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Basses kept in smoky rooms

No offense, but not buying a guitar because it smells like smoke? Sounds a bit dainty, don't you think?


I mean, can you imagine Chester Burnett walking into a music store, picking up a guitar, and then putting it back complaining about cigarette odor??

1. Dainty? Nope. I'm looking to purchase something. If I can just as easily get said bass somewhere else without smoke stink, then I can. If you met a girl, and everything looked good but she stunk of sweat and armpits would you still talk to her? If you walked away would that be dainty?

2. I'm not Chester Burnett. Why would I care what his habits are in regards to buying an instrument?
 
smelling the stench of smoke when a guitar case was opened is what made me want to play bass to begin with. I was a tuba player prior to that, but been playing those smoky bars for 28 years and loving every minute of it, so it wouldn't bother me to buy a bass like that. YMMV of course, that's what makes us individuals.
 
I prefer genetic engineering. You know, use the DNA of frogs to fill in gaps of a resurrected 60's-era P that eventually becomes hemaphroditic and reproduces on its own, eventually taking over the bass-themed amusement park that I own and killing a bunch of people before finally being taken down by a genetically resurrected octobass that roars its booming fundamentals as the "Grand opening" banner falls down in front of it.

I should totally make a movie out of that...

Instead of a "genetically resurrected octobass"- why not MOTHMAN!!??!!
 
I bought a bass that had been smoked around/sweated on constantly by the looks of it. The maple board/neck was gray and the bass/case reeked. It took a few hours, but I was able to strip the entire thing down, remove the pickguard, bridge, jack, knobs, etc and scrape the nicotine and dirt out from under and around the edges of everything. It was pretty disgusting.

But once I'd given it a good cleaning and left it out in the open air for a few days, the smell was gone. I used about a half a bottle of Febreeze on the case over a period of a couple of weeks too. That worked well.
 
two years ago i bought a very nice S7XXXXX precision with a natural ash body and maple neck. the seller was a nice guy but a very heavy smoker. he has earned his living as a musician. the place on the wall where the bass was hanging before i bought it was noticeable brighter than the surrounding walls.

the bass still smells like smoke, even after two years. in some way the laquer seems to have reacted with the smoke .... i like this bass though, it is a very good player, very light and resonant and cool looking (the natural colour has become quite dark and yellowish).

the seller has died of cancer 3 months after i bought the bass.

Does the bass sound a little wheezy?
 
If you met a girl, and everything looked good but she stunk of sweat and armpits would you still talk to her? If you walked away would that be dainty?

Hell yes I'd talk to her. Wouldn't bother me a bit. And I'd say you'd be something different than dainty if you walked away. But I digress...






This whole thing of people being highly nauseated by cigarette smoke.... where did this all come from? Those of you who can't bear the odor - what would you have done 20 - or much worse - 50 years ago when everybody smoked everywhere?? On airplanes and in hospitals. Would you never go to a nightclub ever because people were smoking?

Under what circumstances were you raised that tobacco bothers you THAT much??
 
This whole thing of people being highly nauseated by cigarette smoke.... where did this all come from? Those of you who can't bear the odor - what would you have done 20 - or much worse - 50 years ago when everybody smoked everywhere?? On airplanes and in hospitals. Would you never go to a nightclub ever because people were smoking?

Under what circumstances were you raised that tobacco bothers you THAT much??

+2

I work with the elderly (60+) and they complain about cigarette smoke to no end. Where were all you people 15+ years ago? In a cave?

The next person that tells me they are "allergic to cigarette smoke" is in for it.
 
Hell yes I'd talk to her. Wouldn't bother me a bit. And I'd say you'd be something different than dainty if you walked away. But I digress...






This whole thing of people being highly nauseated by cigarette smoke.... where did this all come from? Those of you who can't bear the odor - what would you have done 20 - or much worse - 50 years ago when everybody smoked everywhere?? On airplanes and in hospitals. Would you never go to a nightclub ever because people were smoking?

Under what circumstances were you raised that tobacco bothers you THAT much??

Yeah, but, all things being equal, if you had a choice between an odorous bass and an odorless one, wouldn't you choose the odorless one? I mean, if the odorous one sounded significantly better than the odorless one I can see going with that one, but...
 
Yeah, but, all things being equal, if you had a choice between an odorous bass and an odorless one, wouldn't you choose the odorless one? I mean, if the odorous one sounded significantly better than the odorless one I can see going with that one, but...

If I came across a tobacco-scented bass in a shop, I would certainly put on an overly-cultivated theatrical production about the "beastly odor", hoping to get the price lowered. But in reality, I wouldn't care.

I used to hang out in bars where the cigarette smoke was so heavy, the place looked like it was on fire when the door was opened. Tobacco aroma on a guitar doesn't bother me at all.
 
This whole thing of people being highly nauseated by cigarette smoke.... where did this all come from? Those of you who can't bear the odor - what would you have done 20 - or much worse - 50 years ago when everybody smoked everywhere?? On airplanes and in hospitals. Would you never go to a nightclub ever because people were smoking?

Under what circumstances were you raised that tobacco bothers you THAT much??

Smoking in enclosed public places (i.e. bars, clubs, etc) is banned in England now, but I'm more than old enough to remember when it wasn't, and it didn't stop me from going into bars and clubs. I live with two smokers, who smoke inside my flat all the time. Whilst I am used to the smell of smoke and I can deal with being in smoky rooms, I still don't enjoy the smell, and given the choice of being in a smoky room or a non-smoky room, I pick the non-smoky room every time. Same applies to everything else. My clothing and hair often smell of smoke, but if I had the choice to smell of smoke or not smell of smoke, I pick not smelling of smoke, and if I had the choice between a bass that smelt of smoke and one that didn't, I would be biased towards the one that didn't. If the one that did was much nicer, I would sure as hell put some effort into making it not smell of smoke.

Under what circumstances were you raised that people not wanting their stuff to smell of 20 years of stale cigarettes bothers you THAT much? ;)
 
Well, look, call me dainty all you want, but we're talking about the value of something that you want to buy, right? The resale value of a smokey bass is less than that of one that hasn't been exposed to a AMMONIA, CYANIDE, LEAD, ACETONE, FORMALDEHYDE, BUTYRALDEHYDE, CHROMIUM or any the other 3,900 chemicals found in second- hand smoke (those are mostly just the ones known to cause cancer above).

In fact, if someone puts that in themselves, despite all the contemporary evidence of exactly how bad a deal second hand smoke is, isn't it safe to assume they don't take very good care of their equipment? If they don't take good care of the player, why would we think they take good care of the gear?

Me? I'd move on to a bass that doesn't smell like garbage
 
Under what circumstances were you raised that people not wanting their stuff to smell of 20 years of stale cigarettes bothers you THAT much? ;)

If you or I want to open a bar where cigarette smokers are allowed, why shouldn't we be able to? Do you know why there are smoking bans? It isn't because people want non-smoking bars. If that were the case, there'd be no need for smoking bans.

The reason is because bars that allow smokers will be packed, and those that don't will be empty.
 
Well, look, call me dainty all you want, but we're talking about the value of something that you want to buy, right? The resale value of a smokey bass is less than that of one that hasn't been exposed to a AMMONIA, CYANIDE, LEAD, ACETONE, FORMALDEHYDE, BUTYRALDEHYDE, CHROMIUM or any the other 3,900 chemicals found in second- hand smoke (those are mostly just the ones known to cause cancer above).

In fact, if someone puts that in themselves, despite all the contemporary evidence of exactly how bad a deal second hand smoke is, isn't it safe to assume they don't take very good care of their equipment? If they don't take good care of the player, why would we think they take good care of the gear?

Me? I'd move on to a bass that doesn't smell like garbage

Huh...???