Truss rod repair to a 1974 Rickenbacker 4001 bass

The problem...

This Rickenbacker 4001 bass from 1974 had a familiar problem. The truss rods would not keep the neck straight under string tension.

The design of the truss rod anchor plate is the same as on the guitars of the same era. The plate is not strong enough to take the tension. The adjusting nuts and top rods bite into the soft alloy anchor plate instead of levering against it, bending up the top section of the rod and holding the neck straight. Another problem can also occur.... the rods can bend making it difficult to access the adjusting nuts and can even break off at the threaded end.

This unobtrusive modification cures the problem permanently. A new quality steel block is machined to fit the truss rod access routing and holes are positioned to suit the threaded ends of the truss rods. In the assembly, brass washers and nuts are used and the threads are lubricated. This ensures that all the force of the nuts being turned is transferred to the effective areas of the truss rods.

Work completed

The result is an easily adjusted truss rod setup, ensuring permanent precise neck straightening.