Mesa/Boogie

Randall Smith started out modifying Fender Princeton amps in Petaluma, California, in 1969, and the souped-up combos he built for early customers including Carlos Santana and The Rolling Stones earned Mesa/ Boogie its reputation as, by most accounts, the first boutique amplifier company. The Rectifier line, launched in the 1990s, became a defining sound in rock and metal and remains the amp most associated with the brand today. Gibson bought Mesa/Boogie in 2021; Smith stayed on as Master Designer before leaving in 2024. Reissues of classic Mark and Rectifier models, plus the plugins built to emulate them, are what we follow most. Here's everything we've covered.