Truss Rod Replacement

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 4:31 pm

I have a 4001 dated 8/76, originally bought by me in '76 in Tobacco Sunburst. The truss rods have pushed the nuts into the neck.

I have read several threads here and I think the best thing to do is replace the truss rods with the new style.

Has anyone attempted this?

jps · Post by **jps** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 5:55 pm

Welcome to the forum!

You can't do that. Search the forum for info on refurbishing these rods. It really is not that hard to do and you will gain a new respect for their design. My two basses with this older design hold their position, period. I occasionally have to tweek the newer style rods.

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 3:25 am

Thank you Jefferey.

The truss rod nuts were bent into the neck from the day I got the bass. I have taken it to every reputable repairman in NYC and no one would touch it. I contacted RIC but never received a response. Then, I stumbled onto this forum. There is a wealth of information that gives me hope!

The neck, while playable, is not perfect like other Ric's I have played. I have read many postings here and feel confident that I can repair the truss rods. I thought replacing them with a better design would be a better solution.

This forum is great. Keep up the good work.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 6:12 am

The old design truss rods are easy to repair. Pull them out, cut 1" off both ends, re-thread the threaded ends, insert the rods back into the neck and adjust properly (hold the neck where you want it to be and then "lock" it to that position with the truss rods).

I've done it with advice and guidance from forum members here, including John Hall, and it works.

You can even do it twice - John Hall says that as much as 2" can be cut off the rods and they will still work.

To better understand how the old style rods work, I found this very useful:

http://www.tseint.com/4001project/

If you don't want to repair it yourself, I've also heard that these guys make replacement old-style rods for Ric basses (expansion rods):

http://www.randywoodguitars.com/

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:01 am

Thanks Ilan... I have to say again how great this forum is.

This bass was my first "real" bass after my Sam Ash Carlo Robelli EBO copy fell and popped the headstock. I have had it for 29 years and it helped me pay the bills in college.

I have been despondent for years as I took the bass from repair shop to repair shop and have techs say "no way man!".

After reading the posts here, it is obvious what the problem is and that it is not terminal. I am fairly handy and the 4001 project page is very informative. I will be attempting the repair shortly and will post the results.

My questions are ... when trimming the rod, should the top and bottom be equal before cutting the new threads on the bottom?

Also, should the end of the top bar be cut flat or beveled so that it makes contact with the block on its bottom side?

I'll post pictures of this rare bird when I get some good shots out of digital camera.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:02 am

"... when trimming the rod, should the top and bottom be equal before cutting the new threads on the bottom?"

No, the bottom half (the one with the threaded end) is longer. Just cut equal lengths off each half.

"Also, should the end of the top bar be cut flat or beveled so that it makes contact with the block on its bottom side?"

It's very important that it's beveled, just like in the drawing in the link from my previous post. If it isn't beveled, the upper half will slip upwards, and the threaded part will bend down again.

s4001 · Post by **s4001** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 12:31 pm

Excellent thread. Ummm, no pun intended.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:35 pm

Here's my white Ric after I pulled the truss rods out.

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:39 am

I am confident I can pull this off.

The tricky part will be clamping the neck near the nut with enough pressure so I can bend the lower truss rid at the nuts enough to get a tool onto the nuts to loosen them.

btw... that bass looks great in white. When I bought mine, they brought out a blue one. I freaked! Now I wish I had taken that one.

What is the proper name for the tobacco burst? I think it is the same as on the Creedence alblum cover (Cosmo's Factory?).

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 6:43 am

If you make a new block out of aluminum or brass that is thicker that the original, it will all but eliminate the tendency of the rods to "curl" when the nuts are tightened. I've made new blocks for all three of my 4001's.

Like this (on Christopher Deppe's page)-

http://www.tseint.com/4001project/images/finishedbar2.jpg

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 7:19 am

If you REALLY want to improve that bar, chamfer the holes about halfway through the material at the same diameter as the point to point distance of the nut. You can even turn down a bit of the nut to fit a matching chamfer. This keeps the nut from bending the rod.

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 7:52 am

Autumn glo.

There is one for sale on ebay with a replaced pick guard.

bassballs · Post by **bassballs** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 7:57 am

John... what tools did you use to create the brass block?

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 8:33 am

Rob, would you be willing to sell me a block like that??

I have a '76 with the same problem.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Thu Oct 06, 2005 9:27 am

Me? The few I've made I did on an upright mill but it seems like one could do this almost as easily with a file and a hand drill. This is not a high precision component.

I've only used aluminum, by the way, but see no particular problem with brass.