r/3dprintedinstruments

I made it in 2024. There were many iterations. Hard to find good sounding material for membrane. I ended with oxford-600. Weight is 1kg. First in the world as usual )))))))))))))

Comparing wooden acoustic guitar and 3d printed. Wooden is 12string with actually 6strings installed.

This is a banjo that uses a balloon as its resonating chamber.

When you pluck the strings, the sound resonates inside the balloon. The sound changes depending on two factors: how much you inflate the balloon and how tightly you tension the strings.

You can feel with your own hands how the resonance shifts as the volume of air changes.

The design allows both the balloon and the strings to be replaced.

Try inserting a balloon of a different size. Experiment with string thickness.

Try it out, revert to the previous setup, and try again—this toy was created to encourage that kind of experimentation.

Free STL / 3MF on MakerWorld: https://makerworld.com/en/models/3168788-playable-quena-andean-notched-flute-key-of-g#profileId-3582253

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?