Gibson Acquires Mesa/Boogie

[Kijuer]

Is this a taste of things to come for Mesa amps line, too? God, I'm scared.

 

[JimmyM]

Is this a taste of things to come for Mesa amps line, too? God, I'm scared.

View attachment 4181346

Scared? Man, that may be the coolest guitar they ever made!

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Is this a taste of things to come for Mesa amps line, too? God, I'm scared.

View attachment 4181346

I'm going to say in least judgemental way possible that Joe B fans tend to have more disposable income.

 

[frankie5string]

Some southerner is going to hilariously mispronounce that name...

 

[S-Bigbottom]

SWEEEET!

 

[Yogi Bear]

Is this a taste of things to come for Mesa amps line, too? God, I'm scared.

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[lawgrass]

The news of Gibson buying Mesa/Boogie directly motivated me to pick up a nice used M3 Carbine Rack Head and Powerhouse 1X12 cabinet at my local GC the other day. Didn't really need either, but told the sales person after the news it doesn't make sense to pass up good deals on Mesa products.

 

[Al Kraft]

The news of Gibson buying Mesa/Boogie directly motivated me to pick up a nice used M3 Carbine Rack Head and Powerhouse 1X12 cabinet at my local GC the other day. Didn't really need either, but told the sales person after the news it doesn't make sense to pass up good deals on Mesa products.

IMO the M3 is an excellent amp that is often overlooked in the Carbine line...congratulations on a nice score.

Additionally, I would argue that the Gibson news aside, it always makes sense to take advantage of a good deal on Mesa gear!

 

[kevmac]

While I'm no expert on this subject a good example of a company declining after a sale would in my opinion be Steve Rabe selling SWR .

 

[Yogi Bear]

IMO the M3 is an excellent amp that is often overlooked in the Carbine line...congratulations on a nice score.

Additionally, I would argue that the Gibson news aside, it always makes sense to take advantage of a good deal on Mesa gear!

I've been through a lot of amps, and the M3 is the one I miss the most.

 

[JimmyM]

The MI industry is unique in that most of the companies we love are still run by the founders, or founder's family. Mesa, Aguilar, Rickenbacker, Carvin/Keisel, Dunlop, D'Addario, Ernie Ball, EHX, Martin, Taylor, PRS, Peavey...you get the point. These companies were started as a labor of love with a vision of creating great products way before profit.

I'd go so far as to say these companies were started because they loved music and wanted to make great products without having to work under someone else's thumb, but every single one of them put profit into the picture very early on.

This is where the challenge lies when a large corporate entity acquires one of these companies. How do corporate managers, whose very success is tied to profit and market share, and who have no real passion for Mesa, transition Mesa (without Randall) without the brand suffering. For companies like Mesa, the founder IS the brand. Word of mouth/customer devotion is their most powerful asset and their most dangerous threat. Like "Pre-CBS" Fender and "Pre-Loud" Ampeg, does "Pre-Gibson" Mesa become a rallying cry on sites like TB? No matter what Gibson does the emotional bonds between Mesa and it's most loyal fans are at risk. Finally, is the Mesa brand broad enough (with a large following as opposed to small and passionate), and is Gibson dedicated enough to the brand, that it allows Mesa to survive when/if their most dedicated fans and word of mouth turn negative and sales decline. IMHO this is why these types of acquisitions usually don't work.

And yet, Fender and Ampeg still thrive and do very well and put out quality products.

And how do we know that people who buy competing brands don't have any passion for the products they make? That's painting with a very broad brush. I'll give you one big example...Ampeg. Had the original owner hung onto Ampeg, they'd have been finished within a year as Everett Hull hated rock and roll and did his very best not to cater to the new "loudness is key" mantra that the rest of the industry was adapting to. After he sold, the new owners didn't even want to hear his ideas because they wanted that 300w tube amp their engineers were secretly developing behind the scenes. Today they still thrive, despite all the changes they went through. Why? Because the new owners and employees always had passion for the product, with the early LOUD days being an exception.

Simple fact...no profits = no company. Of course they want to be profitable. Who doesn't? But the chase for profit is seen as a bad thing. Why? It enables these companies to stay afloat and keep people employed. Profit, passion and quality are not mutually exclusive concepts.

 

[Al Kraft]

Profit, passion and quality are not mutually exclusive concepts.

Great point Jimmy. I too would argue that passion alone without an underpinning, sustainable business model or a focus on quality is simply a dream. Without profit there is no R&D and other investment to keep a brand vibrant and relevant. The key here, like with most everything in life, is balance and not letting one dimensional thinking drive all decision making.

 

[agedhorse]

Great point Jimmy. I too would argue that passion alone without an underpinning, sustainable business model or a focus on quality is simply a dream. Without profit there is no R&D and other investment to keep a brand vibrant and relevant. The key here, like with most everything in life, is balance and not letting one dimensional thinking drive all decision making.

Agreed, I think all of us involved are hoping this provides the resources to develop products that weren't possible with the limited resources of a smaller company. That's my perspective anyway.

 

[kevmac]

I'd go so far as to say these companies were started because they loved music and wanted to make great products without having to work under someone else's thumb, but every single one of them put profit into the picture very early on.


And yet, Fender and Ampeg still thrive and do very well and put out quality products.

And how do we know that people who buy competing brands don't have any passion for the products they make? That's painting with a very broad brush. I'll give you one big example...Ampeg. Had the original owner hung onto Ampeg, they'd have been finished within a year as Everett Hull hated rock and roll and did his very best not to cater to the new "loudness is key" mantra that the rest of the industry was adapting to. After he sold, the new owners didn't even want to hear his ideas because they wanted that 300w tube amp their engineers were secretly developing behind the scenes. Today they still thrive, despite all the changes they went through. Why? Because the new owners and employees always had passion for the product, with the early LOUD days being an exception.

Simple fact...no profits = no company. Of course they want to be profitable. Who doesn't? But the chase for profit is seen as a bad thing. Why? It enables these companies to stay afloat and keep people employed. Profit, passion and quality are not mutually exclusive concepts.

My man is a wealth of knowledge.Interesting story.I could never figure out how those that equate making a profit to being an evil sellout.That's crazy.Even the Greatful Dead were rich.

 

[JimmyM]

Agreed, I think all of us involved are hoping this provides the resources to develop products that weren't possible with the limited resources of a smaller company. That's my perspective anyway.

As it should be. Remains to be seen, but Gibson does seem to be turning the corner on the Henry J years so I'm hopeful for you folks at Mesa. I wish nothing but good for everyone there.

 

[agedhorse]

As it should be. Remains to be seen, but Gibson does seem to be turning the corner on the Henry J years so I'm hopeful for you folks at Mesa. I wish nothing but good for everyone there.

Thanks Jimmy

 

[Ptizzy]

I have a question on the Subway Amps. I have a chance to buy a subway 800 for a steal new from a store but will I run into any issues with warranty etc since they are changing hands ...it is too good a deal to pass up but would be considered pre Gibson so would there be any issues as far as warranty etc?

 

[agedhorse]

I have a question on the Subway Amps. I have a chance to buy a subway 800 for a steal new from a store but will I run into any issues with warranty etc since they are changing hands ...it is too good a deal to pass up but would be considered pre Gibson so would there be any issues as far as warranty etc?

All manufacturer warranty terms remain unchanged regardless of when the amp is purchased provided it is purchased through an authorized dealer.

Note that the transferable portion of the warranty changed about 18 months ago, amps built after that time have warranties that apply to the original purchaser and are not transferable. This was discussed in depth here on TB when it happened.

 

[Ptizzy]

Thanks I really didn't read it to be honest I was looking at amps and saw the price and was like say what..then the store guy told me so I googled Gibson buys Mesa and saw this ..so if it is good to go I will own a subway today...Word.

 

[Pops OB]

Perhaps Gibson’s latest actions reveal its motivations? Dealers are apparently dropping Mesa because the dealer buy-in has reportedly tripled. Sounds like they think they’ve got a cash cow, and are hoping dealers will make big commitments. So far, Gibson has reduced its reach to customers. Good job!