Rickenbacker truss rod experts

[brutalron]

So I made one of the tag sale finds a few weekends ago. 1975 Rickenbacker 4001. I got it for a song along with a case. I looked it over and verified that it was the real McCoy. I get home, plug it in and the bridge pickup is dead. It also needed a set up.

According to the owner, it has sat in a case for over 10 years. I am not familiar to the Rickenbacker dual truss rod system so I bring it down to a local repair guy a week ago. I figured he would give it a set up, fix the loose solder joints, and that would be that.

Fast forward to today. I arrive to pick up the bass after work and the store owner says the truss rod is closed to being maxed out. This was not what i wanted to hear.

Once I calmed myself down, I researched the truss rod issue. I read that the truss rods on Rickenbackers can be removed with out removing the fretboard. This is a good thing. Rickenbacker 4001 Truss Rod Replacement? - The Gear Page (The third to last post.) Documented in photos here Flickr: guitar-tech's Photostream

My questions are: 1) what is the best way to diagnose that this truss rod only removal and replacement is the correct course of action? 2) If this is a viable option, does anyone know of anyone in Connecticut or surrounding area that has performed this type of replacement? I would be willing to ship it for an experienced technician/Luthier. I contacted a few local Luthiers and I am awaiting responses.

If anyone can provide any information, it would be greatly appreciated.

[brutalron]

The offending party pre repair and set up.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by brutalron

Fast forward to today. I arrive to pick up the bass after work and the store owner says the truss rod is closed to being maxed out. This was not what i wanted to hear.

Close to being maxed out is ok. Most of the time once you properly adjust the truss rods on a 70s 4001 it is good for decades. Most seasonal adjustments can be handled by simply adjusting the bridge.

Remember 4001 truss rods do not move the neck. They hold the neck neck in place. To adjust the 4001 neck you looesen the rods move the neck and then tighten the rods to hold it in place.

[Ric5]

Also that black finish looks like a non original finish.

[brutalron]

Ric5 You are wise in the ways of Rickenbackers! Thank you.

Seriously though, that is very interesting. Perhaps this tech was not savvy with Ricks. He is a well regarded tech, but perhaps he doesn't know how these old Ricks function.

Again, thank you for the info. I think I will look for a second opinion and talk to someone in my area that can set this bass up better. Any other pertinent nuggets of knowledge regarding 4001's? You have been a big help!

[brutalron]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Also that black finish looks like a non original finish.

I didnt think so either, but I did find a few older 4001's like this that did have the same finish.

1975 vintage Rickenbacker bass guitar - Bass guitar museum

Could these both suffer from the same paint job issue?

On my bass it appears that the binding was painted black. You can tell its there, its just black.

[rickdog]

Wow, nice score!

Check out Joey's Rickenbacker Bass Guitar Maintenance, Setup and Wiring Diagrams. Lots of good info about how old Rickenbacker basses work. This will answer a lot of your truss rod questions. If your repair guy didn't know this stuff, you're probably lucky he didn't cause some real damage!

Also check out the Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum. There's a wealth of knowledge and expertise there.

For the bridge pickup issue - your bass has two jacks, right? The one closer to the bridge has a switch in it that connects the two pickups together when a plug is inserted (the other is a stereo jack). If the bass sat in the case for ten years, the contacts are probably a little corroded, which might cause the problem.

[brutalron]

Originally Posted by rickdog

Wow, nice score!

Check out Joey's Rickenbacker Bass Guitar Maintenance, Setup and Wiring Diagrams. Lots of good info about how old Rickenbacker basses work. This will answer a lot of your truss rod questions. If your repair guy didn't know this stuff, you're probably lucky he didn't cause some real damage!

Also check out the Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum. There's a wealth of knowledge and expertise there.

For the bridge pickup issue - your bass has two jacks, right? The one closer to the bridge has a switch in it that connects the two pickups together when a plug is inserted (the other is a stereo jack). If the bass sat in the case for ten years, the contacts are probably a little corroded, which might cause the problem.

Cool thanks! Yes sir, two jacks. He fixed the electronics 100%. It was just some loose solder joints and like you said, corrosion. It sounds great. Its just the set up that is higher than I would like. I just want to make sure the truss rods are 100% before anyone else goes and adjusts it.