De-glue a freatboard . Pro e cons.

[killer]

Hi guys,
My old rick truss road is broken.

The luthier told me he can remove the freatboard away , change the truss and re glue the freatboard.

Isn't dangerous for the neck and the freatboard ?

[Steve Dallman]

I've done it on a number of instruments. How cleanly it comes off depends on the glue used. If he's done this on a Ric before successfully, then let him have at it.

Some glues will soften with heat/and or steam. Some modern glues are harder than the wood. With those woods (and my own instruments) I've had to choose whether I wanted to save the neck or the fingerboard. (Titebond II glue). On my fretless, when I removed the original fretted board, to put on a fretless board, I had no concern for the original fingerboard.

On a broken headstock guitar, obviously the neck was junk but I wanted to reuse the unusual natural ebony fingerboard.

On truss rod replacements, I have gotten the boards off without damage to either.

I've not done a Ric.

[killer]

My other question is after he remove the freatboard , the neck or the freatboard can be no straight cause of the tension of the glue or whatever he use to remove ( steam , hot knife , ecc ) the board?

[throughmylens87]

+1 to what Steve said. If you are using a professional luthier it should be no trouble for them to do this type of repair.

[killer]

Originally Posted by throughmylens87

+1 to what Steve said. If you are using a professional luthier it should be no trouble for them to do this type of repair.

I think is good, 65 year old with 30 years experience .
But never say never!

[Rickett Customs]

Originally Posted by killer

Hi guys,
My old rick truss road is broken.

The luthier told me he can remove the freatboard away , change the truss and re glue the freatboard.

Isn't dangerous for the neck and the freatboard ?

Removing a trussrod on a Ric? Is it mandatory to remove the fretboard? Nope, only if it is being replaced with a completely different trussrod.

How "old" of a rick we talkin'? 4001?

Those "hair pin" trussrods actually slide out (headstock end), without separating the fretboard and can be replaced without removing the fingerboard.


If it's a 4003 (Has nuts on both ends), Taking off the pickguard, pickup surround and bridge, then loosening the nuts at the headstock end and using a puch (or nail set) and a mallet, tap the rods in towards the body and slide them out on the body side.

Ric is god like that, regarding trussrod removal, without taking the fretboard off. In another example: Most Ken Smiths and Fodera trussrods can be removed, without removing the fretboards

Removing a fretboard is not a bad thing, as long as you're not putting too much heat to the neck to make it warp. Any experienced person can do it without breaking a sweat. Ricky's ate not too difficult, due to the small footprint of the fretboard. Wide 5 strings and 6 strings are a little more time consuming.

[killer]

Yep, 4001

[Rickett Customs]

Originally Posted by killer

Yep, 4001

Yep, easy pull.......what is not easy to find is the "hair pin" shaped rods (they can be custom made though). Changing over to a newer readily made rod is primarily why the fretboard is taken off.
I just recently replaced truss rods in a '74 4001. Had to use newer rods ( single action dual rods ) instead. The slots need to be deepened a hair, to fit. The original rods are definitely weaker than the modern ric rods, which is why Ric changed to them.