Shambo Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 As I peruse the for sale boards for instruments I can't afford, I regularly see them advertised from "smoke free homes". I was just wondering, am I missing something about ciggarette smoke causing damage? I know lots of people find smoking a dirty habit, and if you were buying a sofa or clothes second hand then "smoke free" would be an advantage, or maybe a mixing desk thats been used as an occasional ashtray or skinning up board would be something to avoid, but do basses aquire a smokey smell? Does nicotine clog up the pots or deaden the string prematurely? Perhaps it leeches behind the finish and causes crazing? If my basses look a bit grubby I'll give 'em a wipe with a clean cloth and without a second thought. Should tobacco packets come with a warning of the damage caused to musical instruments? Just wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326730289' post='1501144'] As I peruse the for sale boards for instruments I can't afford, I regularly see them advertised from "smoke free homes". I was just wondering, am I missing something about ciggarette smoke causing damage? I know lots of people find smoking a dirty habit, and if you were buying a sofa or clothes second hand then "smoke free" would be an advantage, or maybe a mixing desk thats been used as an occasional ashtray or skinning up board would be something to avoid, but do basses aquire a smokey smell? Does nicotine clog up the pots or deaden the string prematurely? Perhaps it leeches behind the finish and causes crazing? If my basses look a bit grubby I'll give 'em a wipe with a clean cloth and without a second thought. Should tobacco packets come with a warning of the damage caused to musical instruments? Just wondering. [/quote] It makes them stink and go yellow. That might be a dealbreaker to some people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth1982 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1326730360' post='1501146'] It makes them stink and go yellow. That might be a dealbreaker to some people. [/quote] This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 There was a picture on here of a well gigged "white" bass before the smoking ban. It was quite.... something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swanbrook Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I used to love the smell of smokie bars off my bass, made it feel like a working bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambo Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 That is news to me. I can't say I've ever been able to smell a bass in my entire life. Perhaps I haven't been trying hard enough. My sense of smell's shot anyways due to the erm... smoking. I thought it was ageing and sunlight that caused some finishes to yellow. If an instrument has developed a covering of smokey residue then surely it just needs, or did need, a bit of a rub with a cloth. Next time I see some dude with an old guitar in the pub I might go up and ask them for a sniff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 My Guild B402-A smelled a bit rank but the fur inside the hard case absolutely reeked! An intensive course of Febreze seems to have done the trick but it was quite disgusting. The bass itself seems to have aired itself out a bit over the months I've had it so it's not so noticeable on the nose. It does have some lacquer crazing but who knows if the smoke caused that, it's 31 years old after all. Everything else was fine. I don't know if it's a deal breaker as such, but it's certainly a plus point to me to know I won't have to be in danger of passing out when I receive the bass for the first time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Its the case that really reeks - I had one old Fender where the hard case honked so much it had to be sprayed in Febreze and left in the open air to even become approachable. Before that it was like sniffing a sweat-drenched ashtray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326731373' post='1501175'] That is news to me. I can't say I've ever been able to smell a bass in my entire life. Perhaps I haven't been trying hard enough. My sense of smell's shot anyways due to the erm... smoking. I thought it was ageing and sunlight that caused some finishes to yellow. If an instrument has developed a covering of smokey residue then surely it just needs, or did need, a bit of a rub with a cloth. Next time I see some dude with an old guitar in the pub I might go up and ask them for a sniff. [/quote] Well, consider yourself edumacated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simwells Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Yep it's the case that you definitely notice it on and it seems to take forever to get rid of. Personally I feel it's something that should be mentioned if it has been smoked around heavily, well the case at least, I've yet to be aware of a bass that had noticably held the smell of smoke after a quick clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326731373' post='1501175'] Next time I see some dude with an old guitar in the pub I might go up and ask them for a sniff. [/quote] Probably a sound move if you want to acquire a black eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I once bought a 2nd hand bass where the strings and guitar in general smelt quite strongly of a marijuana - it wasn't pleasant and took a string change and lots of lemon oil to resolve ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [size=4] [/size] [size=4][quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326730289' post='1501144'] ....am I missing something about ciggarette smoke causing damage?....Should tobacco packets come with a warning of the damage caused to musical instruments?....[/size] [size=4][/quote] [/size] [size=4] [/size] [size=4]Nicotine sticks to everything; your hair, clothes, skin, bass etc and makes it all stink. It is very unpleasant if you are a non-smoker.[/size] [size=4]And smokers don't smell too good either, but that's another topic.[/size] [size=4]In ads I always stress that my gear comes from a non-smoking home so that the buyer knows exactly what he is and is not getting.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 The best guitar I ever handled was a '54 Strat in very pale blue. Apart from the usual dents, marks and scratches that you'd expect, the thing that made this guitar so evocative was the ancient nicotine staining. As soon as it was handed to me, I knew that this guitar had spent 55 years playing blues in smoky clubs on the wrong side of the tracks. Astonishing thing. It was a relic'd fake made three months earlier by a guy on Denmark Street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326730289' post='1501144'] ....Should tobacco packets come with a warning of the damage caused to musical instruments?.... [/quote] [size=4]You can do that but it won't put anyone off.[/size] [size=4]A TA at my wife's school has just died of lung cancer and another has finally been pronounced clear. Did anyone stop smoking or even cut down? No way. They're all still outside the school gates every break puffing their heads off.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Stinky repulsive smell. I remember opening my case the day after a gig before the smoking ban (every gig, not one occasion) and the strong smell of nicotine hitting my nostrils. ....ugh! Let's not get started on the smoking habit thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Shame about all the venues that have closed because of the smoking ban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1326735478' post='1501287'] Shame about all the venues that have closed because of the smoking ban. [/quote] Yep, but future generations will be amazed that we used to let people smoke in pubs. They'll think we were mindless simpletons. We should be proud of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambo Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 I can appreciate that people don't like smoking but I just can't (or couldn't) imagine anybody knocking back an instrument because it smells of anything. If it was dirty then I'd clean it and the smell would be gone. You go to buy a used bass. It looks good. It feels good. It sounds good. The price is right. Hang on... *sniff, sniff*... NO SALE! Has that ever happened? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='Shambo' timestamp='1326735962' post='1501297'] I can appreciate that people don't like smoking but I just can't (or couldn't) imagine anybody knocking back an instrument because it smells of anything. If it was dirty then I'd clean it and the smell would be gone. You go to buy a used bass. It looks good. It feels good. It sounds good. The price is right. Hang on... *sniff, sniff*... NO SALE! Has that ever happened? [/quote] I wish it had! I bought a guitar from a mate of mine who is a heavy smoker (it was 4am at the Rock World all-nighter, we were both hideously drunk and it seemed like a good deal at the time) and although I cleaned it thoroughly a few times, I never got rid of the smell of cigs. It wasn't so much that it sat there reeking in the corner, just that handling and playing it would make my hands stink. Fortunately I was offered the guitar for £80 and sold it a couple of months later for £200 so I wasn't too put out, but that experience in mind I'd always check and definitely knock back anything in similar condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='Ed_S' timestamp='1326736321' post='1501306']... sold it a couple of months later for £200 .... [/quote] Did you advertise it as coming from a "smoke-free home"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Before the ban I also used to hate coming back from gigs with my gear, clothes & hair stinking. My missus would demand I put my clobber straight in the washing machine, have a bath & wash my hair as soon as I got in through the door - before sitting down with a single malt & some cheese & crackers (my post gig snack). My fuzzy carpeted cabs always stank of other peoples' airborne effluent for days after a gig and I could even smell it on cables and my bass strap. I'd never buy a smelly guitar/bass. I really don't understand that some of my daughters' friends in their mid teens have taken up smoking - I can only put it down to them being extremely stupid. The thing about pubs closing because of the smoking ban is to a certain extent bollocks - cheap supermarket / white van to Calais alcohol is probably more the culprit there. Before the ban I never went in pubs unless I was playing as I hated the stink so much and I know quite a few people who feel the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='mart' timestamp='1326737740' post='1501338'] Did you advertise it as coming from a "smoke-free home"? [/quote] heh I suppose I should have done! Bit like when a guy sold me something on ebay as "just as it was bought" but failed to mention until it arrived in less than inspiring condition that he'd actually bought it second hand! Back to the point, I actually pointed out the fact that it was dry-cured, but the buyer didn't care... which I suppose goes to show that not everybody does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1326730445' post='1501153'] There was a picture on here of a well gigged "white" bass before the smoking ban. It was quite.... something [/quote] Could well be mine - I bought a 77 Fender Precision in Vintage White - for that read yellow. It don`t smell though - it has no nose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragglefart Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I played a 5 string Ric once, second hand. Real interesting thing to play, but God damn, it totally reeked of ancient stinky stale smoke ingrained right through the entire thing. Could never own a bass like that, felt nasty to hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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