Comments on: 3D printed guitar

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:10:00 +0000

This. It wouldn’t have diminished the accomplishment if the headline and story had simply said “3-D printer guitar *body*. I mean, it’s cool that this can be done, and there’s no need for the way these 3-D-printed-X stories all seem to imply a lot more than what is actually achieved.

By: dave marks

dave marks — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:20:00 +0000

I played the guitar in said video :-) While it’s true that only the body is 3D printed, it’s still a very significant step into creating new and revolutionary designs for instruments. With electric guitars, it depends what type of guitar sounds you’re going for (as to whether the body is so important)
The guitar body certainly is a factor – hence different body shapes / sizes / wood densities / chambering etc will create different tones between say a Tele, Strat and Les Paul.
I think what’s cool about these is the chance to create guitars that take care of the functional part (neck / strings / pickups) and give you free reign to create something really individualistic in how the guitar looks.
It’s also worth bearing in mind, the guitar I used in this video was an early production – the newer ones have much sexier hardware and pickups etc. I should be getting my hands on one in October at the 3D Printshow, so I’ll try and do a bit of recording and post that :-)

By: Mark Duanburge

Mark Duanburge — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:23:00 +0000

I can understand Cory’s enthusiasm for this technology, but I wonder whether this guitar body was printed on the type of machine that a home user has access to or is it more industrial?

By: for_SCIENCE

for_SCIENCE — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 05:18:00 +0000

I would like the trend of ’3d Printed _____!’ headlines lessened, especially it usually turns out to be ‘one minor part was 3D printed’. Can I post my ’3d printed car’ since I printed new radio knobs?

By: Jonathan Donald

Jonathan Donald — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Looks like purple-anodized aluminum, actually

By: skeptacally

skeptacally — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:46:00 +0000

To illustrate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjqgliGgvt0&feature=related

Jack White builds a “guitar” on a piece of 2X4 lumber.

I’m an acoustic player myself. And there is no way that a plastic body will ever sound as rich and full as my Gibson 12-string.

By: robcat2075

robcat2075 — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Yes, he seems to have 3D printed the least significant part of an electric guitar, the part that makes the least contribution to the sound, the body.

3D print an acoustic guitar that sounds good and I’ll be quite enthused.

By: skeptacally

skeptacally — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:47:00 +0000

Pedantry alert:

They didn’t so much print a guitar as print the body of a guitar. The bridge, neck, pick-ups — really, the parts that make an electric guitar a guitar — seem purchased and definitely not printed.

By: The Geek Whisperer

The Geek Whisperer — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 21:46:00 +0000

Beautiful guitar. I’d love to build one of those.