Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey guys. I've been looking for my second Ric to be my back up, or roundwound string Ric. Found one at a pretty good price BUT... It has a crack in the back of the neck. On the G string side from the 3rd fret to the nut. The question is is this somthing that's fixable? Or somthing that I need to fix. I haven't seen it yet so I don't know exactly all the details. It's a late 70's 4001.

Sounds like it could be the common crack caused by someone adjusting the truss rods the wrong way. Yes, it's usually fixable. Here's what my '76 4001 looks like, it was fixed before I got it and seems to be totally stable, even with Rotosound Roundwounds:

Wow. That looks like exacly what he described....Also,he said the nuts for the truss rod were stripped as well. I'm assuming those are easy to replace?

Well, that could be more of a problem. It could be that, with the crack, the nuts just won't tighten because there's nothing to tighten against (pushing into the crack), which would likely be fixed once the crack is fixed. Or, it could be that the nuts really are stripped, in which case, getting new nuts isn't a huge deal. Or, it could be that the rods themselves are stripped and not the nuts. This is a bigger deal since new "old style" truss rods are not readily available. There are a couple of people I've heard of that make them, or have in the past, so it is possible to get replacements, just not easy.

That is one abused bass. Somebody (either an owner or a non-Rick tech) cranked down on those rods so much that he split the neck and stripped the nuts. Yikes. I'd check this one out very carefully to see what the heck else is wrong with it before laying out any green.

Minimum: Fix crack (and CJ is right--these take repair well in many cases!), replace truss rods and nuts, and properly set up. Maximum: depends upon IQ and muscle tone of previous "repair" person...

That is a nasty example of bad technique and an Azureglo to boot. DAMN!

The truss rods could be be used again. All you will have to do is trim the ends of the rod back a bit and recut the threads which are 10-32. The original rods are longer than they need to be so shortening them an inch or two is perfectly OK.

Just in case there's any confusion, the Azureglo 4001 isn't the one the original poster asked about, it's mine and was in that condition when I got it. The repair is very stable and the bass is a wonderful player, especially since I only paid $700 for it a few months ago. Some day, I'll refinish it and make it look good again...

I've got a 74 4001 that has the same type of repair. It was repaired before I got the bass also and it is very stable. Never had a problem with it. So don't give up on the bass, especially if you can get it for a decent price!

deblase4001 wrote:I've got a 74 4001 that has the same type of repair. It was repaired before I got the bass also and it is very stable. Never had a problem with it. So don't give up on the bass, especially if you can get it for a decent price!

IMG_2518.jpg

Yes. A decent price is the key. I had a Gibson that had a truss rod nut that had broken thru the wood. It was a $25 fix....I'll check out the bass and see how it looks. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the info Guys.

I had a C/B 73 with a crack exactly like the bass Deblase posted and it was absolutely solid. Anything @ $1K or less would still be a reasonable buy, if the repair is good, especially if it has all original hardware etc.

I've got a V63 MG that had a neck crack from the 6th to the 13th fret on the G side of the neck when I got it. After I had it repaired several years ago, it's been a real player and extremely stable. It hasn't needed adjusting in quite a while. The scar still shows (mapleglo is hard to completely hide something like this), but it's been a real dependable workhorse.

My 65 has a a minor crack of that kind that could do with a fix - anyone know to whom I can turn? Especially in the UK?Indeed, are there any Rick-specialist luthiers in the UK at all?

deblase4001 wrote:I've got a 74 4001 that has the same type of repair. It was repaired before I got the bass also and it is very stable. Never had a problem with it. So don't give up on the bass, especially if you can get it for a decent price!

IMG_2518.jpg

You took the words right out of my mouth! My 74 Fireglo had a neck repair done before I bought it, & too is very stable.

It hurts just to look at those pics.