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Apr. 3, 2015 | By Alec

As 3D printing’s potential is really only limited by your own imagination, it’s hardly surprising that talented musicians have also gotten their hands on it. In recent months we’ve already seen a number of interesting, inspiring and even fun 3D printed musical applications, such as this 3D printed beer bottle instrument, but also plenty of serious other examples, Daren Banarsë's recently completed 3D printed melodica.

It has already become clear that no instrument is off limits; even the violin, a staple in every orchestra can be recreated with a 3D printer. That’s exactly what designer and musician Stephan Ignatovich has done. While not the first 3D printed violin on Thingiverse, he has decided to recreate one that looks and functions just like a regular violin and can even incorporate some classic pieces from actual instruments for the best possible results.

As he explains, his inspiration was mostly drawn from the F-F-Fiddle and from his own violin. ‘While great, after some time I decided to design my own electric violin,’ he writes. By simply adding strings, a bridge, a shoulder rest and a chin rest from a classic violin (which can be purchased from most music stores) Stephan has assembled a futuristic-looking instrument that is almost the exact same size as a violin 4/4, and can be played just as easily (or just as difficultly). For the electric sound, you will need a sound pickup with a preamp function, with Stephan purchased on eBay, and some pegs that Stephan took off a guitar.

All pieces – which he has graciously shared for others to recreate – were 3D printed on Stephan’s own Prusa i3 printer in PLA plastic. ‘All violin parts are designed with sizes suitable for a printer bed of 200 x 200 mm,’ he adds. ‘I'm using slicer Slic3r with fill density 10% but probably with 20-30% sound will be better.

While you will need to add some nuts, bolts and other components for successful assembly, its thus remarkably easy to 3D print your own violin. The resultant instrument is, however, remarkably heavier than a normal violin at about 800 grams (Stephan’s own classic violin weighs just 570 grams). But the real question is: how does it sound? You can decide for yourself through the clip below. While we aren’t experts of classical music, we are definitely impressed.

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

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