Does Rickenbacker supply wrenches to adjust your neck?

[jimk]

Oh man, I hate to break it to you...but....

I went to the local hardware store and just bought a standard socket wrench, filed down the exterior corners until it fit into the cavity.
JimK

[armybass]

That is what I think I am gonna have to do to. I think I will be pricing a cheap bench grinder tomorrow and see if I can do it that way if I cant find a neighbor with one.

[armybass]

OK, my blood pressure has returned to normal....thanks to all who participated in my therapy

[ilan]

I use these, $6.50 from Allparts and they have a phillips-head screwdriver. I keep one in each Ric case for quick adjustments.

http://www.allparts.com/1-4-inch-Box-Wr ... 15-000.htm

[cheyenne]

I've used one of these for years. No problems whatsoever.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/TR1

[Grey]

So is there a real reason why these arn't included? I think the cost is irrelevent when you're dealing with such an expensive instrument.

[chefothefuture]

The Stew-Mac nut driver has a slightly narrower side wall than the NW-1 from Rick.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... nches.html

But it looks like the 1/4" one is out of stock...

A 1/4" open end wrench will work as well, you may have to grind the sides off slightly.

[ken_j]

I had also used a ground-down 1/4" box end ignition wrench for years but no longer do nor will I reccomend it. The reason for this was JH's comment years ago saying that many people have applied too much force with the leverage of these type wrenches that have resulted in broken truss rods. I have worked with fasteners (for engineering) for many years and have a feel for torque applied. Using the nut driver helps prvent bending the rod.

[cassius987]

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned this: http://www.pickofthericks.com/1-4-truss-rod-tool/ EDIT: Ilan and Scott's links seem to be the same thing, but I'm still surprised no one knew POTR was selling this.

Chris Clayton is selling these by Dunlop, specifically advertised as having thin walls so it's an easy fit in the truss rod cavity.

My luthier does use standard monkey/ignition wrenches to adjust the truss rods sometimes. I had to do the same to my 4001FL once because of the Excelite driver being too thick-walled, as well. So I think there are a lot of choices. If RIC supplied them I'd think the Dunlop tool linked above would probably be ideal for most. The Excelite driver is a lot more heavy-duty than most people will ever need, although I do understand the comments about controlling torque better.

[Kopfjaeger]

Scott and all,

My offer still stands to grind down the thickness of your truss rod tools. The Xcelite sp? one is very thick walled for a 1/4 in "nut driver". Mine fit none of my basses and needed a radical tapered grind to fit. I know if I put some torque on it I'd split it but since you don't put a lot of torque on the truss rods it will most likely last.

Just send it to me and I'll send it back. I just need to know how much I need to grind.

Sepp

[armybass]

Joe, I really do not know how to give you a good answer to that. I honestly do not think I could fit an A string of of my bass between the truss rod end and the wood. I imagine from what you say that it is probably a lot like yours. I am going to stop by Home Depot on my way home and see if there might be any tool I can purchase that may fit. If I can't I will send it to you. If you want to PM me your address I would appriciate it. Thanks again....!

[johnhall]

The cost of the wrench is fairly irrelevant but as I've said before, 99.99% of our customers never use them.

And then there's the question of whether everyone should attempt adjustment of their instrument. Maybe grinding down the wrench could be looked at as a test of one's agility and tool skills . . . a qualification test of sorts!

Anyway, our wrenches are supposed to fit all modern instruments but perhaps there's been some coating buildup in this area more recently. We'll recheck that area for proper fit. But grinding down the wrench has always been the solution for older instruments (for which, at the time they were made, there was a thinner walled yellow-handled tool available).

I will also say again that use of any T or L handle wrench is strongly discouraged and should only be used when the proper tool isn't available and with great care. It's just too easy to apply too much tension with those.

[Kopfjaeger]

Mr Hall & all,

I agree with you in that I'm not sure that every one should be taking tool to their basses since there is so much that can go wrong. On the topic of why doesn't RIC provide truss rod tools, I'm sure Fender does not issue screwdrivers to adjust their truss rods. Since Fender is the only other bass I'd owned In the past, I needed to either notch the pickguard at the truss rod end or removed the pickguard to get to the truss rod slot, so I suppose Fender would have had to issue a Phillips as well as a straight screw driver and a small half round file!

When you buy a new car, it does not come with tools to fix it. Also, if you own a Ferrari, most of the tools that can be used on your Chevy will not work on the Ferrari. There are a few "specialty tools" needed.

I'd caution anyone without a secure knowledge of how the mechanics of your instrument works to think twice or do a ton of research before putting any tool on it.

Conversely, my 4004 TVY Cii needs frequent tweaking. It is the most weather sensitive instrument I have ever owned. I like my action low and the numerous swings in weather we have had here on the eastcoast in the past 5 months have caused me to make minor truss rod adjustments in order to keep the relief consistent on the bass. Not so much with my other Rickenbackers, well not to the extent this one needs. If I had to bring it to a guitar tech every time it needed to be tweaked, I probably could not afford to own it. I can't wait for the consistently hot weather to arrive so I can activate my central A/C and get a consistent humidity and temperature level for it.

Respectfully submitted,

Sepp

[armybass]

Maybe grinding down the wrench could be looked at as a test of one's agility and tool skills . . . a qualification test of sorts!

[sloop_john_b]

Sepp, does that Cii have a flamey neck? My Stingray has a really flamey neck and I have to adjust it all the time.