M-20 Smell Question

[MaximumBobby]

Greetings,

I just purchased a used M-20.

It’s a 2021 M-20 in excellent condition.

I am very happy with it except for:

1. The entire inside of guitar case smells strongly - hard to explain but something like a sweet hand lotion…

2. Guitar is permeated with same smell.

Very unpleasant smell to me.

I have approximately 25 guitars. Many with Mahogany backs and sides. But this is my first all Hog guitar.

If I put my nose close to sound hole I can get the real natural mahogany wood smell (which is nice) - but the rest of the outside of this guitar has this other STRONG ‘hand lotion‘ smell.

Case inside and out is like new. No mold or anything else I can see at all inside case.. Humidifier clean.

3 QUESTIONS:

1. Do any other new M-20 owners get this smell?
2. Is it the guitar or the case creating this smell?
3. How do I get rid of this smell? Or do I have to live with it.

For now I am airing case (open) outside and keeping guitar on a stand to air out in my properly humidified music room. Has not helped so far but it’s just been 3 days.

Before I:

sprinkle case with baking soda and vacuum out
use activated charcoal
spray with Fabreeze
Put coffee grounds in container in case (!!!)
etc.. etc…
(*Above were suggestions on forums for smelly guitar cases )

I thought I would ask current new M-20 owners.

Never ran into this before.

Thanks much for ANY help my friends.

Maximum Bobby

 

[fronobulax]

Welcome. I personally am a source of unverified knowledge but my purpose in life seems to make statements that are close enough to correct to be taken seriously but wrong enough that someone will come along and correct me. That means the purpose of this post is really to attract someone else to answer sooner than they otherwise would.

That said, I recall reports of some new cases that smelled "sweet" and that was tracked down to a scent that was deliberately added by the case manufacturer to the glue.

So...

1. Dunno, don't own one.
2. Case
3. Try some of the suggestions you have already received. Exposure to sunlight seems to be a suggestion that you might not have seen before.

 

[7GuildsandanSG]

There's some talk about the smell issue going on at this thread with some interesting ideas:
Post in thread 'F65CE-RR - Not off to a good start' https://letstalkguild.com/ltg/index.php?threads/f65ce-rr-not-off-to-a-good-start.209302/post-1980891

 

[davismanLV]

It's a satin finish, yes? I've heard some people mention the smell of the catalyzed varnish finish having a strong odor when new. Could it be that? Frono's mention of scented glue rings a bell, but sounds like a bad idea. Sometimes the smell used to cover up bad smells are worse than the original odors!!

I'm just guessing here. Now that it's been out of the case, have you determined if it's the guitar or the case? Or is it impossible to tell? More opinions are on their way!! Welcome to LTG!!

 

[Guildedagain]

I'm probably more likely to enjoy the smell of paint/finish curing than these gross smelling cases.

It's the case, made with scented glues. TKL used a "Vanilla scented" glue, others probably followed suit because we live in a world where everything has to smell like a drier sheet.

Ditch the case, I mean, really ditch the case. Leave the guitar out for a while, let it air. The guitar should smell like woods, should actually smell good.

Do be aware that Rosewood can be very perfumy, some surprisingly strong, but it's rare. I've had one neck that made the whole room smell everytime it was out.

The guitar itself should smell ok with some airing out.

The case will never change.

I had to kick cases like that out of the house, making the whole house stink when the upstairs got hot. Aired such cases for stupid amounts of time, to the point they got rained on, or in, nothing works, washing with soaps, using essential oils, tried it all.

I had to sell a super sweet F4CE because the case reeked, I couldn't even have the case in enclosed outbuilding, I had to keep it in the back of my snowplow truck under an open canopy cover, and I could smell it everytime I walked by.

At this point I have two guitars I can't stand the smell of, my avatar guitar, another TKL case victim, and my Italian hollow body bass someone paired up with an Ibanez case that smells like the perfume they use on diapers. My Viking case, same deal, drier sheets, can't shake it.

So these all have to go and I like them enough to keep, this is nuts.

I'm going to have to buy guitar boxes prob for the 1st time ever because I have to throw these back in addition to guitars I'm already peddling.

 

[MaximumBobby]

Welcome. I personally am a source of unverified knowledge but my purpose in life seems to make statements that are close enough to correct to be taken seriously but wrong enough that someone will come along and correct me. That means the purpose of this post is really to attract someone else to answer sooner than they otherwise would.

That said, I recall reports of some new cases that smelled "sweet" and that was tracked down to a scent that was deliberately added by the case manufacturer to the glue.

So...

1. Dunno, don't own one.
2. Case
3. Try some of the suggestions you have already received. Exposure to sunlight seems to be a suggestion that you might not have seen before.

Thanks Frono. I would indeed call it a ‘Sweet’ smell.

 

[MaximumBobby]

I'm probably more likely to enjoy the smell of paint/finish curing than these gross smelling cases.

It's the case, made with scented glues. TKL used a "Vanilla scented" glue, others probably followed suit because we live in a world where everything has to smell like a drier sheet.

Ditch the case, I mean, really ditch the case. Leave the guitar out for a while, let it air. The guitar should smell like woods, should actually smell good.

Do be aware that Rosewood can be very perfumy, some surprisingly strong, but it's rare. I've had one neck that made the whole room smell everytime it was out.

The guitar itself should smell ok with some airing out.

The case will never change.

I had to kick cases like that out of the house, making the whole house stink when the upstairs got hot. Aired such cases for stupid amounts of time, to the point they got rained on, or in, nothing works, washing with soaps, using essential oils, tried it all.

I had to sell a super sweet F4CE because the case reeked, I couldn't even have the case in enclosed outbuilding, I had to keep it in the back of my snowplow truck under an open canopy cover, and I could smell it everytime I waked by.

I'm probably more likely to enjoy the smell of paint/finish curing than these gross smelling cases.

It's the case, made with scented glues. TKL used a "Vanilla scented" glue, others probably followed suit because we live in a world where everything has to smell like a drier sheet.

Ditch the case, I mean, really ditch the case. Leave the guitar out for a while, let it air. The guitar should smell like woods, should actually smell good.

Do be aware that Rosewood can be very perfumy, some surprisingly strong, but it's rare. I've had one neck that made the whole room smell everytime it was out.

The guitar itself should smell ok with some airing out.

The case will never change.

I had to kick cases like that out of the house, making the whole house stink when the upstairs got hot. Aired such cases for stupid amounts of time, to the point they got rained on, or in, nothing works, washing with soaps, using essential oils, tried it all.

I had to sell a super sweet F4CE because the case reeked, I couldn't even have the case in enclosed outbuilding, I had to keep it in the back of my snowplow truck under an open canopy cover, and I could smell it everytime I waked by.

Thanks sooooo much Guildedagain!!!

This is what I was looking for. The case is most likely the problem and looks like there’s no getting rid of case smell (Unfortunately as it seems to be a nice case with dehumidifier). I will air out the guitar and hopefully in time - the sweet stinky smell will leave the guitar.

You guys have been incredibly helpful!!

Maximum Bobby

 

[walrus]

I had no advice anyway, but welcome!

walrus

 

[wileypickett]

Do NOT under any circumstances use Fabreeze, or any similar type perfumed product. You'll only be adding one very obnoxious scent to whatever obnoxious scent is already in there.

You want to nutralize whatever smell is in there, not cover it with another perfume-laden smell.

 

[MacGuild]

I had to kick cases like that out of the house, making the whole house stink when the upstairs got hot. Aired such cases for stupid amounts of time, to the point they got rained on, or in, nothing works, washing with soaps, using essential oils, tried it all.

He's right, you know. It can be as futile as trying to get the musty smell out of an antique book that had done time in a root cellar.
Cases are great absorbers.
If you have a home electric dehumidifier (as opposed to the guitar accessory gadgets), putting the open case next to it will help lessen the bouquet over time.
Save it for the day you're flipping a banger.

 

[donnylang]

Cotton balls or q-tips dipped in tea tree oil and put in a baggie will eventually get rid of case smells. It will smell strongly of tea tree oil for awhile, then that will fade, along with the original odor (might need to do it a few times and don’t touch the tea tree oil to anything).

 

[marius]

I have a 2019 M-20 that I recently bought used and it had a slight unpleasantly sweet smell when I first got it that I couldn’t quite place and wasn’t sure if it was from the previous owners house. It was almost like a pipe tobacco smell but not pleasant. It has since been hanging on the wall for a couple of weeks and when I smell the guitar now all I get is a very faint glue smell.

As for the case, it does still have a faint smell but not at all overpowering, which if it’s the same as yours would indicate that it should dissipate with time.

Tom mentioned the catalyzed varnish finish of the Oxnard M-20’s but good news for you, they switched to nitro in 2020!