Musty-basement-odor?

[jazzstarr]

What can I use to decrease or eliminate that musty-basement-old case odor?

[Dave Dolson]

jazzstar: I'd suggest an open container of baking soda in the case (closed) for a while.

However, there is a certain charm to that odor, especially if the horn in the case is vintage. It is much like Hoppe's Number Nine gun solvent - women hate it, men love it. I've been thinking of using Hoppe's as an after-shave. DAVE

[Tim Wolfe]

Dave:
LOL!

[Razzy]

What, do you have enough females all over you all the time as it is Dave? :wink:

[Grumps]

I also had a smelly, musty, beat up old case problem for a couple of my vintage horns and I solved the problem by throwing out the cases and replacing them with moderately priced, brand new alternative cases. I'm not a collector, I'm a player, so I'm not worried about 'value'. The new cases support the horns much better and after spraying the horns a bit with compressed air, voila..... no more smelly hands, horns or cases.


p.s. Years back I was playing a job where the band was offered spirits. As I'm not a fan of headaches, I prefer call brands and the only call brand available was Dewers scotch. Although I never had scotch prior to that, I decided to try one with soda and a twist. It tasted like a musty old sax case..... and I've been partial to scotch ever since.

[rrex54]

Somewhere I've seen some product specifically for this -- I think. (At my age, who knows?) However, failing one simple product recommendation, perhaps the following will help.

The musty ordor is actually from mold and one needs to either kill all the mold (nearly impossible) or at least get the spores to stop growing. Moving air keeps the spores from accumulating and sunlight will keep them from growing. (I can't remember if it might actually kill them.) Acids like bleach will kill the spores, but there's the obvious problem with that "solution." Vinegar, however, is a viable, if less effective, option.

So, I would vacuum the case to remove as much dirt and as many mold spores as possible, then try one or both of the following:

1) Place the open case outside for several hous on a bright sunny day
2) Treating the lining of the case with vinegar, e.g., by a) cleaning with a vinegar-dampened sponge or cloth or b) placing an open container of vinegar in the case, closing it, and allowing it to stand for ?x? number of days

Now, "2" has the problem of giving you a case that smells like vinegar. This may dissapte with airing or, like Sam the pickleman in "Crossing Delancy," perhaps you could treat with a bit of vanilla. The latter notion arises for somehow the neuron related to that movie fired without warning. Having done so, I hope it adds not only culinary delight to an otherwise distasteful topic, but distinguishes the Forum as the only site that will come up on a Google search that uses both "saxman" and "pickleman!" :o

[Saxa]

Jazzstar, trying to contact you. Do you still have the 130/0/SMS Berg Larsen

[Saxa]

zzz