Guitar Center buying out Mesa?

[nonsqtr]

I heard an ugly rumor today. Mesa is trying to fight off a takeover bid by.... Guitar Center! !!!

I was in the Mesa store in Hollywood yesterday, and at the GC in Hollywood this morning, and I heard the same thing in both places. Can this possibly be true?

Maybe Benjamin Strange can check this rumor through "official channels"?

I'm not sure whether to believe it or not. I do know there have been some serious turf wars going on around the GC in Hollywood, for instance the Sam Ash store that opened up across the street is about to be closed, and they're closing the West Valley store as well.

This is not good folks. GC is buying out all the little people, as is Fender, and... well, the consumer is one who ultimately suffers. Recently the Big Fish got to SWR. I sure hope they don't get to Mesa.

[tplyons]

I don't think it will happen, sounds really bogus to me. Maybe coming from the folks at Mesa, it's convincing, but NEVER believe a GC lackey. Mesa Boogie has survived for years simply based on a name, with lack of internet sales and especially competitive pricing. Mesa is a take-it-or-leave-it company and I believe they can survive on their own for a long time to come.

[embellisher]

That simply can't be true. I sure hope it's not. If it is, Benjamin will benefit by having a bunch of pre-GC Mesa gear. God, please don't let this be true.

[Brat]

They better not!

[Benjamin Strange]

Are you kidding me? Geez... who starts this stuff? Mesa will never sell out (or at least as long as Randall Smith is alive). There's been countless offers in the past to buy Mesa, and he's refused each time. Randall does this because he likes doing it, not for the money.

My guess is it was started by somebody at GC who didn't like a particular decision Mesa made. I remember there was a rumour being spread a few years back that Mesa was buying Crate parts - also bogus. Smear campaign perhaps? Or just a game of telephone gone awry?

[bryan bailey]

Mesa and Ampeg should buy each other at the same time. So they are both still awesome, and twice as strong. With enough combined power to crush little children and GCs.

[Stanley Design]

Originally Posted by bryan bailey

Mesa and Ampeg should buy each other at the same time. So they are both still awesome, and twice as strong. With enough combined power to crush little children and GCs.

YES!

[Benjamin Strange]

Nonsqtr, could you give me a bit more details on what you heard?

[nonsqtr]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

Are you kidding me? Geez... who starts this stuff? Mesa will never sell out (or at least as long as Randall Smith is alive). There's been countless offers in the past to buy Mesa, and he's refused each time. Randall does this because he likes doing it, not for the money.

Good. Whew. Can't tell you what a relief it is to hear you say that. Got to thinkin', maybe they were just talking about the Mesa "store" in Hollywood? Although, that would be hard to imagine too. GC doesn't really compete with Mesa, except once in a while they'll have a used amp on the floor. But there's nothin' in the world like a good Mesa amp, and the stuff that GC usually carries doesn't even come close. Maybe a smear campaign, as you say, but I'm wondering if there isn't at least a grain of reality in there somewhere. Freedom Guitar, which was right down the street, moved away, and Sam Ash is closing their store across the street, and I'm wondering if all the little shops like Valdez and Carvin can survive the rent in that district. It's nice having a mini-48th street in the neighborhood, and as a consumer it's nice having choices.

[Petebass]

Originally Posted by Benjamin Strange

Nonsqtr, could you give me a bit more details on what you heard? Randall asked me to ask you.

Fixed it for ya.

[nonsqtr]

Wow, our posts must have crossed. Sure, the first time was at the Mesa store in Hollywood, I ran into a guy that I kinda know, he hangs out there sometimes 'cause he loves Mesa amps. We were talking about Fender and SWR and whether the quality of SWR has/will change, and he mentioned in passing that "GC is buying out Mesa". I said, "What? Where'd you hear that?" and he said he heard it from a guy that runs a music store out in Corona. I didn't think to ask him any more details at the time, 'cause I was in a bit of a hurry. Then the next day I was at the GC in Hollywood looking at a vintage amp, and the floor guy in the vintage section told me the same thing. The word "Mesa" just happened to come up in the conversation (we were talking about tone), and he said, "you know they're getting bought out, right?" So then we had the discussion about the Mesa store on the corner, and how GC is pushing all the little guys out of business. At that point I specifically asked him "is that just the store, or the whole company?" and he said, "the whole company". Neither of these guys would make a story like that up out of thin air (I've known both of them for a while), so it sounds like it's just a rumor that's circulating. The guy out in Corona gets pickups for my guitar player buddy, I don't remember the name of his store offhand, but I'll find out, and post back tonight.

[WillPlay4Food]

Originally Posted by nonsqtr

Good. Whew. Can't tell you what a relief it is to hear you say that. Got to thinkin', maybe they were just talking about the Mesa "store" in Hollywood? Although, that would be hard to imagine too. GC doesn't really compete with Mesa, except once in a while they'll have a used amp on the floor. But there's nothin' in the world like a good Mesa amp, and the stuff that GC usually carries doesn't even come close. Maybe a smear campaign, as you say, but I'm wondering if there isn't at least a grain of reality in there somewhere. Freedom Guitar, which was right down the street, moved away, and Sam Ash is closing their store across the street, and I'm wondering if all the little shops like Valdez and Carvin can survive the rent in that district. It's nice having a mini-48th street in the neighborhood, and as a consumer it's nice having choices.

The GC in my area has a big selection of Mesa Boogie amps and cabs. Maybe that particular GC doesn't / can't sell them because of the Mesa Boogie store close by?

[DigMe]

I heard that Frito Lay is buying out Warwick.

brad cook

[WillPlay4Food]

Originally Posted by DigMe

I heard that Frito Lay is buying out Warwick.

brad cook

No one can play just one?

[xyllion]

Originally Posted by WillPlay4Food

No one can play just one?

Hmmmm, and I thought it just meant that they were thin, warped and greasy.

[WillPlay4Food]

Originally Posted by xyllion

Hmmmm, and I thought it just meant that they were thin, warped and greasy.

Sounds like you used too much wax!

[Freaky Fender]

Originally Posted by xyllion

Hmmmm, and I thought it just meant that they were thin, warped and greasy.

And they go well with bean dip!

[nonsqtr]

Originally Posted by WillPlay4Food

The GC in my area has a big selection of Mesa Boogie amps and cabs. Maybe that particular GC doesn't / can't sell them because of the Mesa Boogie store close by?

Bingo. After some investigation, we discovered that the rumor started in the Carvin store in Hollywood. Apparently GC has been trying to force all the competition off the block. So far they've gotten to one big one and one small one, and it seems they're being heavy handed in their approach to the other stores as well. The specific rumor was that GC tried to get the Mesa store closed, and when that failed they offered to buy out the whole company, but got turned down. Sounds more and more like someone was pissed at the GC and started an ugly rumor. Oh well. Never know what to believe these days. I'll take Benjamin Strange's word for it, and why would Randall sell out a good thing to a monster like GC? After due consideration, it sounds like a lot of rot. Sorry for the false alarm folks. That's part of what's so great about this forum, you can get to the bottom of stuff like this pretty quick.

[Munjibunga]

This sounds like something Munjibunga would start.

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

This sounds like something Munjibunga would start.

I heard that Munji is French. And votes Libertarian.