[Yonk Raccoon]

I’m so glad to finally be registered on these forums. Anyway–

I bought a seemingly new Yamaha Pianica 37D, which came in its hard case, sealed in a plastic bag.

After playing it and having it sit outside, the chemical scent it has (that makes me cough or stop playing) fades away, until it returns to its case.\

Is this an experience anyone else has had, or should I be more worried? (As an umemployed musician freak, it’s hard to stop playing my favorite instrument even when it worries me. And I’ve looked all across reviews and the interwebs to find talk, but no chance.)

1. When I first experienced this, I cleaned the case only, using soaps and, eventually, vinegar and baking soda.
2. I just yesterday soaked as much of the instrument as I could, in vinegar water, and tried rinsing it out, per the forum’s majority instructions to clean a cheap melodica. It’s the next morning and there’s residual vinegar water in there but I believe it should just evaporate.

I’m leaving the case closed without the instrument to see what happens in there afterwards.

[Yonk Raccoon]

Note: While trying to contact the absent seller on Amzn, I got one of those weird refunds where they didn’t want me to return the product so I have the Pianica while it is also refunded. I’m thinking of trying a second melodica and have been scouring the forums for what could be better than this one….. which is my favorite already, besides the smudgy plastic and awful scent. It can sound so lonely, and so much like a harmonica, as much as I miss my accordion. Perhaps my 2nd melodica will be more like an accordion sound?

[Zvon]

Sorry to hear about this experience!
I bought a P37D last year and didn’t have any strong smell. It’s to determine if the smell comes more from the case or the pianica itself. Though I think you should leave the case open.

The P37D is a fine and quality melodica. I hope the smell will go away, good thing that if it doesn’t you got a refund!

[Yonk Raccoon]

Thanks! The case alone still had some scent, and I put the instrument back in the case overnight and it smelled plasticy again. While I’m convinced the case is the real source of the scent now, I’m going to wrap my melodica overnight in a tight cloth or something, to see if it increases the plastic smell.

Do you have a favorite affordable melodica, or use a brand of shoulder straps? I thought I’d ask in passing just in case. Also let me know if there’s something you would enjoy seeing/hearing people like me do with melodica, online (I’m using it for music composition and outdoor playing.)

Thanks for reading!

[Yonk Raccoon]

Yeah they both retain some form of “new shoes/shoe store” scent, especially the internals of the melodica. Do Pianica’s metal parts have their own scent and I shouldn’t be worried..? Like how trumpets smell like brass and valve oil.

[Zvon]

My latest melodica is a Pianica P25F (4 or 5 months) and it does have what could be called some form of plasticky new shoe scent. It’s not strong and does not bother me. I’ve compared with my P37D and another melodica I bought over a year ago. They do have the same smell but less. It seems to come mainly from the keys or their mechanism. It does not bother or worry me.

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