"Ask Norm" Q&A - Episode 11 | Guest: Johnny A & Dave Amato at Norman's Rare Guitars

Johnny A plays with "Yardbirds" and Dave Amato plays with "REO Speedwagon". They're our Special Guest on this episode of "Ask Norm". On this episode, Norm, Mark, Johnny, and Dave answer your questions about guitars. Make sure to tune in, and thanks for watching! COMMENT YOUR QUESTIONS BELOW!

[@leecalvinmusic]

Great to see Dave Amato at Norm’s. Dave is a guitar legend but sadly underrated. And a nice guy too, met him in the UK a few times.

[@ethanhitchcock5431]

I love the semi-hollow sound , also been interested in the fully hollow sound too , as in the Gibson ES-330 with the metal pickup covers ...RAWK !!!

[@Jammer98825]

Thank you Norm! I do own a B-45 Gibson 12 and it is one of my main go to guitars. Thank you Mark for choosing my question and thank you Dave and Johnny for giving your guy's opinion.

[@MikeGuerr]

It’s nice to see a couple of Boston guys on your show. I’ve seen them both in small local venues back in the day, and they are stellar musicians.

[@ronlight7013]

Great show. I think it rather expands the format from a simple (and quite frankly, a bit dull) Q + A show to an entertaining personality driven segment with interesting guests and hot chops. Much like the guitar and music demos you have with drop-in musical "celebrities." I think this combination thing's the winner!

[@philbrown6787]

I wavered between a Guild Jumbo 12 and a D55. Chose the D55 dreadnaught. While it's not a mistake getting any Guild I kinda regret not getting the 12. Sounded like an amplified harpsichord. Absolutely angelic sounds.

[@jedisid]

Good to see the segment back.

[@motokev2727]

LOVE Johnny A, BIG FAN

[@maxwellfan55]

That was lovely, felt almost there with em. Norm and Mark showing how to get the best out of their guests, and how to wrap it up.

[@maxwellfan55]

@danleecrabtree You specialise in assholes?

[@aloonification]

johnny A is a master of sound WOW what a live show killer guitar player!

[@localguy8]

And also the rich banker Norm 🙏😂

[@Tcflohr]

Maaaan. That Gibson RD is still there. Great show guys

[@spankeyguitars8457]

awesome episode!....guitars are so much fun...

[@Relayer6a]

Johnny A. The best guitarist I had never heard of.

[@joelhoward8211]

I saw the Yarbirds in Chattanooga Tennessee a few years ago and Johnny A was having a bad night.

[@desmondteague2441]

Thanks for reading my question!

[@rjlong89]

Yeah! Guild jumbo 12 string. Agreed!

[@gregfeo8639]

awesomeness!

[@bassmangotdbluz3547]

When they started playing "Midnight Rambler" I just knew Marc's inner Keef was dying to grab a Tele and get wit' it.

[@MartinArgg]

More of this!

[@joelallan3220]

Johnny A looks like prince

[@GuitarlosCarlos]

GUITARS LIKE THAT ARE ALL YOU NEED

[@LarryRickenbacker]

"As tears go by" had a studio guy playing acoustic on that track.

[@csimpsonify]

Dave is a nice guy ...met him before ..very nice

[@MisterTee]

There guys are reasonably good

[@juangabrielruizvillamil3846]

Saw the thumbnail and thought it was Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden

[@stuartpenney6829]

Love the Ask Norm section. Here's my question. Can you talk us through the Gibson story of the 70s? It all seemed to go wrong for a while starting in 1969. They stopped making Epiphones in the US and the classic timeless slope shoulder Gibson jumbos like J45s and J50s became square shouldered horrors. What were they thinking?

[@sweetswing1]

Lets hear some hammond organ Norm.

[@chessdude67]

Fun City! :)

[@brewer9565]

Nice segment. Always like Mark's vibe. "Till there was you" at the end. Very nice! Please keep these "Ask Norm" segments coming.

[@bassmangotdbluz3547]

@ 12:34 Norm mentions, "... groups like Peter & Gordon or Chad & Jeremy ...". There was no Chad & Jeremy, they were Peter & Gordon. Chad & Jeremy were fictional characters played by Peter Asher & Gordon Waller in an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Asher went on to produce several other groups and his sister Jane dated Paul Mccartney prior to his meeting Linda Eastman.

[@ralex3697]

Peter Asher is still alive

[@JasonSmith-pk4hn]

As Tear Go By was played on a Harmony H 12 string guitar I think

[@ejm922]

love norms videos- but one magnet pulling....its all about the song guys -bugger the magnets! :-)))

[@paulff3]

JA is the best. Can't wait to see him again when he starts back up near home.

[@charlieisamonster]

Whats the best way to store and look after a guitar please? In its case, hanging on the wall, with the tension off the strings or under your bed? What are the do's and don'ts for looking after potential classics? Many thanks and love these ask Norm talks.

[@turunturun]

Depends on where you live. Taking care of a guitar is mostly about humidity and temperature and for this reason the safest long term bet is to store them in cases. Even moderate but frequent or continual variations in either and you’re going to have problems. If you live in a humid climate you want to keep them in cases, and possibly keep them in a room with dehumidifier. If you live in a very dry environment you’ll want to put humidifiers in the case, or in the room. You don’t really want sunlight from a window to hit the guitar case (you’ll be cooking it haha) and you DEFINITELY don’t want direct sunlight hitting the guitar itself as this will cause all kinds of differential thermal expansion or shrinkage to the wood. Regarding tension on or off of the strings, guitars with truss rods (pretty much all electrics, and most acoustics) should be stored with strings tuned to pitch since the truss rod is counteracting the string tension and keeping the neck straight (otherwise you’d have to slacken the truss rod along with the strings) and guitars without truss rods probably want to be stored with strings detuned but not removed.

[@scottmiller1705]

Take price difference out of it, if you had to choose between vintage amp / reissue guitar, or reissue amp / vintage guitar...which would you pick?

[@nudiemusic]

Keith's 12 might have been a Framus or Harmony i seem to recall him saying on Steve Van Zandts radio show...

[@bluesdog88]

Hey I have a question, not sure if it's been covered before.How has the relicing craze affected your end of the business? Are there a lot of scammers around, or does experience beat them?

[@philwilson2587]

a shame we can't double and triple like... great stuff!

[@roeletti]

Great show guys! We love them. What electric guitars would be a good start as a new collector/player? Like a Fender Duo-sonic, Mustang or Hofner? Preferably 50's and 60's? Or maybe a better way to ask: If i could effort a Gibson Lester paul standard/Fender AVRI, what 50/60's guitar could i also get for that stack of dimes?

[@MrZachgonz]

Norm with the black air forces.

[@capnrob97]

You know, if those two guys on the couch keep practicing, they might go somewhere in the music biz someday.

[@eds1994fatboy]

Dear Norm....Hows come when I hiccup...burp....fart....cough....sneeze....and yawn...at once....I still cant play the blues

[@mrbuild2023]

Norm plz I have a cortez j-200 and was wondering your recommendations on what kind of strings I would put on it thank you

[@ralex3697]

Are you serious ? Or ignorant ?

[@cayogator]

the "Yardbirds" ??

[@ralex3697]

Yes without Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Keith Relf Get my point !

[@lemonpi3386]

Why doesn't Norm play guitar....? And how would he know half of this without playing....? He is veeerry knowledgeable not saying hes dumb, just that not sure how you know half of how a guitar sounds or plays without playing at all? Great info regardless

[@ralex3697]

Because he is a businessman and has no musical talent

[@turunturun]

I’d wager he has collected his knowledge because, like any good businessman, he listens closely to -and studies what - his customers say. Do that over 20-30 years and you’ll collect a vast expertise on the subject.

[@thegee-tahguy4877]

Norm, please say Hi to Dave Amato for me... Dean from the now defunct Wurlys of Boston. I

[@melvynobrien6193]

Had a Ricky 12-string for years. Neck is too narrow, hard to play.

[@ralex3697]

Who is Johnny A, never heard of him

[@Anson120]

Frequency resonance. That is it. wood is only 3% of the tone of electric. Feel is really over looked. Fell can rule over sound with me.I am gonna get slammed on this.

[@MattSmithMe]

Dave Amato showing just how much he doesn't know about guitars... plug them into a Marshall.. I can't hear a difference? Pfft. Night and day.. doesn't matter if it's in a Marshall or not.

[@StratmanDarrell]

Matt Smith second part of his comment was whether you are playing clean or not. with distortion it's harder to tell the difference. that's my opinion

[@NotUrBiz]

Can't speak for anyone else, but I don't give a damn what Mark thinks about anything.

[@ralex3697]

Was he your boyfriend, why you so bitter ?

[@martink3154]

Langweiliges lamarschiges gequatsche... Norman!!