Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey folks - I have a '77 4001, which looks to have a twisted neck (high on bass side, low on treble side, from about the 7th fret to headstock). Head wings are at a definite CCW twist compared to body wings.

This has the effect of deadening some notes unless the action is raised to borderline uncomfortable levels.

I have tried adjusting it, and discovered the treble truss rod does nothing when loosened to bring the neck forward. I have the nut just barely snug on that rod, and use the other rod to keep the neck as straight as I can.

I have tried to remove the truss rod to see if it's broken or twisted, to no avail. I simply cannot get the truss rod to budge.

Any tips or tricks to this? I can post some pics of the bass if needed. Really love this bass and want to try to get it as close to perfect as I can.

Thanks in advance.

Some are quite difficult to remove. The best ones come out with a finger tug but others have to be coaxed along. Buy a length of 5/32" steel rod (about 24" will do). Cut the rod into three pieces of about 4", 8", and 12". File any burrs off of the rod ends. Remove the strings, TRC, and pickguard. Loosen but don't yet remove the truss nuts. Carefully and securely clamp the bass to a padded workbench top face up. Using the short rod, try to tap the rods into the neck so you can remove the aluminum bearing plate. This may take some effort. Go slowly. Once the bearing plate is removed, insert the short rod into the body end of a truss channel (visible inside the neck pickup route) and carefully tap it in with a hammer. Be sure to cover the area with a good quality masking or painters tape. A clean, soft rag (diaper) over the tape is a good idea too. This will help protect the finish. The rods may move very slowly. Use the longer pieces of 5/32" rod as the truss rod advances to the headstock. The face of the headstock should also have tape and soft rag in place. As the rod reaches the end of the head pocket, bend it upward so it clears the wood. Slide a rag under it and go back to work tapping it out. At some point it will just slide out. There is a lot more I could tell you about what to do once they are out but let's get there first. If you can take a picture of them, post it here so I can see the condition.

The fact that it won't budge could be telling re: the neck twist.

When you do get it out, inspect it for rust. If it is very rusty, you can bet that somehow, somewhere the bass came into contact with water or water vapor. It doesn't take immersion, but a very high humidity environment over a period of time (perhaps only a year or two out of the bass' 30 years of life).

The truss rod channels in the neck are the #1 place for moisture to enter the bass. They are the only area of the bass where bare (unfinished and unsealed) wood meets the surrounding air, and if the bass' own water content is less than that of the surrounding air, it will absorb like a sponge--mostly through this area. The smaller cross-section of the neck with regard to the body wood, and its proximity to these open and very porous channels, means the the neck itself will absorb water while the body will not.

Two more factors--the natural properties of the fretboard wood and the factor of neck wood being different in every case, work to cause this to happen in a small percentage of guitars and basses.

Bubinga and other similar tropical woods come from trees that would be eaten alive by tropical termites if they didn't eventually improvise their own protection against insect infestation in the wild. In the case of bubinga, padauk, some species of teak, purpleheart, vermillion, and other woods of this origin, protection comes as a pleasant-smelling but bad-tasting oil which will oxidize from the wood's sacrificial surface layer to a depth of .5mm or so, but remain in place through the wood's entire mass.

This oiliness makes these woods tough to glue and finish, and keeps them from absorbing water, even if physically immersed (why are boat decks made of teak?). It also means that the thin neck of a Rick bass will absorb water, expanding unpredictably while the glued-on bubinga fretboard provides a non-moving surface. When the neck or part of it expands and contracts, the fretboard stays dimensionally much more stable. The stresses between these cause warp or twist.

The second factor--a variation in the porosity of individual neck blanks, or of smaller areas within the same neck blank, is a product of the maple being a natural material. Some blanks or areas may be very tight-grained, and will absorb less moisture and absorb it slower. Other, more open-grained wood, will accept and release moisture at an accelerated pace.

Now imagine these conditions combined with a very warm and humid environment (the Gulf Coast of the USA is a perfect example) and you can see how this twist can occur. And Rick basses--with their dual truss-rod channels, long necks with small cross-sections--are ripe for this sort of disfigurement.

I wish to caution anyone who would like to characterize this as a design failure, from doing so. The only way to slow this down would be to completely seal the truss rod channels, which of course is impractical if not impossible in a manufacturing situation.

Sometimes they don't move because of glue squeeze-out inside the truss channels. I made a rectangular section scraper just for that occasion. I tap it down the channel to knock off any glue beads that are hanging about. I had a 4001 recently that was loaded with wood shavings. Maple, bubinga, and walnut shavings packed in the truss channel. I can't explain how the stuff got there but there it was.

I have encountered rusty rods on older Ricks. Paul is right about the humidity thing. I usually clean them up with steel wool or a wire wheel after removing them. I also straighten the threaded end and run a 10-32 die down the threads to clean them up. I replace the tape if necessary. A little carnuba wax on the rods helps them to slide back in easier.

Curious as to why it would be impractical or impossible to seal the channels in a manufacturing environment. And after the fact that it's not done that way, would sealing the channels be a practical thing to do on one's own with their bass? Maybe a swab soaked in some kind of sealant run through the channels?

And here we have the difference between "theoretically" and "in actual practice".

NO manufacturer that I'm aware of seals the truss rod channels. It introduces a finishing operation in between two woodshop operations.

"Maybe a swab soaked in some kind of sealant run through the channels?"

Theoretically, of course. In practicality, the swab would run out of liquid sealant (practical question: what type of sealer? Maybe something for wood decks?) before it got one inch into the channel, which is over two feet long...I imagine there's some tortured way of doing this, but, really, for the tiny chance that your bass' neck could warp or twist, not really in the cards.

Ian,
I hope things work out with the rods...looks like youre in good hands here.
When I read posts like these with expert knowledge and advice from Ted and Paul,it reminds me why I love this forum! Thanks guys.