Gibson Guitars Announces Acquisition of Mesa/Boogie Amplifiers
Iconic American guitar company Gibson has announced the acquisition of boutique amplifier manufacturers Mesa/Boogie.
Randy Smith founded Mesa/Boogie 51 years ago, and he will join Gibson as Master Designer and Pioneer of Mesa/Boogie, according to a press release.
James ‘JC’ Curleigh, President & CEO of Gibson Brands, offers:
“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.”
Smith commented of the acquisition:
“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 realizes 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!”
Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who uses both brands and recently unveiled a limited edition signature Gibson, offere:
“This is very exciting, I can’t think of a better company to carry the Mesa Boogie torch, and I can’t wait to see what we can do together. I have been using Mesa Boogie amplifiers and cabinets for a long time. I use them at home, in the studio when I record and on stage when I play live; they go across all of my needs.”
Gibson, which is 126 years old, has found some controversy amidst financial turmoil in recent years. The company entered bankruptcy in 2018 after a series of bad business decisions, including the acquisition of the consumer audio division of electronics company Philips, the introduction of robotic guitar tuners and other missteps that left the company in poor financial condition. Later that year the company found new leadership by private equity firm KKR and ousted longtime CEO Henry Juszkiewicz.
More recently, employees caused an uproar when they were forced to work at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
