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Thread: 3D printed "Strat"!

  1. #1
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    3D printed "Strat"!

    My son printed a Strat body for me for Christmas! I supplied the neck and tuners. It sounds and plays great! The multi-piece plastic body doesn't appear to have any negative impact on tone.

    It only weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces. I feared neck dive, but it's not an issue. The colored parts are 15% infill (85% air) and the black section is 50% infill with metal rods added for strength. It's kind of a semi-hollow and responds like one.

    The pickups are low output ceramics that came with the low price pickguard. They actually don't sound bad, though I may try some alnico pickups in the near future. He printed the pickup covers and knobs as well.

    I used a Mighty Mite neck. It's pretty good. I had the clean up the fret ends, polish the frets, and set the nut height.

    I played this guitar at a jam session on Thursday night. It's really nice. Super resonant. I like that in a guitar. It really messes with some long held beliefs, though...

    This is my first hardtail Strat.





  2. #2
    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    A LEGO STRAT!!!
    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

  3. #3
    Forum Member Michael Smith's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Looks great Don! I bet you really like the light weight of it. I have never believed the composition of the body had much effect on the tone of an electric guitar.
    "When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top

  4. #4
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    A LEGO STRAT!!!
    It does have a Lego vibe!

  5. #5
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Smith View Post
    Looks great Don! I bet you really like the light weight of it. I have never believed the composition of the body had much effect on the tone of an electric guitar.
    I've always believed that the body of an electric guitar has an impact on tone, but not the impact that we expect- i.e. each different species of wood doesn't necessarily have a signature sound. I've also found that I like semi-hollow and chambered guitars a lot more than I realized.

  6. #6
    Forum Member gibsonjunkie's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    I think it looks cool!
    "We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness." Mark Twain

  7. #7
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Heck, I like the colors too!

  8. #8
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Moore View Post
    Heck, I like the colors too!
    Thanks! I like that he mostly kept to primary colors. I also like that he didn't paint it, smooth it over, or make it look like a wooden guitar. I like its 3D printed/Lego look.

  9. #9
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    A LEGO STRAT!!!
    Speaking of Lego, my wife gave me this Lego '69 Camaro Z/28. I finished it tonight after taking this pic. I built it as an RS Z/28 convertible with white stripes.


  10. #10
    Forum Member phantomman's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Z/28's only came as coupes in 1969.

    Two demerits!

    "When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."

  11. #11
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Quote Originally Posted by phantomman View Post
    Z/28's only came as coupes in 1969.

    Two demerits!

    Ha! You caught me! If anyone was gonna bust me on that, it'd be you!

  12. #12
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Quote Originally Posted by Don View Post
    I've always believed that the body of an electric guitar has an impact on tone, but not the impact that we expect- i.e. each different species of wood doesn't necessarily have a signature sound. I've also found that I like semi-hollow and chambered guitars a lot more than I realized.
    +1

    Here is a "family gathering" of my Strats (minus my G&L and my Stratocaster XII). Wanna guess what the body on the guy on the right is? Aluminum!

    It's a 1994 40th Anniversary aluminum-bodied Strat. And in a "blind taste test," I can't tell the difference between it and its wood-bodied siblings.


    Striving to be ordinary

    Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!

  13. #13
    Forum Member Tele-Bob's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    Lego my eggo! Strat...
    If you're bored, you're not groovin'.

  14. #14
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: 3D printed "Strat"!

    My name is Chuck and I approve this Strat body!
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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