The History of Mesa Boogie Amps
Mesa Boogie amplifier designer Randall Smith was Born into a musical family, he came of age when Rock & Roll was exploding on the west coast in the late 1960s. Originally a drummer and saxophonist, he began fantasizing about ways to make the electric guitar a similarly commanding solo instrument. This yearning for increased power was tempered by an appreciation for portability, which he developed while hobo’ing along the California railways. The blues band he was playing with evolved into a music store, and he was placed in charge of repairs.
"This thing boogies!"
Decades of Innovation
Having already become synonymous with dirt-friendly, club-ready amps, Mesa Boogie began to expand their line to include more bedroom-friendly models with ample clean headroom. To achieve this, they introduced “duo”-class technology, which allowed the player to run their amps at 5 class-A watts, or class AB at full power. These Express amps could be easily overdriven at a reasonable volume, or played clean in medium-sized venues. This unparalleled versatility proved exactly what 21st century guitarists were yearning for.