Bought a cab....and it smells horrible. Any suggestions?

C

CJL

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2012
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Dallas
#1
I bought a Schroeder cab of for of Reverb and although it is in mint condition, it smells like smoke....really, really bad. I contacted the seller and he confirmed that he is a smoker and that he smokes in his house where the cab was kept, so it's been in smoke for quite a while, not just a couple of gigs at a honky tonk. It's got the dura tuff liner, not rat fur. Any suggestions for de-funking this cab would be greatly appreciated. I have it airing outside right now. I saw where some people said pull the guts and wash it inside and out, plus replace any internal cabinet liner. To be honest, if that's what it will take then it's not worth it and I would rather return it (he has a 3-day return policy). Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
#6
Killed_by_Death said:
if you've got a back yard that's sealed off from invaders stealing it, leave it out in the sun for a day

I'm not a smoker, but I can't get my head around returning an item that smells like smoke, LOL.
at least if it still sounds good
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I have had it outside on the back porch for a few hours now and, believe it or not, as it gets hotter it is smelling worse....like the cabinet lit up a fresh cig on my back porch and is just waiting for me to bring it a beer to go along with it.
 
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#8
What is it covered with? If rat fur, you'll probably need to recover it. Tolex can be washed, first with mineral spirits to remove the tar residue, followed by hot, soapy water. If the grill is cloth, remove it and wash or replace. Fibre fill damping material inside can be replaced too. All these things retain stench. The internal wood cabinet can be wiped down with bleach and water.

All in all, it sounds like a lot of work.
 
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#9
byacey said:
What is it covered with? If rat fur, you'll probably need to recover it. Tolex can be washed, first with mineral spirits to remove the tar residue, followed by hot, soapy water. If the grill is cloth, remove it and wash or replace. Fibre fill damping material inside can be replaced too. All these things retain stench. The internal wood cabinet can be wiped down with bleach and water.

All in all, it sounds like a lot of work.
Click to expand...
It's covered with dura tec....and that's definitely more work than I am willing to put into this cab. It was bought as a backup...don't really need it. Since the buyer accepts returns I just requested a return and refund.
 
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#10
I know this is over and the OP has decided to return it, but just a question for future reference:

If one was willing to put in the work, would a couple of fresh coats of duratex fix the problem? I guess the speaker itself would still smell as well as inside if it's ported.
 
#11
Return it.
It would be a lot of work to clean it up.

I was given a nice vintage Traynor cab years ago because it smelled of cat pee. Man, it stunk. I sanded out the inside, and soaked it in some pretty powerful cat pee remover (I volunteer at an SPCA so have access to some of the good stuff).
Kept it outside in the sun in between washes. Even then it took a month or so before it was bearable. Smoke is worse IMO.
 
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#16
Before putting it outdoors, you need to wash the nicotine off of the outside of the cab. I tried repainting the inside of a house that had been smoked in without washing the walls and the nicotine would bleed through the paint. On that type of cab covering, Windex would work. Also Fabreeze helps too.
 
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#18
Thumpin6string said:
Before putting it outdoors, you need to wash the nicotine off of the outside of the cab. I tried repainting the inside of a house that had been smoked in without washing the walls and the nicotine would bleed through the paint. On that type of cab covering, Windex would work. Also Fabreeze helps too.
Click to expand...

A lot of that is the tars from incomplete combustion. (that's why it smokes rather than burns with flames)
 
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