Question:
Congrats! Stick with it, its worth it!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Man, am I the last smoking bass player on Earth? > Soon to be. Started a class for quitting this morning 
> — > -rob > O< "!" > /() > ^^
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>> I hate the smoke smell too. Haven’t found a solution, other than airing out > the gear. That crap gets on everything. > When I come home from a gig, I have to shower before bed or my wife gets > pissed because the entire bed smells like smoke in the morning. My clothes > hit the washing machine right as I walk in the door, because if I leave them > in a hamper, the entire room smells like smoke by morning.
I *always* take a shower when I get home from a gig. I figure smoking goes hand in hand with drinking. I know a lot of people who don’t smoke unless they’re drinking. I figure a bar is an adult establishment that already derives its income from something that’s already bad for you. Where I live, pretty much any restaurant is smoke-free. There are plenty enough places for people to go if they don’t want to smell smoke. Hell, I wouldn’t be opposed to allowing people to imbibe other drugs in bars, but I’m weird that way. As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight. And it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. — William O. Douglas
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> Man, am I the last smoking bass player on Earth?
Soon to be. Started a class for quitting this morning — -rob O< "!" /() ^^
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Ouch. It just won’t be the same with those little chiclets sticking out of my strings, but I’m willing to consider it Good luck and good health, Rob. Kindest Wishes, B — Jerry’s dead. Phish sucks. Go home.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Man, am I the last smoking bass player on Earth? > Soon to be. Started a class for quitting this morning > — > -rob > O< "!" > /() > ^^
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>> Man, am I the last smoking bass player on Earth? > Soon to be. Started a class for quitting this morning
Woohoo! -Zev
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> I hate the smoke smell too. Haven’t found a solution, other than airing out > the gear. That crap gets on everything. > When I come home from a gig, I have to shower before bed or my wife gets > pissed because the entire bed smells like smoke in the morning. My clothes > hit the washing machine right as I walk in the door, because if I leave them > in a hamper, the entire room smells like smoke by morning.
Not to mention gets in your hair so it stinks like mad. Smoke is a problem with some gigs (dive bars) though I have to say that these days thanks to the anit-smoke nazis things are really a lot better than they used to be. Lots of bars have installed these smoke catchers that really work well at keeping the air from depositing vast amounts of smoke on your gear. As you note, washing cloth items (and yourself) works pretty well to clean smoke smell off. For amps and cabs that that have finishes that can take water, Dow scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner works wonders to srub all that brown smelly niotine off stuff. I even do that to my basses that have water-proof finishes, but usually you have to sort of take them apart for a good cleaning so it isn’t something you do all the time. Is a good treatment when you get a used bass that’s been through the bar scene. > If someone ever finds a solution, please let me know!
I guess move to California is it. But while I hate smokey gear, as a former smoker, I really don’t go along with the Smoke Gestapo who try to treat smokers like criminals. Like I said, bars with decent electrostatic smoke filters really aren’t that bad and people who want to smoke can do so without driving the rest of us nuts. Benj — SPAM-Guard! Remove .users (if present) to email me!
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> Yeah, California has basically banned smoking from all enclosed area’s. The > way I see it, if everyone is so against smoking establishments, open > non-smoking bars and clubs. <snip>
Yeah. I started working on my MBA in the fall, and am wanting very badly to get a chance to capture the non-smoking market. It’s wide-a$$ open here.
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Yeah, California has basically banned smoking from all enclosed area’s. The way I see it, if everyone is so against smoking establishments, open non-smoking bars and clubs. I know there are few places around the Portland, Oregon area that are non-smoking establishments. Solves the issue. You don’t want to hang at a smoking establishment, don’t go. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that if there’s a need and a way to make money off it, someone will do it. Wes – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Gig only in California! > From all the references to gigging in California I’m assuming they’ve > passed some form of ‘no smoking in public places’ law. > Which gives us all another option, lobby those who make the laws in our > respective states/countries to also pass such a law. > I’m expecting a no smoking in bars etc. law to be passed here in New > Zealand in the next couple of years and I’m looking forward to playing > in bars again.
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>The answer is to have some sort of device that keeps the air pressure in the >vicinity of the stage higher than the surrounding area. Giant overhead fans >would probably work. >-Ryan
Brrrrrrrr! Edward G. ‘Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.’ –Henry Kissinger
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Thanks for all of the suggestions. I guess that maybe I was looking for some kind of "home remedy" inside stuff that might work, but the best thing seems to be just letting the stuff air out. As for choosing different venues to play, I have to say that I just love playing too damn much! Besides, I’m usually the guy standing outside on the breaks getting some air. There’s always hope, though. I’ve played most of the major jazz clubs in the country, and every one had a ‘no-smoking, no-talking’ policy during the sets. I guess it’s time to get back on the road. . . PT
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> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way > than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put > orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the > odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate > any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or > any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . > PT > http://www.paulthompson.us
Yes, orange oil works to a degree Activated charcoal?! Baking soda?!! Ozium (similar to Febreeze) Gig only in California!
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> Gig only in California!
From all the references to gigging in California I’m assuming they’ve passed some form of ‘no smoking in public places’ law. Which gives us all another option, lobby those who make the laws in our respective states/countries to also pass such a law. I’m expecting a no smoking in bars etc. law to be passed here in New Zealand in the next couple of years and I’m looking forward to playing in bars again.
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Man, am I the last smoking bass player on Earth? I keep one in the strings. Marlboro Menthol 100’s, mmmm, good. Airing out and frequent cleaning/maintenance work. Hadn’t thought of Fabreze or Ozium, but the latter works great in my car (Vanilla). Kindest Wishes, B — Jerry’s dead. Phish sucks. Go home.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Gig only in California! > From all the references to gigging in California I’m assuming they’ve > passed some form of ‘no smoking in public places’ law. > Which gives us all another option, lobby those who make the laws in our > respective states/countries to also pass such a law. > I’m expecting a no smoking in bars etc. law to be passed here in New > Zealand in the next couple of years and I’m looking forward to playing > in bars again.
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I’ve never found a good solution to that problem either. The only thing that helps is airing out the gear for a couple days. I usually put mine in my garage and leave it there for a while. I also wipe down the cables once in awhile , ’cause it appears that the rubber REALLY holds the smell. As for the orange rinds in the case….I’ve never heard of it. I’ve never heard of alot of things , so that doesn’t make it a bad thing to do. My concern is with the amount of instruments I have , and the infrequency that some of them leave the house, I’d probably forget the orange peels in the case for a few months. Nobody wants a bass that smells like a bag of smoky old mouldy tangerines. Jay S
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way > than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put > orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the > odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate > any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or > any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . > PT > http://www.paulthompson.us
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Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . PT http://www.paulthompson.us
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I just air stuff out when I get home. I take the covers off my carpeted cabs, leave the bass case completely open, pop the covers off my rack (this is only occasionally), then go to bed. I have found that doing these small things is better than not doing them. When I am in the club, I put my cabinet covers completely away, so that they don’t get filled with smoke too. Edward G. ‘Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.’ –Henry Kissinger
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We were playing a gig at the Scarlet & Grey Cafe on High St. in Columbus during OSU’s winter break. That in itself eased the smoke problem as there were only about 10 people there. Anyways, a guy from the opening band pulls out a pack of incense, sticks a stick in a beer bottle, and lights it. He said that the smoke from the incense kept the smoke from cigarettes away from the stage. Bullshit, I thought. If anything, it just added a different scent, albeit a better one, to overall mix. And it stayed lit for maybe 5 minutes. The answer is to have some sort of device that keeps the air pressure in the vicinity of the stage higher than the surrounding area. Giant overhead fans would probably work. -Ryan www.bricktop.net
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way > than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put > orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the > odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate > any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or > any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . > PT > http://www.paulthompson.us
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> Nobody wants a bass that smells like a bag of smoky old mouldy tangerines.
Now there is a QOTW!
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Well as a smoker and currently a non-smoker I can tell you that the airborne residue from smoke is like a goo that collects on everything it touches. I have seen what it does to a white t-shirt displayed on a wall. It turns yellow in as little as a few days. Anyway, that is what is collecting on your amps, clothes, and yourself when you play a smokey gig (not to mention what collects in your lungs). As a non-smoker I become very sensitive to the smell of smoke and I can empathasize with you on how nasty it can be. As for getting rid of the smell you need to wipe down smooth surfaces with what ever oil disolving cleaner that is safe for the surface you are cleaning. What you need to do is to clean off the tar that sticks to your stuff. Fuzzy surfaces and things with tiny groves will be harder to clean and products such as Fbreeze can be useful. Other than that you have to make a choice in the gigs you want to play. Todd
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way > than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put > orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the > odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate > any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or > any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . > PT > http://www.paulthompson.us
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I hate the smoke smell too. Haven’t found a solution, other than airing out the gear. That crap gets on everything. When I come home from a gig, I have to shower before bed or my wife gets pissed because the entire bed smells like smoke in the morning. My clothes hit the washing machine right as I walk in the door, because if I leave them in a hamper, the entire room smells like smoke by morning. I used to haul my gear in a pickup with a tonneau cover, and if the weather was clear, I’d drive home with the cover off and that would air the smoke out of my cabs. Everything else just takes time and fresh air. If someone ever finds a solution, please let me know!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way > than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put > orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the > odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate > any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or > any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . > PT > http://www.paulthompson.us
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> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke?
I air my cabs out in the garage overnight. I left in my car once…crap that was a mistake! Then I Febreze them, let em air out some more, then bring em in. That’s about all you can do unless you wanna laminate your cabinets. :-) If you wipe down your instrument after a gig, that’ll help there. Other than that, it’s an unfortunate reality of the bar scene. Best Regards, — /" ASCII Ribbon Campaign | Todd H / | http://www.toddh.net/ X Promoting good netiquette | http://triplethreatband.com/ / http://www.toddh.net/netiquette/ | "4 lines suffice."
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> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my instrument, > my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the smoke? Sure, > Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way than just > covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put orange > rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the odors of > smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate any > suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or any > other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . .
You might want to re-think the gigs you play to something less smoky. Keep in mind that what’s getting in your gear is also getting in your lungs. There comes to a comfort factor when you decide it’s just no fun playing in that environment, and then to a health factor where you decide playing in that environment is not healthy. I know musicians who are tired of playing in smoky clubs and they choose to only play gigs where they are comfortable playing. — Jay O’Connor http://www.r4h.org/r4hmusic
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I don’t know what the big deal is. I’m not a smoker, but I accept that smelling like smoke is just part of the gig. If you don’t like it, you could start playing country clubs, or move to California. — John Check out www.js3jazz.com to hear my tunes and get FREE bass lessons
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Here’s a perennial question for all of my fellow low-enders: I’ve been > gigging now for, probably, about 10+ years and I still can’t seem to > find a solution to bringing home a smoky, smelly club in my > instrument, my cabinets, my gear, and my cases. How can I combat the > smoke? Sure, Febreeze helps, but there has to be a more effective way > than just covering up the smell. I heard a while back that someone put > orange rinds (?) in a pouch in their double bass bag to absorb the > odors of smoke–is this ‘urban legend’? I don’t know. I’d appreciate > any suggestions on how to keep my electric bass, my acoustic bass, or > any other gear (relatively) somke-free by night’s end. Thanks. . . > PT > http://www.paulthompson.us
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