Ozone machine / Air Ionizer & Guitars

[Kitarkus]

I recently purchased a used 2019 Les Paul Junior from a private local seller. The guitar is dead mint with case, candy, and all that new guitar shine. The guy lived FAR from me and told me that he was "going to get his haircut at a salon that is located about 1/2 way between us". I jumped at the opportunity to meet him at a closer location. All I smelled at the salon was hair product(s).

Once I got the guitar home, I realized how badly it smells of nicotine. The OUTSIDE of the case and the guitar itself smell heavily of smoke...cheap cigarettes and/or pipe tobacco....and I've tried the usual methods including cleaning which have alleviated SOME of the odor. I know that this will pass/lessen eventually....but as a non smoker...I feel like I practically need to shower each time that I play this guitar...and the guitar is awesome....so I'm playing it a lot. Amazing that this guitar smells this badly...it was produced at Gibson in June of 2019!

Anyone know about these ozone machines?.....any adverse impact on a solid body guitar? I'm a bit leery of this concept but read amazing reviews/results. I'm concerned that exposing a guitar may have some possible negative impact on the guitar? Help appreciated.

 

[beecee]

I'm sure you have but if not have you tried white vinegar? Heinz, not some generic brand. Shouldn't bother the finish

For inside the case: Tons of baking soda close case, let sit, vacuum. No Febreeze etc...

Use the vinegar on outside of case as well.

I don't dilute it.

 

[GAD]

Best thing for smells is sunlight and fresh air, but this really isn’t the time of year for that.

I have a very sensitive nose and for me, the smell never goes away. I’ve tried it all from ionizers to bamboo charcoal and I always end up selling the guitar.

 

[GuildInAtlanta]

About 2 years ago I picked up a NH made F30R, and noticed it had an odor after I got it home. The best way to describe the odor is it smelled like a old moldy instrument case. About twenty years ago I had owned a 1953 saxophone that had a real-deal old moldy instrument case, so this was a scented reminder of days gone by. The smell came from the inside of the guitar, and you would only notice it once you leaned deep down over the guitar whenever you played it.

Anyway, I loved the guitar but had to do something about the smell and decided to try an ozone machine. Since I had read they were used in hotel rooms and also to remove odors from cars I found a car detailer who had one and booked an appointment for him to come to my house. The plan was to have him clean my car, but at some point have him run the ozone machine while my guitar was sitting in the back seat.

I thought he might run the machine for an hour, but he ending up running it for ~3+ hours. When he was done the inside of my car and the guitar smelled like a chlorine pool! After about 2 weeks my car no longer smelled like chlorine, and it took my guitar almost 2 weeks to lose the chlorine smell too. However...once the chlorine cleared away I noticed the moldy smell was completely gone too and it never came back again! I also didn't notice any impact to the finish or other areas of the guitar, so I would recommend giving it a try.

Good luck!

Robert

 

[GAD]

Intersting. An ozone generator is something I've not tried. Might have to get one.

 

[fronobulax]

Intersting. An ozone generator is something I've not tried. Might have to get one.

Looking forward to the review.

 

[GAD]

I just did a bunch of research on ozone generators. The ozone (O3) they produce is very bad for people, plants, or pets, and the generators should only be used in unoccupied spaces and the air should be cycled after they run. They are not are purifiers in any way, and some states have outlawed selling them as such because they can be a serious hazard.

These are not something you put the guitar next to and run for a while as you sit at your laptop. Additionally, O3 is very reactive so if you ran it outside with the guitar nearby it would have no effect because the O3 would dissipate or react before it hit the guitar.

They're good for killing the smell in a room or a car where you can close them up for a few hours then open the windows. If you were to do that with a guitar in the room or car, then you may be good to go but running the generators for too long can impart a chlorine smell that can take time to disappear as well.

I may still try one because I've got a small pile of gear in the garage that I can't bear to be in the same room with, and believe it or not I have a D55 that smells awful - on the inside! I'm thinking it may be worth it if I can solve that one problem.

 

[5thumbs]

Maybe with the guitar (or case) in a large garbage or contractor bag outside or in the garage?

 

[GAD]

Well, I bought one, and of course me being me, I bought a bigger one that I need. I justified it to myself that I'll get great use out of it the next time a mouse dies in the wall.



I'll definitely do some sort of writeup around my experiences.

 

[davismanLV]

I can't wait for that. G is very good with his reviews and his writing is amazingly fun and informative. How does the D55 play and sound? Is it just the smell that kills it? That'd be awful!! :encouragement:

 

[DThomasC]

A real mad scientist makes his ozone generator.

 

[GAD]

Heh. I thought about it but I’ve got too much going on at the moment and I k ow I’d just end up going down the rabbit hole and turning it into some sort if weapon.

 

[DThomasC]

As long as it's a weapon for good not evil. Everyone knows what I mean by that, right?

 

[F312]

I have used an ozone machine. I worked at a place that had a large conservatory and a wine cellar was downstairs, like a cave, (cut out of white rock), walls would have running water at times. Well, it smelled like a cave. I bought an ozone machine, and it seemed to add another flavor to the smell. It only ran at night while it was empty.

Ralph

 

[davismanLV]

I have used an ozone machine. I worked at a place that had a large conservatory and a wine cellar was downstairs, like a cave, (cut out of white rock), walls would have running water at times. Well, it smelled like a cave. I bought an ozone machine, and it seemed to add another flavor to the smell. It only ran at night while it was empty.

Ralph

Ralph, I'm trying to determine if it was a successful thing or not. Reading this story it's hard to tell. Did it help? Or was it just adding more different smells?

 

[GAD]

An ozone generator would be a temporary solution if you don’t deal with the source.

 

[F312]

It seemed to help very temporaily, it was the other smell it generated that was wierd in smell. I sold a nice Less Paul Custom that reeked.

Ralph

 

[adorshki]

I bought an ozone machine, and it seemed to add another flavor to the smell. It only ran at night while it was empty.
Ralph

It seemed to help very temporaily, it was the other smell it generated that was wierd in smell.

Right, everybody knows you're not supposed to run an ozone generator on empty, it makes funny smells.

 

[GAD]

Right, everybody knows you're not supposed to run an ozone generator on empty, it makes funny smells.

It kills living things.

 

[GGJaguar]

Ozone will also deteriorate rubber. Keep it away from bicycle and car tires.