So, you know the scene. Musicians... gear... so much stuff plugged in who knows what runs where? a rats nest of cords and cables and flickering lights. I plugged in a new pedal board and one of the lamps began to flicker. It seemed to waver during a jam and then went out.
 
Who cares right? But then there was this awful smell. What's burning?? Oh S! Abandon ship! Grab the acoustics on the way out. :-)
 
I shut stuff down as fast as I could terrified I was breathing noxious gas. I went into the garage (under the studio) to see if the smell was there too, maybe indicating a fire. The stench was potent but only in the room. No clear origin. I did not think at first to turn off the lamp with blown bulb.
 
Well, it was the light bulb. The package says don't put it on a dimmer or a timer. It wasn't on a dimmer or timer, but I'm guessing voltage fluctuations killed it. :-(
 
First time I've had to stop a session over a blown lightbulb.

'Tis why I always have a bunch of Furman power conditioners in use (with the voltage display).  I plugged one in at home and found that turning a heater on in another part of the room (that shouldn't impact the other wall) caused the voltage to drop 6 volts!  Not good, but at least I now know there's an issue there.
 
The one that always makes me freak out for a bit is when you turn on something that heats up and there's dust on it that burns off.  I run around worrying that something was about to burst into flames until I specifically identify where the burning smell is coming from - lol!

My cheap crappy blender always produces a burning smell when I turn it on. Reading the Amazon reviews it seems they all do it. Still freaks me out.

sharke
My cheap crappy blender always produces a burning smell when I turn it on. Reading the Amazon reviews it seems they all do it. Still freaks me out.

Heh, I used to have one that did that too.  I guess the motor runs hot and causes the oil to smoke a little.  I've never smoked so I've also never burned out any of the receptors in my nose which makes it far easier for me to notice any burning smell.  I once had a girlfriend who stopped smoking for me and, about a month later, she passed by someone who had recently been smoking and exclaimed "Wow, did I smell that bad after I smoked???"  Naturally, I did what any guy in his right mind would do in that situation and pretended I didn't hear her question, then quickly changed the topic. 

craigb

sharke
My cheap crappy blender always produces a burning smell when I turn it on. Reading the Amazon reviews it seems they all do it. Still freaks me out.

Heh, I used to have one that did that too.  I guess the motor runs hot and causes the oil to smoke a little.  I've never smoked so I've also never burned out any of the receptors in my nose which makes it far easier for me to notice any burning smell.  I once had a girlfriend who stopped smoking for me and, about a month later, she passed by someone who had recently been smoking and exclaimed "Wow, did I smell that bad after I smoked???"  Naturally, I did what any guy in his right mind would do in that situation and pretended I didn't hear her question, then quickly changed the topic. 

Yes I'm always amazed when I see so-called "glamorous" girls in the city who spend $300 on a pair of shoes and $500 on a frock and have their hair and nails done for another couple hundred and spend hours in front of the mirror applying contour makeup, then spend all night puffing away on something that makes them smell like a hobo. 

They won't care until paparazzi pictures include smell.  These are the same ones that get all dressed up but "somehow" forget to wear any underwear, ya? 

craigb
'Tis why I always have a bunch of Furman power conditioners in use (with the voltage display).  I plugged one in at home and found that turning a heater on in another part of the room (that shouldn't impact the other wall) caused the voltage to drop 6 volts!  Not good, but at least I now know there's an issue there.
 
The one that always makes me freak out for a bit is when you turn on something that heats up and there's dust on it that burns off.  I run around worrying that something was about to burst into flames until I specifically identify where the burning smell is coming from - lol!

Care to post some model numbers of those Furmans Craig?
 
I've got a freezer coming tomorrow and they're notorious for sending a 'click' through the circuitry and onto the speakers when the compressor clicks on & off.
 
No doubt that'll be picked up during recordings, as I've had in the past.

RP-8D's are very good (just looked straight down to get that model number - lol).
 

I used to have a bunch of them but just sold about six more (which is why I have these pictures).
 

 

Hey, thanks so much for taking the time & effort to upload these pics, Craig.
 
Much appreciated!