Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hello all,

Sit back and hear the tale of my 1974 Rickenbacker 4001.

When I received this bass from an Ebay purchase it was in decent shape. It had some "flaws" - some known, some I had to discover. I knew, for example, that it had replacement pickups (vintage Seymour Duncans with 3-way switches for each pickup), and a replacement bridge (Vintage Badass), and it was advertised as having replacement tuners, all though from what I can tell, the tuners are original era Grovers (maybe just not original to this specific bass?).
There were also some large spots where the finish was worn off on the back, which was fine with me, cause I intended it to be a player's bass and not a collectors item that I would afraid to gig.

There were some unknowns, as well.
One tuner in particular (the D tuner) likes to explode when tuned, all of the tuners are getting a little worn and prone to self-disassembly.
There was a hairline crack about 2" long on the top of the neck, from the nut along the fretboard.
Biggest problem, the truss rods are utterly bent and frozen, and the neck is bowed, resulting it too high action!

I played it for a while, but in the last few months I have been struggling with tendinitis in my left wrist, so sadly I had to switch back to my Stingray - an excellent bass, which fortunately could have it's action adjusted very low. But it doesn't have the same deep growl as we all know the Ric does.

At one point I considered selling both the Ric and the Ray, and buying a brand new Ric 4003.

But I think that it will be worth while to try and have the 4001 repaired. Cheaper, for sure. And I like the sound of the bass, which is the important thing. I just need the action to be flat like a good Ric should.

Unfortunately I am having trouble with this; I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the best Ric luithers seem to live in California! You can't get much further away from that. This bass was very poorly packed when it arrived (just a couple pieces of cardboard wrapped around the hardshell case, which came with both main latches broken), so I am very hesitant to ship it long distances again, not to mention the hassle of the border and trying to explain to them that is not an item being sold (I had to pay duty + taxes when it came over the border, despite it being a USA made product, thanks a lot, NAFTA!).

I would be tempted to do the repair myself as I have lots of experience repairing instruments, but the bass truss rod has been out of stock in the Ric store for as long as I have been checking.

If anyone within a few thousand miles could be of any help I would be very greatful! I don't want to have to stop playing this wonderful bass forever.

Here are some pictures.

Welcome to the club, Dan. (I'd say Canadian Club but that has a whole different conotation!) Having once had a 74 4001 and now having a 2005 4003, I would strongly recommend that you consider selling it in exchange for a new 4003. Why? Because you mention you were looking for a player not a collectable. Soundwise and qualitywise, there is no comparison between the old 4001s and a new Ric, especially with the addition of the vintage tone knob. Even in it's current state, you can probably find some 'enthusiasts' who will pay you enough to cover the cost of a brand-spanking new 4003, without having to resort to parting with your Stingray as well.

I will never, ever understand the idea that something is worth more simply because it is older, but thank God there are people like that out there because it affords me the ability to convince my wife that buying a new Ric is a good investment because it'll be our retirement fund someday! Some things werebetter built in the past (hello Ampeg, I'm looking at you) but not Rics. The new models are the best on the planet to play and built 'strong like bull'. I speak from experience on this, although I'm sure you'll find dissenting opinions on this forum.

If you do decide to keep it, I'm sure you'll find 'relief' (pun intended) from some of the helpful folks here.

BTW, I didn't have to pay duty on my 4003 when I ordered it from the States because it was built in North America. You might want to check into that and see about a refund. The only benefit of NAFTA that I've ever directly experienced!

Hey Dan - it sounds like a competent repairman could get your 4001 back in shape without too much trouble. The vintage Rickenbacker truss rod system may be unique, but there certainly have been enough around over the years that you should be able to find someone familiar with the system. If you need new rods, you may be able to get them from Paul W. - check the Curmudgeon forum. The "exploding Grover" tuner is a common problem - a search of the forum threads should turn up some useful info regarding a self fix. As far as someone to work on the neck goes, perhaps our maritime contingent has a suggestion. Good luck!

By the way, are you sure you were charged duty when the bass came over the boarder? It may have been a brokerage fee that shipping companies charge to clear the shipment through customs. The only way duty would have been charged is if the shipper said the country of origin was something other than the US or Canada on the shipping paperwork.

Hi Dan,

Check with both Paul W and Dale Forune about getting replacement rods. Dale has not been posting for quite some time but despite that he continues to repair Rickenbackers or so I am told. Both have been very helpful to me in the past. I have his email address somewhere if you need it.

Once you have your rods assuming that the originals are beyond repair (they may not be btw ) and if no one else steps up to the plate I can probably talk you through the neck set up as I have had to do it myself on one of my Rickenbackers. Dale was very helpful by providing me with step by step instructions.

The tuners can usually be fixed and as you have read if you do a search there is a thread or two devoted to that subject. The crack in the fretboard concerns me a bit. Has the fretboard begun to separate from the neck? Perhaps post a close up of that crack that you mentioned.

As far as 4003 vs 4001 and goes I have both. The neck on my 4001 is slim and and is like butter. My 4003 has a much deeper growl than my 4001 (because I have not disconnected the capacitor in my tone circuit on the 4001) but the neck is a much fatter profile. I like them both for different reasons.

I am in Western Canada and btw I have never paid duty on any American made instrument that was shipped to me from the USA.

Welcome Dan ... I see you took my advice and came to the RickResource forum with your problem ... I am sure you will find a solution ...

My advice would be to remove those SD pickups and put in 2 Ric High gain pickups.

Hi Dan , I am in Halifax too . I can't recommend any local repair guys for pulling the truss rods but you might try it yourself . . Hopefully someone here can talk you through the process . From what I've read on this forum it should be fairly straightforward and there is a good chance the rods you have will be all right . From the sounds of things you should be able to get the bass playable without breaking the bank .

The hairline crack is probably from someone torking the rods without putting pressure on the neck . That should be clamped and glued .

I hope you can get the 4001 back to playable condition soon .

edit

here's a link describing how to remove the rods

http://rickresource.com/forum/viewtopic ... 46#p218246

Thanks, I came across that link earlier in my searches. I will probably end up doing it myself, it's a matter of getting the new rods (assuming the old one's can't be fixed; I'd rather replace them anyway to be sure).

Has anyone had any luck with non-Rickenbacker replacement truss rods? I wonder if the two channel design and the odd scale length would make that difficult.

Also, does installing new Rickenbacker truss rods in a 4001 bring it up to spec with the 4003? That is, is it the design of the rods themselves, or is the the whole system (neck, cavity, etc.)


I can't remember what the cost of the border was now, it was around $120 or so and it was sent USPS, so there was no UPS massive brokerage fee. It's probably too late to get it back now!

jwr2 wrote: My advice would be to remove those SD pickups and put in 2 Ric High gain pickups.

I thought about it, but they sound great! Really!

Here's a youtube clip of me playing it:

The new rods will not fit the older style channels so you can't do a quick upgrade . I think Dale was making 4001 style rods for some folks here on the forum at one point .... but I am not aware of any other third party truss rods that might work . I believe the odds are pretty good that you can simply straighten the rods and fire em back in there . It seems to have worked out that way for a fair number of people that have come to the Resource for help in the past .

Are the very ends bent down under the truss rod cover ? Are there signs that someone has chipped away at the wood in the cavity to access the bolts ? That will be another indication of over tightening the rods without putting pressure on the neck .

The old style rods work really well as long as they are adjusted properly .

Good luck , I hope you can get the neck back where it should be without too much fuss .

morrow wrote:The new rods will not fit the older style channels so you can't do a quick upgrade . I think Dale was making 4001 style rods for some folks here on the forum at one point .... but I am not aware of any other third party truss rods that might work . I believe the odds are pretty good that you can simply straighten the rods and fire em back in there . It seems to have worked out that way for a fair number of people that have come to the Resource for help in the past .

Are the very ends bent down under the truss rod cover ? Are there signs that someone has chipped away at the wood in the cavity to access the bolts ? That will be another indication of over tightening the rods without putting pressure on the neck .

Well I guess that rules out that problem.

The ends are very bent down into the neck and are very hard to adjust. And it has been chipped away in places.

The main obstacle now is that while the bass side rod seems to unscrew fairly easily, the treble side rod's nut it totally locked. I cannot move it with all my strength. I even tried a small amount of WD-40 on the nut, to no avail. Any suggestions?

Strings are off ?

If you put some pressure on the headstock that might buy you enough relief to loosen the bolt .

I'm hoping that someone with far more experience than me will weigh in at this point .....

megadan wrote:

morrow wrote:The new rods will not fit the older style channels so you can't do a quick upgrade . I think Dale was making 4001 style rods for some folks here on the forum at one point .... but I am not aware of any other third party truss rods that might work . I believe the odds are pretty good that you can simply straighten the rods and fire em back in there . It seems to have worked out that way for a fair number of people that have come to the Resource for help in the past .

Are the very ends bent down under the truss rod cover ? Are there signs that someone has chipped away at the wood in the cavity to access the bolts ? That will be another indication of over tightening the rods without putting pressure on the neck .

Well I guess that rules out that problem.

The ends are very bent down into the neck and are very hard to adjust. And it has been chipped away in places.

The main obstacle now is that while the bass side rod seems to unscrew fairly easily, the treble side rod's nut it totally locked. I cannot move it with all my strength. I even tried a small amount of WD-40 on the nut, to no avail. Any suggestions?

First off, the rods have been unavailable because Rickenbacker no longer makes them.

Next, your bass has sometime in the past had its neck "adjusted" by someone with more enthusiasm than experience, and on Rick basses this is a bad situation--they are forgiving, but only to a point.

Your truss rods have been cranked up to the point where the neck has way too much relief...this is because a ham-fisted owner or non-Rick luthier kept on tightening the nuts until he could see the result immediately, and Rick rods should be tightened in small increments, helping the neck along by physically holding the bass down onto a flat surface while having a friend push the neck firmly in the downward direction, to pre-stress the neck and remove pressure from the nuts themselves, while tightening the nuts a quarter-turn at each attempt and then allowing things to settle in for a couple of days before trying to tighten or loosen the nuts again. A stable adjustment on a bass with the old, folded-rod system could possibly take a week, two, or even a month, but once done properly it will be stable for years.

You must remove the rods, but don't need to remove the nuts, just get them loose. The one that's jammed is probably corroded in place, but some WD and a bit of heating with a soldering iron should shift it at least to the point where it can be loosened a couple of turns.

You can then pull the rods. You may need to bend the tips back up; this can be accomplished using a 1/4" long-shafted nut driver, and simply gently bending up on the rod with the driver fitted to the long nut. The rods can be pulled using a vise-grip clipped onto the nut and tapping with a hammer while holding onto it.

If the rods are unreplaceable, I do make new ones; they are a pain to make, but work and look just fine. Drop me a PM off-list if you're interested.

Thanks Paul. I will let you know after I gain access to the rods whether or not they need to be replaced.

morrow wrote:Strings are off ?

If you put some pressure on the headstock that might buy you enough relief to loosen the bolt .

I'm hoping that someone with far more experience than me will weigh in at this point .....

I don't think I've tried it with the strings totally slack yet, but once I get into a serious attempt I will remove the strings, pick gaurd, etc.

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/allguitarpartsdependable


looks like someone has parted out a 4003 here but there's high gains , bridge surround , and a tailpiece and bridge up for grabs ....