Way of getting rid of smell?

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Can you describe the smell?

Dirty socks? Armpit? Dog poop? A wino's breath? Something unrecognizable left in the fridge for way too long?

Like a slight vanilla mixed with old book, but mostly moist basement smell.

For some reason the link doesn't work for me. What kind of guitar is it?

S-100 http://imgur.com/a/JzXYq

I would try an ozone generator, if I could rent one or borrow someone else'. You could also get a couple of replacement HB-1s from the Guild store. You might like those better. also, your link seems to be bad.

Link fixed http://imgur.com/a/JzXYq

With basement storage and decaying case I would be concerned about mold spores that can be a serious health hazard. I would wipe the guitar down with diluted chlorine bleach, dry it well, and let it air dry for a few days before setting and stringing it up again. Discard the case.

Would an ozone generator kill them?
 

dbirchett

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I just bought a beautiful Guild strap that reeks of cigarette smoke. Any suggestions?

This is a picture of an identical strap. The ones from the auction are really bad. Maybe that's why there weren't many bids on it.
GuildStrap2_zps0481af71.jpg


That goes with the strap I recently bought (the one on the right):

straps.jpg


As well as two matching older ones that I've had for some time:

Guildtooledstrap.jpg
and

GuildStrap.jpg


The problem is that I now have four Guild guitar straps and only two Guild Guitars. I guess I need to buy a couple more Guilds!
 

davismanLV

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Don if you looking for someone to tell you that your thinking is flawed re: too many Guild straps, not enough Guilds..... You're probably on the wrong forum. I've seen several for sale lately that.... well, they all looked like they needed both a home and a strap...... :encouragement:
 

adorshki

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Would an ozone generator kill them?
No.
But they need an appropriate environment to start growing anyway and a dry electric guitar ain't it, but there are little places where humidity may have been trapped while it was in long-term undisturbed storage:
Take the electronics cover plate off the back to check for evidence of mold, if it's clear, then I don't think you need to worry about it, but that's one place it'd be likely to be found if present, and easily checked.
If there's no evidence of mold in the case then I wouldn't worry about it.
If there is, and it's a typical Guild case of wood with lining, see this thread:
http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?192830-Clean-mold-off-a-hard-case&highlight

If the case IS actually decaying as you said ie, rot or dry rot, or its's just chipboard, then discard it.

Suspect a good airing out will work for the guitar, ionizer may expedite odor removal.
Just wiping it down with a wet cloth might expedite the process, and won't harm the lacquer.
Osmosis: the tendency for molecules to migrate from areas of high concentration to areas of lower concentration.
So all those smelly molecules are going to tend to migrate from the surface of the guitar into all that fresh air, and the UV in sunlight breaks down volatile chemicals that may be part of the odor molecules.
Give it a little time.
And btw, Welcome aboard!
:friendly_wink:
 

Los Angeles

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The basement story means mildew, and after trying EVERYTHING over the years, in my view, the only two things that kill mildew are bleach and sunlight. Take off the easy to remove hardware and mist the guitar with a very weak bleach solution and dry it in the sun. Then rub down the guitar with a very light rubbing of lemon oil. Finally, clean/polish the guitar with a nice non-reactive guitar polish and put the hardware back on.

Even if you replaced the case, if you put the guitar in there while it was smelly, you will need to clean and air out the case before you put your now odor-free guitar back in there.
 

Los Angeles

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Regarding the guild leather strap, use a dash of fabrese, and hang it out in fresh air for a day or so. Then go to Tandy leather supply and get a leather oil/wax treatment. It will return the new leather smell.
 
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