Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have noticed that my strings are starting to get a little too high off of the fretboard and i have lowered the bridge as far as it can go.
When i look down the neck from the bridge position, i can see a slight bow at about the 7th fret. My question is and seeing some of the truss rod horror stories, what is the best way to adjust the rods? Or should i say the safest way?

What year is your bass?

98-50094

So, it has modern rods. That makes it easier. Have you done any neck adjustments yet? If not, the first thing to try is a standard adjustment. Tune to pitch and tighten the rods 1/4 turn each. Re-tune then check the relief again. Repeat until the relief is flat or nearly flat. It should not take much turning to get there and the rods should not feel tight. That is, it should not be hard to turn the nuts. The adjustment usually takes less than a full turn. I like to go for a flat neck but some instruments do not play well that way.

What kinda wrench?

RIC rods require a 1/4" thin-wall nut driver. RIC sells them for about $16.

Ok, it's 2:41 CST and in about five minutes i'm going to attempt the neck adjustment.
I'm a bit worried that i will screw things up.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Well, i did it, though i was and still am worried a bit. The left adjustment nut was very easy to turn but the right one was very tight so i didn't move it much.
Should it be that way or should they be even in tightness?


I don't think i can get the neck any straighter.

I'm still a bit worried about the adjustments i made the other day, especially with the nut tension of the right/bottom nut.
Should i take the strings off and take the tension off both nuts till they are completely loose then restring the bass and tighten again? or is this not a good idea?

Is not a good idea to take the strings off. The E string side nut usually is much tighter than the G string side, not a problem, some basses adjust easily some not. Depends on how set the neck is. If it hasn't been adjusted since new it will take a while and several attempts before it would be to my liking. I had to turn one of my newer 4003's on the E side several turns to get it right and it was tight, don't be afraid to tighten new 4003 truss rods.

If you want to check the condition of the neck, take the strings off and loosen both rods. Once both the string and rod loads are removed you are seeing the natural state of the neck. Now, sight the neck for twists and warp. Hold the bass (in playing position) so the bottom edge of the body is facing the floor. Many people incorrectly do this by holding the instrument with it's backside parallel the floor. This is wrong because gravity will deflect the neck slightly and give you a false read. Then, in the same orientation, use a straight edge to test for more subtle bow. Lay the straight edge against the frets and look for gaps - places were the straight edge bridges the frets rather than touching them. Avoid testing in areas where the frets are noticeably worn. A little back bow is ok but up bow could be a problem.

Some basses you have to tighten the $h!t out of the nuts and I have seen 2 5 string basses that were fine finger tight ...

also an overlooked feature of the setup is the string nut ... this is a $3 part that make or break you setup ... most Ric basses come with the nut cut a little high ... you can cut the grooves slightly deeper or actually remove the nut and sand a couple of mm from the bottom and glue it back in ... also try to not ever let the humidity below 25% in your house ... if you can keep your bass in a 35% to 50% humidity environment the your neck will stay more dimensionally stable ...

The problem with heavy tightening is you can separate the fingerboard near the nut just like on older Ricks. The filler is very thin at the ends and will just pop out of the neck and lift the fingerboard with it. In some cases the wood at the body end compresses all to hell and makes the rods useless.

I've had no problem with this, I've never heard of a 4003 with a popped fretboard or any of those problems. I've owned close to ten of them. I adjust them just like they were 4001's, take the string tension off the neck as I turn them and don't force anything. I wouldn't worry too much about that stuff with a 4003. They designed them in response to the problems of heavy tension and 4001's. I've used med. gauge fender SS flats on them with no problems at all and those things are like telephone lines.

They don't pop off as dramatically as a 4001 can but it does indeed happen if the rods are overtightened. I have seen it recently on a 4004C, 4003S/5, and a 4003.