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Removing nasty odour from bass and case...any tips???

L

lefty_400

May 18, 2005
28
0
#1
Both my P-Bass and its case have a fairly heavy odour that I am trying to get rid of. The odour reminds me of those little boxes of raisins kids hate to get on Halloween. The worst part is, the damn smell sticks to you and whatever clothes you are wearing!

I will admit I don't stringently wipe off the bass after playing, never have since I bought it used about five years ago, yet I never noticed any smell until it appeared in force last year. Also, I treat my Rick and Jazz basses the same way and they don't have any strange odours.

I've dosed the case in Febreze several times over, and it seems to be working.

Any ideas on how to get the smell off the bass? Believe it or not, I've wet a cloth in febreze and rubbed the bass down, but the smell is still pretty strong. I know once I put it back in the case it'll reinfect the case, sending me back to square one.

Any tips guys?

Thx
 
#4
Can you leave the bass out of the case for a few days. If it is some bacteria or other life form, use direct sunlight exposure, particularly on your case to kill it off. Should be a dry day when moisture won't help the little buggers grow.

While your case is cooking, I would wipe down the bass, particularly the body with some alcohol wipes, nothing to serious but a good wipe down and let it air dry out pretty good.

Before bringing the two together, give the case a good sniffing. If you catch a whiff of the old musty, then either prepare to part with it or keep it in the sunlight a little longer.

Had a musty smell on a '77 Ripper I added to the family recently. Vacuumed out the case like a maniac and left it out in the 90 degree SoCal afternoon sun. Worked for me.
 
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#8
if you have access to a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze (or a copy of one), place the case and the ionic breeze in a closet for a few days.. with the Ionic Breeze on high.. ionic breezes give off ozone (O3) and will kill the smell.. you can put the bass in there also..

i've done this more than once, and it works great..
 
#11
for the bass, I'd give it a good cleaning with naptha, changing the cleaning cloth as needed. the naptha won't hurt the finish and will remove whatever residue is causing the odor. I'd be inclined to remove as much hardware as possible before cleaning. repeat as necessary until you're satisfied with the results. after it's clean, I'd use some of the Dunlop 65 polish on it.
 
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#15
I emptied half a bottle of Fabreeze in one of mine and left it open in the garage for a couple of days. Then I doused it again and waited another couple of days. Seemed to work. I kept a couple of bounce sheets in the storage compartment for another few weeks.

The smell is 90% gone now. It was really smoky and someone must have poured a pitched of beer into it at some point.

hasadari said:
an open box of baking soda for a few days. Or a bottle of Polo.
Click to expand...
Blech!:spit::D Cigarettes and Polo. Nice combo!
 
#18
It's a 1978 P-Bass so its a Poly from my understanding of things. I did a little side research after reading the comments and it seems Poly can take whatever Nitro can take and then some.

Tomorrow I'll try the Naphtha lighter fluid on the bass and see if it gets the raisin funk out...If it doesn't maybe I'll go Monterey on it in the backyard and film it for youtube! :D
 
#19
One of the main causes of bad odor is moisture. I suggest the following:

1. After using the bass especially after a gig, wipe-off the sweats that accumulated in the bass before putting it back in the case.

2. Put some moisture absorbent materials in the case (similar to those we see in medicine bottles.

3. Put CHARCOAL especially BAMBOO CHARCOAL in the case. Why? It Regulates Humidity:
When put in refrigerators and drawers, bamboo charcoal absorbs odor and hazardous substances in air. Placed in vegetable section of fridge, and it will absorb ethylene gas and keep vegetables and fruits fresh. Also, the charcoal keeps your clothes and shoes dry and comfortable.

4. Lastly and most important: Take a bath before going to a gig:D
 
#20
Thread revival... (I did my search!)...

I bought a used bass and the bass and case smells like pot. I don't smoke and I really don't like it. I've taken the bass out of the case permanently and wiped it down with guitar polish. It has new strings and does not see any smoky environments anymore. I've Febreezed the case, but that has not done too much.

Any more suggestions?
 

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