Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

So, the other day I'm on craigslist as usual, and up comes and ad for a 1962 Rickenbacher bass for $200.00, I almost didn't call as it seemed ridiculous, but temptation took over, and I called. The guy answered and he said he had just listed it and already was on the other line with another guy telling him that he should add another zero to the asking price. At that point I knew I wasn't getting it for 200.00. What I did know that the chances of it being a 1962 are slim, so I asked the serial number...in fact it was a 77. The picture wasn't good, so was unsure of the real condition, but willing to check it out. The guy changed his price to 700.00 and I agreed to pay him 700.00. Next I drove to the middle of the desert to check it out...all f'd up and missing the bridge and a nut, the electronics also were a mess...still are (no time to sort it all out). After looking at it for a while, I decided that it wasn't for me. He had said that he had other callers, so I didn't feel bad for not paying the 700.00. Anyway, on my way out, he asked what I wouldd pay for it, and I thought about it for A LIL while, and told him 500.00. That is still more that I can afford, but still the same. So, he accepted the 500.00, and I went home with this mess. So I borrowed a bridge from my 196-71 4001, and made a bone nut for it. The truss rods moved nicely, but once I put strings on it, the neck curved as usual, but as i tightened the truss rods, the nuts started to point further down to a poit that I couldn't get a wrench around the nuts! The relief is still unacceptable, and I cannot get the nuts to turn because nothing will grab the nuts (insert nut grabbing joke here). The tailpiece has minimal lift, but the action is nasty. So here are the pictures of it as I recieved it. I will post more pics later, these are the pics I have at work. Anyway, any advise on the truss rod issue is welcome, The bridge...I'll probably save what I have, but put a hipshot on it, unless I get a good deal on a bridge. Definatly a beater, but a better bass to take on the road than my 'other" one.

Good score! Congratulations! Can't wait to see it shined up!

Make a lightshow out of it!

Working on it...

You could check out Dan Erlwines truss rod repair . He tackles the same problem with the nuts .

With no strings or truss rod tension on the neck, how does it lay? Should be fairly straight. Pull the rods out and see if they end the rod nuts are on is already bent down. I would check these two things out first before doing anything else.

The fret board has conciderable relief when there is no tention on it. These pictures show the truss rods adjusted as much as I can as the tips (nuts) point down to where i cannot get a wrench under them. There is still a bit of relief without the strings, then its all over when I get the strings on. So is the somthing wrong at the truss rod end, like that metal "retainer", should it lean back like that? Here's the fancy collage.