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How damaging is cigarette smoke for guitars/amps/gear?


Fusion1

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The place I rehearse the guys smoke well I do too, but I am used to smoking outdoors as I hate the smell of cigarette smoke in the house. Anyways one of the reasons I never leave my stuff over there as it smells bad enough once I rehearse there 1x a week. When I bring it into my house it smells nasty for a few days. I am just wondering other than the smell is it slowly killing my electronics gear with a layer of tar?

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as long as they don't inhale, they're fine.

 

Honestly, I don't see how a few hours in a bar will hurt a guitar (but that might just be me) - Sure, if it's every night for an extended period, but for a weekend warrior like me, it's never made a bit of difference

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Smoke from cigarettes (and the exhalation of smokers) makes fabrics and other porous materials stink, and enough of it can leave stains.

 

It can also dirty up electrical connections over time, but then again just plain ol' air (at typical pollution levels) will eventually do that.

 

Oh, and if you're one of the smokers, there's a good chance that you'll die before your time.

 

Beyond that, it's not a big deal. Clean the pots on your guitar & amp once in a while, change your strings a little more often, and give up on getting a decent resale value on the amp because the cabinet will smell like an ashtray forever.

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Never underestimate the power of the media. If you would have asked the same question 10 years ago, you would have ended with different answers. Even though cigarettes remain the same....

 

 

It won't screw it up as bad as your own sweat, and beer that gets spilled on.

It's rock n' roll, man. Do whatever you feel like doing.

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Smoke from cigarettes (and the exhalation of smokers) makes fabrics and other porous materials stink, and enough of it can leave stains.


It can also dirty up electrical connections over time, but then again just plain ol' air (at typical pollution levels) will eventually do that.


Oh, and if you're one of the smokers, there's a good chance that you'll die before your time.


Beyond that, it's not a big deal. Clean the pots on your guitar & amp once in a while, change your strings a little more often, and give up on getting a decent resale value on the amp because the cabinet will smell like an ashtray forever.

 

 

The problem lies in that if I quit smoking I'd probably not want to be around the same guys as I would come across as preaching to them to quit, as I know the smoke and smell would bother me 500x more than it does now. I think part of the reason I keep smoking over there is so it won't bother me as much since I am contributing to the problem. I can quit and have done so before, but since I am around smokers, I guess it helps to remain a weekend smoker, if only to tolerate their smoking habit when I am around them.

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Why do you smell your guitars anyway? Or is the smell that harsh that you don't have to get close to it and still smell that nasty ?

 

Tar from cigarette seem do no harm to the strings , I heard that someone rub the filter tip on the strings after a cigarette, which sounds disgusting to me but the guys say it prevents rust......

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It's true: it wont screw it up as bad as sweat and beer spills. Just like second hand smoke is literally 1 millionth as bad (in terms of carcinogens) as 1 car idling at the curb for 5 minutes.

 

Thats right, 1 car idling for 5 minutes pumps out 1 MILLION times the carcinogens as 1 person holding a lit cigarette. But cracking down on car manufacturers is not "sexy" or short-term enough for todays active, on-the-go politician who seeks perpetual re-election.

 

Sorry, that's off topic.. But the smoke scum cleans off easily if you just clean well and often enough.

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Cigarette smoke is very harmful to guitars. It can lead to bad smells, stains, and even the occasional "Putting my cig out on this guy's guitar makes me a rockstar!" characters.

 

Please, if you are going to have a guitar in a smoky environment, make it crack smoke. Crack smoke is odorless, will not leave a stain, and no crackhead gives a flying {censored} about being a rockstar anymore.

 

This has been a public service announcement.

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It's true: it wont screw it up as bad as sweat and beer spills. Just like second hand smoke is literally 1 millionth as bad (in terms of carcinogens) as 1 car idling at the curb for 5 minutes.


Thats right, 1 car idling for 5 minutes pumps out 1 MILLION times the carcinogens as 1 person holding a lit cigarette. But cracking down on car manufacturers is not "sexy" or short-term enough for todays active, on-the-go politician who seeks perpetual re-election.


Sorry, that's off topic.. But the smoke scum cleans off easily if you just clean well and often enough.

 

 

 

Are you kidding?

 

You're not going to spill every beer you drink on your equipment. You're not going to be sweating on your amp. However, your gear will be exposed to every cigarette you smoke around it.

 

As for your whole car exhaust vs cigarette smoke, you're not parking your car in your studio, and you're not keeping your gear outside behind your car. With the obvious factor of dissipation, your point has no merit.

 

The straight answer is, YES, cigarette smoke WILL affect your gear. The smell will stick, you will get deposits of tar and nicotine. You'll also notice a fine layer of dust accumulates on all your {censored} from the smoking.

 

A smoker may not notice, but a non-smoker will. I just quit after 20 years of smoking. I didn't notice it much in those 20 years, but now the damage to my walls, guitars, gear, and clothing is hard not to notice.

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Yeah well, I said the car stuff was off topic :p It's still true though. And I did say the smoke stains were nasty, but they clean easily.

 

After my heart attack and quitting smoking, I could hardly live in my own townhouse. The walls were actually brown in my office. I used 409 spray on it, and now they're back to normal color. I'd smoked in there for maybe 6 years, a pack a day. But I can't imagine someone neglecting their guitar like that :)

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Cigarette smoke is very harmful to guitars. It can lead to bad smells, stains, and even the occasional "Putting my cig out on this guy's guitar makes me a rockstar!" characters.


Please, if you are going to have a guitar in a smoky environment, make it crack smoke. Crack smoke is odorless, will not leave a stain, and no crackhead gives a flying fuck about being a rockstar anymore.


This has been a public service announcement.

 

 

and the secret sponsor is...

 

keithr.jpg

 

 

 

 

:D

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All you need to do is clean it every once in awhile. The smoke itself will not do that much to the guitar. You should be changing the strings often as any player should so smoke really wont affect them to much.

 

Besides if the guitar smells a little like cigs I think it adds a little character. It's one thing that shows your a working musician.

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Cigarette smoke is very harmful to guitars. It can lead to bad smells, stains, and even the occasional "Putting my cig out on this guy's guitar makes me a rockstar!" characters.


Please, if you are going to have a guitar in a smoky environment, make it crack smoke. Crack smoke is odorless, will not leave a stain, and no crackhead gives a flying fuck about being a rockstar anymore.


This has been a public service announcement.

 

Lobster, you are a friggin' riot! Ima bout ta get fired at work cause I'm laughing so hard at your comment. :thu:

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