Members missedmyexit Posted April 1, 2014 Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 Hey everyone been awhile since I been on. I have a strange one. I recently traded for a Guild D50 Bluegrass special. The guitar appears to be in mint condition, no even wear on the pick guard. Great sounding guitar. The thing is it has a odor when you get up on it to play. Reminds me of cat piss. I checked out the guitar and see no signs of any liquid damage and wiped it down with a solution of water and liquid dish soap. It's still there. I have no idea how to go about getting this smell out. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted April 1, 2014 Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 I'm guessing the odor is coming from the exposed wood inside the body. Maybe the fingerboard. Lots of fresh air will help. Maybe Febreze? Damn, I'm thinking that for a D50 at the right price, I could endure a little odor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members missedmyexit Posted April 1, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 I got a pretty good deal on it. Trade my Gibson ES137 straight up for it. I don't play electric enough to warrant that guitar. I was thinking Febreeze or baking soda or a water vinegar solution but don't know what might react to the finish. I learned the hard way on my F50 that bug spray and Nitro finishes are no good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acousticdepot Posted April 1, 2014 Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 [video=youtube;qhTHhGfvoBs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhTHhGfvoBs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted April 1, 2014 Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 Guitar player "did you know your cat just pee'd in my guitar case?" Banjo player "no, what key is it in?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members missedmyexit Posted April 1, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 By some fairly unpleasant sniffing I think the smell is not on the inside which smells like rosewood but right on the curve of the side of the guitar. Basically if you are playing it's the closest wood to your nose toward the upper bought of the left side. Any ideas? It's got a Nitro finish so don't want to just attack it with cleaners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members missedmyexit Posted April 1, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 No one has any suggestions? This isn't some lame April Fools day gag. I am 100% serious here. Let me phrase another way outside of water what can be used on a Nitro finish to clean it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted April 1, 2014 Members Share Posted April 1, 2014 I assume you have investigated the case as the potential source of the odor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted April 2, 2014 Members Share Posted April 2, 2014 Prior owners cat pissed in the case. Clean guitar with Naptha, buy new case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted April 2, 2014 Members Share Posted April 2, 2014 Baking soda will remove the urine smell, if that's what it really is. Also pet stores sell some sort of enzyme that is pretty effective. If it was a poly finish I'd just go ahead and spray in on, but for nitro I would try a small drop in an out of the way place like the back of the headstock. If it is something else, I would try soapy water, then naptha (lighter fluid) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members missedmyexit Posted April 2, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 2, 2014 I did check out the case doesn't have the smell. Also check inside the guitar for any signs of "Water" Damage and there are none. Only thing I can think of is the guitar was near enough to absorb the odor but not a direct hit. I just tried some "Natures Miracle" it's a pet ordor cleaner. It didn't damage the finish and reduced the odor to the point where I don't know if it still stinks or I'm just going crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JRinAZ&MN Posted April 4, 2014 Members Share Posted April 4, 2014 I once bought a Tacoma "Chief" from a guy that smoked a great deal of "weed"... Never did get rid of the smell, but my son loved to "sniff and strum" it! I suppose you could replace the cat smell with weed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted April 5, 2014 Members Share Posted April 5, 2014 I once bought a Tacoma "Chief" from a guy that smoked a great deal of "weed"... Never did get rid of the smell' date=' but my son loved to "sniff and strum" it! I suppose you could replace the cat smell with weed...[/quote'] Of the two, I know my preference... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted April 5, 2014 Members Share Posted April 5, 2014 Could be "cat-piss nose". I have cigarette smell nose. IOW, I smell an ashtray-like odor in my house but no one smokes, or has smoked in the house to my knowledge. It's a very strong smell. Having quit over 2 years ago I doubt there's a connection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamesp Posted April 5, 2014 Members Share Posted April 5, 2014 Last fall I thought a cat had peed in my truck. To get rid of it I tried several store-bought upholstery concoctions and one home-made off the interwebs recipe. Nothing worked. About a month ago, digging around under the seats, I found a glasses case that stunk to high heaven of cat pee. Inside it were two partially decomposed multi-vitamin pills. I remember my buddy asking if he'd left the case there after a mtn bike ride. At the time I'd looked but hadn't found it. I threw the case away and haven't told him about it yet. Coincidentally, this is the same guy who stunk up my house baking thermofit ski boot liners in my convection oven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 A couple of dryer fabric softener sheets in the accessory compartment will usually go a long way towards killing off any case odors. Fabreeze is great too, although I wouldn't want it in contact with the guitar's nitro finish. For that, wiping it down with naptha is probably your best bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted April 6, 2014 Members Share Posted April 6, 2014 Those dryer sheet products have been banned from my home. They contain chemicals that are not exactly the healthiest substances to be in contact with. So goes it for the faux scent air fresheners. One of the first things any home/health/consumer protection rag advises everyone to remove from the home is any of the spray or solid air freshener products. Nasty, nasty stuff. Second is the hand sanitizer stuff. Constant use of that stuff diminishes the natural exposure to contaminants the body's immune system needs to stay tuned up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members haf60 Posted April 8, 2014 Members Share Posted April 8, 2014 The smell you're battling is most probably coming from the case, specifically the padding BEHIND the plush lining. I just had this issue with a case I hadn't opened in years. I got rid of the smell by spreading a cup of baking soda around the plush interior and then closing it for about a week (the accoustic guitar aired out in two days). After this I vaccuumed the baking soda out. I needed to repeat this process a second time but it eliminated the smell. The odor will probably return since it's in the padding. However, it's been two months and all is good. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mark theriac Posted April 9, 2014 Members Share Posted April 9, 2014 I spent a fortune on "cat piss odor removal" products and home remedies. This may sound crazy to you all but the person who previously played this guitar may have had an extra pungent under arm odor better known as body odor. I was never successful in removing the odor and sold the guitar on ebay noting the odor with no refund. It sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acousticdepot Posted April 9, 2014 Members Share Posted April 9, 2014 When I first read this I also thought it might have been caused by BO ... except that the OP stated it is strongest by the upper bought. If it was from a players armpit ... wouldn't it be strongest on the lower bought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members missedmyexit Posted April 9, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 9, 2014 It was actually all over the guitar. I think I noticed it on the upper bought the most because it was closest to my face. I actually traded the guitar not because of the smell which did get better with airing out but because although a great guitar wasn't what I wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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