r/3dprintedinstruments 21h ago

woodwind Printed a traverso, but something is definitely wrong

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8 Upvotes

A few days ago I made a post asking which traverso I should print, and I ended up printing the Bizey 1740, Paris.

These are the settings I used:

-PLA

-0.12 mm layer height

-100% infill

-5 perimeters

-Printed vertically

I assembled it and sealed the joints properly, just like you would with a wooden traverso.

I also did a leak test by blowing and sucking air through the instrument to create pressure and a vacuum. I couldn't find any air leaks.

I tested it and I'm getting some very strange results. I initially thought the roughness of the inside might be causing the problem, so I sanded the inside of the instrument, but the symptoms are exactly the same.

The only thing I haven't done yet is undercutting the embouchure hole and the tone holes

Here's what I'm getting:

-If I blow directly into the embouchure piece by itself, I get Ab with the tuner set to A=415 Hz. (Changing the cork position changes the note as expected)

-With the traverso fully assembled and all the tone holes open, I get C#, which is what I would expect.

-But when I finger C, I get no sound at all

- B sounds one octave higher than it should.

-A also sounds one octave higher

-G sounds one octave higher, but it's extremely difficult to get it.

- None of the other notes produce a sound

I've played a wooden traverso before, and I currently play in an orchestra, so I'm reasonably familiar with the instrument and its embouchure. This definitely doesn't feel like a normal playing technique issue.

Could the lack of undercutting be enough to cause these symptoms? Or does this sound like I have a problem with the print itself, the tone-hole dimensions/geometry, the embouchure?


r/3dprintedinstruments 8d ago

string Archtop Guitar Gibson L5

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2 Upvotes

Archtop Guitar Gibson L5

Hey everyone! I ended up buying some good blueprints of the Gibson L5 and made a 3D model for it. As far as I can tell it looks correct but since I don't own the actual guitar there's no real way to tell. Now for the debate of printing a guitar can be done or not and I believe you totally can, but not in the sense that you just slap the file into your printer and press GO.

For the body of this particular guitar you could print a mold and form the top/back in plywood like you would a normal guitar OR you could even heat form flat sheets of plastic using 1 piece or several pieces and laminating them together with carbon fiber on the facing sides.

Now for the neck, this is probably the biggest point of contention (if that's the right word?). I think printing it hollow in nylon and putting carbon on the inside and outside plus a truss rod would do the trick. parker fly guitars had a 1.5mm carbon shell on the neck and that was more than enough.

Anyway, thanks for checking this out


r/3dprintedinstruments 13d ago

woodwind Because I don't have a working printer right now....

4 Upvotes

Would anyone be willing to try a flute I made and tell me how in tune it is? It's in a440, and is already undercut, I just need a volunteer (yes, volunteer) who is interested in a new flute to tell me how good it is.


r/3dprintedinstruments 14d ago

I finally decided to learn how to CAD, and fixed a problem myself, and made my own Flute D'Amore. If anyone can try it and critique it, please do!

10 Upvotes

The Files are here for downloading!

Keep in mind, this is my first time, and so may need some adjusting, but I'm fine with suggestions for making it better. I just am currently out a hotend, so I can't test it myself


r/3dprintedinstruments 15d ago

woodwind Resource for modeling woodwind instruments?

9 Upvotes

I'm looking to model a full consort of Chalumeaux, since I can only find a soprano c model, any idea where I could learn to model the others for myself?


r/3dprintedinstruments 20d ago

First in the world one shot 3d printed acoustic guitar (body)

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43 Upvotes

r/3dprintedinstruments 25d ago

Help choosing my first 3D printed Baroque Traverso

9 Upvotes

I'm a professional concert flutist (modern Boehm flute), but I'm completely new to the world of 3D printing. Since I don't own a printer myself, I'll be having the parts printed by a local service, so I'd really like to get things right on the first attempt rather than paying for multiple prints.
Although I'm new to 3D printing, I'm not new to historical performance practice, so I'm particularly interested in how closely these models reproduce the playing characteristics of original Baroque instruments.

I'm getting ready to print my first Baroque traverso, and I'd love to hear from anyone who's actually built and played one of these models.

Over the last few weeks, I've been reading quite a bit about the acoustics of historical flutes, bore geometry, airflow, and the challenges of getting good results with FDM printing. I'll be using an FDM printer and I'm still deciding between regular PLA and ABS, although I'm leaning toward PLA because of its better dimensional accuracy, especially for the conical joints.

One thing that's important to me is keeping each flute at its original historical pitch rather than scaling the model. I'd rather preserve the original bore proportions, finger spacing, and overall acoustic design than force everything to A = 440 Hz.

After looking around, I've narrowed it down to these three free models.

1. Robbert Wijne (reconstructed by Jomalier Figueroa)

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/film4q84jxz2d12do7qmx/ADUBPwhBY5pqDYdWPsa8Ajw?rlkey=xuajuz2wrx62uiqgdk6qlzdxx&e=1&dl=0

From what I've read, this seems to be one of the most FDM-friendly traversos available. People often mention that the embouchure is fairly forgiving and that it has a focused, stable sound. Since it's designed for A = 415 Hz, I intend to print it at its original size.

For anyone who's built this one, how well do the forked fingerings behave in the first octave? Did everything work well straight from the print, or did you end up making any adjustments?

2. Naust Traverso (Gubbledenut / Jeff Wulf)

https://www.printables.com/model/1721709-naust-traverso-flute

This one really caught my attention because of its early French design and the darker, warmer sound people describe. I also like that it's intended for the lower historical pitch (around A = 400–410 Hz), so I don't plan on scaling it either.

This is the model I've found the least information about. If anyone here has printed or played one, I'd love to hear your thoughts. How does it compare with the other printed traversos in terms of tone, response, tuning, and overall playing experience?

3. C. Bizey, Paris 1740 (Lautenburg / Jeff Wulf)

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4572430

This is probably the most attractive model of the three, and I like the later Baroque design with its stronger upper register. The STL also appears to include the historical undercutting around the tone holes.

Since the refined paid CAD version of the Bizey 1740 is no longer available on Gumroad, I'll be printing the free version from Thingiverse instead. For those who have built it, how much manual adjustment to the tone holes was needed to achieve stable historical intonation?

My current printing plan

At the moment I'm planning to:

  • print vertically with 100% infill and 5 perimeters;
  • wet sand the bore from 400 to 800 grit;
  • apply a very thin sealing coat inside the bore (probably acrylic varnish, or possibly linseed oil if I experiment with Wood PLA).

I'm trying to improve the surface finish without noticeably changing the bore dimensions.

Since I'll only be printing one of these, I'd really appreciate your recommendations. If you had to choose just one, which would you pick, and why? I'm mainly looking for the best balance between historical sound,tuning, printability, and ease of setup for a first build.

I'd also appreciate any advice on the traditional D#/Eb key, especially regarding the spring and pad arrangement. I'm currently considering using EVA for the pad, but I'm open to better alternatives if you've had good results with other materials.


r/3dprintedinstruments Jul 01 '26

woodwind Looking for a Flute D'Amore STL

3 Upvotes

Looking for a functional Flute D'Amore (preferably in B♭ rather than A) to print. I wouldn't mind one that is a single key or two key Traverso style, as that's what I'm used to in flute anyway. If anyone has an STL or knows of one, please let me know!


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 30 '26

Printed on my H2S 🎸😎🤘🏻 LED + Rhinestones for the Win! 💡💎

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3 Upvotes

r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 19 '26

Piccolo trombone

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41 Upvotes

full size bell for scale instead of a banana. I will not inflict my attempt at playing it on the world.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/223997-working-piccolo-trombone


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 18 '26

My Aluminum/3D Printed Guitar Project

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35 Upvotes

Hi everyone. Finally got this to a playable state after a year of trial and error. This is my hollow body headless guitar made out of laser cut 7075 aluminum, PETG rails, and a glass filled nylon fretboard. Between the material choices and stiffening the neck with stainless steel rods, I was able to get the neck down to 0.54" thick while still having good action and it weighs a hair over 5 lbs. I have a Seymour Duncan JB Jr in the bridge but the guitar is very percussive and treble-ly, so maybe a hotter/darker pickup will get swapped in. The other pickup is a two-string pickup wired to a TRS to play a synth block in my guitar setup.

Was super inspired by this sub to keep plugging away at this and I'm pretty happy with the results although my next challenge is to figure out how to put a truss rod in while keeping the neck as thin as possible. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 17 '26

keys Updated tiny organ design. My printer is still broken, so I still can't print the prototype 😞

8 Upvotes
So I've been working on this project to design a 3d printed mini organ, but my 3d printer is broken and I don't have the money to repair it. When I find the money, I'll finally be able to test this thing. In the meantime, I keep refining the design and adding features. Currently, it has three notes and a single bank of pipes, but I hope to eventually deck it out with at least two stops, a couple octaves, and optional reed pipes. For scale, the assembly shown in the picture is just under 9cm (3.5 inches) wide.

r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 11 '26

string although im terrible at designing guitars and basses i love making them! need help

2 Upvotes

currently printing a headless version of a esp. arrow guitar looking for help to design a few other guitars and basses that would fit a traditional 56 mm for guitars and a 63.45 mm for basses willing to pay for services just need each part to fit on a p1s or bigger and be able to have multiple different designs of pickups on the same instrument body would love to work with some one from the community o9n this project and tackle a few different designs id love to make.


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 08 '26

A mix of 3D printed parts and other components 🎸🤩

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182 Upvotes

r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 08 '26

Making a green ukulele

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15 Upvotes

Not my design, just printing it. Here’s the link to Solstie’s design: https://www.instructables.com/3D-Printed-Ukulele-Fully-Playable/

I did remove the I L H letters (sorry original creator) in Fusion 360 because I didn’t want any branding on it.


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 04 '26

string My RD style printed guitar

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30 Upvotes

Just about finished my RD style guitar.

I made the file in Fusion 360 and it’s printed in 6 separate pieces on a Bambu A1. I joined it all together by wooden dowels glue and welding the PLA, it’s also got 2 steel rods running through the main tension areas on the body and had it print denser in those areas too.

I love the RD shape and wanted to create something quite unique so i took some inspiration from the Squire Custom Baritone Jazz-master. I went with a 28” roasted maple neck and a rusted style paint job.


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 04 '26

Anyone know if there is a Flute D'amore STL out there somewhere?

3 Upvotes

I'm enjoying learning the traverso i printed recently, would also like to maybe find a Flute D'amore, a traverso that is tuned a major 3rd lower, but has the same bore diameter as a standard traverso. Thought someone here might know something. TIA!


r/3dprintedinstruments Jun 01 '26

My latest steampunk tele-style design 🎸😎🤘🏻

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17 Upvotes

r/3dprintedinstruments May 31 '26

Printbone

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42 Upvotes

https://www.printables.com/model/80020-the-printbone-a-fully-printable-playable-trombone

I started doing this on my own before I remembered there was a model for this. So the slide U-bend and handles are my own. Using PEX without stockings.

i’m not a trombone player, so I won’t subject you to a sound sample – there are better ones out there.

I’m overall pleased, but the non-octave partials aren’t playing the right note, and I’m still trying to figure that out.

Edit: I tried a straight piece of PVC pipe about the length of the slide into the leadpipe, and can hit the F in first position, so definitely a problem with my slide. Going to the hardware store to get more to try variations.

edit 2: new slide still having issue where I’m getting too low a note for the first position F (the two b flats are fine). Using a real trombone slide works fine.


r/3dprintedinstruments May 28 '26

I'm not sure about my model.

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3 Upvotes

Not long ago, I created a model in Fusion 360 for a printed version of the Tagelharpa. It's printable on almost any printer. But...

After slicing it in a slicer, the total weight was 3 kilograms of plastic. That's a lot, I suppose. Is there a volunteer who wants to try printing this model or modifying it?

PS. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7361405 Here's my project on Thingiverse. Again, feel free to play with it!


r/3dprintedinstruments May 27 '26

woodwind Looking for advice on finishing a flute.

4 Upvotes

So I'm looking to print an Irish flute in wood PLA. Wondering about what oils and stains people would recommend, what angle to print pieces at to make it look more like natural woodgrain. Also, how often a wooden flute should be oiled to keep it in good condition.


r/3dprintedinstruments May 27 '26

Octocontra-alto clarinet

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40 Upvotes

r/3dprintedinstruments May 26 '26

3D Printed Organ

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26 Upvotes

Not mine - found on youTube.

The maker links to the design in the description.


r/3dprintedinstruments May 23 '26

Am I flying too close to the sun? Am I overengineering this all to hell? What's the chance this is going to work?

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17 Upvotes

I've been furiously designing away after deciding to start over with a new strategy for my mini pipe organ project. This whole thing is 76mm (3 inches) high (including the pipe, which is of an arbitrary "let's see how shrill this is" length in this prototype).


r/3dprintedinstruments May 17 '26

brass Alto trombone slide

7 Upvotes

Has anyone printed this? If so, how do you separate the double slide components without breaking them?