bobby rodriguez/bobby valentin and ampeg scroll bass

donnyfied74 · #1 08-20-2008, 09:58 AM

I've recently discovered some footage of legendary bass player bobby rodriguez playing a scroll bass on a tito puente show..The same applies to Bobby Valentin and the ampeg scroll bass..I wonder if someone knows latin recordings where this instrument is used, by these two gentlemen or any other latin bass player..I know Valentin played the ampeg on his latest disc called Evolution, but I'm searchin' for more titles

DGbass70 · #2 08-20-2008, 10:35 AM

http://www.amazon.com/35-Aniversario...9250028&sr=1-9

there's a dvd for this concert...pretty good.

bongomania · #3 08-20-2008, 10:39 AM

Really? I'm so accustomed to seeing Ampeg Baby Basses in Latin music that I assumed that's what you meant at first, but now I get the idea you really do mean the scroll bass:

I'm interested to know more about this too! If you could post the name of the show(s) where you saw Rodriguez and Valentin playing it, I'd love to check that out.

Edit: DGbass posted that link while I was still typing.

Thanks, I'll look for a copy of that.

Hellbastard · #4 08-20-2008, 10:47 AM

So, that's an Ampeg. I've always wondered about what bass did B. Valentin Play. Man, I'm what you can call a Metalhead, but watching and listening to this guy play always amazes me.
Here's a really nice clip of B. Valentin and the great Ruben Blades. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AspgMkN1PD4

bongomania · #5 08-20-2008, 10:53 AM

Sweet! Check out his right hand way up by the neck.

DGbass70 · #6 08-20-2008, 11:43 AM

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...XZThfTI&page=2

there you go.....ck both pages

bongomania · #7 08-20-2008, 12:10 PM

I just watched (almost) all of the vids found by that search, and he is not playing a scroll bass in any of them except the one Hellbastard linked to, and this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_CfZK8FPqY
...and that one is funny because it is spliced together from several "takes", and each time Bobby is a little different- standing, sitting, different clothes, and a different bass! There's even a couple moments where the editor cut quickly between shots of the headstock of one bass and the headstock of the other!

Seems like his main bass is a Harmony (I'm guessing) with a mudbucker up by the neck, which is dark-colored in the earlier footage and refinished white in the later footage.

donnyfied74 · #8 08-20-2008, 12:11 PM

tito puente with bobby rodriguez on a scroll bass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJrQum8vHxM

bobby rodriguez again (2 min. 54 sec..)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5euW...eature=related

bongomania · #9 08-20-2008, 12:31 PM

Cool. So, stating the obvious a bit, he also plays up by the neck, but uses the pad of his thumb for plucking, while Valentin uses a much busier floating fingerstyle method. Also Rodriguez's bass has a P pup installed up by the neck.

DGbass70 · #10 08-20-2008, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

I just watched (almost) all of the vids found by that search, and he is not playing a scroll bass in any of them except the one Hellbastard linked to, and this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_CfZK8FPqY
...and that one is funny because it is spliced together from several "takes", and each time Bobby is a little different- standing, sitting, different clothes, and a different bass! There's even a couple moments where the editor cut quickly between shots of the headstock of one bass and the headstock of the other!

Seems like his main bass is a Harmony (I'm guessing) with a mudbucker up by the neck, which is dark-colored in the earlier footage and refinished white in the later footage.

Sorry...i didn't check all the videos, i just wanted you guys to check out Bobby V.
there's only a few videos that i found with that bass(Scroll)maybe this one is a better one....
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...-vmbU8DCNwIqI=

donnyfied74 · #11 09-07-2008, 05:06 AM

some more rodriguez footage from the same puente gig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QXa9H0dydc&feature=user

Rodriguez · #12 09-07-2008, 08:25 AM

Hello gentlemen, I was really close to Bobby Rodriguez, I know a few details about his Ampeg scroll bass. In the late 80's (or early 90's) I got both his acoustic bass and the Ampeg, both in need of repairs. On the acoustic both Dave Gage and Jeff Bollbach have worked on, that bass sounds great. The Ampeg I took to Carlo Greco on 48th st. in NYC, he repaired it I took it to a few sessions and gave it to Bobby, and while on tour w/ TP in Israel, it was stolen. The Ampeg was original, there was no P-bass pickup.

donnyfied74 · #13 09-07-2008, 06:19 PM

Do you know if he(bobby rodriguez) only used the scroll bass for live performances or did he also use it for certain album recordings?

bongomania · #14 09-07-2008, 06:38 PM

In this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJrQum8vHxM the scroll bass he's playing has a P pickup at the neck. You can see it from about 2:46 to about 3:16. This is the clearest screenshot I could get:

bongomania · #15 09-07-2008, 06:45 PM

Here's another view from this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QXa9H0dydc&feature=user

Of course he may easily have had more than one of these scroll basses, or had a new pickguard cut to cover the routing for the P pickup.

Rodriguez · #16 09-07-2008, 08:57 PM

Wow! I see, that is a P-bass pickup... I have some pictures here of the bass, I'll check it out! I know he was playing a black Fender P-bass at that time. I'll ask if maybe he borrowed that bass in the west coast somewheres. There are a few recordings w/ him playing the Ampeg, I need to find them in my collection... keep you posted. I know I can't remember where I used it:-/

donnyfied74 · #17 09-08-2008, 08:43 AM

something else...there is a song on the bobby rodriguez my space titled "mas bajo" by T.Puente...Isn't that you playing?

Rodriguez · #18 09-09-2008, 06:39 AM

Yeah... my friend Oscar Stagnaro put that tribute page together! I've given him stuff, but he's really busy, I'll talk to him about it, thanks for reminding me.

PBassFunk · #19 11-17-2008, 01:38 PM

Quick thanks for this great thread...I was first introduced to the playing of Bobby Rodriguez when I took up tumbadoras at age 15, there was this great instructional album by Latin Percussion with Patato, Jose Mangual, and Bobby. Wondered what that bass was, then a few years later saw one at a pawn shop, I think it was about $125, and I was broke or I would probably have gone for it.

Got to see Bobby play with Tito Puente twice in the early 80s, absolutely amazing concerts - this was in a fairly small Canadian city and they were packed with devoted fans, what a great atmosphere!

Now I'm tempted to go after one of these Eastwood Guitars replicas - how I wish they'd gone for the scroll, can't think why they didn't unless Ampeg warned them off it. Too bad. Anyway thanks again, I get such great information off this forum, great people here!