Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just bought a 2007 4003FG that seems to be having a truss rod problem.

Can anyone recommend a luthier who's expert with Rickenbackers in the northern NJ (Bergen county) or NYC (Manhattan) area? I have the sense that it's a simple and inexpensive repair/adjustment, and don't feel it warrants shipping this bass to my usual repair folks.

Thanks!

Check Pick of the Ricks:

pickofthericks.com

Thanks, Paul! I didn't know that Chris did repairs.

He may do some minor things, but I think he has "people" he can go to or recommend for more advanced stuff. He may also have replacement parts in hand.

I finally had a chance to remove the truss rod cover and have a look.

Looks like the threaded end of one truss rod has snapped off.

Any suggestions how to fix it?

Anyone have instructions about how to replace a truss rod?

(I found two good threads:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=206583&hilit=truss+ ... ement+4003
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=45238&p=45238&hili ... 003#p45238
)

Looks to me that it is still there. The nuts are long and there must be SOME threaded rod inside just to hold the nut where it is. However, it is unusual to see this inequality. Can you see the "acorn" nuts at the body end of the neck (under the fingerboard)? You should be able to see them behind the edge of the pickguard. If one of them looks closer to the pickguard than the other, then it may be that it needs to be pushed back inside and that will expose more thread at the head end so you can tighten the nut some more.

Let's go back to the beginning first, though. Do you have a problem with the neck that you are trying to correct with the truss rods?

bassduke49 wrote:Do you have a problem with the neck that you are trying to correct with the truss rods?

Thanks for your help, Paul.

Starting at the beginning...

I bought it with the known problem of way too much relief on the fretboard. String height above 12th fret was around 1/4-inch. The seller told me that he'd brought it to a luthier who tried to adjust the truss rods, but couldn't flatten out the neck.

Larry Davis told me how to check if the problem was neck lift or a much simpler truss rod issue. Fortunately, it was the latter.

I removed the truss rod cover and I found the one rod had a short thread.

OK. How about the acorn nuts at the body end. Can you see them? Do they look to be at the same depth? If they are, then there may have been a truss rod problem that made some tech shorten the rod to the point where you can't see thread at the head end. In that case, the best "cure" may be to replace it with a new rod and do a proper setup.

Here's a photo of the neck butt end of the truss rods.

The E-side truss rod looks to have been replaced. It doesn't have the factory stock acorn nut, while the G-side one does. That explains the short threads at the headstock side.

I've ordered truss rods from Rickenbacker.

(The wire heading into the neck butt that you see in the photo is for the fretboard side-dot marker LEDs installed by SimS over in the UK: http://www.simscustom.com/html/00leds.htm )

Yeah, definitely someone has been monkeying around in there. You'll have to push/pull the rod out through the body side. Good luck. I think once you have the proper truss rod in there, you'll be able to get things back to normal. Oh, BTW, looks like you have an Amber Fireglo, the "Color of the Year" for 2006. The code AFG and the yellowed binding on the neck confirm it. AFG continued for a couple more years as they filled orders placed in 2006. Enjoy!

LenMinNJ wrote:Here's a photo of the neck butt end of the truss rods.

The E-side truss rod looks to have been replaced. It doesn't have the factory stock acorn nut, while the G-side one does. That explains the short threads at the headstock side.

I've ordered truss rods from Rickenbacker.

(The wire heading into the neck butt that you see in the photo is for the fretboard side-dot marker LEDs installed by SimS over in the UK: http://www.simscustom.com/html/00leds.htm )

Maybe there was a problem along the way with the LED instalationl and that rod needed work done to it, perhaps?

Thanks again for the help, Paul.

The serial number says its from 2007, so it's one of those that was ordered in 2006 and manufactured in 2007.

It's an interesting bass. Besides the very pretty AFG finish and the side marker LEDs, it came with a nice silver case and a push/pull pot in the position nearest the jacks. I have yet to try and figure out what the pot does in the pull position.

jps wrote:Maybe there was a problem along the way with the LED installation and that rod needed work done to it, perhaps?

Could be. I'm hoping that the truss rod problem is unrelated to the LEDs. Time will tell.

I'll post progress as I continue working the repair.

Len, the "vintage tone" push/pull switch has been standard on the 4003 since 2006. It involves the addition/bypass of a .0047 microfarad capacitor that used to be a standard in older Rick basses up into the early/mid '80s. Basically, it is a bass cut capacitor for the treble pickup, decreasing bass response on that pickup. If you appreciate the more tinny sound from that pickup with the cap installed, you just pull up the knob and you have it. Push it back down, and you get more "balls" (increased bass response) from the treble pickup.

bassduke49 wrote:Len, the "vintage tone" push/pull switch has been standard on the 4003 since 2006. It involves the addition/bypass of a .0047 microfarad capacitor that used to be a standard in older Rick basses up into the early/mid '80s. Basically, it is a bass cut capacitor for the treble pickup, decreasing bass response on that pickup. If you appreciate the more tinny sound from that pickup with the cap installed, you just pull up the knob and you have it. Push it back down, and you get more "balls" (increased bass response) from the treble pickup.

Actually, you have it backwards, Paul. When the switch is in the up position the tone is the standard Rick bass tone. When pushed down it activates B.A.L.L.S (Building And Levee Leveling System).

Hope this helps.