How do I make an old guitar smell nice?

August 5, 2004 6:19 AM

How do I get rid of the musty smell in an old guitar that's spent a lot of time in a damp basement? (It's a pre-Beatle Hofner bass with f-holes.)
posted by Faze to (5 comments total)

ExStink. Yeah, I sound like a complete shill; yeah, I do this in every stink thread. Yeah, get it anyways, it'll do the job perfectly.
posted by majick at 6:58 AM on August 5, 2004

With a quality vintage instrument like that you would probably want to take it to a luthier or good repair person near you and have them take a look at it. Wood is organic, and if the basement was damp there might be rot or mildew in the wood itself. There are lots of repair solutions if that is the case.
posted by zaelic at 7:27 AM on August 5, 2004

Start smoking cigars. It helped my basement stop smelling like cat pee.
posted by davebug at 7:38 AM on August 5, 2004

Send it to me.
posted by damnitkage at 7:49 AM on August 5, 2004

For something like wood, even a non-toxic material could seriously damage it, so I would recommend taking it to a professional guitar dealer.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 8:42 AM on August 5, 2004