MESA/Boogie has launched "What Makes a Boogie," a multi-episode video series exploring the history, craftsmanship and people behind one of guitar amplification's most influential names.
MESA/Boogie has kicked off a new multi-episode video series, “What Makes a Boogie,” with Chapter 1: History & Legacy out now. It features Doug West, Tone Lab Director and 43-year MESA veteran, in a rare on-camera interview tracing the brand from its late-1960s experimental beginnings to the amplifier designs that helped define modern electric guitar tone.
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Drawing on four decades of first-hand experience, West traces the origins of the “Boogie” name, the early workshop days and the culture of experimentation that shaped the brand. MESA/Boogie has built every amplifier and cabinet by hand in Petaluma, California since 1980 — and that throughline runs across the entire series.
The series is built around the products and innovations that cemented MESA/Boogie’s reputation. Across upcoming chapters, the spotlight will fall on some serious hardware: the early-90s Dual Rectifier Standard, which helped define the sound of modern rock and metal; the Mark IIC+ HRG, still one of the most sought-after amplifiers in electric guitar history; and the Mark V 35 combo, which distils more than 45 years of Mark Series development into a compact, channel-switching package. The current flagship, the Mark VII head, also features, alongside the Subway Bass-800D and Subway TT-800 Bass from the brand’s bass lineup.
Many of the people featured across the series have been with MESA/Boogie for over 30 years, which gives the whole thing a credibility that a straight retrospective wouldn’t have. This isn’t just a look back — upcoming chapters focus on where the brand is headed too.
Learn more about MESA/Boogie here, and head here for local enquiries.
