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Bought an eBay MESA Dual Rectifier head in 2007. UPS dropped it, broke every tube, cracked the case. Drove from Sacramento to the MESA factory to see what the damage was. Randall walks out, makes a comment about the non-MESA tubes and says call back in a week. I go to pick it up and he had gone through the entire amp, replaced almost every POT and charges me minimum shop labor. $50

Great interview, I could listen to Randall's stories all day, it's hard to comprehend the impact he's had on music. His work ethic is exceptional too, inspiring stuff.

I wrote to to Randall in 1973 when I first saw Mahavishnu in Australia...Boogie had an ad the size of a postage stamp on the back page of guitar player That was the first inquiry he'd had from Australia...I still have the hand written letter What a history...what a great man...and I LOVE my boogies ...and I'm leaving them for my grandson who's a guitar player Randall ❤️

"I keep my soldering iron hot all the time". Randall's pick up line. I have three Mesa boogies, thanks dude!

Absolutely love my Boogie Mk I. Serial number 1006, Randall's signature on the chassis, heavy as hell, awesome tone. What an amazing piece of music history.

I have played Mesa amps for 30 years and don't see myself stopping.

@Sweetwater The interviewer couldn't have done a better job! Thanks for not interrupting Randall.

i really love this, brought tears to my eyes, i mean this is the father of high gain, he is the reason we can do what we love to do so much, us metal guys owe him a great debt of gratitude

My friend kept telling me, “ ya gotta get a Boogie” he said he’d tried one in London and it left everything else in the shade! All I could find round the music shops at the time were the usual amps, Fenders, Marshall’s, Peavey’s etc. Then one day I went to a trade show and they had the Boogie stand right opposite the Marshall stand. What an ideal opportunity! Marshall has just released the JMP 1 and the fifty fifty power blocks, very impressive! I went over to the Mesa stand and saw the Triaxis! I asked the guy if there was that much difference between that and the Marshall? He chuckled! First he went through all the Marshall style tones the Triaxis could do then all the Fender cleans and finally the Red channel! That was it! Nothing sounded like that! And with that much versatility? Then he explained how important it was to run all Boogie! Triaxis, 295/395 plus the cabs! The shock came when I asked the price! The JMP 1 was around £400/£500 if I remember correctly, the Triaxis alone was either £2200/£2400! This is not a joke, the first thing I did after selling the house was go out and buy the whole rig! And I’ve never regretted it! The first rig was stolen! Today I have a Triaxis Mk1 395 and 2x Mesa Half Backs! Nothing compares! I’ve tried them all over the years but nothing comes close to Boogie! Those big power amps have a 3D quality that no other amp has! And they sound awesome at any volume! Thank you Randall! You changed everything!

Yes! Randall Smith is such an interesting & cool guy. Such a renaissance man...... Mercedes engine builder & jacking up houses and replacing foundations to fund his love for tube amp development. I think Randall has raced vintage class cars over the years as well? He and his colleagues built quite a legacy & company.

Love this guy and love his amps! Thanks Randall Smith for all you’ve done for us players.

I bought my first Mesa Boogie amp when I was 19-20 years old or so. I went on to eventually get to meet and work with Randy Smith and Doug West and I'll never forget the things I learned. I truly cherish and miss those days. Randy is truly one of the great innovators of the industry and his right-hand man Doug West is a fabulous guitar player and FLAT KNOWS TONE!!!

The man himself. Awesome interview! I love Mesa.

The beauty of a free society is that it allows men and women like Randall Smith to follow their dreams. Imagine a whole world of free men and women.

I have a Mesa Boogie Mark IV and a JP2C and I play everything from Tom Petty to Tool and both amps. I've tried them all and I keep coming back to my Mesa Boogie. There's NUTHIN LIKE IT... PIANOLIKE TONE!!! Love em...

This interview is priceless. What a fantastic human being.

I love this gentleman..he does all even details to print n etch circuits...kills me..would love to talk to people like him! 👍👌

Never before saw I Mich sitting there nodding in awe while listening to an engineer. You can almost see the respect emitting from his eyes.

Thank you Randall Smith !!! My triple rectifier and F50 are absolute treasures in my collection.

there is NOTHING like a MESA/Boogie

LOVE my Boogie! I'll never play anything else. Thank you Mr. Smith!

To guitarists, Randall Smith is a treasure. I've been playing guitar for 23 years and, in my opinion, Mesa/Boogies are hands down the best electric guitar amps in the world. My first Mesa/Boogie amp was a Triple Rectifier that I got in 2007. I then sold it and traded up to a Road King Series II which I still have. I also have one of the old original 2-channel Dual Rectifiers from the mid-90s and I'm going to be getting a Mark V within the next few months. After the cascading gain preamp architecture that Randy Smith pioneered, the next greatest contributions to electric guitar amplification that Mesa/Boogie developed would be (in my very humble opinion): Simul-Class, switchable rectifiers and Progressive Linkage. I was kinda disappointed that they didn't talk about those at all in the interview.

Great interview with a down to earth fountain of amp knowledge. No wonder guitar players like to hang with the guy! Excellent job, Mitch.

The God of tone, himself. Amazing amps. My favorite by far.

Congrats, RCS, on 50 years of sculpting sound for the world to enjoy and appreciate! Been a fan and user for decades... nothing like a Boogie! Thrilled every time I plug into my IIA, IIB, or IIB+ , and looking forward to my next one. Your team provides incredible service, and your products are built for the long haul.

If I ever met Randal face to face, I think I could just sit down and listen to man for hours on end! I love and breath MESA! Got a Dual Rect and a Mark V myself! The only amps I ever needed (plus a EVH 5150)! Great interview! Randall seems like a really nice decent and down to earth human!

Amps don't have the flash of the electric guitar, but they really are the major piece that makes it all work. The unsung hero in many cases. Mr. Smith is a true inspiration - dedication, hard work, as he said several times.

"This little power switch is one that makes me happy"

I finally got my mesa boogie. The Fillmore 25. It is such a great amp. Great interview 🤘

Randall Smith🎼Always 'Amp and Audio Royalty' Always!🏆🌈

I'm so blown away from this interview. What a humble guy and so amazing.

I have a Mesa 22 caliber studio Amp...its been on every studio project Ive played on...and every major show Ive played.Bought it in 1988/89..USED!!!GREAT AMP...Tough as nails..Sings l like birds Thank you Randall Smith

What a fantastic interview. Congrats to Mitch for conducting so well. Randall is a genius in his field. Good job.

I hope Mesa Engineering has a succession plan for Randall. His vision and expertise have always amazed me. This guy is a visionary treasure; along with Leo Fender, George Fullerton, Paul Rivera, D'Allesandro, Dumble etc.

Great interview. Love my Boogies, had them for decades now and they still make me smile and sound amazing.

Wonderful interview. I bought a Mesa Express some time back, and love the amp. Just looking at the switches and parts, it is clear that Mesa goes the extra mile to put out a quality product. Little things like the length of the cord on the foot switch being plenty long really mean a great deal to a guitarist. A lot of companies would have made the cord a third the length and would have made the pedal itself out of plastic. Great products, great sound.

I love the way he answers questions with experiential context! This one intelligent and experienced craftsman!

Bought a Californian Tweed a couple of weeks ago. It's a great overall unit. His 50 years of R&D alone is worth the price.

My 1994 Tremoverb has been my main amp for years! As soon as I sell my Victory Kraken and cab (also great amps! I just want more Boogie!) I’ll be grabbing a Mark V. Then once I get a TC-100 someday, I’ll have the perfect trifecta of Mesa tone

To have this much enthusiasm is a goal. I love this!

What a cool guy. I've had my Boogie thirty five years...still love it every time I switch it on. :-)

I could listen to Randall all night 🙏🏻

Boogie user all my life. Wow, what excellence. Thank you Randall. You are a music legend.

I'm so happy and lucky to own one of his amps. Such a good person and company, will support their products for life.

Absolutely love this interview! I have a Roadking v1 combo and after 9 years it still amazes me with the different tonal options I can get out of it.

What a tremendous interview from one of the great innovators in amplification! Great job Mitch!!

Thanks to Randall for the Mark Series and the Triaxis, and to Mike Soldano for the Dual Rectifier :p

GREAT! Job Mitch once again........ never a dull moment!! thx

Fan since forever. Great offering.

I have several Mesa amps but the Mark II C plus, hands down the greatest amps ever IMHO

Great interview! Recently I switched to Mesa Boogie Lonestar classic with a purple plexi pedal in the front, with reverb and delay in the effects loop Man alive that combination is magical! I was a fender amp chap for years! Not anymore! Makes me smile every time I plug in! Thank you Boogie!

this guy is a bonafide genius

I'll admit to still being slightly hung up on the dual rec stereotype as someone who was a teenager in the 90s. I'm really glad Randall came on and showed he's an historian of all styles. Changes my perspective on M/B. Thanks for doin this Randall. You're a good dude and seem like someone who would be awesome to work for. Keep it up

I could listen to his stories for days. Man would love to get up in the morning, grab some coffee and start my day listening to him talk about his experiences. Think we're about the same age. Hope people are still able to fufill their dreams like we could back in the day. Thank you Mr. Smith. Been enjoying my Mark Five 25 for about 4 years now. Great amp love the choices.

Thank you Randall Smith 👏🏻

Thank you Mitch and thank you Randall for such cool and inspiring amps.

I had to bring one of my amps up to Ross St. and they walked me around the shop while they worked on it. I asked if Randall Smith really thought up & designed all these MESA circuit boards, etc. The answer was, "Yes, he dreams this stuff at night. His garbage cans at home are full of wadded up rejected ideas." The man never stops thinking. Thank you, Randall Smith!

I remember my first encounter with a Mark IV, the lead guitarist in my band let his Strat rip on the heavy section of Stairway and damn near threw me off the stage! What a sound! Now a proud owner of a 4x10 Lonestar, lovely amp. Thanks, Mr Boogie!

Absolutely the BEST🎶 Thank you for changing your dream!!! You’ve changed SOO much for ALL of US👍🏼

Very cool interview. I'm glad that this kind of stuff is being recorded for future generations and posterity purposes. This man lived through some incredible times on this planet. HIs mark upon electric guitar amplification cannot be over stated. Kudos to Sweetwater for taking the time to capture and record a piece of music history.

During the 2008 recession I ended up having to sell my Mesa Dual Rectifier and my Gibson Les Paul Custom.....I still miss my Rectifier

This is an awesome interview, I am smiling at my screen as Randall talks, lucky man to have lived through the greatest time in blues/rock history.

Excellent interview. I never realized how much innovation happened back in the early days of Mesa Boogie. Really cool to hear this stuff.

He’s what you call an easy interview. Plenty of stories and loves to tell them.

So much love and respect for Randall Smith.

I have a Mark IV combo, i bought it used. It was shipped from the Mid West USA to Northern Canada, and it works like a dream , Thanks Randall for making such a great amp.

So nice to see the man and hear his stories.......great interview........ thanks

Carlos Santana has been on the edge of it all.Mesa Boogie amps and PRS GUITARS..These to instruments Changed music

Great interview....Randell is such a cool guy...It's good to see a builder so excited about what he does even all these years later.

Very nice and revealing interview. What a nice and humble guy! Another great job Mitch! 😎

Bought my very first Triple Rectifier in 2018, crazy story was I had this Fender Deluxe Reissue I sold for $600 and picked up the Boogie for like $700. This I thought was CRAZY, got to love Reverb what a deal! I remember taking the Amtrak train 1,000 miles back home to my house I couldn't wait to see it, I got there and there it was beautiful. Like Christmas. To this day I haven't had a single issue with this amp. It has the best sounding clean tone in the world. Its iconic and legendary

Great interview Randall Smith knows his stuff and shares many interesting stories ,Mitch Always asks the best questions and keeps things interesting.

I got my MKIIb in 1983 :) ordered it via mail my main amp until last year. Still playing Mesa ( MKV ) Thanks Randall Smith !!!!

Randall is a cool Dude. I've been a Mesa Player since 2001 and my Recto has taught me a lot about audio, electronics, and tone. It continues to do so to this day. All the options they give you in the amp create a lifetime of tone exploration and discovery.

Heard it from the man himself! I love the way he describes himself as a tinkerer and how he started with ham radios. It shows the passion he has for what he does. Great interview Mitch!

Got my little 30w Mesa/Boogie combo at age 18, bought it with my hard earned dock-working cash. It's been dragged around everywhere and been to atleast 2-300 gigs, and Ive never had a singel problem with it. I'm 33 now, and its still my go-to-amp for whatever I'm doing. Its built like a goddamn tank and it sounds amazing! I love it!

Wow, great interview. He is a brilliant guy!

I want to thank Randall Smith for giving me more than 20 years of bass-playing pleasure. I was a dedicated “Ampeg guy” from the early 1970s until the 1990s (those monster SVT heads and a pair of refrigerator-sized cabinets that weighed a ton). Then, I discovered Mesa bass amps, and I have owned, and continue to own, virtually every Mesa bass amp model that has been made! My 112 Walkabout Scout combo is great for small to midsized gigs, and for the blues jams that I host at a Philadelphia club every week. When I play festivals and outdoor gigs, my new Subway WD-800 amp powering a 212 Barefaced cab usually does the trick just fine. I’ve also been using a variety of M6 and M9 Carbine amps over the last decade, and when I was still touring I replaced the SVTs with Bass 400+ heads and Powerhouse cabs. In my less-than-humble opinion, Mesa not only makes the best guitar amps, but also far-and-away the best bass amps available today!

This is an amazing interview. I’ve never knew this about the founder, this is crazy! Dani

You can definitely tell that Randall is the mad scientist. What a success story. Looking forward to picking up a couple amps soon.

Wow, one of the best interviews yet...Awesome!

Thank you Randall Smith! Amazing guy.

Excellent video, I love the fact that Boogie came from Carlos Santana. Also the unbelievable work ethic of Mr. Smith. The Mesa coming from the building foundation/Mercedes Engine rebuilding companies. Thanks for making this one.

Randall Smith opened the way to optimize preamp Gain Stages in a tube amplifiers, which is still used nowadays! He's not just only a Fender "copycat", like some people used to say.

Santana named boogie!! Awesome

Really nice interview. Thanks for this! I also bought a Mark IIb in the mid 80's and i still have it!

I also bought a Boogie Mark 2-B in 1982. Still have it although it's the blonde tolex with brown grille cloth rather than black. 37 years, several tube changes and a couple new speakers later, it still kicks ass! One of the best investments I ever made.

Mitch - this is so so so good! Thank you for this!

Mesa/Boogie’s are worth every penny. The way they stand by their product is a very rare thing.

So many people behind the music scene over the years that help shape the entire industry, and this is one of those giants.

So awesome... Loved hearing about the history of my favourite amp builder

Its so great to get an understanding of the design development of Randall Smith... thanks so much to present this information- I have two of his amps and this discussion grants so much insight! Thank you!

What a wonderful interview and also a wonderful insight about the background of my favorite tube amp brand

What a great interview! So fun.

U guys hav the BEST guests. I live in southern part of indiana , i gotta move north . And does this guy ever sleep .

I’ve been a Mesa user for years. I have the Mark V, Mark V:25, JP2C and Road King II. I will not use any other brand for the rest of my life. They are the most versatile amps around. I STILL find interesting tones with them. I got the 25 and JP from Sweetwater. Now I want to add the California Tweed to my collection.

That is so cool! Love your Mark V 25 I bought new from you guys! Mitch that is a great interview. You kept it going so well. Thank you both.

This is fantastic. What a legend

i thank this guy for making the best and versatile amps in the world. I love Mesa Boogie amps