The Tech 21 Fly Rig5 Brit is a multi-effects pedal built around the company's SansAmp circuitry. It is one of two flavors Tech 21 added to the Fly Rig5 line in 2016, alongside the Tech 21 Fly Rig5 Cali. The Brit's distinguishing feature is its distortion section: where the original Fly Rig5 carried a distortion circuit, the Brit replaces it with a Transatlantic tone section based on vintage British amps, taken from Tech 21's British SansAmp Character Series pedal1.
What it does
The Fly Rig5 Brit keeps the Fly Rig5 format, a single stompbox that gathers a range of effects around a SansAmp preamp, and changes the drive voice. MusicRadar's report on the launch described the new versions as "SansAmp-equipped stompbox" designs that "replace the original's distortion circuit with two Transatlantic tones"1. On the Brit, that Transatlantic section draws on vintage British amp voicings, carried over from Tech 21's British SansAmp Character Series pedal1.
For a player, the practical difference is simple: if you want the Fly Rig5's all-in-one format but with a British-flavored drive rather than the stock distortion, the Brit is the version built for that. Players who prefer an American-flavored drive voice have the Cali variant instead1.
Where it came from
Tech 21 announced the Brit and Cali together in October 2016 as an expansion of the existing Fly Rig5 line. MusicRadar reported on 31 October 2016 that both were up for preorder at Tech 21 NYC and would be available in mid-November of that year, at $249 each1.
"Tech 21 expand the line to include two new flavours: Brit and Cali"
Related Fly Rig models
The Brit sits in a wider family of Fly Rig pedals from Tech 21, each pairing the SansAmp core with a different drive voice or aimed at a different player1:
For a broader look at what this category covers, see the site's page on multi-effects pedals.
Questions
What is the Tech 21 Fly Rig5 Brit?
It is a multi-effects pedal from Tech 21 built around the company's SansAmp circuitry. It is a variant of the Fly Rig5 in which the original's distortion circuit is replaced by a Transatlantic tone section drawn from Tech 21's British SansAmp Character Series pedal, which itself is based on vintage British amps.
How does the Brit differ from the standard Fly Rig5?
The Brit and its sibling, the Cali, replace the original Fly Rig5's distortion circuit with two Transatlantic tones. In the Brit, that tone section is based on vintage British amps and is taken from Tech 21's British SansAmp Character Series pedal.
How much did the Fly Rig5 Brit cost?
When it was announced in 2016, MusicRadar reported that the Fly Rig5 Brit and Cali were available in mid-November for $249 each, and that the pedal was up for preorder at Tech 21 NYC at that time.
Sources (1)
- Tech 21 gives Fly Rig5 multi-effects pedal Brit and Cali makeovers, MusicRadar, 2016-10-31
