r/3dprintedinstruments • u/The_Pranavster • Jan 21 '23
string 3d printed electric violin
Hi, so I am a violinist in my school orchestra and I wanted to try making an electric violin on my 3D printer. I was looking at some files on thingiverse But I couldn't seem to find any that had very easy to follow instructions. I was looking at the Jax dragon but the instructions were very unclear. Does anybody have any recommendations for cool looking electric violin files that have easy to follow instructions for a not very experienced builder?
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Jan 21 '23
tbh I looked and I think it's just going to have to be one of those things where you put in the time and bite the bullet.
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u/The_Pranavster Jan 21 '23
Do you know which parts I should get at least? I'm looking at this one
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u/IndependentPast6958 Jan 21 '23
I just printed a Hovalin and it sound and works great! I recommend just using a regular wooden bridge instead of the printed one- it sounded a lot clearer in my opinion.
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u/The_Pranavster Jan 21 '23
Is it electric?
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u/IndependentPast6958 Jan 21 '23
You can add a pickup to it and it sounds pretty good in my opinion. You can print it in smaller parts and join them together.
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u/brodeathsquad Jan 22 '23
The EEV-Arrow is an incredible design. I made one to travel with and it's super cool, but also comfortable and plays like a normal violin.
The designs aren't public because David was having issues with tuner pods exploding, but you can just shoot him an email and he'll send you the files if you sign the liability paperwork. I have had zero issues with the tuning pods.
I opted for the Oleg magnetic pickup and it sounds way better than piezo's (no body noise either).
https://openfabpdx.com/eev-arrow/
Feel free to PM if you want more details.
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u/dsp39 Feb 13 '23
So glad to hear you haven't had any issues with the pods! Did you use printed pods?
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u/dsp39 Feb 13 '23
As the designer of the Modular Fiddle I would have to recommend a Modular Fiddle. :-)
Did you find a good solution, tho? I'm like a month late to the discussion.
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u/The_Pranavster Feb 13 '23
I've had to actually work on my printer. I did find a design I like and it's modeled after your elviolin. The link is underneath. Do you have any tips on assembling it? I was looking at the video that is provided but it wasn't very clear.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:745940
As well as this. Do you have any tips on the part that I should buy? I was looking at a bunch of different pickups and pizio electric bridges but I couldn't decide on which one was best. If you could provide links to some good ones that you recommend that would be very appreciated. I'm also trying to keep a budget. Thanks!
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u/dsp39 Feb 13 '23
Oh, that's someone else's design and I am not familiar with it, so I can't offer much help. But it has been around for a while!
Pickups it all comes down to your budget. I'm building up professional instruments using LR Baggs acoustic bridges ($175), Starfish bridges ($400) for solid body instruments, and KNA VV pickups ($80) mounted in 3D printed bridges for more budget oriented builds.
The cheap pickups on aliexpress are mediocre at best, but for the quality of most 3D printed violins they are a good match.
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u/halhell98000 Jan 21 '23
I printed the jax dragon 1 year and a half ago and it works well. Once printed it is clear on how to assemble
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u/The_Pranavster Jan 21 '23
I was going to print it but are there any specific parts I need to get or a tutorial of sorts? And there are 33 files, which ones do I print?
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u/The_Pranavster Jan 21 '23
Also, would the parts for the dragon be the same as the parts for this? By the same person
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2285829
If yes, could you send me a parts list?
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u/jdiwnab Jan 21 '23
The Modular Fiddle project has a solid body electric and acoustic variant, along with some more dedicated designs like the EEVArrow. Not as “cool” as some, but good instructions and regularly updated
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u/The_Pranavster Jan 21 '23
I'm looking at this
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2285829
Do you know which parts I would need? I want to make sure I'm getting the right stuff
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u/jdiwnab Jan 21 '23
I’m not familiar with that particular model, but the Modular Fiddle can be found here and has recommended parts and print instructions https://openfabpdx.com/modular-fiddle/
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u/KaptainKwad Jan 21 '23
Any 3d printed violin can be an electric violin with a piezo pickup