How do you get the stink out of finished wood?

Question

I just purchased a used guitar, Beautiful, sounds like a dream come true. Stinks like nothing I've ever smelled, BAD! Its made of Nato (solid body) with a maple quit top, rose wood fingerboard (neck thru)

Answer 1

never heard of a "finish" that smelled of decay. I've worked in cabinet shops, building wooden fixtures and furniture.

What brand is this? The manufacturere might be able to help.

Also, is there a case? Cases can collect mildew, as well as leather straps. Some leather straps actually start our smelling rotten (china) cuz they are cured in cow urine, believe it or not (as told to me by the owner of Bates Leather Manufacturing). That's why it smells bad in some spots at flea markets or street sales.

For the actual guitar wood to have an odor at all would mean that the stench has permeated the finish (nearly impossible, since most neck-throughs have a finish approaching or equal to automotive-grade) or it is "in " the guitar. Remove the pick-guards, pick-up covers, truss-rod covers, and routing /battery covers on the front and back of the guitar. See if the smell is stronger there.

Then proceed with an air nozzle if you have a compressor. If not, go to the gas station/garage. Blow into these holes several times, careful not to lose any hardwar (washers, etc).

you can then put a powder disinfectant into the holes, and leave it there for a few days. Then blow it out or vacuume it out. Do this several times til the smell is tolerable.

Answer 2

You might check with a mortician or a used car salesman. Both are well aware of things that smell that way when they are near a dead body that has decomposed.



Simply covering the stench does not seem very practical.



Even if you remove the finish and refinish it, the inside may still linger. I am guessing I would first try the easy way. Cut a potato in half and rub down the outside. Then cut a lemon in half and rub down the outside and inside of the guitar. Dont forget to clean the strings. -- Then I would put some baking soda in the bathtub and soak the entire guitar for a short time. Be careful, not too long in the tub, we don't want to warp it. Dry it with a hair dryer set at low.



At last resort strip the finish and refinish it.



Afterthought: Have you looked inside it with a flashlight. What if a mouse had decomposed and stuck to the inside. --- Yuck

Answer 3

Someone must have used some real bad finish on that guitar. I've been doing wood working for many years and have never had a finish that smelled like a "dead animal". Maybe someone wiped it with limburger cheese or something. Try wiping with some lemon oil or vanilla and let it sit in a well ventilated space for a while.

Answer 4

I know that for a new hard wood finished floor, you just wait a couple days and the smell goes away. That may work for your guitar

Answer 5

could it be from where it layed in a case?take some johnsons wood wax and wax it real good,let it set for a day or so then remove the wax,maybe it will take the funk with it

Answer 6

the finnish is still curing put a fan blowing on it, for a few days

Answer 7

do not use regular wood polish

there is scented guitar polish

id recommend that : )

Answer 8

just pluck your nose..lol i ******* love guitars

Answer 9

AIR IT OUT!

Answer 10

wait...

and wait...

or i guess you could spray it with a scent...

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