Can a 4001 neck be too far gone to fix??

[rickaddict]

I've worked on a lot of stuff over the years. Usually when I want to adjust something, I find out how the thing works before I start cranking down nuts like a gorilla. But that's just me.

Having said that, I do prefer the new truss rods to the old ones. My experience with both is that the new ones are easier to adjust, more effective, and do a better job of countering the higher tension strings that I prefer.

Some people say that the old rods hold a 4001 neck more stable over time; that their old 4001 doesn't go out of tune as easily or as quickly as their newer 4003. I've had the same experience, but tuning my new truss rod Ricks a little more often doesn't really bother me. And I wonder if that difference is actually because of the different tuners. The new Schaller tuners are awesome. Smooth as butter. But could those smooth Schaller tuners possibly slip a little more than the old Klusons after a while?

I'm lucky that I bought my first 4001 (a 1980) from an authorized Rick dealer. It had a little bit of a fret buzz, so I brought it back to the dealer after a few weeks. One of the shop owners/managers adjusted the rods, and it's been straight for around 30 years now. What a great bass. And I remember when I went to pick it up, he told me: "It's a good thing you weren't here to watch me adjust it. You would have been afraid! Rick truss rods don't work like other basses. It's kinda funky how they work...You have to loosen the rods, then bend the neck back against your knee, and then re-tighten the rods."

[aceonbass]

I can't think of which builder , but the other builder uses a truss rod that's fixed at BOTH ends, which makes a big difference in how well it functions. Has anyone seen Squire's bass lately? While not a booby trap, it was not a great design. If every bass a manufaturer builds can't be used with any brand of strings available, then there's something wrong. RIC fixed the problem ages ago, but there are plenty of casualties out there directly attributable to the old design. You can't blame it all on bad techs and RotoSound strings.