Anyone 3D printing parts?

[eb2]

I have heard of this happening, but wondering if anyone has done this.  I was thinking it would be an option for an EB1 (poles at the bottom ) pickup cover.  Like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1950-039-s-GIBSON-ELECTRIC-BASS-PICKUP-COVER-EB-1-eb1-/291270288938?pt=Guitar&hash=item43d10fe62a&nma=true&si=1T5kWq%252Fg2r4pJjDhKTgpviteYbs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I'm hoping it would be cheaper than close to two bones to do that. 

[dadagoboi]

I have heard of this happening, but wondering if anyone has done this.  I was thinking it would be an option for an EB1 (poles at the bottom ) pickup cover.  Like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1950-039-s-GIBSON-ELECTRIC-BASS-PICKUP-COVER-EB-1-eb1-/291270288938?pt=Guitar&hash=item43d10fe62a&nma=true&si=1T5kWq%252Fg2r4pJjDhKTgpviteYbs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I'm hoping it would be cheaper than close to two bones to do that.

Kurt (DC10) had a thread about his '59 EB2 where he said he was considering printing some center hole ones.  Wouldn't be too difficult to print one with the holes you need or no holes so you could DIY it.

[Granny Gremlin]

How cheap really depends on how much of the work you can do yourself.  If you can do (or have a relative/friend that can do) the CAD work, then it could be very economical. Up here the municipal reference library now has a 3D printer that anyone can use.  There's a fee, the amount of which I can't recall, but when I heard about it it seemed very reasonable (easily much less than 2 bills for something that small/thin).

[Lightyear]

The main hurdle would to get your hands on an original.  Very careful measurements and less than an hour on a CAD program and you would be good to go.  My question is just how durable the plastic component would actually be?  What is the actual chemical makeup of the plastic.  Also, would you have a matte finish or a gloss finish?

[chromium]

There are sometimes local co-ops that provide access to 3D printers as well, or you could look into an online service like https://www.ponoko.com/.  I've used a service like that for equipment panels (aluminum machining).  Some have their own CAD programs that you can use, and with others you just supply the CAD files.  Google SketchUp (free) might be helpful in those cases.

Were the originals made of bakelite?  The modern plastics will likely look different, but that's probably not an issue for most folks.  You could probably make it look close to original with some hand sanding to soften the edges, and paint/distressing to give it the brownish look.

Like Carlo had suggested, the whole effort might pay for itself if you did a small batch and put some up on Ebay.

[Happy Face]

Check this out over on Let's Talk Guild.

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?183413-Upgraded-Starfire-(AKA-sacrilege!)

[Dave W]

Check this out over on Let's Talk Guild.

http://letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?183413-Upgraded-Starfire-(AKA-sacrilege!)

What I found interesting about that thread is the suggestion that the bodies of those Korean Starfire reissues may have been made in the 90s. It's certainly possible.

[Dave W]

Of course if you really want to get into 3D printing, here's an interesting little project that will be shown at the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) beginning tomorrow.

[Pilgrim]

Now that's a worthy project!   

[eb2]

The fun is limitless with these things, and the declining price point is pretty exciting.

The getting your hands on a part it the problem.  The early EB cover is not the same as the 59 poles in the middle cover.  It is the same pole spacing, and rough dimensions, but the edges are thinner and I recall they have an angle to the face.  I do have a 59 black cover I offer up to the greater good if anyone wants to try to print one.

If the stuff was like carbon fibre, you could print a whole bass.

[Dave W]

If the stuff was like carbon fibre, you could print a whole bass.

Take a look at this.

[Highlander]

Working in one of UTC's sites where they have slightly larger "printers" today...

[eb2]

So, if you had say a 63 Thunderbird II, and pulled the hardware off, then scanned it, you could print one - right?  I would personally mod the program to not print the fingerboard and frets, and do that part regular.  A squirt of some Inverness green, add hardware and guard, and you're gigging.  With a neck that won't bow.

Oh, brave new world!

[dadagoboi]

So, if you had say a 63 Thunderbird II, and pulled the hardware off, then scanned it, you could print one - right?  I would personally mod the program to not print the fingerboard and frets, and do that part regular.  A squirt of some Inverness green, add hardware and guard, and you're gigging.  With a neck that won't bow.

Oh, brave new world!

Why not go whole hog and print it in inverness green, every individual metallic speck?

Seriously, the technology isn't exactly ready for prime time (yes, that's a pun). Look at the Cobra video, the amount of labor necessary to get the body ready for paint is staggering compared to stamped metal or molded 'glas or plastic.  Full size clay models work better for car design, they can be examined from all angles to see how they really look and modded on the fly.  Not necessary for something like the Cobra body, or a Thunderbird bass for that matter, which have already gone thru the design process.

Works fine for Thunderbucker pickup bobbins though.

[Basvarken]

Dutch luthier extraordinaire Eugen Wulff built a guitar with a 3D printed body. It was a project for a fundraising which took place in his hometown Haarlem. Which is why they baptized it Guitaarlem ;-)
The body is full of historic trivia that are related to Haarlem.