The 481 arrived today and it is quite a neat little guitar...but it absolutely reeks of cigarettes....I've never had this issue before.
Does anyone have any advice?
Get rid of smoke smell?
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sloop_john_b
- Rick-a-holic
- Posts: 13843
- Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 6:00 am
For the guitar, it will have to be cleaned. Get lots of lighter fluid (petroleum naptha. It is the best cleaner for a Rick finish, IMHO. Get into a well-ventilated or outdoor area. Fumes are not nice indoors. Dampen clean diaper cloth with naptha and rub guitar, moving to new areas of cloth and redampening. You will see yellowish-brown stuff coming off onto the white 100% cotton diaper cloth. Continue process until no more color comes off from any part of the guitar. Then, do the same thing with more clean white diaper cloth and water. If cloth stays clean, you are done.
Per Paul Wilczynski, the next thing is to polish with Scratch-X (finish cleaner and mild rubbing compound) and then polish with Zymol (water-based premium polish that builds up layers and smells great
The case would have been another issue, if it had come with one. Forget about getting that stench out of a case any time soon
You would have had to have opened the empty case and left it open someplace dry and airy for about a year. In the interim, you could have invested in a $150 vintage reissue gray case, they smell good
You should think about doing that anyway, it will really protect the guitar!
Per Paul Wilczynski, the next thing is to polish with Scratch-X (finish cleaner and mild rubbing compound) and then polish with Zymol (water-based premium polish that builds up layers and smells great
The case would have been another issue, if it had come with one. Forget about getting that stench out of a case any time soon
You would have had to have opened the empty case and left it open someplace dry and airy for about a year. In the interim, you could have invested in a $150 vintage reissue gray case, they smell good You should think about doing that anyway, it will really protect the guitar!
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and sit in with the band whenever you can, to keep your chops up!
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jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
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I've had good success getting cigarette smells out of cases with Carpet Fresh. Sprinkle, close, let sit a week, vacuum out, wait a day, if it still stinks, repeat.
I had a '59 Fender case...smelled like ciggies and mildew. Took a month of this sort of repetition.
Elys is correct...what you're smelling, Alisha, is the tars that vaporize in the air and in a smoker's lungs. It is sticky stuff, and will stick to anything in sight. It actually forms a film on the guitar's surface. Lighter fluid will cut through the film. If you use a clean white cotton cloth, like a T-shirt or one of my ubiquitous diapers, you'll see the brownish stuff come off with the naphtha.
Good idea: wear a half-face respirator with an organic cartridge to protect your lungs and brain cells.
I had a '59 Fender case...smelled like ciggies and mildew. Took a month of this sort of repetition.
Elys is correct...what you're smelling, Alisha, is the tars that vaporize in the air and in a smoker's lungs. It is sticky stuff, and will stick to anything in sight. It actually forms a film on the guitar's surface. Lighter fluid will cut through the film. If you use a clean white cotton cloth, like a T-shirt or one of my ubiquitous diapers, you'll see the brownish stuff come off with the naphtha.
Good idea: wear a half-face respirator with an organic cartridge to protect your lungs and brain cells.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
Alisha, be sure to wear some latex or nitrile gloves - the tar residue in solution (i.e., dissolved in the lighter fluid) could enter the skin and cause a rash (or worse, as the tar is carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic ...).
It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing. - Seneca
Why stop with the guitar? Show us what brand of lighter fluid you use too
It is those shots of any Forumite working over their guitar that are the best. Kinda like when you see photos posted of works-in-progress at Paul's studio - the photos are that much better when they include showing Paul himself at work on his masterpieces. We want to see you doing the same on yours
It is those shots of any Forumite working over their guitar that are the best. Kinda like when you see photos posted of works-in-progress at Paul's studio - the photos are that much better when they include showing Paul himself at work on his masterpieces. We want to see you doing the same on yours
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and sit in with the band whenever you can, to keep your chops up!
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longboard_ric
- Intermediate Member
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- Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 1:15 pm
