smoke effect on guitars and equipment.

[J_Alexander]

my old band has recently got back together. i dont smoke at home or at all for the most part. when i get with a group of guys and jam and throw some back i tend to some. last night i got my ebmm out and it just smelled of smoke. is this hurting my baby or is it the fact i had a smoke in my hand and then would play so the smell is on the neck till i wipe it off again. what if any are the harms of smoking around equipment and guitars? if there is any i may ask for smoke free sessions. does that sound like i would asking to much.

 

[jongitarz]

Are you not concerned about what it does to your lungs?

 

[jazzbo jim]

Actually, when I finish playing my guitar, IT has a cigarette! (I just roll over and go to sleep )

 

[J_Alexander]

not really jon cause i might smoke a total of a pack a yr if that. anyways back to the guitar and equipment

 

[CudBucket]

not really jon cause i might smoke a total of a
pack a yr if that. anyways back to the guitar and equipment

 

[silverburst]

In the good old days I found that it mostly made my amp and the insides of my case stink. Might hurt resale value, but I don't think the electronics are suffering at all. Not an issue in California since you cannot smoke inside bars and clubs anymore. It was kind of a shock when I did a gig in Vegas last year.

My 63 Jazz Bass was in smoky bars for the firt 25 years of its life and it works well with the original pickups and wiring. Still kinds of smells funky.

 

[J_Alexander]

roll your eyes all you want. guess that why you dont me and i dont know you.

 

[beej]

is this hurting my baby

You're not doing any harm unless you pull the EVH cigarette-on-the-headstock trick and leave burns up there

Even heavy exposure will just leave dust and grime on the guitar. When it gets dirty or smelly, just clean 'er up. But I wouldn't worry about it.

On the other hand, if you have amps, tvs, computers or anything in the smokey environment they'll build up a ton of dust on all the components over time- that's worth cleaning periodically.

 

[tommyindelaware]

only if yer pegnant
if you are in smokey bars alot........u may wanna use meguires quick wax (Meguiar's Quick Wax - webBikeWorld) once every couple months on th paint to help keep it from yellowing. & use wonderwipes BEFORE every gig.
the ebmm poly finishes don't seem to yellow much though.

 

[SteveB]

As Beej mentioned, smoke leaves a sticky residue on things (like the electronics in your amp) and dust will cling to that residue. This can be bad for heat dissipation. So try to keep your amp clean... maybe use one of those air cans to blow the dust out periodically, and get a cover for the amp if you leave it at the smoky rehearsal space.

 

[Duolos]

It will not radically harm anything but it will kill resale value. It will tarnish plastic parts and once it is in cloth, it is very hard to get out. I once bought a Les paul Custom from a guy who smoked and didn't tell me and when I opened the box it wreaked and when I opened the case it about knocked me over. I had to take the guitar apart and clean it to the hilt and let it air out for about 7 months to get 90% of the stench out of it. The case still stinks after countless weeks in the sun and bottle after botle of Febreeze. I am anti smoke all the way and would keep all my stuff away from it if I could but that is me. If a person smokes and is intereted in your gear, no biggie. A hard core non smoker will probably not touch it. If you plan to keep it, do your thing as I doubt what you mentioned you smoke would effect anything much.

 

[J_Alexander]

thanks guys. i was wondering cause the others smoke regulary(sp) and we are talking about once a week rehershals here. so i wanted to make sure. my babies usually smell like gunstock oil but man when i pulled it out last night i could smell smoke and our house being smoke free and me not really a smoker it drove me nuts.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

All my guitar cases stink of stale smoke after a gig, its one of those things! But, they are banning smoking in pubs here soon, so it will be a thing of the past soon!

 

[beej]

they are banning smoking in pubs here soon, so it will be a thing of the past soon!

They did that here a while back. I tell ya, it was really weird at first but now I can't imagine people smoking in bars.

 

[roburado]

The only bar I frequent nowadays is a non-smoking microbrewery. Sure, I'll go into a place that allows smoking every now and then, but I really prefer my non-smoking watering hole. It's the only non-smoking bar I know about in this area.

 

[roburado]

not really jon cause i might smoke a total of a pack a yr if that. anyways back to the guitar and equipment

Not a believer in second-hand smoke, eh?

 

[Sub1 Zero]

It seems only logical that it would have some sort of an effect, but the extent is questionable. I know that my grandparents used to smoke about 3 packs a day per person(eventually led to the death of one and the other quitting and never touching a cig again), and it certainly took its toll on the paint inside the house, staining it yellowish and making it seem brittle. Also, as someone mentioned, it caused dust to collect more rapidly, and was very hard on their PC as well, as it ran hotter than most computers. I'd say this call is up to you, and if they respect you, they will agree to smoke free sessions. Afterall, who says you need cigarettes and beer to rock?

 

[SteveB]

Afterall, who says you need cigarettes and beer to rock?

Hey, let's not get carried away now!

 

[slukather]

Are you not concerned about what it does to your lungs?

I agree Jon.

But to answer the question.

I don't like to expose my guitars to too much smoke, but when you play out you just can't help it, (l can't wait for smoke free clubs), but the best thing to do is clean your guitar(s) regularly.

Scott.

 

[J_Alexander]

Not a believer in second-hand smoke, eh?

about as much as global warming and all the other wacko ideas that make this country worse then what it was.