I have often found strange smells coming from mechanical instruments.
I was told you could smell an authentic Mortier organ, as the varnishes
and glues used were very distinctive.

A few months ago, a friend acquired a Decap organ from a collector in
the US and when we started to dismantle it we found that mice had been
nesting inside, and had dragged fibrous insulating material into the
windways.  The pipe chests were clogged with dead moths and seeds,
presumable a food store, whilst a large proportion had been cemented
with mouse droppings.

That one stank a little too.

Stephen Simpson
www.happycowmusic.co.uk