I 3d Printed an Electric Violin!

Get ready to once again gird your eyes and ears, because this time I 3d printed an electric violin! And in my usual fashion, I fashioned some unusual music in the form of a truly graphically-ridiculous "music video". But hey, at least you can't say I don't have a sense of humor about it. Thanks for stopping by!
Intro and Getting Started- 00:00
Violin Files - 00:50
Finishing Choices - 01:59
Electronics - 02:16
Shoulder Rest / Drawbacks - 02:48
Bridge/ Stringing/ Finalizing - 03:08
First Playtest - 03:45
Direct Input vs Reverb - 06:15
Electric Violin Music Video - 09:01
Outro - 10:44
ElViolin Files: www.thingiverse.com/thing:781491
As per usual, all music in this video is composed by me: Kristin R. Anderson

[@Kalendale]

I am in the pro-goggles camp. And this video did NOT suck. Nifty fiddle.

[@Sombre____]

The reverb is fixing all the sound issues. It's crazy. The plastic sound almost disappear.

[@ComposerKristin]

Musicians love this ONE WEIRD trick! :)

[@ELVENGADOR858]

​@@ComposerKristin DO YOU SELL THE INSTRUMENTS

[@socalkook370]

That sounds surprisingly good

[@CountDoucheula]

Haven't played the piece in thirty years? I would have sworn you were 27. Good job on the build 👍🏻

[@portlyoldman]

Just beginning my similar project 😁 I’ve done a lot of 3d printing and electronics so I’m focusing on a new design.

[@ComposerKristin]

Sweet! Good luck! :)

[@martiddy]

I'm surprised it actually sounds decent. Obviously, it's far from a high quality violin, but I was expecting it to sound way worse than that, especially for a violin 3D printed at home. I was still confused about the purpose of the placeholder in the middle of the neck and also the location of the peg box being next to the bridge instead.

[@ComposerKristin]

I'm also quite surprised. The placeholder on the neck is supposed to simulate the upper bout of the violin. If you've come from an acoustic background, it can help muscle memory for shifting/upper notes, though I personally think it just unnecessarily forces too much wrist bending when you don't really need it. And I assume the peg box at the bottom is for balance reasons. It's much easier to balance something heavy right over your shoulder rather than further away. Design-wise, I don't think this would be possible on an acoustic, but since an electric can literally have any shape, you can.

[@therandompineapple3805]

Dude that's nothing. You should see the files made by open fav PDX dude has made some really good files especially when you consider they only cost $12

[@Eqion]

Great work and playing! Thank you for sharing the full process. I have built the same violin not long ago. To tighten joints on shoulder rest I have put small "washers" made of 180 grade sand paper between plastic surfaces around the screws (actually glued of two layers back to back so washer has abrasive surface on both sides), works fine.

[@therandompineapple3805]

Yeah, 3D printing instruments doesn't usually go well, but for some reason violins which you would think it would be a horrible idea to 3D print. Are shockingly reasonable Don't always produce the greatest sound when you're talking about acoustic instruments, but even then, even if you bought a printer bought filament and went through several failed attempts before you made the actual violin, the cost would probably be equal to actually buying one and if you want to get into it and you already have a printer, it's a pretty good idea to go for it

[@jub8891]

when you said you hadnt practiced in decades i knew you would sound great 😄.. i hope you get to play more frequently again.. music is good for the soul

[@ComposerKristin]

Awww, thanks. Us violinists tend to be a perfectionistic bunch. :)

[@stargazer279]

Greetings, I am quite surprised to see and hear how it plays well. Besides the plastic sound, this is great. I'm looking forward to build one as well. Thanks for posting

[@jasonsummit1885]

It'd be a great color if made by Black and Decker.👍

[@ComposerKristin]

Oh no, now I can't unsee it. 😂

[@kalynnscompositions]

What a neat idea! (: Thanks for showing us the whole process of making it and how it sounds.

[@chrisw1462]

It plays, and it sounds decent through the pickup. Two key points: you managed to get it in tune without it breaking, and it stays in tune for at least a minute or two. That means it's probably not going to fail spectacularly, a.k.a. hit you in the face. If anything, the string anchors might eventually pull through the plastic - but that will be a slow process and will eventually just let go some day, probably while being tuned. A hardwood plate behind the upper string holes would prevent that. Anything else that breaks will likely be a slow process as well. I think your face is safe. 🙂 Oh, and awesome work, too!

[@ComposerKristin]

But... I've got to protect my face to keep bringing in those sweet, sweet experimental music $$$$$s 😂! Interestingly, the violin has actually been hanging on my wall since I made it and it's showing no signs of breaking or significant warpage as of yet. Go figure! I'll have to remember that string plate idea the next time I make one, though. It's a great idea.

[@Deluge4000]

Decent showcase of the sound of the "ElVioin" (I can't get over that name, lol) Direct input from those electronics sounded decent! What made you choose that one over the JAx violins?

[@ComposerKristin]

I mostly picked that one because it looked the simplest in terms of construction. I truly had zero idea how an electric violin was constructed and was expecting it to be a total disaster. Surprise! I'm still planning on designing something myself in the near future now that I have at least a basic idea of the construction. Weirdly, I also own a zeta jazz, and that silly 3d print sounds less... artificial? metallic?... than the zeta. I guess I might need to do some kind of pickup comparisons at some point, too. Really unexpected outcome, that's for sure.

[@IamZeus1100]

I’m really impressed with how good that sounds ! Great video

[@jeez22]

Best video I have seen for at least a month.

[@ComposerKristin]

Wait... what beat me out 2 months ago? (Sorry, couldn't resist the joke.) Thanks for watching!

[@jeez22]

@@ComposerKristin a basket full of kitten with Pink bows . Of course.

[@ComposerKristin]

@@jeez22 Well, if it's kittens... fair enough. :)

[@bennydo7630]

Great job Kristin. I admire your work very much.

[@ComposerKristin]

Thanks! 🎻

[@janhawkins6088]

Very clever and it sounds really great, well done.😊

[@queens.dee.223]

Liked and subscribed immediately. This is so cool!

[@JC-td4gg]

Might try to build a Woods type violin. So cool!

[@ComposerKristin]

Thanks! My goal for _sometime_ in 2024 is to attempt to design my own custom hands-free violin, a la the Woods Viper. Not sure how successful I'll be, but... worth a shot! :)

[@JC-td4gg]

For what it cost for them it would definitely be worth a try! Plastic one might be even lighter also.@@ComposerKristin

[@nonastechsynths7522]

Nice!!

[@xray111xxx]

That is so cool!

[@LelandHasGames]

I mean... It sounds (excuse my language) fucking amazing. I've always wanted to get into playing violin. I just recently got a 3D printer.

[@RolandTumble23]

Brava! Brava! New subscriber here, just from this video. Will be watching more....

[@ValTek_Armory]

You'd be surprised what you can make with a 3d printer!

[@ValTek_Armory]

I might try this build with some carbon fiber reinforced filament. I love me some fancy materials!

[@jub8891]

your printer looks like mine.. i have an adventurer 3

[@OlexanderZnaharenkoUA]

"Avangard" song in the end. Like it.

[@CortVermin]

"i like my eyeballs" proceeds to almost stab said eyeballs with safty googles :D

[@ryanshea5221]

Eye protection! 🎉

[@daviddaasian9685]

sAcRiLeGiOuS but ok - TwoSetViolin

[@ComposerKristin]

Even on an electric... if you can play it slowly, you can play it quickly. 🎵

[@daviddaasian9685]

@@ComposerKristin 😂

[@codyjones4901]

lit

[@robertmayfield8746]

At the end of your video I realized the reverb effect didn't quite compensate lack of the resonance box. I'm trying to figure out how this problem can be solved using sound effects? Or just print out the entire instrument, and make it sound more traditional? Anyway, that was interesting.

[@ComposerKristin]

I think most people who are looking for a more acoustic sound just mic up an acoustic. I've never heard an electric that doesn't sound at least a little... well, electric. I believe I was using one of the basic reverbs inside Guitar Rig Pro? (I really need to get better about taking notes along the way). So, it's possible that a different effect and/or pedal would do a better job. Also, weirdly enough, my "real" electric is a Zeta Jazz, and... this little 3d print sounds less "electric" to me than that one. I have no idea why, but... the pickup also matters here. Both of these things are something I'd like to experiment with more towards the end of the year, though. Fun experiments! And thanks for tuning in! 🎻

[@robertmayfield8746]

@@ComposerKristin No problem Kristin, I used to compose music since C64 and then Amiga500. Hundred years ago and I totally understand your passion. Thinking about it I recollected if you find the right sample, you can make your violin sound like entire orchestra. Or like you said pedal or rather sound effect where you can mix effects together. It takes time to find the sound you'd want to get, but that's the beauty of experimenting, and fun on its own. If comes to getting rid of electric sound. I wouldn't. In my comment I was referring to the sound of traditional violin which is more 3 dimensional and powerful. And I was thinking how to get the same result on electric one. And then realized, it can sound even more powerful w/ proper samples and effects. Good luck with your experiments.

[@ismael6347]

how much infill did you use for the parts?

[@ComposerKristin]

I believe I used a 15% infill? It's been long enough my memory is a bit foggy (should've expected this and taken better notes!). I saw several other 3d printed violins that suggested 10%, but just randomly settled on 15. The chin and shoulder rest I'm pretty sure I bumped up to at least 50 if not a full 100%, because the attachment points on those are taking a pretty heavy load, and I just used a standard pla instead of abs. So far, so good?

[@tken93]

@@ComposerKristin PLA is stiffer than ABS so I would stick with PLA for a stringed instrument. 5 or 6 outer walls with 70% triangle infill should do the trick. That being said there are much better 3D printed electric violins out there. I have made this one in the past and was never happy with it

[@krzysztofpawowski2133]

Hi, very nice video and the violin sound really good. I’m going to buy a printer and print instruments for whole string quartet. I have a question, how long i takes to print one instrument?

[@ComposerKristin]

Hmmm.... it's been long enough I don't quite remember the details, but probably several days? (I really should start tracking that info more closely.) But that's with the following caveats: 1. My print bed is too small to print the entire thing at once, so I print in pieces; and I also don't print overnight while I'm sleeping. There's always the chance that something goes wrong during the print process and it could be theoretically dangerous if you're not paying attention for ~8 hours. I'm not sure how people with extra large print beds handle that, though. So... check out some 3d printing forums for questions safety issues. Nothing to be afraid of, but good info to be aware of. 2. Since I had more pieces, there was also a lot more assembly time after the printing. If you have the space and money, get the biggest print bed you can. It'll mean less gluing, and it'll overall look better. 3. Design and infill also drastically affect print time, and for string instruments you do want it to be a fairly high infill % due to the string tension. 4. It's entirely likely you're going to have some prints that go bad/wrong for whatever mysterious reason. 3d printing is pretty reliable, but... not totally so. So, just beware that's a likely time waster in the process. Come back and let us all know how it goes!

[@phantomcruizer]

Why not just buy a bridge?

[@ComposerKristin]

Well, since you asked... 1. Technically I did. I just bought "blanks" that had to be shaped. 2. This is a maker channel, so I wanted to see if I could do the shaping. 3. There's not really any sort of perfect "off the shelf" bridge you can buy, at least when you're talking about the acoustic wooden variety. The ones that come pre-shaped, are still likely going to need some modification, depending on the instrument and personal preference. It's also a really common thing to have your bridge slightly adjusted/shaved when you're an advanced violinist, again, depending on personal preference. 4. This is going to sound unnecessarily snarky, but you might have also asked why I didn't just buy the violin? I mean, I already have a much better commercially-made electric violin, so... why bother making an inferior one? 5. A very large part of this channel is showing me fucking shit up. Not because it's funny or entertaining (well, sometimes it is), but to show people how the making process goes. This goes for anything: music, art, designing, 3d printing... whatever. I'd definitely get far more views if I just did short funny videos instead of attempting to laboriously document the entire process of what I did/made. But I've seen far to many comments from people (who I assume are fairly young), who are weirdly afraid of trying something themselves. That if they can't do something perfectly right the first time, it's not worth trying; and having/buying/obtaining the shiny new object is the most important aspect. So what I'm saying is... 6. The process is what's important. 7. I realize this whole response is way overkill for such an innocuous comment, but if you've watched any of my videos, you'll also know I'm not exactly... succinct, LOL.

[@phantomcruizer]

@@ComposerKristin Thank you for your reply 😎

[@16blank45]

PLEASE…can you do one for me? Can you print one for me?

[@ComposerKristin]

The files are free on thingaverse. Give it a go yourself! Otherwise it'd be miles cheaper (and more functional) to buy a cheap commercially made one.