Gibson announced today they have added Mesa/Boogie, the pioneering boutique manufacturer renowned for their hand-crafted, high performance tube amplifiers, to their family of brands.
Mesa/Boogie founder Randy Smith will join Gibson as Master Designer. Working out of his small Petaluma, CA repair shop, Smith started the company 51 years ago driven by his love of tube technology and passion for high-end quality products. It’s this philosophy that aligns with Gibson’s vision for their future and makes for a perfect partnership between two iconic American brands.
James ‘JC’ Curleigh, President & CEO of Gibson Brands stated, “At Gibson we are all about leveraging our iconic past and leaning into the innovative future, a quest that started over 100 years ago with our founder Orville Gibson. Today this quest continues with the addition of Mesa Boogie into the Gibson Brands family, along with the visionary leadership of Randy Smith and his team who, for the past 50 years, have created an iconic and innovative brand that has stood the test of time. This is a perfect partnership based on our collective professional experiences and passion for sound.”
Mesa/Boogie counts some of rock music’s classic guitarists as users and fans, including Santana and members of the The Rolling Stones. Multitudes of ‘90s and 2000s-era hard rock bands favor the amps for their superior sound.
“This is very exciting, I can’t think of a better company to carry the Mesa Boogie torch, and I can’t wait to see what we can do together,” Adam Jones, guitarist for the multi-platinum and multiple GRAMMY-Award winning band Tool said. “I have been using Mesa Boogie amplifiers and cabinets for a long time. I use them at home, in the studio when I record and on stage when I play live; they go across all of my needs.”
“I’ve been using Gibson guitars together with Mesa/Boogie amps onstage with the Roots for well over a decade,” says Captain Kirk Douglas, guitarist for the legendary, multiple GRAMMY-Award winning hip-hop group The Roots. “Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of home recording with my Mesa Boogies; it’s exciting to see the two brands joining collaborative forces.”
“I’m 75 years-old and still at work every day,” Smith said. “This is my art and many of our crew have worked along my side for 30 to 40 years. As we witnessed JC and Cesar transform Gibson, we saw kindred spirits sharing common values and a fierce dedication to quality. Today, Gibson’s guitars are the best-ever and when they asked if we’d like to become Gibson’s Custom Shop for Amplifiers, we envisioned a perfect collaboration that would expand our outreach while preserving our legacy beyond my time. Gibson realizes the unique value of what we’ve all built together and this next chapter in the Mesa/Boogie story is a continuation of that dream. I am so fortunate for this partnership with the new Gibson after 50 years of doing what I love. It’s been the ride of my life . . . and it ain’t over yet!”
“Mesa Boogie, led by Randy, has been in service to sound without compromises since the very beginning, and that’s a perfect fit for us,” adds Cesar Gueikian of Gibson Brands. “We are looking forward to being the best custodians of Mesa Boogie’s iconic heritage that we can be, and at the same time, a steward of its future. We are honored that Randy and the Mesa Boogie team have trusted us to lead Mesa Boogie into the future. Together, we will continue to pursue our mutual quest of sound, quality and craftsmanship and to push the boundaries of how guitar sound is delivered and experienced.”
