I lent an amp and a bass to a friend and I just got them back today. They are both covered in a yellow slime from cigarette smoke, and they stink so bad I don't want to bring them into the house. I can deal with cleaning the bass, but how do I get that small out of the amp? My guess is the speaker cones are permeated with the stuff, and the front speaker cover is going to have to come off so I can get to the front of the speakers. What can I use to get the smell out of the speaker cones?
I don't recommend putting anything on the speaker cones. For the smoke slime on the wood, grill and outside of the cab, maybe try a cleaner like Simple Green and a rag. For the bass, some sort of furniture polish and a rag. For the speakers, I suggest letting them air out. The smell does go away eventually. Won't go away today, though.
Seal the cab in a plastic bag with an open box of baking soda for a couple weeks might do the trick. Clean what you can first.
I used to buy and sell pinball machines and they have lots of surfaces that you can't clean. I would leave it out in the garage after you have cleaned what you can and let it air out. It might take a while, but if the smell will leave a smoke infested from a bar pinball machine, the smell will leave your speakers, too.
That's not what a "friend" would do to something that was loaned to them on good faith I hope you learned your lesson. I would let them air out first then use goo gone it cleans and has a nice smell also.
Yea, I learned... It was a friend of my brothers. He's a disabled Vet who wanted to pick up some extra money giving guitar and bass lessons. I loaned him the gear and took lessons from him for a few months, but he started insisting that I pay in advance of the lessons, then he was too busy to give the lessons, so I stopped taking them. I got an email from him on Wednesday saying that since I haven't asked about the gear for 6 months, they belonged to him now, and he was going to sell them to make rent. Don't even think to ask to borrow a bass from me!
