Thoughts on the single truss rod?

[Highway Star]

Hi folks. New member here. Just ordered a new Fireglo 4003 bass, and still waiting for its arrival.

When I inquired, I was told it has the single truss rod, which I think is a good thing. Just wondering what you all think about it, compared to the dual truss rod system.

I think I got lucky with the time frame. It's a 2021 model, which I think is kinda cool because it coincides with the 90th anniversary, even though it's not labeled that way.

It also has the unfinished fretboard, which I think is a good thing for me, being used to bare rosewood & ebony boards on my Fenders, Gibsons, G&Ls, Ibanez, Jackson and Martins.

It's pre skunk stripe, which I don't have a big preference either way.

I'm also happy that it will have the switchable vintage / modern selector pot, and newer style bridge, although I realize that they aren't "new". All in all, I'm happy with the features it has, and I think it's going to be a GREAT instrument.

I'm almost sure I won't want the pickup cover, so I ordered the treble bezel and am having it sent to the dealer to install when they do the setup. It should be ready to rock when it gets here, and hopefully I won't have to do much to it for a while, other than play the heck out of it.

Also, this seems like a great forum, as I've been reading lots of the threads over the last few days. Seems like lots of friendly & knowledgeable folks here.

[ram]

welcome to THE forum and congratulations on the new bass!! One or Two rods really is unimportant to me. As long as the configuration works and does what it is supposed to do, I like it! Now this may take away some of the Rickenbacker mystique of being complicated to work on, but so be it. You didn't mention it but I think the new basses have the new Tailpiece/bridge on them... IMHO one of the best things they have done in a while. Pictures and review when it arrives. We all like bass porn here!

[Dirk]

The double rods come from the vintage Ric world originally.
A single rod will be easier to adjust as well.
Dual action rods are also much easier to deal with too.

[BMR1911]

The double rods come from the vintage Ric world originally.
A single rod will be easier to adjust as well.
Dual action rods are also much easier to deal with too.

Forgive my ignorance but dual action rods is a term I’ve only recently heard about, can you shed some light on them in comparison to dual truss rods?

[Dirk]

Sure, dual action allows you to actively adjust the neck in either direction. The metal back plate can push from the middle or the ends.
It pushes against the fingerboard.

There is also single action too.

Old classic dual rods are really just holding the neck in place, not being able to put force in both directions.

I assume the newer Ric singles are dual action, but since I haven't played anything newer than '81...

Hope that made some sense.

[Highway Star]

You didn't mention it but I think the new basses have the new Tailpiece/bridge on them... IMHO one of the best things they have done in a while. Pictures and review when it arrives. We all like bass porn here!

Hey Tom. I agree about the new bridge. I actually did mention it in the same sentence where I mentioned the push / pull pot, and it's one of the things that sold me on a new one instead of vintage. When I first read about the issues with the old bridge lifting, and difficulty of adjusting, I wasn't sure I wanted to enter that arena, but then I read about the newer bridge and felt way more confident. And the push / pull pot is a great idea, because I'm sure I would have wanted to install the capacitor just to see how I like the "vintage" tone. So it seems that RIC really did make improvements where needed, without drastically changing the instrument. I'm impressed with that.

And yes, I'll definitely post pics & review, but it's going to be over a week before I get it. Wildwood said they're having extremely cold weather in Colorado, and will not be shipping any guitars until mid next week ... which is fine with me because I don't want it sitting overnight in a cold truck, possibly shrinking and checking the finish.

Thanks to all who commented, and for the info about the truss rods. Very interesting.

I really wasn't going to buy any more instruments for a while, but now all of this reading & research on Rickenbackers has me wanting a 6 string now, probably a 360 or 330. I know it's just a matter of time.

JT

[ram]

Josh, yes you did... I musta not had enough coffee in me before reading/typing that morning. I think that not shipping during bad weather is a good policy. Allowing it to come up to temp slowly would probably take care of any problems but why risk it? you'd still have to wait a day or so either way. I really think you are going to like this bass!

[Korladis]

I'm more a fan of the old rods. Not necessarily because there were two of them, but because they could be slid out and replaced if necessary. I also prefer the finished fretboard.

[morrow]

I have a couple of basses with the old style rods and find they’re incredibly stable . I’ve only had to adjust my 4001 twice . The first time was about twenty five years ago , the second was last year .
I like them !

[Highway Star]

Hey folks. Thanks again for the info. I got the new RIC 4003, and got the pics and review, as promised. Turns out it DOES have the dual truss rods after all, and I think I'm glad, after hearing about how stable people seem to think they are, and replaceable, as mentioned above. It currently has a small amount of relief in the neck like I asked for and the action is just right - the neck feels perfect to me.

Anyway, I love the instrument at this point. Love the unfinished fingerboard, love the grain & figuring in the Chechen, and how dark it is. Really love the shark fins, as I have them on one other guitar, a vintage Jackson Strat. The bass sounds great, sustains & resonates very well, and I'm glad I went for the lightest in weight that I could get. The bridge seems built like a tank. Love the finish, binding, and slim body.

I'm mostly a guitar player who experiments with the bass. I could barely put it down all weekend. Bit of a sore wrist. Working on some of my old fav prog rock tunes. My other bass in the pic is a 1978 Kramer DMZ-6000 (I think that's the model #) - it is also respectable in every way.

I'm sold on the Rick. It's inspiring me in new ways.





Chechen, or Caribbean Rosewood, or Black Poison Wood. It's it's raw form, the sap can cause a skin rash, worse than poison Ivy & poison oak.

[jps]

Turns out it DOES have the dual truss rods after all, and I think I'm glad, after hearing about how stable people seem to think they are...

The old hairpin style rods are the ones that are generally the real stable ones. The ones you have will/may need seasonal adjusting, IME.

My other bass in the pic is a 1978 Kramer DMZ-6000 (I think that's the model #) - it is also respectable in every way.

Here is the Kramer I had for a while about ten years ago, a 350B from the first quarter the company was in business, so possibly it was from the first batch of these made.

[Highway Star]

Nice Kramer.

[thx1955]

Welcome to the Forum, very nice Fireglo

[morrow]

Beauty ! And welcome !

[kiwi]

Hi all,

I've posted my thoughts on the single truss rod here:
viewtopic.php?p=878853#p878853

Cheers,
Karsten