2018 J45 Stinks of tobacco

[Jazzmac69]

Hi, just bought a used 2018 J45. Got it home and it reeks of tobacco. Didn’t notice this in the store. Don’t mean to be cheeky but I just thought it was the smell of the place.  The binding is virtually all yellow with some slight signs of white here and there. Obviously I noticed this and I’m aware that yellowing happens, but it’s a fairly recent model. Have I just bought one that a 40 a day guy had before me as the smell, coupled with the yellow binding makes me think just that. Thinking of taking it back as the smell is really potent. Any advice/thoughts would be appreciated.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Jazzmac69

[jedzep]

Think so, bring it back.  I've used all the tricks on the smelly guitars I've owned over the years.  Never had any work.  Yellowed binding on a 4 yr old guitar tells the story.

[Jazzmac69]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah I think it’s going back tomorrow. Really disappointed as it plays great but can’t sing with a peg on my nose!

[Dave F]

Is the smell in the guitar, case or both?

Edited April 26, 2023 by Dave F

[Jazzmac69]

Hi Dave, it’s on the guitar. I can’t smell anything from the case. Emailed the store earlier tonight and they’re refusing to refund as it was a walk in purchase and not online.

[jedzep]

Well, after you finish arguing with them, you still may be able to neutralize the odor.  I had an unsolvable problem, but it was cologne or deodorant related.

[Dave F]

Never had that issue, it's always been the case. I would start with a good wipe down with naphtha. That's safe on the nitrocellulose finish.  

[Jazzmac69]

Ok, thanks for the advice.

[jedzep]

Naptha is a good start.  If you live where the weather is nice, sitting it often on a lawn chair in the shade or on a porch diminished the odor problem I had.  However, Right Guard got into my guitar right where the armpit would rest, and though it reduced the problem, it never went away.  sold it to a guy who didn't mind the smell.  Probably used RG.

Many good guitar shops keep an ozone generator around for this issue.  Ask if they would deodorize it for you.  Smoke is one of the things it's most effective in removing.

[Jazzmac69]

Thanks for your help jedzep. I live in Scotland so the weathers pretty poor 😁 however I might look at buying the ozone generator. Cheers.

[jedzep]

Hah!  You could try soaking a couple sponges in a nice Macallan single malt and...ah, never mind. 

Good luck.

[Murph]

The J-45 binding will yellow anyhow.

The smell WILL go away naturally.

Trust me.

I smoked for many decades, but I quit in 2008. My 2003 J-45 has ZERO smell of cigarettes today, although it played a LOT of gigs when smoking was still legal in bars and I smoked in my house, music room, wherever I was.

If I loved the guitar, I'd keep it.

This too will pass.

[dhanners623]

As long as the guitar is out of a smoky environment, the odor will go away eventually. Wiping the guitar down is a start. Letting it sit in the case with an odor-eater or neutralizer can also help.

As with the others, I’ve had cases that reeked of cigarette smoke, but never the actual guitar.

[E-minor7]

My 1968 SJ plus case had a weird-weird smell when I got it a dozen years ago. Frustrated me a good deal.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Tried different things with no results, , , then the lawn was cut and I fetched two bags of newly fallen grass. (No not pot)                                                                               Spread it around the yellow plush and down the cherry burst hole and let it dry for a few days. Then sat the whole thing on fire, , , , HOLD IT ! - SORRY SORRY SORRY -                                           the post derailed.      Try again.

Spread it around the yellow plush and down the cherry burst hole then let it dry for a few days. Didn't chase away the odeur, BUT it changed to something better. .                                                                                                                                                       I nowadays keep a handful of straws under the lid there - as a precious reminder of a problem deluxe.

Edited April 27, 2023 by E-minor7

[gearbasher]

I wonder if leaving an open box of baking soda in the sound hole would work? Just remember it's there before you pick up the instrument.

[Jazzmac69]

Thing is, it’s all over the guitar. When I played it my left hand was stinking. 

[Holiday Hoser]

Hardest part about smoking a guitar is keeping it lit.

[ksdaddy]

I bought an ozone generator last year. My son in law had bought a GMC pickup that stunk of cigarettes so badly they named it Stinky. They scrubbed and cleaned and made some improvement but it still stunk. We put the generator inside and let it run a long time. I don’t recall but seems like it was 60-90 minutes, which I believe is way over the recommended time for that small an area. We shut it off and then opened up all the doors with a couple box fans running on high for a couple hours to get rid of the ozone smell. Stinky doesn’t stink anymore. 
I have not tried to de-smoke a guitar yet. 

[Janglemore]

I had a guitar that had a strong perfume odor when I got it. The smell came from the area that has the most contact with the player - the bass side of the lower bout. The case smelled strongly in the same area too. I tried wiping the guitar with naphtha. I tried baking soda. I tried ground coffee. I tried airing out the guitar and case outdoors. After three years, the smell was less than when I first got the guitar. But it was definitely still there.  Very happily, I ended up trading that guitar for my current favorite player.

In several of the posts above, an ozone generator was suggested. That seems to be the tactic most people recommend when reading threads on this topic. It would have been my next step had I kept the guitar.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Janglemore

[Jazzmac69]

Thanks for all the replies. I’m gonna try the baking soda and scrub the life out of it. And if that doesn’t work, hopefully a 40 a day Marlboro guy will buy it.

[zombywoof]

Lawdy, you never would have survived gigging in the 1960s and 1970s.  But I agree with an above post that a good cleaning with something like Virtuoso and dose fresh air might do to the trick although it can take some time.  If the smell did not go away think about how many of those coveted vintage guitars would be homeless. 

With cases where there was a musty smell, I have tried everything from baking soda to grass clippings to coffee grounds.  What has worked though are those spray ozone air cleaners you buy at auto shops or the stuff you can use to clean dog pee in carpets followed by leaving the cases out in the fresh air and sun.  Do not have clue though about how advisable it is for acoustic guitars.  

[Jazzmac69]

Hi Zombywoof, I’m more pissed off that I didn’t notice it in the store before I walked out with it. Tells you how smelly the place was! An expensive lesson learnt…been looking at virtuoso so might give it a go, cheers.

[jedzep]

Your stinky left hand was a pretty good clue.  That unsealed fretboard wood probably absorbed much odor.  The back of the neck is sealed, along with the rest of the outside, but I'd remove the strings and put my nose to the fingerboard where it might be the most concentrated.  Try a little ZORB-X or other ozone odor remover, as ZW suggested, on a dampened cotton cloth, rubbing dry immediately.  A lot of the odor may transfer to the rag.  Don't oil the fretboard, as it may trap the smell.

I've used activated charcoal in a perforated baggie inside the body with some success also.

I'd persistently hound the shop with how dissatisfied I am.  They must really have needed your $$$.

Edited April 27, 2023 by jedzep

[merciful-evans]

I had this problem with an ebay guitar. The smell was worse than I ever could have imagined. There are 2 differences. This was a solidbody guitar and it didnt have a nitro finish.

I did all sorts of things starting with more natural products such a vinegar. Then moved on to more aggressive chemicals. I stripped & scrubbed the thing a couple of times. It took a year to excorcise the smell.  Eventually I took advice rom someone here and left it outside in the fresh air for as long as possible. 

It worked in a couple of days. Obviously I choose my moment & made sure the weather was mild. 

[the other side]

As some mentioned, wiping down with naptha 1st. As Murph said, the binding will have a very slight yellowish in it anyway, I figured it was from the nitro. If you find something that has a lemon scent, I'd put it in the soundhole  (without touching any wood)  and leave it in the case overnight and see if that helps.