ksdaddy Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 I don't know if my nose is hyper sensitive now or what; maybe it's making up for the 35 years of Camels or something, who knows? But lately my nose has been working overtime and sometimes that leads to uncomfortable situations..... standing too close to a co-worker who obviously drank lots of beer the night before, being overly aware of the cat box, stuff like that. So I'm in one of those "all of these guitars suck" moods lately so I've been bouncing from one to another worse than a trailer park girl at a truck stop trying to make the money for the payment on her Bonneville. Out comes the 2007 CJ165. The case opens and the scent of a new guitar whacks me in the face, almost overpowering. It's been here 16 months! Out comes the '91 J30, which I doubt has been played 10 hours in it's life, and it still has the new scent. Seventeen years later? Out comes the battered beat to crap '65 Palomino. It smells remarkably like an attic-found guitar, musty and seemingly untouched for years. The kind of smell that works wonders on any ED issue a guitar guy might have, but that could be embarrassing at the flea market. In my lap at this moment is the '58 C-6 classical. I keep catching a whiff of "something" and can't quite put my finger on it. Then it dawns on me, it smells exactly like an old tube amped phonograph, one with the flocking on the platter and two pound tonearm... when you dig it out of the attic and fire it up it just has a certain smell that I enjoy while hearing old Jimmie Rodgers 78s, almost like dust baking on a 35Z5 tube. I had much less sensory overload when I smoked a pack a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 Well....I can agree that guitars DO have a scent. I had an old Martin that had Brazillian rosewood, and if I kept it in the case, I could smell the rosewood when I opened the case to play it. Also, I have owned two guitars that had European Spruce, and what a nice smell taking those out of the case after they had been in there for a while. True mahogany guitars also have a wonderful oder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 Very excellent commentary ksdaddy, I agree whole heartedly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeebee Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 like the lady from the picnic said .............."once you get past the smell, you got it licked" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Rondack Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 The best is mahogany... finished with nitro cellulose... a J-45 or a D-18... reminds me of Managua without the diesel fuel smell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 The guitar smell can be proustian. I got a new Martin OM-21 a year or two back and when I took it out of the case the first time and smelled the wax they use on the final polish I was right back there, 18 years old smelling the new D-18 I bought in 1970. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Walker Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 Man, there is nothing like the combined aroma of nitro cellulose, Virtuoso polish, ground bean coffee, and baking biscuits in the morning while sitting on my deck watching a Florida sunrise over the wetlands as I strum my Gibson. It's those simple things in life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 like the lady from the picnic said .............."once you get past the smell' date=' you got it licked"[/quote'] If only they smelled like a Gibby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWilson Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Mine don't smell until I start playing them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My Gibson AJ is by far the best smelling guitar I own. If one were to look in my music room just as I take it out of it's case to play, you would almost always see me putting my nose up to the soundhole and taking a big wiff of the rosewood... heaven on earth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOESTONE Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 I love the smell of guitars in the morning. But really, I have noticed as I get older that I'm more sensitive to things like this. I have an old all Birch arch top harmony from the 40's that has an absolutley wonderful scent. good topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Maybe someone should invent "NEW GUITAR SMELL" in a spray bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My Gibson AJ is by far the best smelling guitar I own. If one were to look in my music room just as I take it out of it's case to play' date=' you would almost always see me putting my nose up to the soundhole and taking a big wiff of the rosewood... heaven on earth! [/quote'] Ditto with my SWD. The Rosewood/Nitro combo is quite intoxicating. Put me in mind of a great film.......... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jDlO8HXEuys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 TWilson......lol....funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grampa Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Most players I know will put their nose right up to the sound hole of any guitar they pick up. Like trying to remember the first time. You get that woody whiff and you're transported back to when this guitar thing was new and not the unhealthy obsession it is now. A memory of happier simpler times when their was joy in everything. But I digress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 I'm with you, grampa! Interesting note: I kept a J-150 (that came to me without a case) nicely wrapped in a 1939 big butt cedar chest for 2 years. I finally got it out upon getting a case and to this day I have a maple body jumbo that reeks cedar when one puts his or her nose in the sound hole! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 my j45 rosewood smells amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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