OK, better late than never! There were a lot of distractions this week including some floor refinishing. Then there was the collapsed sewer line in front of my house. Anyway, here it is - a bit rushed and not quite as complete as I would like.....
Plastics have played a major role on Rickenbacker instruments since the first Bakelite Hawaiian guitars were made back in the 1930's. Bakelite continues today only as a nut material but other more advanced plastics such as Delrin and acrylic are now integral to Rickenbacker designs. What has become known as the Rickenbacker style is largely a function of the stylish plastic parts. Covered here are the nuts, truss rod covers, pickguards, and knobs.
Nuts
Early 4000 series basses have nuts made of two slices of black Bakelite glued together side by side. The two pieces were probably guitar nut blanks combined to be thick enough to support bass strings. Some early bass nuts actually show a seam down the middle and on the sides like this example from 1963.
The total thickness on the early examples is about 7/32” with a width of about 43mm. Later, the thickness was reduced to 3/16”. At some point the typical width went down to about 42mm. Current production is close to 43mm.
70's Vintage Bakelite Nut
The original Bakelite nut was a constant throughout the 60's. For two or three years in the early 70's white Delrin was used on most if not all 4000 basses. For some reason white Delrin was also used on the 4001V63. Vintage photos from the factory and other sources show that 60's basses had black (Bakelite) nuts making the choice of a white nut of the 4001V63 a bit of a mystery. Paul McCartney's bass received a white Delrin nut back in '75. I suppose the 4001V63 may have been emulating that look rather than trying to be historically accurate.
70's White Delrin Nut
Cream Delrin Nut On An '86 4003S/5
Rickenbacker nuts are unique in that they are taller than nuts from most other makers. This is entirely due to the fact that the fingerboard is 3/8” thick. Most “standard” nut blanks sold today are not tall enough to be used on Rickenbackers so many repair techs glue two smaller blanks together to get the proper height. This works but is not the most elegant way. Taller nut blanks are available with a little searching. I have found that steel guitar nut blanks are more than tall enough for the job. The easiest way to replace a Rickenbacker bass nut is to buy one from a Rickenbacker dealer and shape it to fit your instrument and tastes. Current production nuts will fit on most basses going back to the mid 60's with very little if any alteration.
The factory nut slot depth is typically more shallow than most players prefer. This is done on purpose to allow the player to cut it do the desired depth. If the slots on an older bass are cut too deeply there is a way out without having to replace the nut. Use a file to make some Bakelite dust from a trashed nut or a piece of black Bakelite. Pile the dust into the bottom of the nut slot to slightly above the desired level and add a drop of cyanoacrylate (Crazy Glue) and let it set. Once the glue has hardened use file to level it off then string up and test the height. Repeat if necessary.
As far as I know Delrin and Bakelite are the only standard nut materials. If any others were used please let me know and post them to this thread.
