The guitar forum rumour mill has been proved right; Gibson has acquired Mesa/Boogie amps.
"I’m excited to announce the epic addition of Mesa/Boogie to the Gibson Brands family," announced Gibson's Chief Merchant Officer Cesar Gueikian on Instagram.
"Mesa/Boogie – the original USA made 'Boutique' amplifier company – was founded 51 years ago by Randy Smith, who is responsible for creating the ground-breaking circuits that drive some of the most influential sounds of our time."
A post shared by Cesar (Gibson) (@gueikian)
A photo posted by on
Gibson says Smith will According to Gibson, in his new role, Smith will “continue his passion for tube technology and his vision for building hand-crafted, high performance amplifiers, that continue to redefine how we experience sound across Mesa/Boogie and Gibson.”
“I’m 75 years-old and still at work every day," added Smith. "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.
The best guitar amps
“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 realises 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!”
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Gibson President and CEO James 'JC' Curleigh added: “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.”
“These amplifiers set a new standard in high-performance amplification”: Blackstar unveils the St James 100, its state-of-the-art flagship tube amp and “world’s lightest” in its class – featuring switchable power tubes, CabRig tech and more
“There’s warmth and there’s grit, it’s really quite incredible… and I actually recorded with this amp. I love it”: Orianthi and Orange Amps join forces for the White Crush 20RT – a 20W solid-state combo with onboard tuner
Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.
“These amplifiers set a new standard in high-performance amplification”: Blackstar unveils the St James 100, its state-of-the-art flagship tube amp and “world’s lightest” in its class – featuring switchable power tubes, CabRig tech and more
“There’s warmth and there’s grit, it’s really quite incredible… and I actually recorded with this amp. I love it”: Orianthi and Orange Amps join forces for the White Crush 20RT – a 20W solid-state combo with onboard tuner