Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I was reading Joeys Bass Notes about truss rod adjustment, bridge height, etc.

My neck is straight, the E side truss rod is at the point where one more counterclockwise movement will render it totally slack.

He writes to check neck straightness by placing a capo at the first fret, hold down the last fret, and there should be enough room to slip a sheet of paper in between the string and the 9th fret. On my 4003 E string, as soon as I press the last fret, the string makes contact with all of the frets without the first fret being capo'd. Could my nut's E slot be too deep? Is the nut glued in or just friction fitted? I was considering shimming it up on the E side.

Nut slot could be too deep, but it also sounds like your neck might be back bowed. I'd get a good steel or aluminum straight edge and place it between strings on the frets. If you can press it down on the 20th fret and on the middle frets and it isn't touching the first fret, you have back bow.

Solution: loosen truss rods.

The nut is glued. New nuts can be bought direct from RIC, but you didn't mention the year of your bass. If it is from 1997 or so to the present, the current RIC nut will fit perfectly.

I loosened the rods a tiny bit. We will see what happens. (It is a 2009 4003.)