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Location: Phoenix AZ | Any recommendations how to reduce the cigarette smell in a guitar and case that has been pretty heavily exposed for a few decades ??? |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | My collector's was like that. I just left the case open and the guitar out for awhile and cleaned the guitar top to bottom with guitar polish on the top. The case hasn't been opened in a few months and I bet the smell is still there the next time, though, just not very strong. I'm really sensitive to the smell of cigarettes. |
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| Wild-ass guess: Spray in case lightly with Febreze. Air out a while, then store guitar in it. |
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Location: south east Michigan | A few suggestions...
1)Reduce one of your Rosewood Martins down to shavings. Leave wood chips closed up in case for 2-1/2 weeks.
2)Put a heavy coat of Rustoleum Enamel on the inside of the case (Hi-Gloss Black works best)
3)Llama poo
4)Cheap French Maid perfume (I'll loan ya some)
5)Forget #1...go buy a new Taylor at your local GC. Store it in the case for 28 days and let it soak up the smell. On the 29th day, take it back to GC for a refund. Just say it smells funny. |
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Location: ms | I had this problem with a Jeep i just bought.While i hate the smell of febreze,I hate smoke even more.But i tried febreze and left the doors open it helped a lot.Don`t know what it would do to the finish of your guitar. |
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Location: NJ | Leave it out in the sun . . . shouldn't be too hard where you live . . . |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by Slipkid:
...go buy a new Taylor at your local GC. Store it in the case for 28 days and let it soak up the smell. On the 29th day, take it back to GC for a refund. Just say it smells funny. Which model should I get ??? |
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| Send me the guitar I'll send it back when the smell is completely gone. And not until it is completely gone!
Randy |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Puke in it.
or
1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (fresh bottle)
1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1-2 teaspoons liquid dish soap.
Ingredients must be mixed in an open container and used immediately. Never mix the ingredients in advance because oxygen released from hydrogen peroxide may cause a closed container to explode. Allow the solution to remain on five minutes before rinsing with water. Repeat as needed. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Which model should I get ???
Sorry...I don't know enough about Taylors to give that type of advise. I suggest you go on the acoustic forum, tell them what you plan to do, and ask for their ideas.
Seriously tho...I bet cedar chips might work. Or for your region...maybe some mesquite. |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | OK...I have solved this problem in the past. Are you gonna listen to all these clowns, or to an expert?
Get your hands on one of those ozone-creating air purifiers (the one we have in our house is called "the Breeze" by Eco-Quest). These aren't $50 Wal-Mart items...we paid about $500 for ours. Borrow one from a friend for a couple of weeks.
This thing is designed to purify the air in your WHOLE house, but I purified an old Legend and case that smelled AWFUL. I put the guitar on a stand and tilted it forward so I could aim the purifier at the soundhole(more or less).Left things like that for a few days. Then I did the same to the OPENED case. While this is going on my house still smells great; I'm just concentrating a lot of attention on the guitar and case.
I think it took a little over a week, but everything smelled great when I was done, and the smell didn't come back at all. John <>{ |
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Location: Orange County, California | Seriously,
Activated charcoal, in an open pan inside the closed case may help. You could also try sprinkeling soda-ash in the case and vacuuming out repeatedly. I'm not sure how well it would work ther because it's moisture transfer dependant, but one of those baking soda boxes you put in the fridge could work too. I don't recomend using Fabreeze. It's just nasty stuff. You don't want to "leave anything behind" Actually the charcoal or baking soda in a cheese cloth inside the guitar may help allot. I would "over humidify" it first then let it dry out using the "noble" substance as a descicant |
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Location: Avondale, AZ | From Cliff:
Leave it out in the sun . . . shouldn't be too hard where you live . . . Yeah and today has been strong winds.
I thought this thread was about a cure for smoking. I only know of one sure cure; death. |
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Location: Tennessee | Ozone spray. Available at auto parts stores.
Is this the new VS Dave? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Is this the new VS Dave? NOOOOOO. The new VS is perfect. Nobody would do such a thing to that one. Dave |
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Location: Tennessee | Whew! Of course if it was, I would have offered to relieve you of it. ;) |
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Location: The State of Hockey | Standing,
An ozone machine is probably the best solution. See if there is a ServiceMaster in your area and see if they will put it in the ozone camber when they are doing a fire clean up. The main problem is that the oil in the smoke has the oder. I managed a fire and water restoration comapny, you'll get a lot of the smell out but might not get it all out. BTW the problem with ozone is that it will damage organic material. |
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Location: San Angelo, Texas | I had this same problem with a Ballader that I bought for my daughter. The Fabreeze did the trick on the case, get the new non scented kind, and cedar chips in cheese cloth left in the body fixed it after about a week. If you would ike it done professionally, I would be happy to pay the shipping both ways to see that your guitar gets the treatment it deserves...and unlike some, I will send it back in a reasonable amount of time...a month should do it...and I won't charge you for the service, just my way of helping out a brother Ovationeer :) |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Nothing. Eventually it goes away. If you can't make it 6 months, put in an apple. check the apple, every now and then. |
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Location: NJ | fabreze |
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| Rice and Baking Soda ala Frank Ford. |
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Location: ms | IT will just go away,I had a D41 Martin that smelled just like beer and smoke.I just left it on a stand for a few weeks and the case open and the smell got weaker.If you need a Quick fix,fabreze. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | OK, I figured I'd start the the easy approach and work my way up from there. I took stoneperson's idea and got some "ozium" spray at Checker Auto Store for $5.49. Man, that stuff worked wonders. I would say problem is 95% resolved. I'll leave it as it is for now and see what happens. Thanks for all the good suggestions |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Figures the guy with "Stone" in his name would know how to get out unwanted smokey smells... (I'll bet he has Ozium in his office desk) |
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Location: Tennessee | You ought to try snorting ozium ... it's the bomb. Clears out the residual in the brain and leaves you feeling refreshed. |
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Location: RI. That small State out East | I had an "ugly" case issue and a few branches of eucalyptus (easy to find)left in the closed case fixed it.
I did the best job of vacuming and cleaned all the metal with a windex prior...
It went away.
Woz |
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Location: Illinois | Originally posted by Standingovation:
Any recommendations how to reduce the cigarette smell in a guitar and case that has been pretty heavily exposed for a few decades ??? Suggestion:
Destring her. Then with as strong a bleach water as you can stand, THOROUGHLY clean the inside and outside of the guitar. You've got to get all the tar off every surface, nook and cranny.
Rinse well as Chlorine is corosive to metal parts. This may not be doable on unfinished surfaces (back of sound board) Clean with mild detergent and let dry.. don't soak the wood, lest it stain or warp. Since the gunk that sticks to inanimate objects in a smokers home is carcinogenic, you might want to glove up first.
The next trick is getting the 'smell' out of the case. Since it's undoubtedly infiltrated all the fabric and foam, you might want to consider a re-upholster or replacement. I've heard that coffee grounds (unused and dry) can soak up odors. Might give that a try. Dump a 2 pound can of Folgers in the case and close it for a couple weeks to a month. It'll either take the smoke away or smell like coffee. You could do the same with a couple boxes of baking soda. If that don't work, leave it in an open state in the garage or other outdoor building for a couple months.
Great stuff that tobacco. I spent several hours this weekend sitting with a friend who has smoked most of his life. He's dying of lung cancer. He's only 50. His will undoubtedly never walk his daughter down the aisle. D@mn you Phillip Morris! - - - - I'll get off my soap box now. |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | If it's an Adamas, just get good power washer and go to town on it. Inside and out! You may need to change the strings and dry it out in the sun, but it should be good-to-go after that. (: |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | OH Yeah! ... DO the same thing to the smoker who screwed up the guitar! |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I bet if they re-designed cigarettes so that instead of sucking on them with your lips you had to insert them up your ass, that there would be a lot fewer smokers. Or maybe not. At least it would probably cut down on people smoking whil ethey drive. My wife smoked before we got married. She got herself hypnotized and hasn't touched a cigarette in 27 years. Too bad the hypnotist couldn't have programmed a few other things while he was at it ... |
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Location: Tennessee | You shoulda taken her to the hypnotist in Stepford.
I bet if they re-designed cigarettes so that instead of sucking on them with your lips you had to insert them up your ass, that there would be a lot fewer smokers. Or maybe not. Wouldn't. I already have people blowing smoke up my ass all day long. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Why does every thread in this crowd "go south?" :cool: |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | That's standard operating proceedure on any internet forum. After the first 8-10 replies the whole thing just goes to hell. Dave |
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Location: Tennessee | FIRST, Dave, FIRST. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you blowing smoke up MY arse ???
Hey, good call on the Ozium. Worked like a champ. Why am I not surprised ???
Dave |
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Location: Tennessee | In response to both of the above, if the shoe fits ...
Actually, I discovered the Ozium trick after an incident I won't go into detail about, but suffice to say it involved a teenage boy, my Q45, a BBQ gone awry, a raw slab of pork ribs in the trunk, three weeks in the summer, and somewhere around a million maggots. |
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Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | I think that's enough detail!...... 
:D |
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Location: ms | Standingovation,You could just stop smoking :D |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Stoney, that sounds a lot like a story I heard about another teenage boy, but he just forgot he had groceries in the trunk for a few weeks. And they think us old farts are brain dead. |
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Heavy smoker - any cure ???