New Martin smell

[terrapin]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Er ... well a rosewood Martin smells like ... rosewood.
And a mahogany Martin smells like ... er mahogany.
It all depends on the model and the timber of course.
I'm guessing a carbon fiber Rainsong must smell like carbon monoxide?
I've read all the Zager blurbs and they smell kinda fishy.

Good humor!

[Newb Jones P.I.]

The smell is unmistakably cedar and I noticed it right away wafting up from the soundhole on my recently acquired HD-28v. The harder I strum the more I smell it. Since it's a rosewood and spruce guitar I was puzzled, so I did some Googling and found online discussions where the consensus seemed to be that it's the Spanish cedar used for the kerfing.

No other acoustic I've played has that strong cedar smell, and I think it's a pretty nice unintended feature as it smells exactly like the cedar lined closet we had in our house years ago. That used to be a popular home feature to repel moths, so if you don't have a cedar closet but want to keep your favorite wool socks free of holes, now you know where to keep them.

[guit3090]

Only Martin guitar that I bought new, the whole time I had it, had a real woody smell, used to love that part of it, only guitar, that I ever had that had real wood smell.

[strictlystrum]

Smells like middle-aged spirit....

[SpruceTop]

Higher-end Martins seem to have two distinct aromas: their regular nitrocellulose lacquer and their regular nitrocellulose lacquer combined with aging toner. Various tonewood combinations add a bit of their own aroma to the overall bouquet.

I find other makes of guitars that use nitrocellulose lacquer seem to have their own distinct odors.

Also, the polyurethane lacquers used by different companies seem to have their own distinct aromas.

This leads me to believe that guitar companies source their lacquers from different makers that have slightly different formulas and/or have lacquer manufacturers add scents to lacquers that render a distinct odor for each company's guitars.

[PajamasMusic]

My 000-28 smelled like cedar when new (actually, still does). But every guitar I have has come with its own unique aroma, Martins or otherwise. None of my Martins smell the same. Most of them are pleasant enough, a couple not so much, but each has been unique.

[T Texas]

Originally Posted by strictlystrum

Smells like middle-aged spirit....

Haha, well played, well played

[fingerguy]

Originally Posted by kdirk16

I'm trying to find the wood that you can smell from the sound hole of a new martin. I think its ceder but I'm not sure anyone know?

There was a new smell? I must have gotten jipped! My Martin is new and I didn't detect a smell.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Newb Jones P.I.

The smell is unmistakably cedar and I noticed it right away wafting up from the soundhole on my recently acquired HD-28v. The harder I strum the more I smell it. Since it's a rosewood and spruce guitar I was puzzled, so I did some Googling and found online discussions where the consensus seemed to be that it's the Spanish cedar used for the kerfing.

No other acoustic I've played has that strong cedar smell, and I think it's a pretty nice unintended feature as it smells exactly like the cedar lined closet we had in our house years ago. That used to be a popular home feature to repel moths, so if you don't have a cedar closet but want to keep your favorite wools socks free of holes, now you know where to keep them.

Originally Posted by guit3090

Only Martin guitar that I bought new, the whole time I had it, had a real woody smell, used to love that part of it, only guitar, that I ever had that had real wood smell.

Exactly. When I was building my cedar/mahogany MJ I ordered Spanish cedar kerfing from Luthier's Merchantile. When I opened the shipping box it smelled EXACTLY like my Martin D-16GT - but also different than the western red cedar that I was working with. The WRC had that "classic" cedar smell - the downstairs in my boyhood home was paneled with it - but the Spanish smelled MUCH stronger and "spicier."

[Newb Jones P.I.]

New car smell worn off? Make it smell like a Martin guitar!

[kdirk16]

Originally Posted by gilleyc

It's called Guitar CASE.....get a clue!

Thank god we have another sarcastic post. Its not the case, but thank you for your helpful response. Maybe you can save sometime and not respond to a post if you just want to be a jerk.

[kdirk16]

I keep my guitars in a display case so I would like to try and get that smell inside the case.

[yoda_soda]

i have a martin gpcpa4r ... it has rosewood back and sides... the smell is intoxicating. I have had the guitar for a year and it still smells that way.