Big Oopss, need new truss rod now

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 6:10 am

I made the big mistake of trying to adjust my truss rod with the strings not at full tension. The left one's head popped right off. I was trying to get my neck totally straight, and it's been very dry in my house in NY. Does anyone know if there are any pics online of a 4003 truss rod replacement procedure? And, if I purchase replacement rods from Rickenbacker, do they need to be cut or bent before inserting, or just slipped in? Do they need to be treated in any way, lubricated or anything? Thanks in advance for any help, this is my only Ric and I'm anxious to have her back in (low)action. I don't know of any techs in my area that are Ric experts, so it's up to me.

Jack

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:12 am

I changed the rods on this 4003 ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:16 am

try to keep the humidity above 25% ... 35% to 50% is a good range for wood instruments ... I am currently using 6 humidifiers in my 2700 sq ft of living space ... get a humidstat so you can see what the humidity level is ...

to remove the rods you may have to tap them out and use a piece of cardboard to protect the finish ...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:35 am

The rods can be made from hardware store materials. I have some rod stock on hand, if you would like I could make you one. Just tell me if you have the headstock end adjust or the body end adjust. The body end models have slightly longer rods.

dminer · Post by **dminer** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:31 am

I recently pulled the rods on my 4005 and I'll offer a couple of tips to Jeff's excellent pics.

1. After I had removed the nuts I used a small nail set and gently tapped the rods back into the neck and clear of the rod/nut brace? (the machined metal piece with the 2 holes that the rods run through.)

2. Then I pulled the rods from the body as shown in Jeff's pic #1.

3. When re-installing them I put the rod/nut brace in the TR rout before I pushed and tapped the rods back into place from the body end (in my case, if the brace wasn't in place before the rods poked through from the neck you could not slip the brace into place.) Perphaps on some models the brace can slip into place after the rods are extending from the neck but not on my 4005. Good Luck.dm

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:44 am

It also helps to apply a little car wax to the rods before sliding them in. I usually rub the old style rods down with steel wool to make them smooth before doing that.

jps · Post by **jps** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:55 pm

"2. Then I pulled the rods from the body..."

I take it you removed the pickups first?

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 6:07 pm

Wow, thanks for all the help and advice, I'm truly greatful. Those pictures are excellent Jeff, and if you have the time Ted, I'll take you up on your kind offer. I have the headstock end adjust, it's an '02 4003.

Only having one Ric to judge by, it's hard to know just how straight the neck can be. In the past, I had done truss adjustments at full tension, and it was nearly impossible to snap the truss rod, it was just too hard to turn. Relieving tension on the strings made it easier to turn, hence my mistake. I usually like adjusting the truss rods using the older style 4001 method of pushing the neck. I'm just glad I didn't snap the neck.

Again, thanks for the assistance!

Jack

edski · Post by **edski** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:35 am

Enough people have done it that one has to be aware of the truss rods. '02 4003, huh? What were doing that caused the snap?

I ask because I want to avoid the situation...I have an '04 4004, wit the PU spacing that would make a truss replacement difficult (or impossible?)...

Good luck, seems you have good good advice and help, Jack.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:39 am

most Ric necks are awesome ... but once in a while one is warped or curved and won't flatten out ... my old red 4003s5 played pretty good but the neck wouldn't flatten out ... this was made worse by low humidity in my house ... I was determined to flatten out the neck so I kept turning the rode until it sheared off the head ... ya it was a dumb thing to do ... I put in new rods and lighter strings and the neck was ok ... but it would not backbow or completely flatten out ... the newer 4004 basses have a stronger neck than the 4003 or older 4004 so use moderation when adjusting the rods and you will be ok ... I have found that most Ric necks are strong enough to had a 5th string and still be straight ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 9:18 am

I meant turning the rods ... not turning the rode ...

dminer · Post by **dminer** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:38 am

Duh...I don't know what I was thinking...I tapped the rods from the body and removed the rods from the neck....not enough coffee I guess...dm

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:05 pm

Edsky said:
|Enough people have done it that one has to be aware of the truss rods. '02 4003, huh? What were doing that caused the |snap?

Just giving the neck a low humidity winter adjustment with the strings not at full tension. I was hoping to get the neck really straight.

|I ask because I want to avoid the situation...I have an '04 4004, wit the PU spacing that would make a truss replacement |difficult (or impossible?)...

|Good luck, seems you have good good advice and help, Jack.

Yes, the help has been fantastic. Seems like a simple task now. I'll never try to adjust the rods again unless the strings are at normal tension.

jmh · Post by **jmh** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:23 pm

The strings I had on my 4003 during the adjustment are XL's 45-105. I was trying the XL's for the 1st time. Prior to those, I had 40-90 gauge strings on.
I assumed the 105 would have a deeper sound than a 90. Most of my playing is through a mixer and headphones, so I never get to test this out. Can anyone tell me if there is a noticable difference in sound between a 105 and a 90 (or 95) in general? If it's minimal, heck, I'll stick to the lesser tension strings. I don't think my bass is fond of average tension 105's.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 6:10 pm

I find 90 and 95 E strings to be too thin sounding ... 100 or 105 is good ... 110 is too heavy ... in my opinion ... also is it not easy to break a truss rod casual adjustments will not do it ... and the 4003 neck is a good design because the rods fail before the neck when you overtighten ...