need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
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- Sir Ricardo
- Intermediate Member
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:58 pm
need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
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Greetings all -
I'm going to sell my 4001.
It's a 1973 4001, and it's in fine condition except that the truss rod nuts are bent down at a poor angle. Because these nuts are bent, you really can't adjust the neck relief. Fortunately, the string height and neck relief are spot on, so no adjustment is necessary, but if you wanted to put heavier strings on it (right now, it's got 40-100s on it), you might want to adjust the neck (or not), and then you'd have an issue, potentially.
SO......I've tried the 'home-fix' approach to straightening out these nuts. I posted on the RIC forum in March, and got a bunch of helpful replies.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=414685
However, these nuts are STRONG! I could not bend them back.
So, I need to
1) find someone who knows what they are doing and pay him/her to fix it
2) sell it as-is
What would you guys do?
thanks -
Richard
p.s. here is what the bass looks like
Greetings all -
I'm going to sell my 4001.
It's a 1973 4001, and it's in fine condition except that the truss rod nuts are bent down at a poor angle. Because these nuts are bent, you really can't adjust the neck relief. Fortunately, the string height and neck relief are spot on, so no adjustment is necessary, but if you wanted to put heavier strings on it (right now, it's got 40-100s on it), you might want to adjust the neck (or not), and then you'd have an issue, potentially.
SO......I've tried the 'home-fix' approach to straightening out these nuts. I posted on the RIC forum in March, and got a bunch of helpful replies.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=414685
However, these nuts are STRONG! I could not bend them back.
So, I need to
1) find someone who knows what they are doing and pay him/her to fix it
2) sell it as-is
What would you guys do?
thanks -
Richard
p.s. here is what the bass looks like
Last edited by Sir Ricardo on Thu May 11, 2017 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
I'd keep it!
You have a fine instrument, in fine condition, and with string gauges that you seem happy with and are therefore unlikely to change - why are selling it or fixing the rods your only options?
Ash
You have a fine instrument, in fine condition, and with string gauges that you seem happy with and are therefore unlikely to change - why are selling it or fixing the rods your only options?
Ash
1976 4001 "Shadow" Fretless
1978 4002 Walnut
1986 4008 Silver
1999 4001 V63 White
2012 4004 Jetglo
_____________________
Button 6 String Fretfull
Button 6 String Fretless
NS CR5 Omni Bass Fretless
Ashbory Bass
1978 4002 Walnut
1986 4008 Silver
1999 4001 V63 White
2012 4004 Jetglo
_____________________
Button 6 String Fretfull
Button 6 String Fretless
NS CR5 Omni Bass Fretless
Ashbory Bass
- Sir Ricardo
- Intermediate Member
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:58 pm
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
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Greetings Ash - I am interested in selling the bass, so I either need to fix it, or sell it unrepaired. I've edited my initial post to make my goal explicit.
Thanks for responding.
thanks
Richard
Greetings Ash - I am interested in selling the bass, so I either need to fix it, or sell it unrepaired. I've edited my initial post to make my goal explicit.
Thanks for responding.
thanks
Richard
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
Can the rods be replaced? What month; does it have CB?
- Sir Ricardo
- Intermediate Member
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:58 pm
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
You'd need to first straighten the nuts before you could slide the rods out.jdogric12 wrote:Can the rods be replaced? What month; does it have CB?
What's CB? Sounds contagious.
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
CB = checkerboard binding
- Sir Ricardo
- Intermediate Member
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- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:58 pm
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
ahajdogric12 wrote:CB = checkerboard binding
yes, it's got CB
also has FWFI (full width fretboard inlays)
and SS (Skunk stripe)
and a NAB (notched aluminum bridge)
plus POA (plenty of attitude!)
- antipodean
- Senior Member
- Posts: 3182
- Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 1:27 am
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
Getting someone to fix the rods shouldn't be too expensive - you've gone through the process of getting 'em out so you know the drill. New rods can be made for the bass, but may cost north of USD200 to be machined and installed. I had a pair made for my '74 4000 and it cost AUD 300 - around USD 220. I note that materials and unit labour costs can differ a bit between Oz and the USA - it's usually more expensive here.
"I don't want to sound incredulous but I can't believe it" Rex Mossop
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
Hmm, now I have some idea of what my NOS rods may be worth....................antipodean wrote:...New rods can be made for the bass, but may cost north of USD200 to be machined and installed...
- Sir Ricardo
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- Posts: 679
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:58 pm
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
Greetings - I have not been able to extract the rods because the nuts are too bent. The nuts are pointed - at a roughly 30 to 35 degree angle - down into the wood and make extracting the rods impossible. The only way to get the rods out is to first straighten the nuts, and I have not been able to do that.antipodean wrote:Getting someone to fix the rods shouldn't be too expensive - you've gone through the process of getting 'em out so you know the drill.
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Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
The rods in my old July '73 4001 were just like that when I bought the bass in February 2003. I managed to get the rods out at take care of the problem just fine. It may take some effort, time, and a lot of swearing, but it can be done.Sir Ricardo wrote:Greetings - I have not been able to extract the rods because the nuts are too bent. The nuts are pointed - at a roughly 30 to 35 degree angle - down into the wood and make extracting the rods impossible. The only way to get the rods out is to first straighten the nuts, and I have not been able to do that.antipodean wrote:Getting someone to fix the rods shouldn't be too expensive - you've gone through the process of getting 'em out so you know the drill.
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Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
You forgot to mention the TRC.Sir Ricardo wrote:ahajdogric12 wrote:CB = checkerboard binding
yes, it's got CB
also has FWFI (full width fretboard inlays)
and SS (Skunk stripe)
and a NAB (notched aluminum bridge)
plus POA (plenty of attitude!)
Also, the correct term is a gap-toothed tailpiece; the bridge is just the part which sits on it.
As for keeping/selling, the consideration is whether a $2000+ bass is worth spending money on to fix or whether you just want rid of it.
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
This bass is worth closer to $3000, and is definitely fixable.
- Sir Ricardo
- Intermediate Member
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:58 pm
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
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Guys, thanks for all the replies.
I feel I should clarify the situation, given the content of some of the replies.
1) I have tried to straighten the nuts. I used the methods suggested to me in the post I initially mentioned, but did not succeed.
2) The truss rods can't be extracted until the nuts are removed / straightened. Thus, the truss rods remain in the bass until such time the nuts are 'fixed'.
3) I had the bass sold locally via Craigslist until we figured out the nut situation, at which point the buyer understandably got cold feet. Although I had owned the bass for a while, I had never taken the truss rod cover off, and so had no idea about the nuts. Fortunately, the bass plays great as it stands, the string height is fine, etc. But as I mentioned, if you want to adjust the truss rods, you are in for some difficulty.
thanks
Richard
Guys, thanks for all the replies.
I feel I should clarify the situation, given the content of some of the replies.
1) I have tried to straighten the nuts. I used the methods suggested to me in the post I initially mentioned, but did not succeed.
2) The truss rods can't be extracted until the nuts are removed / straightened. Thus, the truss rods remain in the bass until such time the nuts are 'fixed'.
3) I had the bass sold locally via Craigslist until we figured out the nut situation, at which point the buyer understandably got cold feet. Although I had owned the bass for a while, I had never taken the truss rod cover off, and so had no idea about the nuts. Fortunately, the bass plays great as it stands, the string height is fine, etc. But as I mentioned, if you want to adjust the truss rods, you are in for some difficulty.
thanks
Richard
Re: need advice: fix or sell my '73 4001
+1!aceonbass wrote:This bass is worth closer to $3000, and is definitely fixable.
Can the rods be tapped back into the channels first and then attempt to straighten?