Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey Rickers,

So thanks to Joey's awesome Bass Pages, I felt confident enough to attempt setting up my Rics. The first thing on his list is the one that I think is the scariest because of all the horror stories floating around—adjusting the truss rod. Both my basses, '08 4003FL & '10 4003, have neck relief so I needed to straighten them. I know from the maunal and talking to Ric that you need a 1/4" nut driver to fit the truss rod nuts. On the '08, 1/4" nut driver fit perfectly, but it seems a bit small on the '10's nuts and while I got in my 1/8 turn on each, I am not sure I want to try it again with the 1/4" size. My question is, anybody who has an '10 noticed that the truss rod nuts seem a bit bigger and run into this?

Thanks,

LEL (Jason)

Jason, what nut driver are you using? It's possible that there's less clearance between the nut and the route for the nut driver you are using on your '10.

Joey,

1/4" as per Ric's instructions. Maybe the routing isn't as deep behind the truss rod nuts? I would think because it is CNC that this would be standardized, but I guess it could have changed from July'08 to January '10.

Jason

Right, the nut driver should be 1/4", however it does need to be thin walled. The X-celite 1/4" L8 is the one RIC sells. You can also find it or an equivalent at a hardware store or Sears.

Joey,

How would I be able to tell if it is "thin walled"? The one I have now from ACE hardware works perfect on the '08 4003FL.

Jason

Maybe just lucky it worked on the '08. A standard nut driver does not fit my '09. Even the thin walled one from Ric had to be gently coaxed into position.

I called RIC because I couldn't get my Excelite driver to fit on my 2010 body/neck's truss rod nuts. It was actually because the truss rods were too close to the wood. So I was told that when this happens the boys and girls at RIC chisel out a very small amount of material at the very tip of the nut, permitting clearance. I did this with a flathead screwdriver, and only remove finish--no wood. After doing so (going 1/8'' under the nut with the chiseling), I was able to use my driver no problem.

cassius987 wrote:I called RIC because I couldn't get my Excelite driver to fit on my 2010 body/neck's truss rod nuts. It was actually because the truss rods were too close to the wood. So I was told that when this happens the boys and girls at RIC chisel out a very small amount of material at the very tip of the nut, permitting clearance. I did this with a flathead screwdriver, and only remove finish--no wood. After doing so (going 1/8'' under the nut with the chiseling), I was able to use my driver no problem.

Yes, I thought this was probably going to be the easiest, not to mention cheapest solution. I do woodworking and I have some well-sharpened chisels that I will pare off some paint right behind the head of the nut. That should give me that extra bit of clearance I need.

Thanks,

LEL

I bought an excelite from Ric that did not fit my 10 360/12.

All,

So I did some paring and had to take a tiny bit of wood off. After this, the nut driver slipped right on with only a little light encouragment at first. So a $4 nut driver will do just fine and fits well now.

Good night,

LEL

Same problem on my model 1996 guitar. No room at the truss nuts to fit a Rickenbacker nut driver. Guess I'll chisel away.

It's kind of amazing--I removed just a few flakes of finish and suddenly attaching the driver was a breeze.