Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith was one of the first “boutique” amplifier builders before they were known as such. Originally a repairman (and musically, a saxophone player), Smith started hot-rodding Fender Princeton amplifiers in California in the early 70’s, eventually producing his own line of guitar amplifiers for such noted guitarists as Carlos Santana and Eric Johnson. Those early amplifiers, now known as the Mark I series, were the first to use Mesa’s renowned cascading gain circuit and featured incredible gain and unparalleled sustain for the time. Soon, scores of professional guitarists were using “Boogie” amplifiers.
Since that time, the Mark series has evolved and the company has produced numerous other quality amplifier designs, including the Lone Star and Dual Rectifier amplifiers, the latter of which has become another classic Mesa amp popular especially with Metal and Hard Rock players.
Mesa/Boogie amplifiers are known not only for their sound quality, but their build quality as well.