According to online forum discussions, Gibson-owned Mesa Boogie has parted ways with amp designer Randall Smith. Smith is a highly respected figure in the amplifier industry, and his departure has sparked speculation about his future plans and the impact on Mesa Boogie’s products.
UPDATE 19 August
Gibson Official Statement released. However, there has been no official comment from Randall Smith yet.
We know Gibson teased a twin-channel Rectifier-style amp via social media earlier this year, so new models and possible “reissues” could be coming soon.
Gibson Official Announcement
MESA/Boogie the original “boutique” amplifier company and one of the most respected and prestigious brands in sound and guitar amplification, today continues to celebrate the over 55-year career of its founder, industry legend Randall Smith. Over three and a half years after Randy sold MESA/Boogie, Randy has completed his time with Gibson as Master Designer and Pioneer of MESA/Boogie. Through his pioneering work at MESA/Boogie, Randy was responsible for ground-breaking innovative modifications that gave small amplifiers more input gain making them much louder, as well as creating an all-new High Gain distorted guitar tone.
Randy has positioned his legacy to be carried forward through the MESA/Boogieteam’s continued commitment to quality and tone, and for the last two decades has been training the next generation of MESA/Boogie designers.
MESA/Boogie began as a small amplifier repair shop and was founded 55 years ago in 1969, in Mill Valley, CA by Randy, who simultaneously respected and improved the vintage classics with his inventions. Randy’s ear for tone, passion for tube technology, and vision for building handcrafted high-performance amplifiers continues to redefine how we experience sound. Beginning at Prune Music in Northern California, Randy reconfigured amplifiers for more sound and power for all the great San Francisco area bands over 50 years ago when vintage gear was new. Being close to so many great guitar players, from Bloomfield to Santana and The Rolling Stones, Smith learned the virtues and shortcomings of the era’s gear and began a process of innovation, excellence, and invention that continues at the MESA/Boogie craftory in Petaluma, CA today. MESA/Boogie was the first boutique amplifier builder and revolutionized amplifier performance in ways that impact rock music worldwide.
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s a score of additional innovative and patented improvements saw MESA Engineering® emerge as the leader in tube amplifier technology. Today, MESA/Boogie amplifiers and cabinets are renowned worldwide and unparalleled in performance and quality, every product is still hand-built, and our artisans are tenured with an average of 15 years at their post, many for much longer. We still hold true to the simple but increasingly rare principles Randy used to catapult MESA/Boogie onto the world stage, hand-building the very best amps and cabinets and treating each customer as we wish to be treated.
Randy has been instrumental in growing the MESA/Boogie portfolio with exciting new product offerings and overseeing the launch of the popular new Gibson Falcon amplifiers.
“I am incredibly grateful for Randy’s pioneering insights, design, and trust in Gibson,” says Cesar Gueikian, CEO of Gibson. “Randy’s DNA will always be present, and over the last few decades he has trained the new generation of designers that have been leading the way for Gibson and MESA/Boogie amps. As we evolve our Gibson Amps collection, including our Gibson and MESA/Boogie brands, Randy, and his original design ideas, will continue to inspire us to make the best and highest quality amplifiers we’ve ever made.”
“We’ve all talked about this day and have prepared for it in many ways over the years, but Randall Smith is a ‘force of nature’, and you can’t imagine it coming to fruition,” adds Doug West, Director of R&D at MESA/Boogie. “Now, I reflect on the fact that few in this world ever get the chance to be mentored, coached to excellence and to perform at their consistent personal best in the ways our design team, and everyone here at MESA/Boogie, have under his tutelage. Randy leaves us in good stead to carry on his legacy and tradition of excellence. With our respect for him and our shared love for what Gibson and MESA/Boogie represent to music, Randy can bask in the contentment of knowing he has spread Tone and Joy the world over with his creations and that his contributions to music have made an indelible mark on generations, and the sound of electric guitar and bass over the last 55 years.”
Mesa Boogie and Randall Smith Part Ways
While the reasons for the split remain unclear, some rumors suggest that Gibson, which recently acquired Mesa Boogie, may have played a role. It’s also possible that Smith is looking to pursue new ventures within the amp industry.
One thing seems certain: Randall Smith‘s departure from Mesa Boogie marks a significant development in the world of guitar amplifiers.
What Next?
With his design expertise, Smith will likely be in high demand, and it will be interesting to see what he does next. In the meantime, Mesa Boogie will need to navigate the challenge of continuing to produce high-quality amplifiers without Smith’s involvement.
Nothing Official yet…
This news is sure to be of interest to guitarists and amp enthusiasts around the world. Only time will tell what the future holds for Randall Smith and Mesa Boogie, but one thing is for sure: the amplifier industry is watching closely.
We will update this article if and when any official statements are made.
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8 thoughts on “Is This the End of an Era? Randall Smith Out of Mesa Boogie”
Oh no. Gibson, what have you done. You’ve just destroyed an iconic brand
What’s new?
*Another
Gibson has proven they’re just another money hungry business with no integrity. I’m keeping my Mark IV but will never spend my money on another Gibson. They’ve dropped about as low as you can get.
Randall smith is a hack, always has been.
Randy was my guitar amp repair guy at Prune music there in Marin from 1973 through 1980. I had a 1960 fender Bassman and played in a local 50s band called Kid Kahoutec and the shooting stars. We worked a lot and were kind of loud. I would blow something up in it about once a month and take it back to him, and he always would fix it and it got better every time
When I joined a disco band that was called Electra, I need a different style of amp and traded that in but bought a brand new music man which is always been a good amp too. The story I heard from Lee Michaels is that my old amp got sold to Neil Young. Wish I had kept it also but I didn’t quite have enough money at the time.
It’s moves like this that make me hesitant to purchase any Gibson products ever again. When they acquired Mesa, they raved about how great Randall Smith was. It’s like the guy who ran the custom shop, and built the Historic Collection, he was indispensable too, until they figured out how much they could save by firing him. So he went to Heritage, and now their guitars blow Gibsons away!
Mesa has never filed bankruptcy even once in its 50 year history. Gibson can not say that. Fender can not say that. Marshall can not say that. Of all the major brands, only Mesa has consistently done business responsibly and with integrity and never overspent, never overran its budget, and never operated in an unethical manner. Nor has Mesa ever outsourced any production to foreign workers or downgraded their own products in the pursuit of profit.
I predict that Gibson will eventually drag Mesa down to their level. This is Step Two of that plan. Step One was forcing Mesa to make those very mediocre Gibson Falcon amps.