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| Randy in the Lagunitas workshop, circa 1970 |
Randy changed the sound of the electric guitar forever in early 1970 when he created the high gain cascading preamp… making it possible for the first time to separate overdrive from volume. Before this breakthrough, guitarists had to turn an amp “all the way up” to get a heavy distorted sound that would sustain and hold notes. A rock n’ roll power tool was born - and when Carlos Santana unleashed this blistering sound on his highly acclaimed album “Abraxis”, guitarists, musicians and listeners the world over were treated to a new solo voice – a new guitar sound.
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| The Original Home of Tone...the doghouse workshop in Lagunitas, CA |
The success of that record and that sound catapulted Mesa Engineering and the funky mountain shack to international fame overnight and the months following that release saw a flood of orders for the little Boogie amp…the giant killer. Before long, all the top touring bands of the 70’s were creating iconic hits that relied heavily upon the Boogie’s trademark voice. The Eagles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Grateful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane as well as early fusion and L.A. session guitarists like Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Dean Parks and players like Eric Johnson and Al Di Meola, were all blowing minds with their Boogies.
The next two decades saw nearly all the features and innovations now taken for granted as standard on guitar amps come out of the Mesa shop. Things like Channel Switching, Effects Loops, Power Selection, Multi Mode Preamps, Voicing Switches were all seen first on a Mesa/Boogie and the list of Randall’s Patents is about to crack 20!
From the vintage Mark II-C’s® involvement in the Power Pop, Funk and Hair Metal of the “80’s and the Dual Rectifier’s® impact on Grunge, Alternative and the Hardcore of the ‘90’s to the wave of artists now using the Lone Star®, Stiletto® and Roadster® here in the new millennium, Mesa continues a tradition of innovation and inspiration.
With our 40th Anniversary this year - the passion for Tone, commitment to excellence and the desire to satisfy each customer’s needs as if our own, is stronger than ever. Check out the new additions to the Mesa Family for 2009: the Mark Five, Electra Dyne and M9 Carbine bass amps. In today’s world it‘s rare and refreshing to know that some things will not be compromised, will not be seduced by the trappings of success, some simply will not sell out. Despite many tempting offers throughout the years, Randall Smith – the father of high gain heavy guitar tone – knows how to stay the course and protect the magic. And for guitarists, both present and future, that’s a good thing.
