Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a '76 4001 that I can't adjust because the truss rod nuts are bent back against the inside of the neck. I recall an old thread that indicated that the proper way to resolve this included the removal and reshaping of the rods. This is way out of my league. I would love Mark to handle this, but I live in NJ. Do you have suggestions on a local RIC pro or a way to contact Mark directly. What should the cost range be?
Thanks,
BobT

I use a wrench that I have ground down ...it is thinner and the sides are cut away to allow the wrench to get into this tight area .

After removing the nuts ... I replace the stock aluminum bar with a thicker piece .

I remove the rods and 'chase' the threads .This cleans them up .Some times the rods must be cut /shortened and rethreaded .This of course depends on the condition of the threads.

The person that did this , did not understand the old Rick rod system.They ASSUMED it was industry standard like the Fender rod system .

It works .... but it is a system that is NOT user friendly (sorry to use that phrase , I hate it.)

The cost to fix this depends on what else this person may have done .

As it is of an era where the 'quirks' are well know , there are several things to look for .
I wouild aslo check to see if the fretboard is loose at the nut area.This is EXTREMELY common to Ricks .

I will gues that to set up , tweel everything , would run somewhere from $75 to $250 .It depends on what all needs to be done .

There is also the saddle assembly to deal with , and can it be intonated with current standard strings or just old Rick strings that are no longer available ?

What are the frets like ? worn ?

lots of questions

This was supposed to say ,

"I will guess -that to set up ,tweek everything ,that would run from $75 to $250 ."

The frets have minimal wear and the fretboard does not appear to be separating from the neck. The only things that I can complain about are that the nut was cut with a v shaped file prior to me purchasing it, the rods are bent, and it has a very nasty scratch on the top.
I think that the intonation was adjusted when I put Pyramids on it. At that time, I had brought it to a person that alegedy "knows RICs" and he widened the slots in the nut, adjusted the intonation and did not feel comfortable with adjusting the rods anymore than they were. I think that that could be where the bending occured. It is playable, but I would like it to be done right,so here I am.

The slots in the nuts were cut using a saw to center the spacing and then a 'half round' file was used to shape the slots .

It worked okay and was fairly fast to do .


Look at the route at the bridge , I'll bet there is 3/32 of wood that the front edge of it covers .This is typical of the 1970's and this is one that needs to be moved away from the neck .

There are a few tricks that can be done to these older instruments to make them great .

"I am here" also .

Mark,
Thanks for saving my RIC. Sending it to you was one of my better decisions. All of the symptoms that you questioned were present. The neck is straighter than it ever was and the bridge modification looks as if it came from the factory that way, except that it's intonated better than ever and my Pyramid strings don't max out the adjustments.

I don't want to sound like an info-mercial but sending your RIC to someone that knows what they are doing makes all the difference in the world. Anyone else out there, like me, that doesn't feel too comfortable in pulling out truss rods themselves should consider giving Mark a call.

Thank you Bob , I wish the facial lacerations could have been fixed . Glad you like the bridge mods . I have been doing these for over 20 years . It works very well and looks totally stock .

Have you removed the bridge to see all the filled holes that you had under the tailpiece? and to see the inserts?

Thank you Bob , I wish the facial lacerations could have been fixed . Glad you like the bridge mods . I have been doing these for over 20 years . It works very well and looks totally stock .

Have you removed the bridge to see all the filled holes that you had under the tailpiece? and to see the inserts?

I'd love to know the story behind the scars. Someday I may send it back to you for a refinish, but for now the main goal was to have it playing well. That it does!
I haven't had the guts to remove the bridge to see the work that was done. It is nice that there is no trace of the modifications from the outside.
From the picture that you sent, before the work was complete, it looks like someone got a new drill and felt that under the bridge was a good place to test it out.
Enjoy the new grandkids.