Return a bass for....smell?

[ElectricBass72]

I have a generic bass case I bought from MF years ago that smelled like Taco Shells. It wore off after a while, but taco shells don't smell bad to me, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

[MattZilla]

Return something that smells bad? YESABSOLUTELYIMMEDIATELYYESYESGONE.

But I do have a sensitive nose.

 

[two fingers]

Didn't read every post. But sunlight gets rid of virtually any smell. Set that sucker outside in the sun open wide. If the smell isn't gone the first day repeat for a few more days. There is no smell I've ever come across that UV rays wouldn't kill.

Worst case for a REALLY strong smell, open the case in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. THEN set it out in the sunlight. If steam and then sunlight doesn't get rid of it fire is the only thing that will.

 

[DanGroove]

I bought an Ibanez guitar once with HSC, both new. The case smelled like skunk. It was evidently a common problem about that time and resulted from the adhesive used to attach the case lining. It faded with time.

Never leave your HSCs open/unattended if you have a cat. It is not unknown for them to mistake an HSC for a cat box.

Never had a problem with that myself. I have had a dog pee on a guitar sitting on a stand...

The problem I have with the cats is they eat the foam padding off guitar stands and pull all the knobs and faders off my MOXF8 keyboard. I finally had to just round them all up, pull off the ones they hadn't yet and hide them all in a box.

As far as leaving a HSC open unattended I DO have a story:

I had an orange rockerverb 50 in a road case. I had the lid off so I could use it out in my jam building. Came out one day and noticed something had been nibbling at the foam lining. So i boxed it up to prevent further damage. Fast forward 3 weeks that I hadnt touched the amp. Open up the case to a horrific smell. I had boxed it up with the offending mouse inside. It starved to death or suffocated and started rotting in there. It was a nightmare getting the smell out.

 

[Mike Sorr]

Would you return a bass if the bass and accompanying case smelled bad?

Yes, and have done so. I returned a bass and case because both smelled like a combination of stale cigarette smoke and cat pee.

 

[Milo Spleen]

Even cigarette smoke isn't as offensive as it once was on my 43 year old Ric. I wouldn't want to be in that environment today, but if I were to sell my Ric, I wouldn't think it would be offensive enough to kill a sale.

 

[Eldrian]

I did. Bass that smelled so badly of smoke that it made ME smell like smoke when I played it. Couldn’t get rid of the smell no matter what I did.

You remind me of an ad i saw 12+ years ago, late 70s ex-natural Jazz Bass that became amber from smoke, cigarette burns on the headstock, and the seller advertising it as "it carries the REAL mojo smell", "just think, they drank real whiskey where this thing was played". It had been played in some seamy dance pub for 30 years night after night. Anybody remember that ? I'd have bought it in a second if i had the money.

A guitarist bandmate once had cat vomit on his sticker-laden guitar, that was when we set our stuff up in a friends' basement. Didn't really catch that much of a horrible smell, as the cat vomit was cleaned soon after, but calls said friend "X, my cat barfed on your guitar - did it get the pickups or the cavity or something ? - no, the cat barfed on the Manowar sticker - oh, it's okay then"

 

[MobileHolmes]

Depends on the smell. I've found that most will dissipate, but take a long time. Back in the olden days, essentially all instruments smelled like smoke (Both of my local shops were full of smokers). Quite a few cases stink from the plastics or adhesives involved in making them. Worst I ever had was a cheap musicians friend hard case that smelled like gasoline. I emptied a whole bottle of febreeze in it, left it open in the sun for a couple days, and it smelled just the same (and that much febreeze is gross on the lining). It sat unused for a few years and now doesn't smell like anything.

In general, I think the bigger thing is getting the case cleaned out. I haven't had many instrument smells that can't be taken care of with a good cleaning and a few weeks of airing out. But put that back in a stinky case and you are starting from scratch

 

[MobileHolmes]

I traded for an old cab to keep at practice. Well, the speakers were toast, I knew that already and had already bought the replacement. But the cab had a funny foul smell to it, especially when I played. Well, as I took the old speakers out, I found that a mouse had found it's way into the cab and had died, and it was in the cab insulation. I ripped all of the guts out of the cab and put it outside for a week and febreezed it every day. The smell did go away after that, and it became a really good sounding cab, despite the fact that I did not replace the insulation. Kinda wished I hadn't of sold it now. But that thing lived at the practice space from that point forward.

Dead mouse smell is brutal, but it tends to dissipate fairly quickly. We used to have cats, and they were bad mousers. They would maim but but definitively kill mice, then the mice would wander off to die someplace you couldn't find them. Smell was brutal, but would typically be gone in a few days after it started

 

[MobileHolmes]

I have a generic bass case I bought from MF years ago that smelled like Taco Shells. It wore off after a while, but taco shells don't smell bad to me, so it wasn't a big deal.

I don't remember which, but back in the 80s, one brand of cassette tapes smelled like taco shells. I figured it was because they used the same plastic in packing the shells

 

[HardNHeavy]

keep the bass and clean the case...febreeze or mothballs....Or if you got a portable steam cleaner, give it a good once-over.....Depends on what it smells like of course.

 

[Leo Thunder]

If that thing smells like a guitar, run! You're being tricked.

 

[Son of Wobble]

I don't remember which, but back in the 80s, one brand of cassette tapes smelled like taco shells. I figured it was because they used the same plastic in packing the shells

mmm tacos

 

[GManfromOz]

Would you return a bass if the bass and accompanying case smelled bad?

Yes, and I did. It smelt of Carpet mould and I could not shift the odore.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I don't remember which, but back in the 80s, one brand of cassette tapes smelled like taco shells. I figured it was because they used the same plastic in packing the shells

I think it was the Warner Brothers label.

 

[RhynoRock]

Last summer I had an Ibanez Egrodyne 5 string that stunk like chemicals when it sat in a case for a day. I ended up selling it for $100 more than I paid for it. Nice bass though.

 

[micguy]

Is it zebra wood by any chance? I’ve heard that smells like cigarette butts.

I've had (and have made) a few things from zebra wood - still have a bass with a zebrawood top. While the wood smells when you cut or sand it, and some people can't tolerate the dust (allergic to it), I've never noticed it smell like cigarette butts - it smells mostly like wood dust, but a bit different - not sure how to describe it exactly.

 

[Son of Wobble]

This thread reminds me I had a pair of shoes in the fourth grade that smelled so of fish that I was ostracized. Got my mom to return them to the store and they accepted them back as it was a common complaint. However, it was too late, the dye was already cast and I remained an outsider and a miscreant to this day.

 

[Mustang Surly]

Yes, and have done so. I returned a bass and case because both smelled like a combination of stale cigarette smoke and cat pee.

Cat's that smoke after a pee are the worst...

 

[DWBass]

I received a bass with a HSC that stunk. I just Fabrezed it a few times and left it open to air out. It eventually went away.