Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A while ago John Hall mentioned about using superglue to help with truss rod compression at the body end of a 4003 bass.
Apparently the superglue soaks into the wood. The wood swells slightly and gives a better foundation for the truss rods.
I wonder if anyone can tell me exactly WHERE to apply the superglue.
I'd be very grateful.

It actually doesn't swell the wood, but it does harden it.

Apply water-thin super glue to the end grain on the neck end of the truss rod cavity. Allow to set for five minutes and repeat until the wood doesn't absorb any anymore. An hour later, you can reinstall the spacer and nuts. It also helps to put small washers under the nuts.

Thanks Paul.
When you say 'water-thin', do I dilute the super glue with water or just buy some 'thin' compound superglue?

Super glue will not dilute with water...the idea is nightmarish...

There are several types of water-thin super glues available at hobby stores nationwide. My favorites are Satellite City Hot Stuff and Zap-CA by Pacer Technologies. I say "water-thin" (a viscosity reference), in contrast to "gap-filling" or "gel" viscosities, because "water-thin" penetrates the wood fibers best.

Thanks!

Be careful when troubleshooting trussrod problems that you don't misdiagnose wood compression with what I call "bent trussrod syndrome". Apparently some trussrods are purposely bent by RIC to get the neck to bend in the right direction, if the rod flips on you the bend will work against your efforts. You will keep tightening that rod but will not get good results, making you think the wood is compressing. The only way to tell is by pulling the rods and inspection, I have no problem with the rods being bent if you can mark them to see the orientation when installed. I straightened the rods on my Cheyenne last year and got good results, one of the rods was almost bent into a "C" shape when I pulled it out, I also thought I had wood compression but was wrong. Of course this only applies to the modern trussrod system.

Definitely wood compression. Have pulled the rods a couple of times. Still perfectly straight. The bass side rod at the body end is a lot further into the neck than it was. I have already sheared a truss nut due to the thread running out.
Thanks for the heads up.

Mark G., you have raised a very important point.