Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know that sometime in the 1980s, Rickenbacker revised their truss rod system. I've heard that this happened in 1983, 1984 or 1985, depending on the source.

What's the real answer, and how can one identify which type of TR from looking at a guitar?

The older type of rod was the so-called "folded-over" rod; a piece of oval bar stock which was folded in the center, back on itself. There is an adjustment nut at the headstock end. It removes through this end as well.

The newer type is ordinary (though higher-tensile, I understand) bar stock, with a captive acorn nut and lock washer at the body end and an adjustment nut at the headstock end. It removes from the body end.

There wouldn't be an exact date for all models to be cut over as there's always existing stocks of components to be dealt with but the process started in the latter part of 1984, so 1984 and 1985 would both be correct.

You can remove the rods from the body end but we usually do it (and install them) from the head. It's a matter of sliding the rod toward the body a bit to remove or install the acorn nut, before repositioning it into the neck. There seems to be less chance to scratch the guitar that way but either way is fine.

This may sound like a noob question, but can you install new rods in a old 4001?

No. Different animal entirely. Well . . . maybe with some serious mods, but I've never seen it done personally.