Tech 21

The Richie Kotzen RK5 Signature Fly Rig was developed in close collaboration with Richie, whose input was invaluable. Meticulous about every facet of his playing, singing, songwriting and tone, Richie’s attention to the details of his RK5 was nothing less.

Since the debut of the original RK5 in 2014, Richie’s needs have changed, both on and off the road. Therefore, we jointly developed a version 2, to incorporate some new features and follow the same form factor as later Fly Rigs, such as the Bass and Acoustic.

The RK5 v2 retains the same delay with tap tempo, a powerful boost, and Richie’s Signature OMG overdrive. New features include an independent reverb with choice of room size, a rotary speaker mode, compression, fuzz, a tuner, headphone capability and an XLR Output.

Another difference is an on/off button for the SansAmp section. Richie previously would use his RK5 both with and without the SansAmp engaged. Currently, it’s either on or off during stage shows, so he no longer needs a dedicated footswitch. When Richie’s on tour with ever-changing backlines, he’s always able to get his tone, and at lower volume. On Richie’s latest releases, The Damned and Riot, all the guitars were recorded direct.

If you’ve seen Richie on tour in recent years (and if you haven’t, you simply must), you may have noticed he uses two RK5s. He has continued this practice with Version 2 so he can quickly switch between different settings of each of the effects.

Richie is actively involved and responsive in the entire design process. Having both a working and personal relationship with Richie, is a tremendous highlight in our history.