Greetings!
I have just joined this board.
I bought my first Ric last week. It is a 2002 maple glow 4003. Perfect condition. I have been playing bass for 33 years and I guess about time I got a Ric - true?
Anyway - the neck has a bit more forward bow than I would like - and the G string side a bit more than the E string. I heard that adjusting these basses can be very - er - fragile. So I am asking advice on how to do. I normally adjust all my basses including my Alembics which have dual truss rods. But I wanted to be sure before I started with the Ric.
Thanx,
- Ziggy -
Truss Rod Adjustments to 4003
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Truss Rod Adjustments to 4003
I gig - so therefore I am.
Not really. The modern rods (after 8-84) are pretty easy to adjust if you have the right tool. You will need a 1/4" nut driver with a long shaft. RIC sells a tool for about $16. Whatever tool you use, just be sure to do the rods up evenly. A good way to start with a bass that is new to you is to even them up first. Loosen the strings then loosen both adjusting nuts. Check their condition. They should not be chewed up or mashed and the threads on the rods should be clean. Spin the nuts back on finger-tight then go about 1/2 turn past that point. Retune and check your relief. The neck will most likely need more adjustment. Turn both nuts about 1/8 turn and retune. Check the relief. Repeat the process until you get the desired relief. The only time the rods should be imbalanced is if the neck has a twist. Otherwise, they should be very close to the same tension.
You should be able to get it totally flat. Once there, then look at the height of the strings at the first fret and file the nut slots if you want them lower. After the neck is straight and the nut is how you like it, then adjust the bridge height. Lastly intonate, but if they are a bit off, the height of that string could move on you also. Loosen the string a bit to adjust the bridge position when intonating and you won't strip the head of the adjusting screw.
Ricks are capable of straight necks and low action.
Ricks are capable of straight necks and low action.
Well guys – I gave it a try last night. See if I could get the neck straighter.
The current condition was that there was a little too much forward bow on the neck – perhaps a bit more on the G string than the E string. Opened up the access area and surveyed the rods. I will try to describe this the best I can. The G string rod had the nut turned in enough that the center post was not showing through it – there was maybe a little less than an 1/8 of an inch before the nut would be turned enough so the center post would be flush with the top of the nut. The one for the E string the nut was turned in enough that the center post was exposed by almost and 1/8 of inch.
I took off the string tension and turned each one about an 1/8 of a turn. Not sure how “Tight” the Ric nuts are to turn but this felt tighter than my Alembics. Put the string tension back on. The G string side reacted quite nicely and popped into a good shape – just a hint of forward bow. But it seemed like there was little or no change in the E string side. I took the tension off and turned that nut another 1/8 turn tighter and retuned the string tension. It still had too much forward bow – not a huge change if any. At this point I decided to put the bass away and wait a day before doing anything else.
History of the bass is that it is a 2002 that was never really played that much. I am the third owner (the second got it but now only plays 5 string). The bass was probably stored for a long time with tension on the strings. The strings are most likely Ken Smith Medium light 45 through 100. I don’t know if these are considered “High or Low” tension strings.
The bass is playable – just not optimum. I will probably play a set on the bass this weekend – with the odd hope that the constant vibrations of the strings being played somehow jiggle the thing into shape. OK – so I am an optimist.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Does it sound like the E string nut is already turned in too far?
The current condition was that there was a little too much forward bow on the neck – perhaps a bit more on the G string than the E string. Opened up the access area and surveyed the rods. I will try to describe this the best I can. The G string rod had the nut turned in enough that the center post was not showing through it – there was maybe a little less than an 1/8 of an inch before the nut would be turned enough so the center post would be flush with the top of the nut. The one for the E string the nut was turned in enough that the center post was exposed by almost and 1/8 of inch.
I took off the string tension and turned each one about an 1/8 of a turn. Not sure how “Tight” the Ric nuts are to turn but this felt tighter than my Alembics. Put the string tension back on. The G string side reacted quite nicely and popped into a good shape – just a hint of forward bow. But it seemed like there was little or no change in the E string side. I took the tension off and turned that nut another 1/8 turn tighter and retuned the string tension. It still had too much forward bow – not a huge change if any. At this point I decided to put the bass away and wait a day before doing anything else.
History of the bass is that it is a 2002 that was never really played that much. I am the third owner (the second got it but now only plays 5 string). The bass was probably stored for a long time with tension on the strings. The strings are most likely Ken Smith Medium light 45 through 100. I don’t know if these are considered “High or Low” tension strings.
The bass is playable – just not optimum. I will probably play a set on the bass this weekend – with the odd hope that the constant vibrations of the strings being played somehow jiggle the thing into shape. OK – so I am an optimist.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Does it sound like the E string nut is already turned in too far?
I gig - so therefore I am.
Ziggy,
I had a similiar problem with my '02 4003. The problem was that the E string side truss was creeping up into the neck, not holding at the bottom side, and the wood was splitting there. You should remove the pick guard and see if that's happening to yours. I wasn't aware of the problem on mine, and eventually reached the end of the threads on that truss rod and cracked the head off while trying to straighten the neck. Hope this helps.
I had a similiar problem with my '02 4003. The problem was that the E string side truss was creeping up into the neck, not holding at the bottom side, and the wood was splitting there. You should remove the pick guard and see if that's happening to yours. I wasn't aware of the problem on mine, and eventually reached the end of the threads on that truss rod and cracked the head off while trying to straighten the neck. Hope this helps.
If it ain't broke, break it, then fix it.
Ted indeed fixed my bass quite nicely. I only played it for a few mins before packing it back up to go out for a refin, but it seemed like night and day in playability and sound. In far better shape than when I first got her in mint condition 2 years or so ago actually. I'm expecting the bass home this Friday, and cannot wait to give it a good test run and welcome home party. 
If it ain't broke, break it, then fix it.