Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Are there any dvds, books, or websites that would help me in removing my 4001C64's fretboard? Thanks to anyone who can help.


PS/ I've added a link at the bottom explaining the reason why I need to remove it



viewtopic.php?f=13&t=399703

You'll need a beam heater and a thin putty knife.

Heat the fretboard/neck joint until the glue softens. Beginning at the headstock end, insert the thin putty knife and slide it carefully along the glue seam.

Sounds easy, but it takes some experience to understand the feel and how far to take it before it cools down again. Sometimes you can get an inch done sometimes more, sometimes less.

This is made more difficult, because nobody makes the beam heater anymore.

I just took the fretboard off of a 4001 with a smashed neck.

I used a regular clothes iron to heat the neck. I started at the body, set the iron to high, and put it right on the frets. I worked an area of about 3-4 frets at a time. It seemed to take forever to heat the glue, but just when I was going to give up it started to come loose. I also used the steam function of the iron, but I don't really know if it helped at all.

I started with thin razor blades to start the split, then moved to a thin spatula once it started separating. Go slow! It took about an hour to get the fretboard off. Also, be sure to wedge the fretboard as you move along. Otherwise the surfaces will rebond.

Thanks for the tip, Dan!

For the record, steam is not necessary. It's the heat that does the trick.

Here are some pics of my implements of destruction. Before and after

jingle_jangle wrote:Thanks for the tip, Dan!

For the record, steam is not necessary. It's the heat that does the trick.

I've seen quotes from other luthiers saying just the opposite "Without steam heat doesn't do much. ect ect"

Who am I to believe?

Thanks for the replies guys....

Steam is just hot moisture, so to speak. It is the heat that will soften the glue, not the moisture.

krismiller wrote:

jingle_jangle wrote:Thanks for the tip, Dan!

For the record, steam is not necessary. It's the heat that does the trick.

I've seen quotes from other luthiers saying just the opposite "Without steam heat doesn't do much. ect ect"

Who am I to believe?

Thanks for the replies guys....

Kris, Paul is pretty good at what he does with Ricks.........

Read his threads in the Curmudge forum area on his work with Ricks.

Thank you again guys... Maybe I should send it in to somebody who's removed a 4001C64 fingerboard. I don't want to have to buy a 3rd 4001 in less than 3 months.

when the beam acquisition started to be a problem many people built their own with several heat lamps inline dangling down from the same contraption - that way you can pretty much regulate the heat as well.. the iron is ok solution too - especially if you get like two of them - than you can move pretty quickly up the neck.

grazioso wrote:when the beam acquisition started to be a problem many people built their own with several heat lamps inline dangling down from the same contraption - that way you can pretty much regulate the heat as well.. the iron is ok solution too - especially if you get like two of them - than you can move pretty quickly up the neck.

Garage sale irons.

and with this iron heat, the inlays do not melt or get damaged ?

I didn't melt the inlays or the fretboard finish. My technique was to put the iron on the frets, let it sit for a few minutes, remove it and test the glue seam.

My iron has an auto shutoff if it sits in one place for too long, so that probably saved me from ruining the inlays.

Where do you live, Kris?

Maybe someone on the forum here could recommend a good luthier.

Fort Wayne, Indiana.... There are plenty of guitar techs out this way, but I only want a person who's touched a Rick before to do this.