Removing the smell from an electric guitar

[Dahlia]

Hopefully this is the right place to ask,

I've recently come into possession of a Gibson Flying V (2009 model) and while the guitar is in near mint condition with all stock hardware, it emits a very strong odor that is nothing I've ever smelled before. Google search has led me to believe that this is due to the glue used in the construction of the guitar case (the case smells ten times worse than the guitar itself). 

So far I've tried a complete rub-down of the guitar, generously applying Gibson's pump polish, removed the strings and cleaned the fingerboard with lemon oil which seemed to remedy the problem a bit, but that only lasted about a day before the smell returned in full force (mind you the whole thing stinks, not just the fingerboard). 

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated

[ksdaddy]

I bought an ozone generator last year. If you go on the internet and read what people say about them, they have a bad rep. They say they cause everything from cancer to measles to making Coke flat. My son in law bought a 2011 pickup that was owned by a heavy smoker. They "tried everything" and resigned to the fact the smoke wasn't going away, so much that they called the truck "Stinky". I turned the ozone generator on inside the cab and let it run for.... I don't recall how long.... must have been at least an hour or two, maybe more than that. Then we had to open it all up and run a 20" box fan to get the ozone smell out (not pleasant by itself). The truck no longer smells. No exaggeration.

I had one guitar case that was really bad. It had been musty inside and I had the bright idea of wiping down the inside with a rag soaked in bleach water. Don't ever do that. It doesn't get rid of the musty odor at all and it adds a layer of bleach.... like what your hands smell like if you get bleach on them, it's a kind of odor that's neither animal, vegetable or mineral, it just stinks. I opened the case up inside my old Blazer and ran the generator inside for a while. Same treatment afterwards, fan it out a long time. Case smells fine now.

Some places rent them. I bought one on ebay, hit it just right, maybe $50-60, I don't remember. It's there when I need it.

Don't be in the area and inhale it. It has it's own horrific odor, will cause headaches and possible respiratory distress.

 

[Dave F]

I've had a couple cases that reeked of smoke. I sprayed and worked in this product and closed the case for a day or two. opened it up and the odor was gone.

[Dahlia]

A little update on the situation

I used sodium bicarbonate, liberally sprinkling it inside the case and letting it sit overnight, hardly any effect. Next up I got a small container and filled it to the brim with coffee grounds letting it ferment for an entire day, the stink remained. In a boneheaded move I ended up spraying some of the guitar polish inside the case thinking it would at least mask the stench a little bit, it ended up making it even worse, before it was unpleasant, now it's nauseating. Sadly I couldn't find an online retailer that had the stain remover posted above. 

As luck would have it, a colleague at work offered to lend me his ozone generator and I one of the plastic containers I use to store patio furniture cushions ended up being a perfect fit for the guitar (sadly the case is a bit too large, so I need to figure out a workaround) . Closed the container and let the generator do its thing for ~15 minutes, unplugged it and let the box air our for an hour or so before retrieving the guitar. The funky smell is completely gone although the ozone generator does leave behind an unpleasant odor of its own but that should dissipate after a day or so, I hope. 

[ksdaddy]

That ozone is weird smelling, ain’t it?

It’ll go away soon. If you can, set a fan near it. 

[marco mancini]

On 2/5/2023 at 4:59 PM, Dahlia said:

Hopefully this is the right place to ask,

I've recently come into possession of a Gibson Flying V (2009 model) and while the guitar is in near mint condition with all stock hardware, it emits a very strong odor that is nothing I've ever smelled before. Google search has led me to believe that this is due to the glue used in the construction of the guitar case (the case smells ten times worse than the guitar itself). 

So far I've tried a complete rub-down of the guitar, generously applying Gibson's pump polish, removed the strings and cleaned the fingerboard with lemon oil which seemed to remedy the problem a bit, but that only lasted about a day before the smell returned in full force (mind you the whole thing stinks, not just the fingerboard). 

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated

Well i have had the same problem  it is not stink really  is the beginning of mould odour  which i believe the case passes on to the guitar , the first thing  i have done is to separate the guitar from the case , i put the guitar in a gig bag and let the case open  for a while  and things have improved both on the guitar and the case , now i close the case empty with a vanilla arbre magique  not in contact with the fabric  and  a couple of d'addario anti humidity envelope  and when i open it it doesn't stink but  i will never ever put that guitar in there  at all  it looks like , as it were ,  the two materials didn't  go hand in hand,  also   i reckon that the worst thing to do is trying to wash the fabric with something  it will only worsen the situation and you will end up up throwing away the case , the only solution is  putting the guitar in a brand new case  so that it can pick up the odour of the new case  and using the old one for a less valued guitar  to see  if  it gets along well with that kind of laquer .

[Dahlia]

Another update on the situation, as it turns out ozone wasn't the end all solution to my problem. The odor ended up returning after a few hours, the ozone just masked the smell. Something I didn't consider hard enough was the fact that it also has an oxidizing effect on metals, so the  small screws that hold the scratch plate in place ended up going from a shiny silver to a dark grey, same with the tuning pegs and frets, had to toss out the strings as well since they basically felt like playing with barbed wire. Luckily I was able to polish the frets down to their original condition using one of those fret rubbers, still, not a process I recommend you put your guitar through. 

Removing smells from wood is a fools errand and outside of using really aggressive cleaning agents, bleach, ammonia or strong lacquers, your best bet is just to let it air out and hope for the best. Ozone doesn't penetrate wood so it can only work on smells that would originate on the surface, but the trade off simply isn't worth it. The entire process ended up being a learning experience. 

7 hours ago, marco mancini said:

the only solution is  putting the guitar in a brand new case  so that it can pick up the odour of the new case  and using the old one for a less valued guitar  to see  if  it gets along well with that kind of laquer .

I was afraid it would have the opposite effect and that the smell from the guitar would end up transferring  onto the case. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Dahlia

[marco mancini]

Look mate  i separated  the two materials , guitar and case  and  i m quite convinced  that the wood of the guitar  is not right for the material  and the linen inside the case , i have  a PRS custom  of the year 1997  and it still smells like new  and it doesnt leave  bad odours on the left hand when you play  and the body is odourless like it should be,  which i think that is your main problem , other than the stench  on the body which is a consequence  of the  of the mould build up on the strings  and left rot it  inside the  close case   which  in turn  has affected  the upper part of the case  and spread everywhere . In any case  i believe that  the plush linen  inside the cases is much more better than the rigid  material  that they use in the custom shop series  but  at the end of the day  it depends on where you store the case  and being  careful not closing  the instrument in the case when the strings smells of rust . 

[ImAboutToStrum]

Have you asked multiple people to smell your guitar too? Do they all say it has a musk? Have you tried letting it get some sunshine? 

[jdgm]

A saucer of white (distilled) vinegar in the case overnight.  Leave the top open (or you could gently close it without latching).  If you leave it open, prop the guitar up next to it so the vinegar works on that too.    Do NOT wipe or wet the guitar or case with the vinegar. 

Repeat for several nights, using fresh vinegar each time.  This should remove a lot of the odour but probably not completely.  To do that you could try leaving the case open in full sunlight for an afternoon.

Edited April 17, 2023 by jdgm