Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi all! I need some tech help with my Ric.
I have a early '80s 4001 with the rare body end truss rod adjustment. The rods just slide back and forth in the slot. Adjusting the nuts just pulls the rod out of the slot and does nothing to the neck (which is quite bowed). How are these rods supposed to work? Is something wrong with these rods? How do I fix it or adjust the neck?

Thanks for your help!
Kirk

Adjustment at body end? Kirk - Its a 4003 - the early ones had that feature, also have a pickguard split into two sections.....does your bass have that too?

NO the rods should not do that - they should be held in at the end with small metal block. Im prety sure the neck can be sorted out with ease.

Im no expert but i know many people here can help you out.... im sure many people wil also read your post..

- good luck

I had two but never encountered that problem, what is on the other end of the rods? are they threaded? Do they screw into something at the other end? Yeah something is definitely wrong.

Hi Kirk, welcome aboard. I really enjoyed your band's website. Especially the, um, fetish pics. Lucky you!

I don't have the answers except to agree it's a 4003 and to point you to this recent thread from the Basses section: ../5/7787.html"#EECD9C">

Kirk, do the rods look they they are doubled over upon themselves and the other end is also in the area under the pick guard with a thin piece of rubber between the two pieces? If they are of that style there is supposed to be a metal block like the others have said in which one end (the threaded end) goes through the block, with the other end jutting against the other side of the block. This creates the tension that pushes the two piece rod apart when the nut is tightened which in turn exerts pressure in the space and straightens out the neck, and this also keeps the truss rod in the slot. If this is the style truss rod you have, without the block there is nothing to press against for the doubled over end. You should be able to pull them right out of the slot if these are those kind, and this would give you a good idea of how they work. These older style truss rods are very hard to explain (for me). You would have a threaded end and an end with a flat spot, this would be approx. 1 inch shorter that the threaded end. In all you would have 4 ends in the area, and you would have to pull them out a little to see this shorter end.
But I am not sure if that is what you have. I don't know if anyone here knows either because in that old thread no one ever really explained them either.

nice web site.

Ok Kirk, I got the answer for you, those are two piece rods like the 4001's, the others were correct, there should be a block in the cavity as I described earlier, I doubt that Ric has those anymore, you may have to have a machine shop make one, but be sure you understand what you need before you have one made. Look under:

Archives-"The Vibrola" 2000-2001

go down to: 1984 4003 truss rod question, Mark the md, 04-02-01

it is near the bottom, it goes by date, just scroll down to that date. There is a thread about these type of basses. This is not the problem that is addressed. Maybe someone here can give you the dimensions of the block and how to set it up. Just add a new thread asking owners of split pickguard 4003's to respond. You'll need to know how far apart the holes are, which way the rods are in the cavity, where on the block are the holes, and so on. They'll know what you need.

Thanks for the opinions guys. The reason I think it's a 4001 is that it has the horseshoe and toaster pickups and one piece guard.

Each truss rod has a metal block and nut at the body end. No rubber though. The headstock ends are rounded off and end about 3/8 inch under the fingerboard. I think Bob is right as there is no place for a block at the headstock end. Each rod has it's own slot that goes about half way down the headstock.

My first thought was that the rods were broken but the ends look machined not broken.

The nuts are maxed out though so I can't tighten them anymore. I'll have to take a look and see if I can find a way to fix it.

Thanks a million guys.
Kirk

P.S. glad you liked the web site Dave.

It sounds like a 4003 that has been converted cosmetically to a V63. Can you send some pictures with the pick guard off? Detailed ones? also pictures of the headstock with the truss rod cover off. there are many things that could have been done to this bass. What are the serial numbers on the jackplate? are there two jacks or one? I would need letters and numbers, up and down on the jack plate. This is a strange case so far. If that is indeed a 4003 converted, you will need a one piece block for both truss rods to go through under the pick guard.

Kirk - no way a 4001 - Someone has changed the pick ups and guard.

You say its early 80's?
The first 4003's - which had body end adjustment were from like 79 to 84.

Sounds like they have become damaged somehow. As far as i know, these early 4003's have the old fashioned 4001 rods - where you must manually bend the neck prior to adjustment - they are just got at from the other end. I could be wrong, but i think only the 4003's with typical headstock adjustment have the modern rods

Bob ---- i know you are familar with tose basses, are they old or new rods?

They are the old style two piece rods, you are right Owen, there is a thread in the Vibrola archives about these, look it up, it is 04-02-01, that's how I found out, but I can't remember what the block looked like under the pick guard, I can see the two nuts, the were big 3/8 in. nuts that's all I remember.

Its a good thing 4003's didnt stay like that long...... silly idea really....It must be a real hassle to have to remove the upper pickguard - youd have to slacken all the strings to lift it out with the pickup in there, and wouldnt you need like a right angled wrench to get in there?

Wait.....if they are essentially 4001 rods backwards.....if something is really wrong with em, how the hell would you get them out?

Actually they weren't bad, you didn't have to loosen the strings just take out the screws from the pick guard and carefully slip it out. It was a pain getting a wrench on the nuts though, but I think that it was a much stronger arrangement than the headstock style.
I actually think it was stronger than the new style rods, but I didn't like the two piece pick guards, no one really did when they first came out.
To get them out I would think that you would just slip them out through the pick guard end instead of the head stock end, you bend them up on their way out anyway, either way.

You guys are probably right about it being a converted 4003. Actually a 4003S as it has the dot inlays. There is a date under the pickguard showing the year as 1982. It has the two rick-o -sound jacks as well. The serial number is vf 1646.
I hadn't really researched it before I posted.

Sorry Bob, I don't have a digital camera at the moment or I'd post some pix.

I'm going to try and manually bend the neck back and then try to adjust the rods. It sounds like that may be the way they are supposed to be adjusted.

Thanks a million guys for your help!

Kirk