Photos from the first 3D printed prototype dulcimer. The instrument sounds very similar to an all wood instrument. Shows great promise for future development.
I am sure that very playable beginner dulcimers could be made with a printed body. I haven't tried one with a printed top so I don't know how much would be lost with an all printed dulcimer.
I don't anticipate releasing the actual files of my instruments. They represent years of work and many thousands of dollars in equipment and material to get this far. I will post the material, infill, print temps, and layer configurations as soon as I have printed enough instruments to optimize the process.
I like this a lot. It might be a way to produce beginner instruments which still sound good.
Here in Germany there are no cheap kits available. But: We have a quite big community of people messing with 3rd printers for fun. So this idea might help.
Yes, the photo shows the fixture that is temporally holding the top on until I am ready to permanently glue it in place. The tone is amazing. I will be building one for Aaron O'Rourke as soon as possible and hopefully we will all get to hear what it is capable of.
WOW! Is the second to last photo still in a jig or is that the end result? This is so insanely cool I would LOVE to hear the tone of this. It's awesome to think about how customizable this might make dulcimers in the future.
That's understandable. Thanks for sharing your experiences with 3d supported Dulcimer making
I am sure that very playable beginner dulcimers could be made with a printed body. I haven't tried one with a printed top so I don't know how much would be lost with an all printed dulcimer.
I don't anticipate releasing the actual files of my instruments. They represent years of work and many thousands of dollars in equipment and material to get this far. I will post the material, infill, print temps, and layer configurations as soon as I have printed enough instruments to optimize the process.
I like this a lot. It might be a way to produce beginner instruments which still sound good.
Here in Germany there are no cheap kits available. But: We have a quite big community of people messing with 3rd printers for fun. So this idea might help.
Any plans on releasing the input files?
Looks like a dulcimer wearing braces.
Actually, I guess that's exactly what it is.
Yes, the photo shows the fixture that is temporally holding the top on until I am ready to permanently glue it in place. The tone is amazing. I will be building one for Aaron O'Rourke as soon as possible and hopefully we will all get to hear what it is capable of.
WOW! Is the second to last photo still in a jig or is that the end result? This is so insanely cool I would LOVE to hear the tone of this. It's awesome to think about how customizable this might make dulcimers in the future.