Time-Delayed Smell

[Marcus CA]

I just bought a 20-year-old mandolin with a tone, feel, and look that I love. However, after I played it for an hour the other day, it started giving off a moldy smell that kept getting stronger worse over the next half-hour. Neither of the guys I was playing with said anything about it, and I even asked one if he had smelled anything. Later in the day, I asked a couple of people to check the smell, and neither smelled anything beyond mild old mandolin smell.

So. I know this sounds like a crazy question. but can the sound vibrations from playing release odor or particles from the wood? My approval period ends tomorrow (Tuesday). If I take it back because of the smell, they won't know what I'm talking about.

When I played the mando in the store for about 10 minutes, I didn't smell anything from it. However, when they brought out the original case (a rectangular one) and opened it up, it reeked. I immediately got a major whiff of that smell, which I thought was mold or mildew. When I asked about how to get rid of that smell, the salesman (whom I've dealt with for years) said that it was glue that was still offgassing. There was no way I was going to take that case, so they sold me a new case at a 45% discount. (This is a longtime store with a great reputation.)

The mandolin had been on the wall at the shop for at least a month, so it had had plenty of time to air out if the odor had come from the case.

What do y'all suggest? Return it (which I'd hate to do, but...)? Put rice in it?

[Bill Burch]

There are lots of posts about removing smells from instruments and cases. You can buy a bag of activated charcoal and close it up in the case. You can leave the case open outside for a few days (sunlight) and see if that helps. If the mandolin was hanging on the wall for a month, it should not be the source unless something crawled in there and died.

Bill

[barney 59]

In the world of vintage instruments people pay extra for that smell. The case is new you said, so it isn't the case. A new case could be off gassing from almost any of the materials it is made of but to me those smells don't smell anything like mold, more like gasoline to me. If anything the off gassing would kill most any living thing, including mold. NorCal has been having a particularly weird wet spring -the whole place smells like mold, especially if your under the redwoods. All my instruments are sharp when I pick them up these days and is unusual for this time of year. Check and see,are your socks turning green?
You could maybe find something that has a more agreeable smell to you and make a sachet of it and place it in the case. Sort of like those lavender sachets that old ladies put in their underwear drawers. Since you live where you live the aroma therapy people are as thick as fleas --you must live in sight of a Whole Foods, they have special scents for every problem, get rid of mold, cure cancer -whatever!

[sachmo63]

I have a time delayed smell all the time. Oh, thats not what we're talkin about is it?

[P.D. Kirby]

This may seem like a weird question but have you started any new medications lately? A few years ago I was taking some kind of antibiotic (can't remember what it was) and several times a day I would smell something that was moldy smelling and just couldn't figure out what it was. I told my Dr. and he said that the medication had that side effect on many people and thank god it went away about a week after I stopped taking it. (no it wasn't gas)

If not get a light and a mirror and see if something did crawl inside it and die... Also inspect it for mold (dark spots)

Bill, I almost spit coffee on my keyboard.

[Brent Hutto]

There are definitely some antibiotics that will make everything start to smell, not exactly moldy, but rotten.

[Vernon Hughes]

I have had success with fresh (not already brewed) coffee grounds..Took the moldy smell out of an old gibson case and the smell out of a car after I left a half pint of chicken livers in it for 3 days after catfishing..Sprinkle it in generously and let it sit for a couple days..it vacuums out fairly easily,esp. if it's a round hole..

[Jim Garber]

My absolute favorite mandolin ('23 Gibson snakehead A2) lived in its original case for all its life. After awhile tho the case reeked so much of mildew small I could no longer play it without coughing and choking. I tried all sorts of methods to rid the case of the smell but finally bought a new case and the mandolin sits in that one. The old one is still in the closet but I have not opened it in years. if I (or my descendants) ever want to sell it it does have the original case, but i just can't deal with that. The mandolin has not smelled of mildew in years.

[Marcus CA]

This may seem like a weird question but have you started any new medications lately?

Before I read the rest of your post and Brent's, I thought that you were politely asking if ...

A buddy and I took turns on the mando tonight, and I started smelling the mold odor again after about 10 minutes. I traced it to the top side that I was leaning over. There was no odor coming from the inside at all. He didn't smell a thing beside a trace of old-mandolin smell. I guess that's better than other people smelling something and me being oblivious to it.

[Toycona]

It's a pretty happening ride, if I do say so myself!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Marcus - It could be that you are simply more sensitive to that particular smell,& having become aware of it once,you're always going to focus on it. I'd try a couple of things - if you're sure it's the top face that's giving off the smell,try wiping it over with a 'damp' cloth in order to remove anything on the surface,then use a perfumed ''non-silicone'' polish to polish the top,back & sides. Along with that,i'd place a nicely perfumed sachet of Lavender petals in the case.That should help to stop the smell transfering to the case then back to the Mandolin. Also,if you can find a safe place,leave your Mandolin out of the case & let fresh air circulate round it,while the case is being 'fragranced' by the perfumed sachet. I used to have a very old Banjo case which had the mustiest smell imagineable inside it. I sprayed it with gents 'Eau de Toilette' a couple of times & let it dry out,it did the trick,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

Not all individuals are wired alike as far as odor perception is concerned. E.g. I can't stand the smell of most sorts of black coffee because it apparently triggers the same neurons as faecal smells do - but clearly I am alone with that. Therefore, what is unpleasant to you might earn you a lot of money if you sell it to those who happen to like it.

There might be some component of the finish that triggers your "mold" perception. And as for time delay - I don't think it has got to do with vibration, but rather the warmth of your picking hand that makes it come out.

[Toycona]

I got to play it last night, and I sure hope he keeps it. It is a striking instrument. A real beauty in looks, tone, and playability. Bertram, your observation about odor perception and/or body heat/contact make a lot of sense.

[barney 59]

Try cleaning the mandolin with a slightly damp cloth and then with naphtha. Naphtha should clean off whatever is making the smell if it is on the surface and shouldn't hurt the finish. Afterwards polish to taste.

[Dobe]

I suspect everything will have off-gassed in 20 years. Nothin' smells as good as the inside of a Teens Gibson IMHO- see if you can find one to get a nose hit of to compare. I'm in the 'something died' or 'it's just you' camp, as I don't consider 20 years an 'old' instrument (gettin' there); nowhere near vintage.

[David Newton]

I bet it's the case. I get a lot of new cases around here, and some of them reek of plywood glue, formaldehyde, fabric glue, plastic, and other stuff.

Put the mandolin in a cardboard box with charcoal, and put charcoal in the case and close it up. It doesn't have to be "activated charcoal" just non-match-light briquets will do. Put them in some sort of cloth bag to keep the dust from getting into the case lining, or set them in there carefully and don't jostle them around.
Baking Soda works ok too.
Try it for a week and see if there is any difference.

[eadg145]

I have a mandolin in my office that looks great and sounds beautiful, but the thing that really attracts me is the smell of it. It's about a 50-year-old mandolin, and once it warms up, it emits a smell that just grabs me viscerally (in a good way). Seriously, once it's warm, I'm happy just to sit with it. The good news is I have to play it a bit until it warms up and starts emitting, so everybody's happy.

On the other side of the smell coin, my wife has a gorgeous custom model Taylor guitar that is visually stunning and a joy to play (fingerstyle). However, once it warms up, it also emits a smell, and I find that I just need to stop playing and put it down. I've read articles by Taylor owners about how they love the smell, but this just pushes me the other way.

All of this is to say that what may be a horrible odor to one person may be a sweet perfume to another.

[Bob Clark]

Hi Folks,
While I agree that the warming of the instrument as it is played is probably causing the odor to be released, I had an interesting olfactory experience with an instrument I used to own. I had a 1918 Schomacker grand piano that would occasionally give off the scent of a floral perfume as it was being played. This occurred only when it was being played and only once in a while. The odor came from within the piano, not from the keys. There was no relation to ambient temperature, and playing certainly did not increase its temperature. It was just an interesting feature of that beautiful old instrument.

Best wishes, Bob

[Marcus CA]

I got to play it last night, and I sure hope he keeps it. It is a striking instrument. A real beauty in looks, tone, and playability. Bertram, your observation about odor perception and/or body heat/contact make a lot of sense.

Yeah, he's going to keep it.

I realized last night that the smell is coming from the surface --- in particular, the top side (not the face) of the mandolin --- rather than through the f-holes. So, I'm guessing that body warmth, rather than the tepid heat of my picking, is triggering the reaction that Bertram mentioned. I'm probably more sensitive to that smell because of my exposure to the megastench of the original case.

I played with a few guys for a couple of hours tonight. I still got the smell from the mando, but it wasn't as bad as the other day, so I just played through it. Afterwards, I told the other guys about all of this, and they all said that they didn't smell anything. So, all is well.

Thanks for all your advice. It got me back on track.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Bertram - "Not all individuals are wired alike....." - Period !. My sense of smell is poor,but my hearing even at 66 years of age is acute,whereas my wife can pick up on a smell a mile off but needs the TV turned up fairly loud to hear it clearly,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

I had a 1918 Schomacker grand piano that would occasionally give off the scent of a floral perfume as it was being played. This occurred only when it was being played and only once in a while. The odor came from within the piano, not from the keys.

I guess whoever died in there must have been a nice young lady who haunts it now, provided you play the right tune
Reminds me of the story told at 3:30 in this video.

[Toycona]

Yeah, he's going to keep it.

Good choice!!!

[OtherBrotherDug]

I have a martin guitar 1983 bought new and that was back when I smoked cigs heavy. After some time the old smoke smell just stayed on. I read many cures for this coffee, apple peal etc. even set the case opened in the sun, helped a little. While walking thru walmart one day I saw in the pet section a bag of cedar shavings, thought I'd give it a try I put some (a hand full) loosely in the sound hole and left it there. It didn't changed the sound and did take away the smoke smell. did the case too. Easy to remove from instrument, vaccum out, might be harder w/mandolin though. just my thoughts and experience.

[hedgehog]

Here's my thought, I wrote about this when it happened.

While looking in my "The Loar" I noticed that there was a scrap of Chinese newspaper hanging down inside the mandolin. Didn't hurt the sound, but it drove me nuts just the same. So, after trying many different ways to pull the offending scrap of paper out I pulled out a barbeque lighter, inserted it in the "F" hole and burned the darned thing out. Worked perfectly too. So, your wondering what this has to do with your mandolins smell issue. Well, even thought the mandolin didn't smell at all, it absolutely reeked of burnt paper while being played. I believe while playing, the vibrations of the top and back created sort of a bellows effect, moving air in and out of the mandolin body bringing the smell out with it. The worst part was it wasn’t getting any better with time. After seeing a commercial on TV and realizing that we actually had some in the kitchen, I took some Fabreeze fabric/room deodorizer and squirted a small amount in the “F” holes. It worked great, the smell went away and months later it hasn’t come back. IT is my thought that something similar is happening with your instrument.

[Bertram Henze]

Smells of smoke and soot are very persistent - just think of Islay single malt whiskies: the turf smoke makes it through the washback and two stills unharmed. With the mandolin body & holes forming a Helmholtz resonator, there is indeed some "pumping" of air involved during playing.

Pity you burned that piece of Chinese paper, though - now we'll never know where that Yin dynasty gold treasure is hidden...