Richie Kotzen’s Rig — Version 3!
Richie Kotzen’s rig is always a work in progress — much like his constantly evolving playing style. Version 3 of his popular RK5 Fly Rig is packed with everything that Richie demands when he hits the stage. The RK5 v3 retains its predecessor’s SansAmp section, Reverb/Delay/Roto section, and OMG overdrive; that said, it expands its feature set with a switchable Pre/Post Boost, effects loop, and phantom power for Richie’s RK Killer Wail wah. Benefit from a massive range of tones, thanks to SansAmp amplifier emulation. You can punch up your solos with the onboard Boost, then engage the OMG overdrive’s Fuzz function for thick, wooly fuzz tones. You can add dimension to your playing with two flavors of reverb, and you get an analog delay and rotating speaker effect with tap tempo, along with a chromatic tuner. Complete with a universal self-adjusting power supply, the RK5 Fly Rig v3 can easily take the place of your entire pedalboard.
Kotzen-approved feature upgrades
The previous iteration of the RK5 Fly Rig was already a powerful beast, but version 3 has quite a few new tricks up its sleeve. The RK5 v3 includes the same SansAmp section, Reverb/Delay/Roto section, and Richie’s Signature OMG overdrive as the previous version. Its Boost section, however, eschews v2’s FET compressor for a switchable Pre/Post switch, enabling you to beef up your dirt tones for solos and fills that will slice through anything. An effects loop allows you to integrate the RK5 v3 seamlessly into the rest of your guitar rig. You also get preconfigured phantom power for use with Richie’s Tech 21 Signature RK Killer Wail wah.
Richie Kotzen’s signature OMG overdrive
Based on Richie’s signature overdrive pedal, the OMG section of the Tech 21 RK5 Fly Rig v3 is voiced to sound like a sweet Class A tube amplifier. It’s optimized for a tighter, quicker, snappier response, and you get Level, Tone, and Drive controls to shape your sound. But that’s not all — the RK5 v3’s Fuzz button changes the character and attack of the overdrive into a thick, wooly fuzz-style tone. If you’re after rich, vintage distortion for blues, classic rock, and other styles, the RK5 v3 will serve you well.
All-analog SansAmp
With all of the awesome guitar pedals and processors you’ll find at Sweetwater, the SansAmp lineage is one of the most universally respected names in amp modeling. That’s why we were absolutely thrilled when Tech 21 put a classic SansAmp analog preamp at the heart of the RK5 Fly Rig v3. Pre-voiced for clean tones, this preamp delivers all of the warmth and dimension you’d expect from a vintage tube amp, and when you crank up the Drive control, you’ll be rewarded with a variable range of texture and overdrive. You also get a 3-band EQ for sculpting your tone and footswitchable reverb with large and small room sizes. The SansAmp is all analog, and it enables the RK5 v3 to run directly into a recording console or PA system. It’s also an effective way to augment your existing amp rig.
Vintage tape echo and roto effects
A touch of delay is the perfect dash of sonic seasoning to kick up your guitar tone, and the Tech 21 RK5 Fly Rig v3 more than delivers. The RK5 v3’s Delay section serves up slap delays, long trailing ambiances, and everything in between. One of the coolest things about this delay section is the Drift control, which adds a dose of random modulation to enhance your sound. On top of that, a press of the Roto button transforms the Delay function into a rotating speaker effect that ramps up from a slow swirl to a rapid tremolo-like sound. What’s more, there’s a dedicated tap tempo switch onboard, which makes it easy to adjust your delay and roto timing on the fly.
Tech 21 Richie Kotzen RK5 Fly Rig v3 Features:
- All-analog signal path ensures high-quality sound that responds smoothly to your playing
- Switchable Pre/Post Boost beefs up your dirt tones for solos and fills that will slice through anything
- FX loop allows easy integration with the rest of your guitar rig
- Preconfigured phantom power for use with Richie’s RK Killer Wail wah
- SansAmp amplifier emulation section offers you a massive range of amp tone
- OMG overdrive was designed for expression and nuance
- Fuzz button changes the overdrive into a thick, wooly fuzz-style tone
- Parallel reverb with large and small room sizes
- Delay section serves up slap delays, long trailing ambiences, and everything in between
- Roto button yields a rotating speaker effect that ramps up from a slow swirl to rapid tremolo-like sound
- Dedicated tap tempo switch makes it easy to adjust your delay and roto timing on the fly
- Built-in chromatic tuner
- Universal self-adjusting power supply
