toiyoy - Posted - 04/12/2025:  19:19:46

I got a tenor banjo (I think it's a 1969 Vega VegaVox) from my JAM instructor today because he said he would never play it, I was slightly suspect of it because it smelt musty-like. visually the banjo doesn't have any problems but it smells funky when you take a whiff of it. do you guys think it has mold or mildew and if so how do I get rid of it.

pfalzgrass - Posted - 04/12/2025:  23:04:54

Welcome to banjohangout!



First thing I would remove the resonator and check the inside of the pot. If the smell is coming from the wood parts (most likely the resonator) exposing the resonator to direct sunlight for some hours helps.

If the smell origin is from metal parts, putting the banjo in a small room with an ion air cleaner device can mitigate the problem.

In general airing out the banjo and have it not sitting in the case helps. Sometimes the smell comes from the banjo case and not the banjo itself.

Edited by - pfalzgrass on 04/12/2025 23:07:34

toiyoy - Posted - 04/13/2025:  06:00:39

thank you so much

banjered - Posted - 04/13/2025:  07:02:07

Good advice above. I'd add using an OZONE generator which you can usually rent from equipment rentals. Put the banjo (and case) in a small room like the bathroom and leave it for several hours. Be ready to abandon the case if need be. banjered

Dan Gellert - Posted - 04/13/2025:  08:18:09

Mold can grow on almost anything, but (except for a real skin head), most of what a banjo is made of is not particularly susceptible. Put a banjo case in a dark, humid environment, though, and you've got a really splendid incubator for the damn stuff, and once it's there, it's got all kinds of good places to hide from whatever you're liable to use to remove it.

Unless the case you have is of exceptional quality, the best solution would probably be to look for a different one. There are lots of good old tenor cases out there for sale very reasonably (their original occupants having been converted to 5-stringers).

I'd say to give the banjo a thorough cleaning with a damp cloth (you could use just a LITTLE Murphy's Oil Soap or some such), and leave it out of the case where it gets good air circulation. If it has a skin head, you might want to replace that with a plastic one, at least temporarily. If it's a really good skin that you want to keep, try exposing it (off the banjo) to direct sunlight for a while, on both sides.