Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I tried to take the TRC off my 660/6 BBR for the first time and it is stuck on good in the middle!

I am afraid to just pry it off for fear of doing damage to the finish or the bottom of the plexi markings. I tried getting my finger nails under the middle edge but it is not budging.

Yeah, I wouldn't take it off unless you really needed to adjust the truss rod.

The "gassing-off" effect of the CV paint adheres the TRC paint to the body, and usually flakes pretty good around the screws when you try to take it off.

If you do pry it off, there's a good chance the chips will stick to the guitar, and when you put the TRC back on, the paint chips will line up with the gaps in the TRC paint, and be nearly undetectable.

Stuck to the CV, perhaps. Hard to tell from your description... Wiggle it sideways, don't pull it straight up or pry it. Wiggling it sideways will break the adhesion without risking pulling up the CV.

I thought I might try some gentle heat from a hair drier to hlep loosen things?

I thought of that too but want to hear what Paul thinks.

I use heat very seldom for anything, because of the unpredictability of finished wood. I do think that a nice sideways tap or wiggle is the way to go with something like this. And, if you dislodge a bit of finish (always a bit of TRC paint, it seems, not guitar finish), like Collin says, it will screw down in the same spot and you won't be able to tell once it's buttoned up...

As long as you do not pull up any of the black lettering, you should be OK. In the past I have used Liquid Paper quite effectively to mask any missing white spots on the underside of plexi TRCs.