Gibson Acquires Mesa/Boogie Amps - "Kindred Spirits Sharing Common Values And A Fierce Dedication To Quality"
January 7, 2021, 3 years ago
It has been heavily rumoured that Gibson was looking to acquire the amplifier manufacturer Mesa/Boogie, and according to an Instagram post by Gibson's chief merchant officer Cesar Gueikian the rumour has become a reality.
Gueikian: "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."
Gibson CEO James 'JC' Curleigh: "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.”
According to Gibson, 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."
Smith: "I’m 75 years-old and still at work every day. 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 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!"
