Getting the smell out of old amps

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rhinofeetrhinofeet Frets: 101
I bought an old Peavey backstage last week off eBay. It works but it stinks. Probably been in a loft or cellar for 10 years and is very musty. I have already sprayed with all kinds of kitchen cleaner and scrubbed every visible surface except the speaker but nothing helps and the wife wants rid of it. Any ideas?
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Comments

  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Get a divorce?
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  • menamestommenamestom Frets: 4641

    One of those small moisture traps?
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  • DodgeDodge Frets: 1430
    Put it in a bin liner with a bowl of vinegar, seal it up and leave it somewhere for a month.

    I've had a couple of amps owned by smokers, this (eventually) makes smells go away.

    I think activated charcoal does something similar.
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  • ElectricXIIElectricXII Frets: 1077
    I had to do this with an old Ampeg bass combo. If it has black mould in it you might need to dismantle it and treat the cab with a paste of sodium bicarbonate and vinegar. If it's made of MDF or particle board, the mould spores can be really hard to shift, so you might have to sand the panels before treating. If it just smells musty then put a little container of sodium bicarbonate in and put the whole amp in a bin liner and leave for a week or so.
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  • rhinofeetrhinofeet Frets: 101
    Thanks. Bagged it with sodium bicarbonate. Im reluctant to dismantle it to clean but that might be the only way of saving it.
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  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 7029
    If that was the same Backstage 110 I was watching I'm glad I didn't buy it.  have you checked inside the reverb tank for any dead mice?  I wonder if a couple of Magic Tree air fresheners might work if you take them completely out their wrappers, hang them inside the amp near the speaker and cover the amp for a week?
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  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5326
    Stick it on a cottons wash at 60deg.
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4080
    edited May 2022
    I had this with a Marshall 2 x 12 80w valvestate it reeked of mould , I sprayed it with dry shampoo like you can wash your hair with without water ,it’s like a fine powdery spray , I then left it out in the sunlight in the days . I also regularly burned incense cones inside it ,3 or four at a time  plus left it outside in the sun when I could . After about a week or two of this it was fit to keep in the room where I sleep and was no further problem , the incense worked a treat and the dry shampoo could get everywhere even in the cones of the speakers etc .

    it was a great big thing and absolutely stank but after this treatment I was able to keep it in the house with no more problems . It cleaned up great and looked and sounded very good . I honestly would not have been able to bear it in the house before I treated it 

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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4080


    Loved this amp , as you can see plenty of places to stand incense cones in the back 
      I cleaned it all with antibacterial stuff too first ,then the dry shampoo was left on for a day or two 

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  • This below i've found to work very well. I won a guitar off of guitar auctions and the case smelt so strongly of what I can only describe as... human piss.  I couldn't remove the smell at all with various chemicals, it even had leached into the guitar, but this spray did the job finally!

    https://www.google.co.uk/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjP55X1reP3AhWL3-0KHW0sAmQYABAIGgJkZw&ae=2&sig=AOD64_1wO24oIxElIkbCmL8YGzjCg9Y3UA&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwi51431reP3AhXTasAKHTvpC9QQwg8oAHoECAEQFQ&adurl=
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9444
    Fabreze. Its what it was designeD for.
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  • GassageGassage Frets: 30825
    Part of the charm!

    *An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.

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  • bertiebertie Frets: 13564
    edited May 2022
    the only thing to get rid of "musty"  (if musty =  mold/mildewy  smell)  is

    mold/mildew remover spray -  then it ends up stinking of chlorine/bleach for a while

    mix of  white vinegar and vanish oxi pink    sprayed on  -   (google "mildew remover patio cushions)

    quite probable that the stink has got into the speaker cone  !!!


    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • LastMantraLastMantra Frets: 3822
    Gassage said:
    Part of the charm!

    They should start adding smells to reliced guitars. 
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  • KittyfriskKittyfrisk Frets: 18376
    Gassage said:
    Part of the charm!

    They should start adding smells to reliced guitars. 
    Ah yes, the Custom Shop "Scratch & Whiff" range.
    Choice of New Orleans, CBGB's or Wigan Working Mens Club fragrances.

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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27569
    Wee in the back.

    Not with it turned on though. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Rhl87RhlRhl87Rhl Frets: 25
    Dodge said:
    Put it in a bin liner with a bowl of vinegar, seal it up and leave it somewhere for a month.

    Your talking about the amp right?
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  • PALPAL Frets: 515
    I had this issue recently I took the amp apart and cleaned it but still had a slight smell I finally use and aftershave on it and it 
      worked. Hope this helps.
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  • bertiebertie Frets: 13564
    PAL said:
    I had this issue recently I took the amp apart and cleaned it but still had a slight smell I finally use and aftershave on it and it 
      worked. Hope this helps.
    so is it a 5 Chanel  amp now ? 
    just because you don't, doesn't mean you can't
     just because you do, doesn't mean you should.
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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    when I picked up my Transtube off Freecycle, it was dusty, cobwebbed and decorating splattered.

    I vigorously brushed the Tolex/inside cab over with Swarfega and a decorating paintbrush and then removed with damp cloth. I dressed the tolex with black boot polish and buffed.

    Looks good, smells good and boy, it sounds good!

    (chance for a pic repost!)




    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
    __________________________________
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