Beans!

[DiMarco]

Indeed.

I am repairing my hard case here. The weapon of choice being coffee beans.

 

[Chiliwailer]

Nice, wonder if it works on 180 year old cases?! 

[DiMarco]

I will report back if it does help. The case is an original Fodera one that appears to have been sprayed on the inside with some sort of perfume or other smelly muck.
Trying my best to remove that smell as it does rub off on the bass - no fun as a bass usually sits right under your nose when playing.

Also ordered some Febreze but I'd rather not spray any type of liquid in there...

 

[Chiliwailer]

18 minutes ago, DiMarco said:

I will report back if it does help. The case is an original Fodera one that appears to have been sprayed on the inside with some sort of perfume or other smelly muck.
Trying my best to remove that smell as it does rub off on the bass - no fun as a bass usually sits right under your nose when playing.

Also ordered some Febreze but I'd rather not spray any type of liquid in there...

 

Best of luck, nothing worse than a case sticking up your guitar, I can still smell an old case of mine 10 years after selling it! 

On the opposite, my SG case makes it smell nicely of vanilla, due to the nitro I presume. 

[Geek99]

Yes @Chiliwailer but think what those nitro fumes are doing to your Brian... you’ll start May king typos evree wayer

[Geek99]

@DiMarco thinking that if people will pay good money for coffee beans gobbled up by a smelly cat and then pooped out in a jungle and left for a while to soak up the ..um ...ambience just maybe there’s a market for beans that merely smell of “musty bass case”....or is that flavour just too mild ...

Edited June 15, 2020 by Geek99

[hooky_lowdown]

Lumps of charcoal absorbs and removes odours.

[Geek99]

Ideal - just burn it and you’re done 

[DiMarco]

... and have a free BBQ party in the process!
All at a sensible social distance, ofc, honoring the bollockdown.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by DiMarco

[DiMarco]

I have just learned the manufacturer puts this scent in their hard cases to keep the instument from smelling bad over time from cigarette smoke etc.
All nice and well but I do not like it. We'll see if I can get that smell out of there.

It is supposed to be a vanilla scent.
My bass will smell like coffee instead!

 

[Chiliwailer]

7 hours ago, DiMarco said:

I have just learned the manufacturer puts this scent in their hard cases to keep the instument from smelling bad over time from cigarette smoke etc.
All nice and well but I do not like it. We'll see if I can get that smell out of there.

It is supposed to be a vanilla scent.
My bass will smell like coffee instead!

 

Blimey, never heard of that before. It got me thinking and I just found this on a LP forum:

‘So, here's my theory: Knowing first hand the fumes from adhesives, off gassing lacquers and solvents used for cleaning after applications of said materials, I believe, the cases are indeed sprayed with vanilla but for no other reason than to mask the smell of the chemicals used in production and clean up.’

Edited June 17, 2020 by Chiliwailer

[Lfalex v1.1]

Just stick a magic tree in the accessory compartment! Huge choice of flavours, even some wooden ones!

 

[Geek99]

17 hours ago, DiMarco said:

... and have a free BBQ party in the process!
All at a sensible social distance, ofc, honoring the bollockdown.

 

 

UNLESS you’re testing your eyesight

[DiMarco]

The perfume like smell has for about 90% been neutralized by the beans.
Case is now outside in the garden catching more fresh air and in the full sunlight.

If I am still not happy, febreze (natural scent) will be coming into the picture.

 

[chris7273]

Sodium bicarbonate works well to absorb funky odors. 

[three]

On 16/06/2020 at 23:44, DiMarco said:

I have just learned the manufacturer puts this scent in their hard cases to keep the instument from smelling bad over time from cigarette smoke etc.
All nice and well but I do not like it. We'll see if I can get that smell out of there.

It is supposed to be a vanilla scent.
My bass will smell like coffee instead!

 

I had a Fodera in the same type of case - the odour was really dreadful - I thought that the maker (I can't remember - TKL?) had used an animal-based adhesive, possibly fish-derived.  It was so bad that I didn't use the case for the bass and instead stored it well out of the way.  Extraordinary if this is true and maker uses some form of 'scent'.  Maybe different people perceive the smell differently.  I thought it was awful.  Good luck - some great advice here - bicarb and charcoal seem to be pretty standard but I find that Febreze (whatever the marketing says) masks rather than eliminates, at least after a few days

[DiMarco]

Thanks guys!

The coffee beans miraculously did a pretty good job.
Of course, when digging your nose into the cloth it still smells a bit funny, but I can no longer smell the case from a distance.

Cheers, Marco

 

[DiMarco]

Little over a week later, the sweet smell of vanilla has fully returned.

I effing give up. My fodera will smell like vanilla. Nothing can stop this.

 

[KevL]

As @chris7273 said, bicarbonate of soda (the household cleaning type, not the stuff for baking) sprinkled into the case, left at least overnight, and then vacuumed out should make a difference. 

 

[KiOgon]

CaCO3 it's all the same, some may be finer ground,

16 minutes ago, KevL said:

As @chris7273 said, bicarbonate of soda (the household cleaning type, not the stuff for baking) sprinkled into the case, left at least overnight, and then vacuumed out should make a difference. 

 

Shake and Vac has been suggested here!

Edited June 29, 2020 by KiOgon

[KevL]

I realise it's chemically the same (the baking stuff will have some raising agents added) but the household cleaning type is usually available in more useful quantities and is more cost-effective. Let's not start some big 'Bicarb of Soda War'.

I think the problem with Febreze, Shake 'n' Vac and similar is that they contain a lot of perfume to mask smells but dont effectively neutralise the cause and properly clean the material. There's a lot to be said for natural cleaning products. 

 

[KiOgon]

2 minutes ago, KevL said:

I realise it's chemically the same (the baking stuff will have some raising agents added) but the household cleaning type is usually available in more useful quantities and is more cost-effective. Let's not start some big 'Bicarb of Soda War'.

I think the problem with Febreze, Shake 'n' Vac and similar is that they contain a lot of perfume to mask smells but dont effectively neutralise the cause and properly clean the material. There's a lot to be said for natural cleaning products. 

 

No wars intended, I buy 25Kg bag or 10Kg tub as and when, use the same for everything, but particularly in my Koi pond to maintain the KH as a pH buffer, our tap water is less than 1, barely shows on any test kits.

[KevL]

Was only joking about BofS wars (hard to convey intonation in writing).

Where do you get your bulk stuff from, please?

[KiOgon]

3 minutes ago, KevL said:

Was only joking about BofS wars (hard to convey intonation in writing).

Where do you get your bulk stuff from, please?

Often - Trade Chemicals Ltd. [email protected] or search ebay for best price.

[DiMarco]

Thing is, the smell was gone completely. Just after 8 days it had returned from the inner depths of the foam stuffing.
But I will get used to my bass smelling like vanilla I guess.