Rickenbacker 4001 Bass - Truss rod adjustment.
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- Опубліковано 25 лис 2023
- Adjusting the two truss rods in my 1981 Rickenbacker 4001 bass.
Remember - turn the truss rod nut to the left to loosen and to the right to tighten. I always LOOSEN off the truss rod nuts BEFORE I tighten them.
Such a beauty ❤
Thank you.
I used to just put the bass on the floor hold the body with my feet bend the neck back across my knee and give each rod a tweak and then let go.. no clamps etc needed.
Thanks for watching. I have a friend that does it that way and it works out fine. Do you still have your Rickenbacker?
The Owner's manual is a little different. It says to adjust the rods with the strings tuned to pitch while applying pressure like you did. The stings should just touch the frets as you lock the rods with the adjusting nuts. VERY IMPORTANT adjust altering rods after tightening no more than one eighth of a turn each.
You are correct you can leave the strings at full tension when adjusting the two truss rods. Thanks for watching.
I wish my son's cheapest guitar had two trussrods, as the neck is slightly warped. It's 15 years old and cheap, but I like its tone and playability pretty much. I think I'll try to straighten the neck in a climatic chamber at work...
Jay, great to hear your son is following in his dad’s footsteps and playing the bass. Let me know if you’re able to get that neck straightened out.
@@bass-hiroshimanick2534He's playing guitar. 😀 He's been doing so for about 15 years. I like to hear him play Iron Maiden songs and alike. New year 2018 you commented on this one: ua-cam.com/video/1WAQQs7xziQ/v-deo.html, a cover with my son on guitar...
Hello and thank you for all these recommendations.
To slightly tighten the neck of my 4003, I bought the special Rickenbacker quater inch tool.
The tool is the right size, however, I can't get it to fit around the nut because the outside of the key is touching the wood underneath.
Have you ever encountered this problem and know how to resolve it?
Maybe my key is not good enough quality and is too thick?
I do not know what to do.
Thanks for your help
Christophe Berly - Studio SLC (from France)
Hi Mr. Berly, thank you for watching. Yes, unfortunately, this is sometimes a problem with the truss rod access on a Rickenbacker bass. There are a few ways to fix this problem;
1). File down the sides of the quarter inch truss rod tool thin enough to fit between the nut and the wood. If you file too much of the tool you can weaken and damage the tool.
2). You can also modify a small wrench to fit over/above the truss rod nut and adjust the nut from the top instead of underneath.
3). CAUTION! Very carefully sand, chisel or route out the wood in the truss rod cavity under the nut. Only cut away very, very little of the wood at a time and check the space often. Don’t cut away too much wood. You don’t want to weaken the truss rod cavity.
4). CAUTION! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS ONE! Very slowly and very gently use a tool to slightly bend up the end of truss rod away from the wood and create space between the nut and the wood. I’ve seen other people try this method but I would never do it. If you push too hard you could damage the truss rod and the fingerboard.
#1 and 2 you are modifying a tool that can be replaced so it’s not too risky.
#3 and 4 you are modifying the bass so it’s much more risky and you can’t undo the modifications.
I hope this helps and please let me know if you’re able to fix the problem.
@@bass-hiroshimanick2534 Finally, it was the special Rickenbacker tool that was of poor quality. I bought another from another manufacturer, it works perfectly. Thanks.
@@ChristopheBerly , this is great news. I’m glad you were able to find the correct tool. Good luck with your Rickenbacker!
Hi Nick ! where did you get this neck guitar checker ? I found one for electric guitar but not for bass which have a different diapason ?
Thanks for watching. I bought the notched straight directly from Neck Check Guitars. Here’s their website.
neckcheckguitar.com
Hi Nick, tank you so much for your Quick reply. I’m à fan of Ric too. I have à 2011 Fireglo 4003 and I had to wait my seventies to afford it. Enjoy your Day !
@@canalvoyages , you are very welcome. I also have a 2011 4003 but in Mapleglo. Have a happy holiday season!
Seasonal adjustment time
Yes exactly Poo Ninja and it’s an old bass so I like to keep the parts in working order.
I need a second opinion on this, I was thinking of modifying my Ric to a thru-body design to increase the sustain and to prevent the bridge from lifting. Do you think it's worth it?
I’m not sure if I understand you correctly, your Rick already has the neck thru the body so I’m not clear what the modification would be. Also, I think your bass has the upgraded bridge/tailpiece so that may have solved the lifting issue. Apologies if I’m wrong because I don’t have experience with the new changes to the 4003. I’d be interested to hear more about this modification.
@@bass-hiroshimanick2534 what I meant to say was a string thru design to help with sustain but I didn't know the new bridge solved the lifting issue. I'll look more into it
@@ethanneville5421 , sorry about that I completely misunderstood, I’m old and I have jet lag which is not a good combination. Instead of drilling and modifying the bass which would be irreversible another option could be the Hipshot direct replacement bridge for the 4003. It’s supposed to be a better system, easier to intonate, increased sustain and solves the lift issue. It’s reversible so if you don’t like the Hipshot bridge you can go back to the original.
@@bass-hiroshimanick2534 got it, I'll try it out the upgraded bridge to see if I can get good intonation and action on it. Thanks for the help!
@@ethanneville5421 , you’re welcome. Check this link out it’s about the new bridge design.
bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=11441.0
I'm a little new to adjusting my bass but is the reason you want a back bend on it so the strings will even it out?
Thanks for watching.
No, I wasn’t adjusting the strings I was only adjusting the neck relief by manually bending the truss rod. This is usually only done on Rickenbacker 4001 basses. Most other basses are adjusted by turning the truss rod nut.
Once you get the truss rod properly adjusted the next step is to adjust the string height / action at the bridge with the bridge saddles. Which bass do you have?
I actually just ordered the Rickenbacker 4003 autumnglo so I've been watching a lot of your videos to help get to know what to do set mine up how I want
I currently have a Cort Action Plus so that's what I've been playing for a while now
@@ethanneville5421 , congrats on the new 4003 and Cort makes some nice basses!
The new 4003 basses only have one truss rod and the upgraded bridge/tailpiece so they’re easier to set up. The truss rod is adjusted with the truss rod nut like most basses. Good luck with your new Rickenbacker 4003 and let me know how you like it.
Thanks, I'll be sure to enjoy it! Also random tad bit of info I also happen to live in Japan which I thought was cool that you also do, (I'm assuming from some of your videos...)
@@ethanneville5421 , interesting, yes I do live in Japan in Hiroshima. Rickenbacker basses are very expensive in Japan you must’ve paid a bundle! I’d like to hear about your Rick when you get it so keep me posted.