Modular Guitar (Built-in Amp!)

VERSION 2 OUT NOW!!

I'm an amateur luthier, so thought I would try my own take on a 3D printed guitar! The main aim of this was to create something which would last. So central to the design is the ability to strengthen the print with 10mm rods. These could be wooden dowels or metal tubes. I opted for carbon fibre rods - they are dimensionally accurate and very stiff. My concern was that (if using PLA) the body could creep over time - causing the guitar to go out of tune and eventually structurally fail. I've not printed any other guitars because I always worry about this! So hopefully the carbon rods and the string-through design avoid this. 

I also wanted the guitar to be modular, seeing as it needed to be printed in sections anyway. So everything attaches magnetically and you can swap out each piece for different colours/patterns/hardware. This will add to the longevity; if you find that a part has begun to creep, then you can print a new one, rather than the entire guitar. 

Finally, as it was already modular, I thought I would have some fun with it! The central module would have just been blank. So, instead, I made it fit a Positive Grid Spark Go amplifier. This turns it into an excellent travel guitar! 

(The Fusion 360 file contains a normal central module if you would prefer this)

You will need:

10mm x 3mm N52 grade magnets (x58)

10mm diameter rods (x3)

 7mm Round Magnetic Connector With SH1.0 Connector (2Pair) | Bambu Lab UK Store 

Electronics (telecaster neck and bridge pickups, telecaster control wiring harness)

Fender-style telecaster neck. 

Neck screws/bolts

Tuners

Strings! 

Cut the rods to length -1 x  255mm  and 2 x 240mm

Super glue the magnets into place to ensure they do not come loose. Make sure they press in flush with the surface. 

The only slight problem for the modular aspect is the electronics. Because I wanted this to be easily assembled with off-the-shelf parts, this necessitated using a traditional telecaster-style control cavity. So there will be wires running from one of the side modules to the “core” module. I have utilised some wago connectors as a quick disconnect. But ideally I would like there to be some form of magnetic pogo pin connector. When I have figured something out I will update the design! 

I have added the Fusion 360 file so that you can customise the modules to fit your hardware. In theory it should work with standard telecaster hardware - whether from a cheap kit or an old donor guitar. But there can be variations in neck pocket depth/shape or the position of screw holes. Speaking of screw holes…these are not modelled for the same reason. One exception is the holes for the strap button; I wanted this to be stronger so it would not rip out. However, if you use the included print profile, the walls should should be thick enough for you to drill the holes for pickup mounting etc.
I do plan on creating a pickguard for this. But it will need to also attach magnetically (to keep things modular) so will require a different model. I'm sure I will end up creating more modules for different functions and shapes if this gets popular. Watch this space!

Finally, I do highly recommend using the included print profile. These are big pieces so tweaking was needed to avoid warping - especially if you want the hexagonal pattern on the sides. This is achieved by deleting the top and bottom layers. This has the bonus that you can easily change to different patters by choosing other infill types. However, at low infill densities it will struggle to grip the plate. Printing a solid piece would avoid this, though. I would also very much recommend using a fibre-reinforced filament. I used PLA-CF for the final version and this really helped with keeping dimensional accuracy - leading to everything fitting properly when joined.