Fixing a neck... is this a video good or not?

[starjag]

I also have a few "experiments" under my belt. I now think heat is the key.

OK update.

I had the neck clamped into backbow for 2 weeks … no heat.

Without strings the neck was in backbow. with strings a slight relief. this neck may never straighten out, but it is a lot better.

 

[Ric5]

I also have a few "experiments" under my belt. I now think heat is the key.

heat is the next step for me if the neck reverts back to a ski jump

 

[Fender4Me]

I used Dans method on my '69 Jazz neck that had around .050" relief with a tight truss rod nut. I removed the nut, added a 1/8" thick washer, lubricated the threads, and then clamped the neck into a severe back bow overnight. Its amazing how much you can bow these necks with a C-clamp. I gradually tightened the truss rod nut while the neck was clamped. When I released the neck from the fixture, it had a slight back bow. After stringing it up, the relief is now .020" which I can live with. Using lower tension strings might put it into spec but, it plays fine to me. If I do this procedure to this neck again, I will hang a couple of heat lamps over it high enough so that the wood does not get scorched.
I used a much simpler method of clamping my neck. I have a 1" thick piece of granite that sits on my workbench. I simply used 2 wood block under each end of the neck and clamped it in the middle as shown below. I used a 1/4" piece of leather between the C-clamp and neck as not to damage the finish.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Warpedneck.com has developed a decent track record of straightening bowed or twisted necks, but I don't know if they will tackle neck through. From what I've read, they are using heat. I've steam-bent wood, and it's amazing how far you can bend wood without breaking, but steam would probably loosen glue and damage the finish too, so dry heat seems a lot safer. I think they charge $75 for bolt ons, so it's not some rocket science process. Good luck with it, that 4004 is a beauty, and deserves to be saved.
FIX AN INSTRUMENT'S WARPED NECK

 

[eddybuzzard]

Back bowed necks usually make for a good candidates for a neck shave, if you so desire.
Just an idea

BTW, I think the heat level can get as high as 180 degrees inside a closed vehicle,
but that might be very bad for the other parts of the instrument, especially the plastic, and the finish.

Edit-I misunderstood, you have a front bow problem, please disregard my back bow idea above.
It is usually best to help the neck into a back bow attitude, before tightening the truss rod(s), rather than putting all that force on the threads alone.
Also, the level is much more rigid when stood in an upright position.
But don't use your best level, LOL!
(My junk levels are identified with the acronym NFG )

(I actually use a hefty straight chunk of poplar, about the size of a baseball bat blank)

 

[Ric5]

Back bowed necks usually make for a good candidates for a neck shave, if you so desire.
Just an idea

BTW, I think the heat level can get as high as 180 degrees inside a closed vehicle,
but that might be very bad for the other parts of the instrument, especially the plastic, and the finish.

Edit-I misunderstood, you have a front bow problem, please disregard my back bow idea above.
It is usually best to help the neck into a back bow attitude, before tightening the truss rod(s), rather than putting all that force on the threads alone.
Also, the level is much more rigid when stood in an upright position.
But don't use your best level, LOL!
(My junk levels are identified with the acronym NFG )

(I actually use a hefty straight chunk of poplar, about the size of a baseball bat blank)

Front bow and twist … the front bow was a lot worse on the bass side.

the 2 week clamp down helped a lot, and yes it is worth saving. It has an amazing Rickenbacker treble bite and hi mid bark.

this is me rocking that bass about 10 years ago

 

[Aceonbass]

Given that this bass was originally a 4 string, you might consider returning it to that configuration. Adding approximately 40 more pounds of string tension to the neck may have pushed it past this particular piece of woods limits. Although 4004 necks had a wider taper than 4003 necks and make a great platform for 5 string conversations, the earlier necks were one piece, and not as strong as the later 2 piece necks. I know you have no use for 4 string basses, but at least you'd be able to recoup some of your investment by selling it.

 

[Ric5]

Given that this bass was originally a 4 string, you might consider returning it to that configuration. Adding approximately 40 more pounds of string tension to the neck may have pushed it past this particular piece of woods limits. Although 4004 necks had a wider taper than 4003 necks and make a great platform for 5 string conversations, the earlier necks were one piece, and not as strong as the later 2 piece necks. I know you have no use for 4 string basses, but at least you'd be able to recoup some of your investment by selling it.

never

 

[Ric5]

and what would I do with a 4 string bass?

I sure as heck wouldn't ever want to play it.

 

[Aceonbass]

and what would I do with a 4 string bass?

I sure as heck wouldn't ever want to play it.

Read the last sentence in my post.

 

[eddybuzzard]

Given that this bass was originally a 4 string, you might consider returning it to that configuration. Adding approximately 40 more pounds of string tension to the neck may have pushed it past this particular piece of woods limits. Although 4004 necks had a wider taper than 4003 necks and make a great platform for 5 string conversations, the earlier necks were one piece, and not as strong as the later 2 piece necks. I know you have no use for 4 string basses, but at least you'd be able to recoup some of your investment by selling it.

This is a very valid point.

Now this guy has a technique, and I use that term lightly, of pre-bending the rods,
and that's all I'm saying about that .
Watch with caution, and keep an open mind, it may be hard to watch, LOL!;

 

[Aceonbass]

This is a very valid point.

Now this guy has a technique, and I use that term lightly, of pre-bending the rods,
and that's all I'm saying about that .
Watch with caution, and keep an open mind, it may be hard to watch, LOL!;

The hairpin style rods used in 4001's don't work the the way the Gibson style rods work in later model Ricks. I've serviced the old style rods several times, and I can tell you that EVERYTHING this guy did was wrong. He didn't even cover the face of the headstock with painter's tape before he started torqing down on it with a screwdriver! He even mentions flipping the rods over because the nuts are easier to get too! This would make them work in reverse! I wouldn't let this guy change strings on one of my basses, let alone do THIS kind of work!

 

[Ric5]

Read the last sentence in my post.

I got the bass cheap on ebay many years ago. Someone else converted it into a 5 string. When I got it the neck was not straight, the B and g strings were not covered strongly by the pickups, and there were many holes under the bridge, but what the previous owner got right was to wire it toggle, 2 volumes, and 2 tones with stacked pots. It is lighter than most Rics and with 2 new pickups it has a crazy good tone. The neck pickup used to be a modified Rickenbacker high gain, but now it is a 3001 pickup modified to fit a high gain cover, and the bridge pickup is a Sergio single coil that I tried in 4 other basses and didn't like it in any of them but in this bass it sings. I have owned a lot of Rickenbackers … and worked on many more … over 50 … sometimes the ones with a neck problem make for basses that have killer tone. It doesn't make sense. And the bass is usually strung with light strings so the 5 string that I use are about equal to a standard gauge 4 string set.

And the neck responded nicely to the clamp treatment.

and if I ever feel the urge to play a 4 string bass my daughter has an Ibanez 4 string that is pretty nice.

the current set of strings has a low B with a tension of 27 lbs and 150 lbs for the whole set on a 34" bass, but since it is a 33" scale bass the total tension is more like 140 lbs

as per selling basses … I sold off my expensive collectable basses years ago and now my collection is populated by cheaper frankensteined basses. I usually only sell one when someone comes and asks me about one. Also sometimes I sell off basses that I don't play.

 

[Ric5]

I got the bass cheap on ebay many years ago. Someone else converted it into a 5 string. When I got it the neck was not straight, the B and g strings were not covered strongly by the pickups, and there were many holes under the bridge, but what the previous owner got right was to wire it toggle, 2 volumes, and 2 tones with stacked pots. It is lighter than most Rics and with 2 new pickups it has a crazy good tone. The neck pickup used to be a modified Rickenbacker high gain, but now it is a 3001 pickup modified to fit a high gain cover, and the bridge pickup is a Sergio single coil that I tried in 4 other basses and didn't like it in any of them but in this bass it sings. I have owned a lot of Rickenbackers … and worked on many more … over 50 … sometimes the ones with a neck problem make for basses that have killer tone. It doesn't make sense. And the bass is usually strung with light strings so the 5 string that I use are about equal to a standard gauge 4 string set.

And the neck responded nicely to the clamp treatment.

and if I ever feel the urge to play a 4 string bass my daughter has an Ibanez 4 string that is pretty nice.

the current set of strings has a low B with a tension of 27 lbs and 150 lbs for the whole set on a 34" bass, but since it is a 33" scale bass the total tension is more like 140 lbs

as per selling basses … I sold off my expensive collectable basses years ago and now my collection is populated by cheaper frankensteined basses. I usually only sell one when someone comes and asks me about one. Also sometimes I sell off basses that I don't play.

a lot of 4 string sets with a 105 E are around 190 lbs.

 

[Ric5]

Well the neck seems to be holding in a reasonable position … so now I have a 5 string 4004 that sounds like a 4001 and looks cool and plays easy.

So to answer the question posed in my first post … yes that is a good video on how to fix a neck.

 

[Ric5]

This bass may be my number one … or at least in the top 5 of my 15 basses …

 

[Ric5]

So I took the bass out to play last night and it the neck is still better

 

[heinpete]

...for the Rick 4001 neck I had a special treatment: by removing the truss rods it was possible to effektively water the neck trough the truss rods channels. Then clamping and heat drying (inside the car in summertime is a great idea if you are confident on the durability of the finish) over a period of two weeks. The re-assembling of the pre-bowed truss rods in the neck was easy and nuts and Alu block of upper end were supported by protecting the wood in the truss rod pocket by a small, thin steel plate. This also needed to file the washers flat at that area where they touched the steel plate but additionally helped to fix the Alu block and the nuts. In general the old hairpin truss rods system, as soft as the truss rods were, left a lot opportunities to deal with a strong negative back bow of the neck. The newer systems with the 4003 are more problematic in such case.

 

[Ric5]

...for the Rick 4001 neck I had a special treatment: by removing the truss rods it was possible to effektively water the neck trough the truss rods channels. Then clamping and heat drying (inside the car in summertime is a great idea if you are confident on the durability of the finish) over a period of two weeks. The re-assembling of the pre-bowed truss rods in the neck was easy and nuts and Alu block of upper end were supported by protecting the wood in the truss rod pocket by a small, thin steel plate. This also needed to file the washers flat at that area where they touched the steel plate but additionally helped to fix the Alu block and the nuts. In general the old hairpin truss rods system, as soft as the truss rods were, left a lot opportunities to deal with a strong negative back bow of the neck. The newer systems with the 4003 are more problematic in such case.

you bring up a good point ... the pre-1985 old style truss rods are different

 

[Gilmourisgod]

There is a new generation of double action truss rods that can also be removed, since the slot is the same dimension as the rod itself. The big, maybe only, advantage of the hairpins was that they could be removed, but that's been superseded , finally. I'd like to see Ric change to a single, removable DA rod, the best of both worlds, and a much stronger headstock/neck connection without all that wood hogged out for two rods. Something tells me John Hall isn't too interested in my opinion, however.