Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

How do the truss rods in the RIC basses actually work? By that I mean that at first glance the action of the truss rods is counter-intuitive. Given their position with respect to the neck and the fret board, they look like they should increase relief when tightened. So, what makes them bend the head stock back when tightened?

The same way most other truss rods work. The rods lie in a channel that curved (front to back). This channel is shallow at the ends and deepest at frets 6,7, and 8. Then there are narrow strips of wood glued into the channels that fill the space over the rods (between the rods and the fingerboard). These strips are curved to approximate the curve of the channel. Where the the channel is deep the filler (or sometimes called packing) is thicker. When the rods are tightened they press against the filler and lever the neck back away from the strings. This only applies to the new rod system (9-84 and later). The old rods were completely different.

Thanks for the enlightenment. So the trick is in the curvature in the rod channel. As I understand it tightening the rods will then lever the center of the fingerboard toward the strings. I guess it's a manufacturing necessity so that the fingerboard can be made straight under no tension and the rods are required to counterbalance various string tensions.

Necks are usually more or less straight without strings or rod tension. Some builders like to build in a little back bow. A few of my Ricks don't need any rod tension in the summer months. They have a little natural back bow.

Ted, If you wouldn't mind, could you explain re-bending the older rod system?

I read about gently re-bending the rods...What is the process? Are they bent down toward the bottom/back of the neck? If both tips of the rod are on a flat surface, how high should the center of the curved rod be from the surface?

I'm asking because I recently serviced the rods on my 4005 and I was hoping to get out the bow from the 1st to the 5th frets. The bow is improved, but still not perfectly straight...any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...dm

I am told (by JH) that the rods bend back as the result of bad trussing technique. The best way to fix the problem (that I have found) is as follows:

1) Remove the strings.

2) Clamp the fingerboard close to the nut. This will keep the board from popping off in the next step.I use a bar clamp for this but any clamp will work. Be sure to use wooden pads of the clamp does not have plastic jaws.

3) If you can loosen the rods, do it now. If not, carefully pry under the adjusting nuts with a flat screwdriver and bend the rod ends up enough to slip the wrench over the nuts. It may take a while - be patient. Sometimes it helps to take the load off of the rods by flexing the neck backwards slightly. If you hear ANY cracking sounds while prying, STOP and check your clamp. Keep it as close to the nut as you can get it.

4) Once the nuts have been loosened, pry under the bearing plate (aluminum chunk that sits under the nuts) and remove it. The rods should slide out a with some effort. If not, tap a thin piece of rod stock in the body end of the neck to move them along. Do one at a time and be sure to tape or pad your headstock so the rod does not gouge the wood on the way out. Remove the clamp.

5) Once they are out, clean them with steel wool and straighten out any bends. If you have a 10-32 die, clean up the threads. I use a wire brush after that to remove any debris from the threads.

6) Put a coat of car wax (carnuba does nicely) on the outsides of the rods. This will help them slide back in and prevent them from binding in use. You can also put a little liquid soap on them as you slide them in. Not too much or the rods may rust.

7) Slide the rods back in with the long side toward the back of the neck.

Slip the bearing plate back over the ends.

9) Put a small drop of general purpose oil on the nut threads (no silicones) and re-install the nuts.

That ought to do it for you.

Ted...thanks for the info. So, each folded rod should be as straight as possible when I slide them back in the holes? With no curve in them? I'm not talking about a bent threaded end (I already fixed that) but rather, the entire rod should be as straight as possible? thanks..dm

According to the Rickenbacker website, modern truss rod nuts are 8-32. Does anyone know when the change from 10-32 to 8-32 occurred?

Dave: It is not critical that the rods be perfectly straight but it is much easier to insert them when they are.

Mark: The change occured in 9-84 when the new rod system was adopted. The old rods used 10-32 presumably because the rod stock is flat wire (not round). The threads are only on the sides of the rods. The modern rods are round and have threads all the way around so they can be smaller (lighter).

I have one on my 2030 that is fine (treble side) and one (bass side) where I can't get the wrench on it at all because there is almost no space between the adjusting nut and the wood of the headstock cavity. It's almost like the bass side rod has spun in place or something. The neck seems OK and the action is really fine and I'm not even sure I want to mess with it unless things change, but anybody have a plan of attack in case I need one?

From what I've seen of your work Todd, you would have no problem making a replacement truss rod. Modern RIC rods are 5/32" wire steel with 8-32 threads. Remove the old rod by taking off the adjusting nut then push it out from the headstock end either by hand or use a small hammer and a short piece of rod stock as a punch. Cut the new rod to the same length then cut the 8-32 threads at either end the same as on the original. Clean the rod with steel wool and naptha (or another degreaser) to remove any oil and other crud then wrap the rod with a thin layer of masking tape just like what you see on the original. Then transfer the nuts and washers from the original over to your new rod. Replace damaged parts as required. Lube the rod with a little carnuba or a pearl of handsoap and slide it back in.

Ted, what do you figure the problem is with this one - bent? broken? twisted in place? You can see in the photo that the business end of the treble-side rod sticks slightly up, clear of the wood and looks pretty straight (as in parallel to the skunk stripe). The head of the bass-side rod is down so close to the wood that my Ric wrench won't fit on it and the end also seems to cant inward a bit toward the center of the neck. My initial thought was that maybe it was a curved rod which had twisted about 90 degrees in it's cavity (it would be counter-clockwise in the photo) but since I've never had one out of a Ric, it was just a guess. Also, at the body end of the neck there are two round metal gizmos plugging the ends of the truss rod channels. I assume that these are attached to the rods and act as stoppers?? As I said, this thing plays beautifully, so I'm not really in a hurry to mess with it unless I have to, but am pretty clueless about what the actual problem with that bass-side rod might be?

The rod ends might just be bent. At the body end there should be an #8 acorn nut on the end followed by a washer and #8 locknut.

Applying alot of pressure to the bass side rod with a wrench that isn't thin walled and deep can cause the rod end to bend. I've had it happen when a tech did my setup once. I now provide them with the truss rod wrench I purchased from Ric, and it doesn't happen anymore. The rod end can be gently bent back straight.

OK, time for a silly question. I understand how the old (pre-9.84) truss rods work, but exactly how do the modern truss rods work? how does tightening the nuts control the neck bow? Thanks!