the Octafilter section a few years ago, it replaced my pedals. I have heard playback from the FOH and I'm very happy! If you are a pedal guy you'll appreciate the effects loop. I miss the headphone jack! The BFR was my practice amp at home. I have access to (and have tried) all of the competitors' brands. Tech 21 is at the top of the food chain for a reason.

SVT clean Tones, great compression, chorus is fantastic and not overbearing. Two channels so I add drive to channel 2. The drive breaks up perfectly for bass. Can't recommend enough. Even used it on guitars when doing some quick recording. Nice chime on a strat.

the original bass fly rig was a testament to what man has achieved in electronic pedal form. this new version makes some of the sections very much more usable!

fuzz is a lot better now, octaver still might be a wash
chorus is about the same but does maybe sound a little more present in the mix i think and i can never hear much of a difference with the comp on until other effects are used, then it really shines like it did before. really can zone in your tone on the effects side, very cool.

the different channel swap is amazing and the fx loop is so necessary for recording with this bad boy, was totally worth the upgrade to v2

an awesome swiss army knife that i seriously recommend to any bass player for any style (i play the rock, all of it)

I have only had it for a short time but in that time, I have used it to record directly into an interface and daw, and have also used it at rehearsal as a stand alone rig.

I simply plugged in my bass and plugged the Tech21 into the board. I am not ever taking my full rig to rehearsal again. This for sure gets the job done. This is going to save my back as well as lots of time.

It is smaller than I thought it would be.

I always read manuals. The manual that comes with it is fairly straight forward.
There is one paragraph that is making me wonder considering the terminology that is used. It is the section under applications. Here is what is says:
As a PRE-AMP or STOMPBOX with a bass amp. You can connect the bass fly rig in line just as you would a standard distortion pedal. If the pre amp of your amplifier is imparting too much of its own character on the pedal, plug into the low level input and set the pre amp as clean and neutral as possible. (Are they referring to the pre amp of the tech 21 or the amp? I am not so sure yet as I have not tested this yet)(I plug into to the passive slot on my amp since I play a jazz bass that is not active).

Also be aware that most tube amps have a tone stack. When everything is on max, they tend to cut the mid range. So don't be surprised to find that the flattest sound is achieved with bass and treble at minimum, and mid at max. Since most tube amp passive tone stacks work in a similar fashion, we recommend this as a good starting point and adjusting to taste. (Once again, are they referring to the tech 21 settings or the amp settings?). (I have not tested this yet).

You can also plug into the effects loop return (if the amp has one). This will disable the entire pre amp of the amp for a more true representation of the bass fly rig's sound. (Plug what into the effects loop return?). (So no loop, just plug into the return?)

I am sure I will get it on lock. Like I said, I just got it. There is more experimentation to come. But, like I said, for using it as a rig at rehearsal I give it great ratings, and for recording I give it great ratings. I am sure once I experiment with the best setting and hookup for use as a pre amp or part of the effects return, that I will feel the same.

It was interesting because I showed up at rehearsal without my live rig. I pulled this thing out of my backpack and the band was like, "What is that thing?" I said it is my new practice rig. They told me after rehearsal that they will not miss my amp and cab at rehearsal.

It makes me think about getting the GEDDY LEE version as well.

I would say do not hesitate with this gear.

I am not much for pedals, but this came highly recommended, so I decided to give it a try. Excellent construction, lightweight and sturdy. Still experimenting with it, so I can't give a 'high' recommendation, yet. But, for the little time I've had it, it is definitely worth the price!!!

Let me start by saying, I was really hesitant on getting this. I wanted something to use in the corporate band I play in. Something small, compact and with a couple of effects for different songs. I've known Tech 21 products to give the gritty sounds which I associate with rock. Let me say this. I was pleasantly surprised. The Sansamp sounds killer!! I actually met the fed ex guy on the way to a gig, got it straight off the truck. I've never taken something straight to a gig without trying it out. The Bass Fly Rig was very intuitive so I basically dialed up a Tone that sounded good to my ear. Did the show and was extremely happy with the sound. Chorus sounded good when I needed it. I'll take this week to truly dial it in but, so far, I'm very happy with my purchase. Thank you Sweetwater.
P.S. This thing is so small that it fits in my gig bag!! Bonus!!

It's a very high-quality form factor. Logically laid out and nicely built. "Serviceable" is a great way to describe the Chorus, Compressor, and Tuner. Straightforward, simple, and functional. Happy camper here on this front. I would say the that Octaver, Filter, and Fuzz are...to put it nicely, *not* serviceable. I watched the Tech 21 Octaver YouTube video, etc. After quite a bit of fiddling, I didn't find anything I'd ever use. For reference, I found the MXR Octaver and MXR Envelope Filter pedals to be totally plug-n-play, even though they have much more complicated controls. If you like the Sansamp and VT, then this component won't disappoint. Haven't tried the DI, but I'm guessing it's great. Very impressive unit for the money overall, but I'm disappointed by the lackluster EFX. I was really hoping for the holy grail of an all-in-one.

The compressor adds to much hiss noise. Using the Brite button makes the hiss intolerable. Cannot get the sustain and compression with this unit that I get with my spectracomp without the noise. Other features work ok, tuner great. Wanted this unit as add on to my Darkglass amp,rack and stack and to use it solo when did not need to lug the big gear.

I'm a long-time guitarist who picked up bass to play in a group with a friend. I wanted to get a cheap & easy set-up, and this seemed to tick all the boxes.

Pros: The form factor is amazing -- it's smaller and lighter than I thought, and fits easily into a backpack. Seems solidly built. The sans-amp channels sound good, and it's nice getting both the classic and the VT in one unit. The compressor works great.

Cons: The chorus is meh. The filter / fuzz is extremely hard to dial in reliably. The tuner is pretty bad: hard to read, touchy, and the long-press on the chorus footswitch is annoying. The tiny knobs are fiddly, and the switches (char, bite, fuzz, etc.) are impossible to read while standing, and not very clear anyway (is up on, or is latched on?).

So no surprise there, really. It's rare to find a multi-function unit where everything works the way you want it to. The core function (sans-amp) works as advertised. But end of the day, I would've done better to buy a standalone sans-amp pedal and get the other functions separately, because that's what I'm going to do now anyway.

I wasn't as happy as the others here and felt I should point out why so you can decide for yourself.

First let me say to those that never own a Tech21 pedal, heres your chance to get a taste of both Bass Driver & VT versions in a single multi pedal with effects, you'll like it.

For those who have either Sansamp, the Bass Fly Rig only offers a stripped down version of both the Bass Driver & VT pedal. Its not terrible, but its not the same either. The character button let's you choose between the Bass and VT Sansamp. You can setup 2 separate tones under each and use the channel foot switch to change from a Clean to Overdrive sound. Note you can't switch between the two Sansamps directly on the fly. That would have been ideal. Maybe on the next version.

The Octafilter - Yikes, I'm not sure what happened here, but as others said they came up short on this one.
The Fuzz - usable but not great.
The Octafilter and Fuzz together with the Compressor was my only chance of getting a usable sound.

Tuner - usable...
Chorus - usable and surprisingly good for a single knob chorus.
Compressor - usable, it's subtle but does it's job and you can use it as a volume boost as well.

I get a much better sound and tone out of my Bass Driver pedal than I could with the Bass FlyRig and I didnt like the VT version the Bright switch sucked out more bottom end compared to the VT pedal.

The Sansamp Bass Driver, Compressor, Chorus and Tuner is all I could use.
Buts that's me.

I really was excited to get this pedal and try out all its features. Unfortunately, it is way too noisy. Even without the bass plugged in the noise was very noticeable and distracting. I tried working with the tech support team at Tech21, but they were explaining it away saying that I was turning my amp up too high (it's a 25W amp that I use at home, so it's never up very loud). Had to return it.