Rig Tour: Richie Kotzen, The Winery Dogs

Get Total Guitar for print, iOS devices, Google Play and more: bit.ly/Buy-Total-Guitar
Richie Kotzen offers TG a forensic explanation of one of the most succinct, thoughtful and highly customised rigs we’ve seen.

[@kmisi1]

i was at that concert, and richie sounded great! actually, the whole band sounded amazing, and richie's guitar tone is always great

[@learnerlearns]

This guy has so much talent, he doesn't need a ton of shit to get "his" sound. And NO Resuteru, I doubt he is high. He might be tired from traveling, doing numerous interviews and signings but he is highly UNlikely to be high, especially in Japan.

[@paulfabrique5055]

it's London. Any sane rational human being needs to be high to deal with the amount of wankers who live in London

[@johnstitt2615]

Learner-Learns exactly

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

in England in general to be honest.

[@cardbored_]

He’s in london and who cares if he’s high? It’s sort of strange to be defending him in that way lol

[@JJGhostHunters]

Amazing player! I wish him the best and hope the world outside of the "guitar" world gets to know and appreciate his musical gifts!

[@jayteesgear]

Used to see him around Studio City alot. SUPER Humble, mellow guy. Smith Kotzen is just awesome

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

Always loved Kotzens playing... He kinda reminds me of Hendrix in interviews, very eccentric and flower powering if that makes any sense at all, I use a kotzen tele and RK5 as well, it rocks!

[@JasonHobbsGuitarist]

+Pib Smablert personality wise... He has a lot of Hendrix in his playing as well... And no I'm not kidding, if I was I would have ended with a " lol"

[@rickyjones7282]

The Tech 21 RK5 is a FANTASTIC piece of kit!!

[@Slears]

@@rickyjones7282 I have a Flyrig 5v2 and did a club tour in russia with it...that thing saved my live every evening

[@Wasabitheband1]

Richie, you're awesome! Please tour Australia

[@Despond]

As I play more year son guitar I am actually thinning down all my equipment to just the bare basics and crucial. Quality speakers, processor, preamp, good guitar, set small group of midi proggies, clean dirty, dirty, clean, clean chorus, delay. Boom that's. The rest is up to your fingers.

[@ludwigmarcello8915]

I like the simplicity... I'm getting it!

[@timp.9582]

Richie is clearly an efficiency-minded individual. Kudos

[@Xyrium]

Everything I see from Richie is amazing. Pure talent on so many instruments, and his laid back demeanor makes him and his playing very accessible. Good stuff.

[@lestervai]

"And that's my rig.".... and yes i'm high as fuck

[@kakahich]

or drunk like hell

[@derKleine92]

I once asked him about his rig....he had no idea what he plays....

[@kakahich]

Louie V a ha ha ha ha! he's too good to waste his time on such trivia things)))) plug and play no matter where no matter what

[@coronet67]

I think they played a show last night and he got up early to do the interview.

[@spicecrop]

Right? Hard to miss that shit.

[@MetalMayhem1978]

He’s one of the best guitarists out there

[@dusted04]

if this signature model come out in 96 he was way ahead of his time !

[@EmanuelVianaw]

Wow! So simple and so functional! And no roadies to present! AWESOME

[@mr.e8432]

Such a talented guy. Bought his signature tele. That guitar is amazing. Wish I had bought one years ago. Best tele I’ve ever played.

[@petewelsh9978]

The RK5 is an awesome bit of kit! Saves my life at gigs where I can’t take my amp and have to you house backline. Well thought out by a real hard touring guitarist- thanks Richie 👍🏻. Cork sniffers probably hate it but then they don’t get out of their bedrooms 🤣🤣 and 99% of the time the flyrig can do it all. Don’t need all the features of axe fx, kemper etc.

[@seanyiscubsfan1]

I got the RK50H two months ago and it’s a killer amp.

[@memonomoto7419]

3:50 it's loud... which is important. Lol gotta love Richie

[@nsjohnston]

"it's loud, which is important"

[@guitarslinger48]

Nice to see someone showing how versatile a Tele can be with a few simple mods. My Tele has a Dimarzio hot rail in the bridge and a Fender '57 single coil in the neck. Heavy crunch to that Tele clean with the flip of a switch.

[@jpcantrell1]

I like how he sets his preferred overall tone in the center.....which gives him plenty of "flex" on either side of his tone. Most guitarist, by nature...tend to put their preferred tone at the high edge....with very little room for anything above. "This one goes to eleven"....Richie's goes to fifteen....man!!! Love those WDs!!!

[@kathyfoucaud940]

This guy is gifted handsome man brilliant guitarist and singer !!! Less gear and at the end huge sound !!!

[@dhzimmers]

I first heard RK guitar virtuosity in a jam session with Nuno Bettencourt in a KZbin video. What a pleasant surprise to find out he’s a multi instrumentalist with an incredible voice- and he’s strikingly handsome and articulate too!

[@Sleek.Strings]

I watched now 5 of this Rig Tours with Richie. I like him, he is a down to earth guy. And i like his Simple Rig's. I know just a few more they play like him (without a Spaceship of Pedals) me included! I have an Engl Artist and a Delay. It's all you need. Like he said, all you need is an Amp that sounds good to you 🤘🏼😎

[@berniemoss9861]

Nice and simple, perfect!

[@stonerdemon]

Nice rig video of Mikael Akerfeldt!!! Oh wait a minute...

[@mikedegroff7766]

Richies tele is one of the most awesomely equipped production guitars Fender makes! I wonder if he'll have the contoured heel added eventually, like the am. dlx series. Richies hair's got a bit of a Tim Burton vibe going on here ha.

[@mirecekproject]

I have a got telecaster RK. This is great guitar!!

[@tatialo37]

Cool! Am a new fan!

[@t-boog2173]

I could play as fast & clean as Richie if I didn't have a pick weighing me down either! (Yeah right! He's just too good!)

[@leodeibarra]

Que grande Ricardo.

[@megakill27]

Love the pedal.

[@Real_Boye]

Pff... My marshall amp goes to eleven...

[@twowaymuir]

He can play fantastic while chewing gum. Can you?

[@soupedguit369]

Um, would have been cool if he played the guitar to demonstrate the sounds while talking about what the thing can do. Am I alone on this?

[@bengalsfanatic9]

Watch the show clips.

[@Birelmultobella]

Wow how gay

[@alfredorojasv.979]

Go to one of his shows....video audio won’t ever make justice to the real thing....I’ve seen him live twice, his sound is incredible...

[@Mrthreadedtime]

Can't wait for the Ritchie Kotzen Signature Fly Rig 5

[@mimoochodom2684]

Finger picks; unbelievable!

[@Voxboy876]

Monster player. I wish he had "riffed" a little throughout this interview.

[@ernie12man]

+Voxboy876 No kidding, can't stand rig reviews when not a note gets played! Especially when he's wearing the thing and plugged in! What a waste of time. I wanna HEAR the rig not watch it get talked to death!! Love RK, but come on TG ,.... Lame ...

[@ernie12man]

Actually I watched the whole thing hoping to hear something like a guitar sound or two ;) like in really interesting Rig Rundowns like with Andy Timmons and Guthrie Govan. Just made an honest comment in agreement with Voxboy876 . Your useless reply about my opinion is just icing on the cake. Wanker? Sniff, sniff, I'm hurt, and glad to know you're annoyed. There's lots more Rig Talk-to-Deaths out there I'm sure you prefer,... and also some really great ones as I mentioned, check 'em out, then ask yourself who's the wanker.

[@luisgoregonzalez7394]

Great guitar

[@ShiningTrapezoid]

Camden Underworld is a decent club. Hope to play there again some time.

[@joshuabsmith1991]

Straight wah I love this guy I use a wah from hell dime signature cause I love dime but I sold it because of all the buttons I am a simple man I can relate

[@LindstrandMusic]

Man that sounds great 😂

[@johnsonevangelista2508]

How to modify the tech 21 and wah pedal with phantom power and stereo cable?

[@brianwarner308]

this guy is cool. I'm glad there is not an interviewer..

[@luigicuccitto2113]

GOD Bless You 🎸🎸🎸

[@julypop10]

Awesome

[@mr65plexi]

That is cool but some sound clips would have been great.

[@soupedguit369]

Right?

[@JimSlimjimCassi]

I think out of every great guitar player that has lived, there are maybe 5 rigs i would live to see, and quest who's rig is the most requested.?

[@dthellland9738]

his tele is worth a look. contoured body and series parallel switiching

[@81giorikas]

Fucking 1 minute rig rundown made 10. Like that slo mo cameras!

[@marclopez4269]

is the marshall plexi in this video is a reissue or hw?

[@joevation]

I have the OMG it's a great pedal

[@rowbocaster]

nice video. What is the name of the tuner?

[@MrAnders1976]

when he says 30w on the cab I think he means vintage 30 that are 60w speakers... Celestion standard black 412 cab comes in three regular versions. 25w greenbacks, 60W vintage 30.s or 75W more modern sounding G12T-75 with the bigger dustcap.. the 30watt G12H is only available on the special 1960HW cabs..

[@protoico]

+dansk björn I think he is talking vintage 30 too....

[@JimSlimjimCassi]

You are correct, and this cabinet sounds soooooo good, but the speakers are very costly, $190 each, I want them in my cabinet.

[@guitarslinger48]

So much for getting that onboard tuner at least in the states. Seems like N-Tune is no longer. It's a really good idea too. Maybe someone else will market one one day.

[@craigpriceguitarist]

guitarslinger48 try GAK in the UK i bought one just a few months ago

[@yumadapaka]

what a very innovative rig. very simple and yet very functional. he combined convenience with practicality .richie is a genius. why cant all pedals just be phantom powered?

[@tomigunn777]

I REALLY wanted to hear about his rig but listening to him makes me HIGH!!! WTF?

[@nckhed]

His voice is pretty soothing and somewhat monotone, but not in a bad way. Must be mesmerized by his voice. 😁

[@ted501]

that's right ~ simple is best !!!

[@SirBoycie]

He looks a bit like Ben Stiller in the biker bar disguise in Starsky & Hutch.

[@Castlehillmusic]

any idea when his signature fly rig will be available for sale?

[@paolo-1283]

thinking about that too, they should be on production. so simple and effective

[@Castlehillmusic]

dpsd they sell a regular tech21 fly rig 5, but i read on a forum that his signature will debut at this coming winter NAMM show, and probably be retailed a few months after

[@Bricklinsv1970]

I love Marshall Amps.

[@mattfuller4307]

Me too they're awesome!

[@robertdouglasmusic]

This guy is just Mr. Personality

[@CrazyRobandRoll]

Why no sound demo ?

[@Danny-wj2pj]

anyone knows the song in the opening

[@wesleygamarra2125]

Are those Payless shoes he wearing?

[@Valeu]

sexiest man alive

[@The6550s]

Good rig tour but would've been nice to hear it.

[@littlewing62]

simple efficient

[@Joanmaofficial]

Rig Tour and not play Guitar...? And he has it on?? ... ......

[@pyrokiller1374]

The only high guy here is the camera guy.

[@albertlarroca1271]

if i am a girl , i am fascinated with you, hope one day in this world and this life know you and playing with.i am music teacher in Germany, but i comes from South America. Cheers Mr Kotzend. !!!

[@pokohalen2]

He doesn't play Marshalls now he's using the Victory. I wonder if he really prefers them over the plexi's

[@seanyiscubsfan1]

The RK50 definitely has a plexi sound to it.

[@shk4202]

Kotzen means Puking in german

[@GrungeIsN0tDead]

no more G2R?

[@robcassels5215]

I have the Fly rig red!

[@Jonathan-L]

Hi Ian, you could check out the Joyo pedals (Tech21 clones I believe) such as the "American Sound" (Fender Bassman inspired), "British Sound" (Marshall inspired), "California Sound" (Mesa Boogie inspired) pedals. There's the "Extreme Metal" & "AC Tone" models as well, but either the American Sound or the British Sound would serve you well. There's probably not much difference between these pedals, so it's possibly the case colour, branding & range of the gain circuit maybe. Anyway, these pedals have 4 functions; 3-band EQ, volume, distortion & gain. These cost about $40US and are great bang for buck. There's another brand called Ammoon which make a clone of the Joyo American Sound, that costs about $28US! You can plug a humbucker guitar into one of these pedals & into the PA for an amazing sound for so little cost, so in a way the pedal becomes and emergency backup amp :) More info here: www.joyoaudio.com/en/product/fl_50.html You can find these on Ebay or online gadget vendors like www.banggood.com , www.gearbest.com or www.aliexpress.com . Prices can vary, so it pays to shop around.

[@TheSonsofHorusx]

what about billy?

[@anahowana]

What happened to his Cornford amplifier?

[@anahowana]

***** I see what you mean, since the last time i posted my comment i did a quick search and found out that Kotzen probably had some issues related to reliability and customer support, at least this is what i understood when i visited Rob Chapman forum. BTW, big fan of Dan Swano here.

[@frankie.d1127]

Cornford went out of business.

[@Riffman42]

Sending phantom power through a guitar cable to the wah sounds awesome! How do you do it?

[@spicecrop]

I guess keeping it simple is good if your high all day.

[@Mr75044]

At last PLEXI with eq on 10.....Jimi setting.

[@2buffmaster]

Played last night with a guy who used a fly rig into a fender blues deluxe. There were three guitar players. His sound would not cut through the mix. A good guitar pedal sounds so much better to me.

[@robinfoot_daikou2767]

Marshall 1959 or 1987 are the best amp in the world

[@jamesmurphy2130]

Wow.. he came up with the idea to put multiple effects in one convenient package. He must be making money angels from all those Line 6 checks he gets in the mail.

[@coffeewaldo]

Tech21.

[@josuevazquez1864]

simple guy simple rig

[@544cachito]

Is there a pro musician out there that doesn't have a signature model to sell?? or that isn't trying to sell something? So far the only one i know that didn't give a shit about what guitar he was playing is " Wes Montgomery".

[@resisaputra269]

i see no rack system.. which is awesome..

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

smart rig,, i bet it sounds just like a plexi,, plugged in to a plexi :)

[@ronniebush2426]

Paul cornford no longer makes amps

[@johnapostle4470]

Chewing gum on cam, Richie? How rude. I hope you brought enough for everyone :P

[@humro5960]

I thought he uses Victory amps....

[@lucaspio8609]

He uses now, this video is from 2014

[@arnyarny77]

he may be on medication also , yea he is cool i have appreciated his music for decades

[@martinbohl8732]

the word "kotzen" in german is a verb and means "to vomit"

[@peacefulruler1]

Martin Bohl true, and strange. I guess he’s not german

[@myworstenemy680]

He could make any guitar sound great. No effects racks? Where does his tone come from hahahaha.

[@TruthSurge]

MyworstEnemy uh, the guitar and amp?

[@myworstenemy680]

TruthSurge Twas my point TruthSurge, and if your comment was sarcasm, I say brilliant!

[@TruthSurge]

MyworstEnemy hehe I am a firm believer that TONE is mostly the equipment. STYLE is mostly in the mind (fingers). Many people confuse these two things. If I play on George Lynch's gear, I will sound like his TONE but won't sound exactly like his STYLE (his note choices). So, what makes Ed VH Ed was not ONLY his note choices but his TONE/SOUND. If he had played his stuff on a Tele thru a Twin Reverb... he would not have been the Ed we know. Prob would never have become a guitar legend because it just wouldn't work like that. It takes both. That's why most of those guys kept using the same guitar and amp forever. or a long time. :)

[@myworstenemy680]

TruthSurge Totally Agree. Excellent comment btw.

[@TruthSurge]

MyworstEnemy Tone comes from the guitar and amp and effects. STYLE comes from the player's mind, not his fingers. :)

[@jrmarrero96]

The video would be at least 5 minutes shorter were it not for the fact that he is so "laid-back"

[@hywel4605]

can he actually play?

[@Johaneeeek]

+Hywel 4 brother...oh man.

[@aaaaaa8152]

We forgive you!

[@LongStraightLines]

Dude, ditch the gum !!!

[@steverinogateserelli]

just another great guy between Richie and Tom Keifer (hint hint guys do something together) i gotta tell ya the circuit is thin with regular great artistic rockers.. as hard workin rockers they arecut from the same cloth.. i.m.o. except one plays a tele the other plays a les paul mmmm.and both sing outstanding hurry ...Richie call Tom... collaborate..it was my ideearer..)

[@81giorikas]

Damn so stoned. Great player of course.

[@devinwebb0]

chris cornell can also play the shit out of the guitar apparently

[@davie377]

why the fuck does he wear MC hammers trousers

[@tonifreakshow]

wtf would you use the word trousers?

[@lookmanostrings]

Because he's too legit

[@davidwellmann4985]

not a single german person gonna note that his name is Richie Puking? well i guess here is one :D

[@bimbomcgee]

Man I'd like those boots for riding, low level heel like a walking boot but looks like biker boot.. sorry get back to the shit.