Official Luthiers Forum!

Last year I was happy to find an Eastman John Pisano signature model AR-880 archtop on the used rack at a local music store. It retails for $2,500 but was on consignment for $1,500. I couldn't believe someone would buy that guitar (2008 model) and sell it so quickly. I checked it out, loved it and bought it.

After getting it home, adjusting the bridge position and height, replacing the light strings with medium Gibson jazz strings, I was thrilled with it and it quickly became my second favorite after my Marthin HD-28. So, the problem.... I noticed a funky smell whenever I picked it up that I didn't notice at the store. It's like that smell when you leave a wet rag in a bucket for a couple weeks then go back to wash your car and have to throw it away because it became moldy and musty.

For a while I thought it was coming from inside the guitar and figured it would air out. Unfortunately, over time I realize the smell is in the finish. I don't finish guitars, so my question is: Can old laquer or finish become musty with age, and if used on an instrument, is it permanent? The guitar is left out on a stand all the time for the last year but still smells. My obvious choices are sell it, refinish it or live with it. I don't like any of these choices.

Are you sure it is the finish? I have a guitar that sometimes smells when I have been playing it for a while; I suspect it is the fretboard wood and my hands don't agree.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Do you store it in a case between playing. Some case liner glues can smell.

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jw ( o)===:::

It was owned by a smoker, most likely. Nitrocellulose laquer absorbs nicotine.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Thanks all for the good info. Sorry for late reply, as I was gone for the holidays. To answer a few of you;

- I leave it out of the case on a guitar stand all the time. The case has no odor.
- It smells as soon as I pick it up off the stand and before my hands touch the fretboard.
- I've polished it several times with Martin polish, which I thought would remove any smell not imbedded into the finish but it still smells moldy.
- It's never really smelled like old cigarettes, which has its own unique odor. This smell is like a moldy old wet mop or a sponge that's ready to be tossed.

Very weird.

The smell could be coming from the inside of the guitar. Since the guitar has electronics, this repair might not work, but it's worth a look. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Quickies/RiceClean/riceclean.html

At least you know why they sold the guitar, but you might not want to get rid of the smell. Mold is the olfactory equivalent of patina. Might be a selling point if you decide to unload it.

Febreze?

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Have you looked inside? I had a 1924 Santos Hernandez in my shop recently that had suffered from some sort of interior mildew in its past. The problem was dealt with years ago, and at this point there is no odor or damage, but there is still visual spotting inside the guitar. If there is evidence of mold inside, I'd start with the rice treatment that has been mentioned, and then try fumigating with chlorine or sulphur dioxide. (Note: I haven't done this. Be sure to do a test first, to see how these treatments affect glues and finishes.)

Are you sure that the problem was the case out-gassing? I haven't run across this. Were these new finishes? Did the case get warm? If these were old guitars in new cases, and not warmed, can you (p.m.?) mention the brand? I don't want to blacklist any case suppliers, but I'd like to be aware of potential problems.

As a couple others here have mentioned... Musty wet socks smell is classic mold/mildew inside the guitar smell....
It can happen real easy... Get water inside the guitar and then shut it up inside the case.... Even an overfilled in-case humidifier can slosh some water out.... You may not even know it happened - especially if it lived in the case a whole lot....

I would stay away from any sort of chlorine fumigation - it bleaches the heck out of everything... Also makes wood and other organics massively crumbly... Any application of bleach would fall within this category...

Can you stick a mirror up inside the guitar and look for fuzzy spots?

Thanks

Dead mouse.