Soundhole Sniffing

[Long Jon]

Tobacco smell ? Give it a good hard rub with a nice wet soapy cloth , let it soak a while ,
rinse and repeat for very bad smells, (being careful not to wet any electronics ), then wipe it dry.


Caution: I should probably mention that this advice only applies to carbon fibre guitars.

[gitarro]

The best smell is the peppery rose smell of brazilian rosewood, and second to that for me is the vanilla scent of Madagascar rosewood.

[Mr. Scott]

Originally Posted by rgregg48

Sickos!

Sniff, sniff, sniff

Yes, you can sniff that as well if you want to...

[The Bard Rocks]

The aroma is one of the things that helps gives pleasure; it's not just the sound (though, mostly, it is of course). My non-aromatic guitars always leave me feeling just a tiny bit "cheated". In my stable it's the ones that are (sorta) cedars that do it, Spanish cedar kerfing on one, Port Orford Cedar on 2. Unfortunately I have no hardwoods that still release an aroma.

It has always been a bit interesting to me how certain woods have no aroma, while others always do, how a few smell horrible, and how some that smell great lose it over time, while others don't. In my shop, I will often smell a piece of wood that has just been cut, just for fun, so it's not just guitars.

[Swamp Yankee]

my Waterloo WL-S (spruce over cherry) smells good up close, but my Martin 000-17SM is incredibly aromatic... you can smell it from a few feet away. I left the empty case open in my office once, taking the guitar upstairs, and when I came back through, later on, the whole office smelled like a cigar box.

I think Martin was using Spanish cedar for its "mahogany" when they made it. I know they use it for the kerfing but by eye, I cannot tell the difference between the appearance of the kerfing and the wood of the back and sides. In any case, I love it, and the aroma is intoxicating. Playing it surrounds you with its aroma.

[Greg Ballantyne]

One reason I like to keep my guitars in the right shape.... don't let the strings get too old, polish everything up at string change time, Lemoil the fretboard, keep them looking, feeling, and smelling good. Makes a guitar much happier.......and a happy guitar is a better playing guitar.....

[JBCROTTY]

I keep my guitars cased when not being played for exactly this reason - to protect and prolong the fantastic aromas. Who doesn't enjoy this aspect of the hobby?

Believe it or not, my laminate B&S Yamaha FG700 smells the best - strongest, with a mix of fresh cut wood and probably glue and finish, but man it smells great. My new J-15 is not as strong but has a really nice vanilla scent.

I'm weird, I know. My wife sometimes catches me opening the case and sniffing the sound hole and she rolls her eyes and probably questions why she continues to hang around with me.

[devellis]

I think a lot of the case aroma is just that -- the smell of the case, not the guitar. The adhesives used have a vanilla-like aroma. While it's pleasant, I kind of wonder what it actually is and whether breathing that stuff is such a good idea. Probably nothing toxic but still, you gotta wonder.

Some guitars do have their own distinct smell. Some are spicy, some sweet, others pungent. Same with mandolins. When Gibson started making the Distressed Master Model F5, they actually re-created the smell of the old Loar-era instruments, using a secret formula. I'm told it's actually a pretty accurate re-creation of that vintage aroma.

[rsmillbern]

Originally Posted by GHS

Yes! Yes! I'm guilty!!!...but only with my Martin 000-15.

My wife mentions how much she likes the smell of the Martin 000-15m about once a month.

[51 Relic]

Yes just got to be done [emoji106]

[Dustinfurlow]

Originally Posted by gitarro

The best smell is the peppery rose smell of brazilian rosewood, and second to that for me is the vanilla scent of Madagascar rosewood.

Yessir...love my Larrivee's Mad Rose smell. And the Italian Alpine Spruce guitars I've had have a similar smell too, anytime I remove my McIlroy from its Hiscox I get a blast of sweet Alpine Spruce aroma and it's awesome. I can't wait for my Beneteau with walnut to come in, walnut is my favorite, nice and spicy.

[jaybones]

When my best acoustic was new (solid TB&S bird's eye maple) it smelled unpleasant. My bandmate, facing away from me, said "I know Jay just opened his guitar case. Smells like rabbit crap."

It was either the glues used in the case of the ones in the guitar construction, as it faded over time.

[ToneHunter]

I sniff mine a lot. But then I do have an open tube of rubber cement in there somewhere...