Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

My '77 4001 has had the truss rod ends bent down until they touched the wood on the bottom of the cavity. I've tried to carefully re bend them back to a position where I could get the wrench (nut driver) on the nuts to adjust them, but I couldn't get them to budge. I don't want to risk damage & it's playable as it is, but could be better.
The treble (G) side has been tightened noticeably more than the bass (E) side, but the neck is even with no twists, the rods are not broken as far as I can tell (no rattle at all), but there is a fair bit of relief on the neck.
Any suggestions?

Kevin, detune the Bass, Use a clamp with cardboard and 2 small pieces of pine to clamp the neck and fingerboard behind the top nut, that way you won't seperate them. Now take a long narrow screw driver and push under the TR nut 1 at a time and bend them up enough to get a 1/4 inch nut driver on them. The nut driver can be bought at most all hardware stores. Back off your T Rods and now you are ready to set/adjust the neck with both rods.

Thanks Dale, I tried a little prying with a screwdriver with the clamp setup, but I didn't slack off the strings. That must be the key. I didn't pry very hard either. I have a nut driver & the driver sold by RIC, which has a thicker driver head but is longer than the hardware store driver.

Thanks again Dale, it worked like a charm.

What are the odds of breaking the truss rods when trying this method ? I have an older guitar (481) and bass (4000) which both have this problem. The necks are alright at the moment so I have left them as is, however at some point I would prefer to straighten the rods so they can be used to adjust the necks if needed.

Like Dale said, slacken off the strings & they bend fairly easily. They wouldn't move at all with tension on 'em. Replacement rods are due to be available from RIC soon I believe, but of course it's better to not have to replace them at all. Mine are pretty scuffed up on the ends so I'll most likely replace them someday anyway.

Guys-
The metal used in the rods is very susceptible to fatigue.
One the metal has lost it's tensile strength, it is very likely
that they will re-bend at the same place. You must remove the rod from the neck, cut it down @ 3/4inch (both on the passive rod and the active rod), re thread the active rod and then re-install. It is also critical that the rod fits snugly against the bottom of the channel and the fingerboard- any
slop and all the rod will do is separate and the new end will bend from over tightening the nut.
Also- try using a 5/16th 10/32 coupling nut. The larger nut will offer more bearing against the stop nut and lessen
the chance of a re-bend. If your cavity is large enough (some are) you can sometimes have success with a Fender Bullet nut(I'm not kidding!)

I think mine were bent by someone who carelessly tried to adjust the nuts. The bass wasn't properly cared for in any respect, so this fits with the profile of the miscreant. After straightening & adjustment the whole package is quite a bit better.

It's easy to cut the ends off, grind a new angle on the top part and rethread the lower with a 10/32 thread. Never a need to throw the old ones away. Send them to me if you need to and I'll rebuild and tape them for $10.00 each plus postage.

Most generous, Dale. I'll keep it in mind for whenever it's necessary. It's certainly great to know there are folks here who know the ins & outs of Rick innards.