It was only a matter of time until some brilliant designers out there started using the new 3D printing technology to make musical instruments. A few have boldly gone beyond mere reproductions of existing musical instruments into promising new realms of creativity, sound and design.
Innovative 3D electric guitar designs have flooded the web, courtesy of makers like Olaf Diegel of Sweden, whose intricate designs are available at cubify.com, or Mahdi Hosseini of Customuse, a British company offering custom 3D-printed guitars. The architects of MONAD Studio in Florida have gone a step further, designing bizarre, otherworldly instruments, including the piezoelectric violin that was announced on Classicalite earlier this spring.
MONAD'S instruments, which look like ceremonial Klingon weapons, represent the very apex of this new craft:
1. MONAD Studio: Piezoelectric Violin, Electric Bass and Cello
These string instruments, on display at 3D Print Week NY, were designed by Eric Goldemberg and Veronica Zalcberg in collaboration with musician and luthier Scott F. Hall. Together, these instruments and the elaborate backdrop form a "Sonic Art Wall Installation."
As Eddie Krassenstein of 3Dprint.com explains, "The wall itself acts as a decorative assembly, which also helps play a role in sound manipulation, and doubles as a display unit for the instruments themselves."
As you might imagine, these instruments have an otherworldly sound:
2. Create your own 3D Printed Guitar
Many of the fantastic new designs visible elsewhere on the Web are not restricted only to 3D printing professionals. Some are accessible to anyone who owns a sufficiently advanced 3D printer. Zoybar.org is a site that allows users to download musical instrument designs and customize them. One project available on the site is the Zoybar Tor, an electric guitar designed by Bård S D, based on the Zoybar platform.
The minimalist body is made by a 3D printer, while the neck and strings are made the traditional way. DIY makers can tweak the open-source design, making whatever imaginative additions they wish:
How does it actually sound, you may wonder? Surprisingly good:
This and many other musical instrument designs, including an unusual standup cello called the Zoybaroque, are available for download at Zoybar.org.
3. Steampunk Guitar: Olaf Diegel, ODD Guitars
This is one of Diegel's more fanciful guitar designs, but it is fully playable. The body, including the gears, was printed all in one piece, yet the gears are functional. Here's a video of the guitar in motion:
