REO Speedwagon's Dave Amato shows off his guitar collection in new online series launched by Gibson

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Jennifer Lourie/Getty ImagesThe Gibson guitar company has launched Gibson TV, a new network offering streaming programming that’s viewable at Gibson.com on YouTube. Among the first shows available to watch is the debut episode of a series called The Collection, which profiles the guitar collections of well-known musicians.

Longtime REO Speedwagon guitarist Dave Amato is the subject of the premiere episode of The Collection, which is hosted by Gibson executive and guitar expert Mark Agnesi.

Amato takes Agnesi on a deep dive into his expansive collection, which includes dozens of rare Gibson models, as well as a bunch of Marshall amplifiers.

Among the many guitars the veteran rocker shows off are Gibson Flying V’s, Reverse Flying V’s, Explorers, Les Pauls, Les Paul Jr.’s, Modernes, SG’s and Firebirds.

Amato also owns a number of double-necked Gibson guitars, including one that’s the same model that the EaglesDon Felder played on Hotel California.

As they go through Dave’s collection, the two guitar buffs discuss in detail various unique aspects of each instrument. Amato also admits that he’s never actually played a lot of the guitars in his collection.

Later in the program, Dave shows off some of the Fender guitars in his collection, including a Broadcaster, a Musicmaster Desert Sand and a couple of Stratocasters.

Near the end of the episode, Amato discusses how influential The Beatles were to him, and shows Agnesi some of the various guitars he bought because members of the Fab Four played the same models, including a Rickenbacker 12-string.

Dave recalls watching The Beatles’ famous 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show at age 11, and said it inspired him to grow his hair and play in a band. “It was just unbelievable,” he declares. “It changed my life.”

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