Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Drummer swap!
  • Bob going electric
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Rainbow's 70s hit
Recommended reading
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++: the super-rare holy grail metal amp used by the likes of Vivian Campbell and Metallica has been officially released by the Gibson-own amp brand.
Guitars ‘Crunch Berries’ are on the menu! Mesa/Boogie releases holy grail Mark IIC++ Metallica amp
Laney Lionheart Foundry Supertop
Guitars Laney unveils the IR-equipped 120W Supertop head with onboard effects and matching cabs
Laney Black Country Customs Tony Iommi TI100: Long-time Laney user Tony Iommi is pictured with his new signature amp, which is limited to 50 units worldwide to mark Black Sabbath's final show at Villa Park.
Guitars Laney celebrates Black Sabbath's final show with a limited edition reissue of Tony Iommi's TI100 amp
Blackstar ID:X 50: The new combo from the British amp titan is described as "this is the most natural-sounding" modelling amp on the market.
Guitars Blackstar unveils ID-X combos – complete with 6 amp voices, over 35 effects, CabRig and OLED display
Supro Airwave: the new 1x12 tube combo combines old-school looks and tones with onboard cab sim tech from Two notes Audio Engineering.
Guitars Supro teams up with Two Notes for the Airwave, a vintage-voiced 25W tube combo with onboard cab sims
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL: The new flagship amp modeller and multi-effects unit is a dramatic expansion of the Helix framework with a suite of state-of-the-art features
Guitars Line 6 debuts all-new AI tech as it supercharges its amp modelling platform with the Helix Stadium
Joe Bonamassa plays a Guild DE-500 Duane Eddy signature guitar at a Nashville show celebrating Eddy's life. Bonamassa wears a dark blazer embroidered with bright musical notation.
Guitarists Joe Bonamassa on how to choose the right amp for a gig
  1. Guitars
  2. Guitar Amps

6 landmark Mesa/Boogie guitar amps

News
By Guitarist ( Guitarist ) published 1 August 2016

The best Boogies throughout the ages

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Created by company founder Randall Smith in the late-1960s, at a time when all self-respecting guitar slingers aspired to play through a stack the size of a Volkswagen Camper Van, the original Boogie combo has evolved considerably from its Princeton roots.

The company's current flagship Mark Five amps have over four decades of research and development behind them, and here, we take a look at six of the key stages of Mesa/Boogie's evolution, from modded Fenders to the iconic Dual Rectifier and beyond.

Suffice to say, we love to Boogie…

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
1. 1967 Princeton Boogie or 'Pre-Boogie'

1. 1967 Princeton Boogie or 'Pre-Boogie'

Randall Smith made his name as one of the West Coast’s top amp hot-rodders by reworking the humble Fender Princeton with a very powerful 100-watt output stage and a high-efficiency loudspeaker, usually a JBL D-120 or an Altec 417.

According to legend, it was one of these amps that Carlos Santana wailed through one day in Prune Music, causing a sizeable crowd to gather, before exclaiming, “Man, that little thing really boogies!” The rest, as they say, is history.

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
2. 1972 Mark I 'Snakeskin'

2. 1972 Mark I 'Snakeskin'

The original Mark I (known as ‘The Boogie’ until the Mark II arrived) is the amp at the core of Santana’s signature lead tone.

The first completely fabricated Mesa amplifi ers were actually the Lead and Bass 130 heads, which were made in 1971. The Mark I followed, with a cascaded preamp section that produced the singing lead sound we all know today. The era of high gain had arrived.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
3. 1980 The Mark II-B

3. 1980 The Mark II-B

For many Boogie followers, the Mark II-B represents the zenith of early Boogie construction.

The Mark II-As introduced channel switching - the first amps to do so - driven by the impetus of Mark I players who used both front-panel inputs through a ‘Y’ cable to get the cascaded high-gain lead from input 1 and the traditional medium-gain clean sound from input 2. The Mark II-B added an effects loop, another Mesa innovation.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
4. 1983 The Mark II-C+

4. 1983 The Mark II-C+

The final iterations of the Mark II series are among the most coveted Boogies of all on account of their fiery lead tone, which was a perfect fit for the emerging modern-rock groups of that era.

Pristine original Mark II-C+s are very rare and command prices in excess of three times their original resale price. Many Mark II-Bs and earlier Cs have been converted to C+ specification, some by the company itself, in response to customers’ own requests.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
5. 1991 Dual Rectifier

5. 1991 Dual Rectifier

Having influenced a generation of players and stamped the Boogie sound on countless gold and platinum albums, Randall Smith did it all over again in 1991, when Mesa launched the Dual and Triple Rectifier series.

A new raw, aggressive bass-heavy sound redefined rock for the 90s. For the new generation of players, Mesa Engineering meant Dual or Triple Rec, not Boogie. For the first time, Mesa was in danger of seeing its wonder amp eclipsed, ironically by another Mesa product.

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
6. 2004 Lone Star

6. 2004 Lone Star

Mesa’s Lone Star success story has been less of a paradigm shift, but just as influential, as this Texas blues-inspired amp range continues to win friends and influence players all over the world.

The 6L6-powered amps have been joined by an EL84-powered Lone Star Special, which can run in pure single-ended class A for an extra dose of harmonic goodness. We’ve previously said the Lone Star has the best spring reverb of any amp we’ve ever heard - that’s still true.

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Guitarist
Guitarist
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones
Digital: http://bit.ly/GuitaristiOS
If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist. Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

The magazine for serious players image
The magazine for serious players
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++: the super-rare holy grail metal amp used by the likes of Vivian Campbell and Metallica has been officially released by the Gibson-own amp brand.
‘Crunch Berries’ are on the menu! Mesa/Boogie releases holy grail Mark IIC++ Metallica amp
Laney Lionheart Foundry Supertop
Laney unveils the IR-equipped 120W Supertop head with onboard effects and matching cabs
Laney Black Country Customs Tony Iommi TI100: Long-time Laney user Tony Iommi is pictured with his new signature amp, which is limited to 50 units worldwide to mark Black Sabbath's final show at Villa Park.
Laney celebrates Black Sabbath's final show with a limited edition reissue of Tony Iommi's TI100 amp
Blackstar ID:X 50: The new combo from the British amp titan is described as "this is the most natural-sounding" modelling amp on the market.
Blackstar unveils ID-X combos – complete with 6 amp voices, over 35 effects, CabRig and OLED display
Supro Airwave: the new 1x12 tube combo combines old-school looks and tones with onboard cab sim tech from Two notes Audio Engineering.
Supro teams up with Two Notes for the Airwave, a vintage-voiced 25W tube combo with onboard cab sims
Line 6 Helix Stadium XL: The new flagship amp modeller and multi-effects unit is a dramatic expansion of the Helix framework with a suite of state-of-the-art features
Line 6 debuts all-new AI tech as it supercharges its amp modelling platform with the Helix Stadium
Latest in Guitar Amps
Hotone Pulze Mini
"The clean and medium-gain sound is where it truly flexes its sonic muscles": Hotone Pulze Mini Bluetooth Amplifier review
A Hughes & Kettner Spirit of Vintage guitar amp head on a yellow background
With guitar amps starting from just £44, Thomann’s massive Hughes & Kettner sale just made modernizing your rig a lot cheaper
Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb Blonde
Tone Master Blonde Deluxe Reverb and IR Manager review
Mooer SD30i Intelligent Amp: The compact desktop amp is finished in grey-cream and has a black control panel
“If you’re looking for something to use for home practice, then it’s an invaluable tool”: Mooer SD30i Intelligent Amp review
Laney LFR-110: A compact 1x10 version of the British amp brand's "best in class" FRFR speaker cabinet.
Laney expands Devin Townsend and Guthrie Govan-approved FRFR speaker range with compact 1x10
Jimmy Page plays his cherry red Gibson EDS-1275 double neck live at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Link Wray.
Sundragon unveils the Nymph, a one-watt powerhouse tube combo designed for Jimmy Page
Latest in News
Seal performs live on NBC's The Kelly Clarkson Show wearing a dark suit jacket, white T-shirt, and playing an acoustic guitar capo'd at the second fret.
Seal on how a Tascam four-track and two chords changed his life as he found his identity on guitar
Debbie Gough of Heriot demoes the new Jackson Pro Plus Metal Phase II Warrior on a darkened studio set.
Jackson adds Warrior, King V and Concert Bass to its limited edition Pro Plus Pure Metal range
Dustin Ballard TED Talk
“It can actually increase human creativity”: There I Ruined It creator argues for a more nuanced view of AI in music
Gretsch Electromatic CVT: The bolt-on double-cut assumes a familiar form to the Jack Antonoff signature model, and features dual humbuckers, a wraparound tailpiece, and some neat vintage finishes.
Like the Jack Antonoff signature Gretsch? Then you are going to love the CVT Electromatic
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders performs at The London Palladium on October 22, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Little/Redferns for ABA)
“A spontaneous and what I thought would be a fun thing”: Chrissie Hynde to release a new album of duets
Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck
Carlos Santana on what made Jeff Beck a guitar great, and getting into character to cover Michael Jackson

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...