Setup tips on older Rick guitars

[chucksimms]

I'm almost embarassed to admit it, but I've never done a trussrod adjustment on any Rick I've ever owned (or any guitar or bass). I'm looking for a few helpful tips here for setups. First, I love REALLY low action, but I get dead notes on my '66 365 and '68 335 if I lower it to where I want it, both on or around the 11th fret for the 1st and 2nd strings. Is this an issue that a trussrod adjustment would address? Are there any tips that the pros have for strings, setup, etc.? I love these guitars and they're still great players but I'd love to have sustain AND low action. Thanks!

[jingle_jangle]

That dead spot has a good chance of benefiting from a truss rod adjustment.

How do you tell? Take a nice metal straight edge, lay it on the frets between the G and D strings. Sight from the side, and if you see light in the center, or if it rocks from a high center to the nut and/or body end, the neck is not flat.

If you've got that dead zone thing going on that you describe, chances are that your rods need tightening, but only a bit. I'd give them each a 1/4 turn (be sure to follow proper procedure, depending upon the vintage of your Rick!) and let 'em settle for a day or two, then check for flat again. Once flat, set up your action and you should be OK.

If, after adjusitng the rods, you still have this issue, you may have a slight neck hump (it doesn't take much with low action), which is uncommon, but can be corrected with a minor fret leveling. But, make sure your diagnosis is spot-on before doing anything beyond adjustment.

[headbanger]

Paul,
On this subject perhaps you can clarify this for me...

Ricks, (or older Ricks at least) are built with/for a straight neck - i.e. for little or no relief -

So with the strings off and the trussrods loosened the neck ideally should be dead straight? Yes?

AND, therefore, when the strings are on and the trussrods correctly adjusted it should look exactly as above also?

I've taken the rods out of the 64 RM and it was as straight as an arrow with no tension.

Should there be a small forward bow once load is on it?

[jingle_jangle]

Paul,
On this subject perhaps you can clarify this for me...

Ricks, (or older Ricks at least) are built with/for a straight neck - i.e. for little or no relief -

So with the strings off and the trussrods loosened the neck ideally should be dead straight? Yes?

AND, therefore, when the strings are on and the trussrods correctly adjusted it should look exactly as above also?

I've taken the rods out of the 64 RM and it was as straight as an arrow with no tension.

Should there be a small forward bow once load is on it?

Theoretically, the neck should be dead straight, once tension is off from strings and rods, and the neck has been allowed to settle or "normalize" for several days at least. Sometimes the neck will immediately return to straight upon release of tension, but if it doesn't (in the case of older Ricks), let it rest, preferably in the case.

That forward bow (termed "relief") is more a player preference than a factory specification. The bow can be adjusted out in most cases by tightening the truss rods slightly until it's gone. Don't forget to let the bass or guitar rest a day or two between tightenings. With Ricks, you'll likely see an immediate result when tightening/loosening the rods, but the configuration won't be the final one until the neck is allowed to take a final set, and this takes time.

[chucksimms]

That dead spot has a good chance of benefiting from a truss rod adjustment.

How do you tell? Take a nice metal straight edge, lay it on the frets between the G and D strings. Sight from the side, and if you see light in the center, or if it rocks from a high center to the nut and/or body end, the neck is not flat.

If you've got that dead zone thing going on that you describe, chances are that your rods need tightening, but only a bit. I'd give them each a 1/4 turn (be sure to follow proper procedure, depending upon the vintage of your Rick!) and let 'em settle for a day or two, then check for flat again. Once flat, set up your action and you should be OK.

If, after adjusitng the rods, you still have this issue, you may have a slight neck hump (it doesn't take much with low action), which is uncommon, but can be corrected with a minor fret leveling. But, make sure your diagnosis is spot-on before doing anything beyond adjustment.

OK, I'm going to give this a try tomorrow. As I've NEVER done this before, can you indicate what constitutes 'proper procedure' on a '66 Rick? I'm assuming it necessitates removing the strings for this operation? Go gentle and use a wrench that fits? And if the dead spot seems to be on one side I should still TIGHTEN both rods a 1/4 turn? Again, thanks for the advice!

[antipodean]

Chuck,

Remember that on an older Rick, you will need secure the body and manually (and as gently as possible) move the neck "backwards" prior to tightening the truss rod nuts (noting that you should hold the neck in the new position as you tighten the nuts). From memory you should have the guitar tuned to pitch. Tightening the rods without doing this is ineffective in terms of achieving changes in relief and over time can result in stress cracks or even popping the fingerboard off the neck.

[jingle_jangle]

Evan's got it, Chuck...I place the guitar or bass face-up on a towel on a table-top and have a friend hold it down flat firml.

I use one hand to push the neck down, while tightening the nuts with the other hand and a nut-driver. Don't use a ratchet wrench or breaker bar--they are insensitive to "feel" in this situation, and you don't want to break the truss rod! Tighten about 1/4-turn at a time, wait a day, check flatness, repeat if necessary.