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Mesa/Boogie
American manufacturer of amplifiers / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969.
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Company type | Subsidiary (2021–) Private (1969–2021) |
---|---|
Industry | Musical instruments |
Founded | Petaluma, California, United States (1969; 55 years ago (1969)) |
Founder | Randall Smith |
Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Randall Smith |
Products | Amplifiers |
Parent | Gibson |
Website | mesaboogie.com |
Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a small repair shop which modified Fender amplifiers, particularly the diminutive Fender Princeton. Smith's modifications gave the small amps much more input gain, making them much louder as well as creating a high-gain, distorted guitar tone. Prominent early customers included Carlos Santana and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones. Exposure from these top players helped to establish Mesa/Boogie's position on the market, and it is frequently referred to as the first manufacturer of boutique amplifiers.[1]
Subsequent design revisions to Mesa's early amps lead to the Mark Series, which popularized modern, high-gain circuits,[2] while the 1990s saw the introduction of Mesa's flagship Rectifier amps, the success of which made the brand a staple of modern rock tone.[3] In 2021, Mesa/Boogie was acquired by Gibson.[3]