Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Great job on the video, Ross. Two things I would suggest though: first, when using a tool under the rods to bend the nuts up I would use a clamp between the nut and the first fret to avoid that action potentially popping the fingerboard off the neck. The scond, it is RickenBACKer, not RickenBOCKer.

thanks, that's a good point. I will annotate the video to reflect the wisdom of clamping there. although, I have to wonder...Since you're bending the ends upward, you are actually flexing the rod downward and flattening it if anything, and therefore it doesn't seem too likely that you were going to bow things upward in a way that would pop the board loose. it seems like the fulcrum is the bearing plate. Still, probably better safe than sorry.

as far as the pronunciation, I guess I learn something new everyday! I've always heard it pronounced Bock, but that doesn't make it accurate. I don't suppose this is like the lilac lie-lock argument my wife and I were having recently right?

It's Lilac.

As to the force on the neck, when bending up on the nuts like that you are basically prying up the rods against the bottom of the fingerboard. Yes, the spacer block acts as a fulcrum but since that block is floating freely (not screwed/glued down) it will also get pried up.

Aha!

Where I grew up (upstate NY) its Li-lock. And, each year there is a Li-lock festival.

And, not unlike the great WWI ace Eddie 'Ricken-bocker' (his own and correct pronunciation), those in Upstate pronounce it the same.

Recall originally it was spelled 'bach' and then Americanized during WWII. Even the RIC employee on that factory tour vid from several years ago pronounces 'Rickenbacher'. I'm surprised JH didn't have that edited. RIC prefers the americanized pronunciation.

Oh, and one should make sure there is a washer between the adjusting nuts and thrust/bearing plate. Many times they are absent.

Being also an aviation enthusiast, I've always heard Eddie's name pronounced with the "back" not "bock." Certainly, as the family came from Switzerland, the Germanic "bock" would have been the "proper" pronunciation, but, as widely reported, many American families of German heritage made an effort to play down their ethnicity in the early 20th Century by changing the spelling and softening the pronunciation of their surnames, RickenBACKer included. Adolf and Eddie were cousins coming out of the Columbus Ohio area. Eddie used the Rickenbacker spelling by WWI where he was the top-scoring American fighter ace. He was also a race-car driver and ended up fronting Eastern Airlines. Adolf changed the spelling of the name from h to k around WWII time. John Hall has always stressed the "back" pronunciation probably because that's the way Adolf wanted it.

John Hall informs me that the family name in Switzerland was originally "Riggenbaugh." So now, let's see how many ways we can (mis)pronounce THAT!

I'll just wimp out and call them Ric's.....

Wow, we've gotten way off the original topic.

I'll side with Walter Cronkite....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyeXPtA101U

I have a good friend who is retired Delta, and his dad was one of the original Eastern pilot's in the 30's, Charles Clements, Sr. His son Charlie (we used to fly WWII airplanes together) as kid, remembers having Doolittle, Rickenbacker, Jimmy Stewart, etc over at his house on numerous occasions throughout the years for parties, etc. They were his dad's friends. Captain Eddie used the Germanic pronunciation.

OK, interesting!

I do know that it is definitely "To-MATE-to" not To-mat-to"...

bassduke49 wrote:Being also an aviation enthusiast, I've always heard Eddie's name pronounced with the "back" not "bock." Certainly, as the family came from Switzerland, the Germanic "bock" would have been the "proper" pronunciation, but, as widely reported, many American families of German heritage made an effort to play down their ethnicity in the early 20th Century by changing the spelling and softening the pronunciation of their surnames, RickenBACKer included. Adolf and Eddie were cousins coming out of the Columbus Ohio area. Eddie used the Rickenbacker spelling by WWI where he was the top-scoring American fighter ace. He was also a race-car driver and ended up fronting Eastern Airlines. Adolf changed the spelling of the name from h to k around WWII time. John Hall has always stressed the "back" pronunciation probably because that's the way Adolf wanted it.

And the first name to Adolph.

Oops, yeah. Actually, I have it both ways in my book. I overlooked something there.

For those instruments that are more challenging for sneaking an adjustment tool between the headstock and nut this tool from POTR (GP140) is thinner walled, than say the Xcelite L8 (97002).

I works nicely, and its short arm limits the torque one can apply. I prefer it over the L8.

http://www.pickofthericks.com/1-4-truss-rod-tool/

bassduke49 wrote:Oops, yeah. Actually, I have it both ways in my book. I overlooked something there.

No worries . . . although Roger's last name is spelled "Rossmiesl" in the JH interview starting on page 9.

Ha! And I have it "ei" on page 7. Somebody hire another editor around here, fer krisakes!