Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I did not want to hijack the 1999 RM thread but I'm very curious to find out how RIC assembled their 4001/2/3 bodies are assembled. Since my 1977 4002 will need to disassembled, almost entirely, I'd like to know if there are steel brads that are used to align the body parts while they are clamped and glued? Mark ran into a few of these steel "pins" while separating the upper and lower body wings.

First off, I'm having a professional do the work and undoubtedly, he has run into any situation that could arise during this procedure. While mark needed to remove the body wings from the neck, I think my 4002 will have to be separated and both body wings as well as both sides of the shedua neck joints. I'd just like to understand the process and what it entails and I'd rather not bother Larry Davis with having to explain the play by play proceedure.

Did RIC still use "brads" to line up the body parts in 1977? I believe the fret board sits of wood pins that locate and index the fretboard during the gluing phase. I'd like to understand the process to have a better appreciation for what is going to happen during the deconstruction phase.

I've seen heat being used to remove fretboards but what about body wings? Is heat still used or are we talking solvents??

Sepp

Kopfjaeger wrote:Did RIC still use "brads" to line up the body parts in 1977?

Yes.

But it wasn't to line anything up- it was just to stop drift of the parts during gluing. Lining up was done by eye and feel.

Kopfjaeger wrote:I believe the fret board sits of wood pins that locate and index the fretboard during the gluing phase.

That only began in 1998 or later, after CNC use became more pervasive. Prior to that, brads were used. During a certain period of time after CNC procedures were introduced, small dowel pins were used, but machining the pins out of the wood part replaced that technique.

Ah, thanks Mr. Hall. While I'm glad I've contracting a professional to do the work, I'm even more glad now. The possibility of having steel bits to contend with during the separation is a job I'm really not comfortable with. How about the neck construction. Same deal with the brads and the maple/shedua/maple sandwich? The reason I ask is, the neck "sandwich" has shifted a bit. None of the neck parts are in perfect alignment. It's probably not a huge misalignment but you can feel it with your fingers.

The 4002 in question was most likely in a very damp area. I'm not saying it was under water since both pups check out just fine, but the nuts were rusted onto the pots and the input jack lock washers were a rusty mass. The neck pieces may have warped due to moisture and it looks like they may have been an attempt to reglue them together. I'm thinking if the neck used brads, there would be some sort of physical alignment.

Once again, I need to understand what will be happening when she goes to Larry in a few weeks.

Sepp

Kopfjaeger wrote:How about the neck construction. Same deal with the brads and the maple/shedua/maple sandwich?

Probably. But this really only affects separation accomplished by sawing and subsequent planning. A "hot wood" (i.e. melting glue) prying apart of the pieces obviously won't be affected by these brads. They're 95% in only one piece of the wood.