Randall Smith has left Gibson and Mesa/Boogie
Gibson has confirmed that Mesa/Boogie founder Randall Smith has “completed his time with Gibson as Master Designer and Pioneer of MESA/Boogie”, three years after Gibson bought the amplifier company.
READ MORE: Gibson acquires iconic boutique amp brand Mesa/Boogie
Smith first started Mesa/Boogie in the late 1960s as a small amp repair workshop that also modded Fender amps. His hot-rodded, high-gain modified Fender combos were soon sought after by notable players looking for a more aggressive sound. Since then, Mesa/Boogie introduced a number of entries into its versatile Mark series (loved by everyone from Prince to Metallica), and in the 1990s introduced the aggressive, treadplate-clad Rectifier amps.
Randall Smith remained at Mesa/Boogie after Gibson’s 2021 purchase of the brand, remaining as the lead amp designer, overseeing last year’s launch of the Mesa/Boogie Mark VII range of tube amps.
In Gibson’s statement, Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian pays tribute to Smith’s work at the company, before and after the purchase: “I am incredibly grateful for Randy’s pioneering insights, design, and trust in Gibson,” he says. “Randy’s DNA will always be present, and over the last few decades he has trained the new generation of designers that have been leading the way for Gibson and MESA/Boogie amps. As we evolve our Gibson Amps collection, including our Gibson and MESA/Boogie brands, Randy, and his original design ideas, will continue to inspire us to make the best and highest quality amplifiers we’ve ever made.”
Mesa/Boogie’s R&D director Doug West adds: “We’ve all talked about this day and have prepared for it in many ways over the years, but Randall Smith is a ‘force of nature’, and you can’t imagine it coming to fruition. Now, I reflect on the fact that few in this world ever get the chance to be mentored, coached to excellence and to perform at their consistent personal best in the ways our design team, and everyone here at MESA/Boogie, have under his tutelage.
“Randy leaves us in good stead to carry on his legacy and tradition of excellence. With our respect for him and our shared love for what Gibson and MESA/Boogie represent to music, Randy can bask in the contentment of knowing he has spread Tone and Joy the world over with his creations and that his contributions to music have made an indelible mark on generations, and the sound of electric guitar and bass over the last 55 years.”
Notably, the statement does not contain a quote from Smith himself – the nature of his departure is unclear, and so speculation over whether or not Smith was fired by Gibson has run rife over the last two days. Gibson has been contacted for clarification.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
