A Prusa Research blog by Mikolas Zuza posted late last week showcases a partially 3D printed, fully playable guitar dubbed the Prusacaster. The instrument combines the internals of a Fender Telecaster-type guitar with the looks of a Fender Jazzmaster – and throws in a unique, Prusa-esque, hexagon body design that’s both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
For some components, like the neck and electronics, the Prusacaster relies on an affordable Harley Benton Electric Guitar Kit T-Style kit (the “T” is for Telecaster, of which the kit is an unofficial replica). The guitar’s 3D printed body is designed for an Original Prusa i3 MK3S+, which features a build plate of 250 × 210 × 210 mm. This means essentially anyone with a regular-sized desktop 3D printer should be good to go.
Assembly requires superglue, easily connecting a few JST connectors, and a bit of fine-tuning (always with the puns, this guy) to set the guitar intonation. As for materials, Zuza suggests something “very stiff” such as PLA, PC with carbon fiber, or PA11 with carbon fiber. In all, this looks like a fun project that isn’t overly complex – and is sure to interest the more musically inclined among us.
Of course, the Prusacaster isn’t the only 3D printable guitar around. There are plenty of options, like those listed in our article 3D Printed Guitar: Top Models to 3D Print. Most are designed in multiple pieces like the Prusacaster to fit on conventional hobbyist 3D printer beds, but those who would prefer a single-piece guitar body could use a print service like Craftcloud by All3DP to accommodate larger designs.
Visit Prusa Research’s blog to read the full write-up and instructions, which we recommend, as it’s an interesting dive into the design, development, and execution of the Prusacaster. When you’re ready to print, you can download all necessary STLs for free on Printables.
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License: The text of "The Prusacaster Is a Partially 3D Printed, but Fully Playable Electric Guitar" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.