Parametric Electric Guitar (Customize & Make your own!)

thingiverse

3D Sculpted Solid Body Guitar Project Attribution:  This is a collaboration project between Jeff Strater (Autodesk) and Nathan Skalsky (CNC Router Parts).     Fair Warning: While Jeff and I both like to design and make things, neither of us are instrument designers, luthier's, etc.   This project is primarily intended for education, personal enjoyment, and customization & improvement.   That is to say, if you'd like to carve-up a $300 piece of wood using this project, you might want to start with a pine-version and make sure you like the setup first! Machine Used: We use the Benchtop PRO CNC Machine from CNCRouterParts.com How to reproduce: We've made a series of videos showing the design and make workflow using Fusion 360 and how to machine the body using the CNC Router Part's Benchtop PRO CNC Machine.   The attached spreadsheet contains the parts we used, that are known to be compatible with our Fusion 360 design file, however this shouldn't constrain you as there are a large number of alternative parts (neck, pickups, etc.) that can work, some with minor or no modifications required.   Part I (Short Version) - Customizing the 3D Sculpted Guitar Design in Fusion 360  Part I (Extended Version) - Designing a 3D Sculpted Guitar using Fusion 360    Part II - Creating CNC G-Gode for the 3D Sculpted Guitar using Fusion 360  Part III - Making a 3D Sculpted Guitar using the Benchtop PRO CNC Machine We tried a variety of wood ranging from Ash, Maple, Basswood, to Douglas Fir.   Douglas Fir ended up having the right sound and critically the right density!  A solid body hardwood like Maple is weight-prohibitive, whereas the Fir has a nice weight and a awesome "Pacific Northwest" look. Note about "V2" Design Version:  What you see in the videos is the first version of this guitar - what we've posted here is similar however with several adjustments to make the geometry a bit closer to ideal for the bridge distance and neck depth.   You'll want to measure your components and make sure they sit correctly, things like the bridge should position the saddles / scale length at 25.5" as measured from the inside of the nut and the neck/fret board should sit at the correct elevation for the saddle/nut height & relationship.    3D Printing:  This body could be 3D Printed, set it "back-down" on the build plate.   You would need to partition into smaller parts, or by using a 3D Print Tool / Extruder on a CNC Machine with a suitable large build surface. Make and Share! If you make your own guitar using this project, either as-is or modified, please consider sharing your work, we'd love to see the results! How I Designed This How to Make Your Own Guitar