Bought a smelly smoky analog synth on ebay,

[machoboy]

hydrogen peroxide

[n2design]

opened it up, and a couple brackets aren't going to make it back in. Only have so many hands, this must of been screwed together by a machine.

Anyways, i cleaned it the best i could with isoprpyl, but I cant clean in some parts. Im hoping that i cleaned it good enough, put a couple dryer sheets under the keys and plan on keeping it outside for 3-5 days weather permitting.

Sure do hope that solves it and it still works when I put it back together!

word to the wise ask b4 purchasing, else you can try what I did. Hope this helps s1 in the future....

[krushing]

So...what synth is it?

[Sudad G]

Clean it as good as possible with ethanol. The rest of smelling will disappear by the time.

(I bought in the 90s a second hand Korg Wavestation and when I turned it on the first weeks I remarked a strong smell of cannabis. After 4-5 weeks it disappeared from alone. I just cleaned its surface and keys with ethanol and let it on some days without switching it off.

Sudad G

[Karloff70]

Light sprinkle of Febreze to the outside?

That, and standing the thing by the open balcony door to air out worked for the smelly Casio CZ5000 I bought very cheap from a guy who was in total decay and his house smelled like it. And I tell you, without going into descriptive detail, the thing smelled MUCH worse than of cigarettes! Fine now.

[stinkyfingers]

stick it in cider...

[n2design]

Roland sh-09
willing to trade for a jupiter 8

[Boschen]

I've dealt with this issue before and there's an easy solution.
Seal the entire synth inside a plastic bag. At the bottom of the bag put a large mass of baking soda. Don't let the soda touch the synth. Leave room for air to move; open the chassis.

Leave it there for two days. Maybe three.

Problem solved.

[Philip S Bova]

Ozone

[Jules]

There is a funny thread here somewhere where a guy opened up a sampler and found fat rolled joint inside!

[Whitecat]

I worked with a dubbing mixer once who allegedly found a half-eaten sandwich stuffed inside an SSL channel strip (on a console)...

[Yoozer]

Originally Posted by Jules

There is a funny thread here somewhere where a guy opened up a sampler and found fat rolled joint inside!

Guess What I Found in my SH-101...

Samplers are big enough for entire bags of fine Colombian. Synths are more compact.

[pearlywhites]

Originally Posted by Yoozer

Guess What I Found in my SH-101...

Samplers are big enough for entire bags of fine Colombian. Synths are more compact.

classic thread

[supersuper]

The bad news: the smell will never go away and the synth is carcinogenic.

The good news: if your synth were a person it is probably sick of French filter house.

[natefrogg]

yuck man, got a drum module off ebay for a great price recently and it too reeks of cigs after being turned on for a few minutes, bleh! lotta' great tips here!

[golden beers]

If you give it a clean inside and out, the smell goes in time.

[minime123]

i wouldnt recommend cleaning synths w alcohol.
mini

[Boschen]

I've used the baking soda trick many times on funky club gear cleanup jobs. It really does work. Do not use chemical sprays or anything similar, only neutral cleaners like 99% rubbing alcohol and baking soda. It is perfectly ok to use alcohol on the chassis; circuit board cleaning is a whole different animal. You can alway test the alcohol on a plastic finish in a hidden spot.
The soda will absorb smoke odors very well; you may need to manually clean inside the chassis if it has solid residue in there.

Works great on mics too.

[Analog Prophet]

Try some gallons acid and high pressure water - it will remove the smell

Seriously, open it up and let fresh air make the work a couple weeks (or more) for you. Of course safe from rain and dust, but with good circulation of air.

Once I purchased a Shofar that smelt goat. My wife refused to have that smell inside. It found a place outside under a canopy. I almost forgot it and after a year outside even that bad smell was 100% gone - after I washed the wasps inside away... Only fresh air.

[Rogue Ai]

Originally Posted by Jules

There is a funny thread here somewhere where a guy opened up a sampler and found fat rolled joint inside!

I thought it was an SH-101 or was that a different thread?

[Rogue Ai]

Originally Posted by Yoozer

Guess What I Found in my SH-101...

Samplers are big enough for entire bags of fine Colombian. Synths are more compact.

Ok, I should have read the whole thread. It was the 101.

[kpsiegel]

I bought an ESQ-1 on eBay that reeked of smoke. Of course it was supposed to be in a non-smoking environment. The person that sold it to me "weyland_pubs" was nuts. I reproduce below the exact quote from the email this person sent me when I complained about the smoke smell and why cigarette smoke was bad for keyboards.

"Cigarette smoke coats the contacts inside the keyboard and makes them fail." That's got to be the weirdest thing I've heard in a while. I made a remark about second-hand smoke because I thought you were some kind of spoiled brat environmentalist wacko. My mistake. Actually, cigarette smoke makes electrical contacts better, because it is acidic.


So....apparently this person believe cigarette smoke is good for keyboards Consider that before you clean it up

[Rogue Ai]

[anchovyd]

Stick it in a closet with an ozone generator for a day or two. Ozone will get rid of any smokey, mildewy, musty smell like its nobody's business.

[kgdrum_nyc]

Originally Posted by Jules

There is a funny thread here somewhere where a guy opened up a sampler and found fat rolled joint inside!

I wish I could find used gear like that!
;-)

[KingVidiot]

I got a K2000 many years ago via eBay that said non-smoking studio, and when I got the box and opened it I was hit with a wave of stale cigarette smoke. Also the keys were slightly yellowed. I contacted the guy in disgust and asked him why he lied. "Oh sorry," he said. What a dick.
Anyway the price was good and it worked well. The smoke smell mostly dissipated over the course of a week or so, and now two years later (after a wiping with a damp cloth once or twice) it has no smell.

Stay away from harsh organic cleaners like isopropanol, etc. since they damage plastics.

[Teknobeam]

Originally Posted by Boschen

I've used the baking soda trick many times on funky club gear cleanup jobs. It really does work. Do not use chemical sprays or anything similar, only neutral cleaners like 99% rubbing alcohol and baking soda. It is perfectly ok to use alcohol on the chassis; circuit board cleaning is a whole different animal. You can alway test the alcohol on a plastic finish in a hidden spot.
The soda will absorb smoke odors very well; you may need to manually clean inside the chassis if it has solid residue in there.

Works great on mics too.

The baking soda method is very good. I have used baking soda to absorb stuff like that before and it works. It's a sponge for odors and if you put in a sealed bag then it will absorb what is in that air.

[Goa Travellers]

I just bought a Juno 106 that, based on the smell, I suspect has been kept in the kennels over the last 20 years. It is waiting outside while the smell gets away. I might have to partially dismantle it for the air to flow through and take away the dog smell. The good thing is the Juno has all its voices functioning and it was cheap!

[ozy]

Originally Posted by Jules

There is a funny thread here somewhere where a guy opened up a sampler and found fat rolled joint inside!

so what? That's a well known customization. It adds grit to the filter (albeit it softens envelopes a bit).

Voids warranty in some states though