Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

What makes you think that the neck stress crack isn't a past headstock repair? Just curious. That, combined with the black refinish, just makes you wonder what's hiding under there.

egosheep wrote:What makes you think that the neck stress crack isn't a past headstock repair? Just curious. That, combined with the black refinish, just makes you wonder what's hiding under there.

Well I could remove more of the finish around the cracks, and see if the two cracks meet. Maybe I'll do that. At first glance it didn't appear to be a "severed" headstock, but who knows.

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My guess is that the "stress cracks" are the result of improper truss rod adjustment. Here's what my '76 4001 looks like (happened LONG before I got it): Look familiar?

cjj wrote:
Look familiar?

Thanks for the photos.....the second photo looks identical to mine.

The truss rods on my guitar are operable, but I did notice that they got pretty tight as I straightened the neck out. I pre-bent the neck, per Ric procedure......but still, I had to apply more force to the truss rods than on my other 60s Rics. I wondered about that. I wonder how all that works, the physics of the stress / rods.....and if there is anything I can do about it. New truss rods, maybe? But the neck is perfect the way I've got it now....

How did you handle the issue with your bass?

It had been repaired before I got it, so I never had to do anything...

Oh I can get paint off and sand no problem.

Just ask Paul. He was complimenting my sanding only this week

gareth wrote:Oh I can get paint off and sand no problem.

Just ask Paul. He was complimenting my sanding only this week

You have great technique, Gareth!

jingle_jangle wrote:

gareth wrote:Oh I can get paint off and sand no problem.

Just ask Paul. He was complimenting my sanding only this week

You have great technique, Gareth!

egosheep wrote:What makes you think that the neck stress crack isn't a past headstock repair? Just curious. That, combined with the black refinish, just makes you wonder what's hiding under there.

Update: I've removed the finish from the guitar via lacquer thinner.

The stress fracture is just that, not a severed headstock. See photos.

Is there a way to mask this stress line?

My current plan is to dye the guitar with water-based dye (scarlet), then using clear-coat lacquer over the dyed finish. It would be nice to make the stress crack "disappear" prior to dyeing it.

Any thoughts on how to do that? The only thing I've thought of so far is to get some maple paint, and daub it on there, and then feather it somehow. I don't know how that might affect the uniformity of the dyed finish, though.

There is probably a better way.

Thoughts appreciated!
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Looks good!

Why water-based dye (curious)?

I think we all need to start a fundraiser to get that guitar the proper CV refin it deserves!

collin wrote:Looks good!

Why water-based dye (curious)?

I think we all need to start a fundraiser to get that guitar the proper CV refin it deserves!

The thought behind the dye is that it might really bring out the grain. I've heard that dyeing has that capacity, to really make grain "pop." Have you heard that?

CV....well, maybe. However, I don't have a spray gun. Meanwhile, lots (LOTS!) of vintage guitars used nitrocellulose lacquer.....I don't see why this one couldn't be one of them. It might look killer.

Don't you think?



Meanwhile, in order for the dye (as opposed to a solid color) to be viable, I need to figure out what to do with that stress crack. I'd really rather not have to look at it every time I pick up the guitar............

Dye also has the ability to sink in the wrong places, leaving the grain looking uneven. Also dye to the wood cannot be removed if it doesn't look right (anybody who has stripped a Gibson cherry finish with their analine dye can confirm this). That's a pretty big gamble for a guitar like that.

Paint gun or not, that guitar is worth a proper respray in factory-spec CV, or at the least, professional nitro. Just my $0.02

As for the crack, there isn't too much that I know you can do to mask it if you want a transparent finish. It is likely to get even more pronounced if you use a dye, as it will sink in the crack.

collin wrote:Dye also has the ability to sink in the wrong places, leaving the grain looking uneven. Also dye to the wood cannot be removed if it doesn't look right (anybody who has stripped a Gibson cherry finish with their analine dye can confirm this). That's a pretty big gamble for a guitar like that.

Paint gun or not, that guitar is worth a proper respray in factory-spec CV, or at the least, professional nitro. Just my $0.02

As for the crack, there isn't too much that I know you can do to mask it if you want a transparent finish. It is likely to get even more pronounced if you use a dye, as it will sink in the crack.

Good point about the irreversibility of the dye.....on the other hand, if I were to use a non-dye finish, as I see it, it would have to be a solid color, given the stress crack. So my thought is that if I don't like the look of the dye, I can simply paint over it, for example, with Jetglo.