Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

when you are not depressing a string how high should the string be off the neck?

have you ever noticed a hollow sound in the back of the neck on any of your ric`s....a sound like the truss rods are loose? "if you lightly tap the neck with your knuckle"

Christopher, you ask how high the action on your bass should be. Do you mean at the body end of the neck?

To answer your second question, YES, I once had a 1981 4003 with that very problem. I simply checked the truss rods - one of them was not sufficiently tightened and tended to move sideways in its channel. Before tightening it I pulled it out and reinserted it together with a shim (a piece of thin cardboard the length of the rod). That took care of the problem.

Sergio,

thanks for the reply.

as far as the action i meant the height from the fret board.

as for the truss rod, is this a defect i should contact rickenbacker about or is it a semi common thing?

as far as removing the truss rod,is all i have to do is loosen the nut and pull the rod out?

Yes, I know you meant the distance from the fretboard (or from the fret tops) to the strings. What I meant was, where on the fretboard? At the 12th fret? At the last fret? ('Body end of the neck'). I always keep the action very low - about 2 to 3 mm from the E string to the top of the last fret. It's a matter of personal taste, though, and the bridge saddles are to be adjusted accordingly.

As for truss rod rattle, I believe this is a semi common issue quite easy to deal with - no need to contact RIC.

Yes, to remove the 'offending' truss rod loosen the respective nut and simply pull out the rod from the headstock.

Let us know how it goes.

Christopher, I've just read your post in 'Ask A Rickenbacker Luthier'. Since you have a 2001 4003 I don't think my advice on removing the truss rods is of any use to you. I'm not familiar with the current truss rod system on 4003 basses, so I don't know if you can remove the truss rods as I suggested to you. You'll have to ask someone 'in the know' on this one. Sorry.

sergio,


i have never been one who was confident enough to make adjustments on my bass`s especially my ric.

any stores that i inquired at for a tune up didnt give me a feeling of confidence in their ability either.

i met a guy in a hole in the wall store about a month ago and he himself owns a 4001.his name is earl BTW.....a name a nyc boy like me is not apt to trust....lol

today i took a chance and brought my baby to him.


.....there was absolutely no tension on those rods.he turned the rods, which were very loose to his surprise and got about 3-4 threads up through the adjustment nut.

this guy not only let me watch he insisted i watch and he taught me a few things.

he asked about my playing style and we went from there


i thought my bass sounded great before but goddamn.....this thing rocks now......my action is so low its scarry


the best part of it all.........he charged me 5 bucks!

5 bucks.......everyone else wanted 25-30 and leave it for a week


thanks again for the reply sergio

Chris,

Good deal! I'm happy for you!

Sounds like Earl is alright! My wife bought her guitar (in the 70's, a Guild acoustic single cutaway) from the owner of a reputable guitar store named Earl in suburban Detroit! She wanted a Martin, but heard a distinctive "chime" when Earl bumped the Guild while taking down the Martin. She left with the Guild.

Of course, there's always Dan "Erle"wine, a well known expert luthier!

Anyway, I digress. I'm glad you now have a "buttery" RIC!

Hey it's deja vu all over again! I'm glad there was nothing wrong with your Ric, Chris. Man, you are gonna have so much fun now!

(See ya back at HC.)

You are welcome, Christopher. Sorry I couldn't be of much help. Anyway, I'm glad you found someone competent enough to put your 4003 in playing condition. Let it rip!

Sergio,

sometimes just repling to someone is more than enough help

thanks John.....funny story......thats almost how i came to buy my ric. my brother in law asked me to come with him for a look at a martin he wanted to buy and there on the wall was an old ric.......it had been some time since i had played and had always wanted a ric.

i went home all jazzed up and thought about it and went back to order a brand new one......the 3 month wait was well worth it.

brad, the funny thing is i have been having fun with it ..i guess ignorence IS bliss.....lol