Project Information
Project launch date: October 2015
Latest Revision: Electric Violin V2.0 (transition to digital fabrication for all aspects of the build)
Related links: Thingiverse CAD Files
Description
This project began as a second attempt at making an electric violin from scratch. Back in 2015, I made the first version of this electric violin during PBL (Project-Based Learning) class. That violin was created using only a power jigsaw and a handful of handheld tools. The violin was playable and made some ‘music’ noise. But it had many flaws and was hard to play.
After learning to use a laser cutter, I was looking for projects to put my new skill to use, and that’s how this project began. This was my first major project involving a laser cutter and my first exhibit at Maker Faire Tokyo.
The violin is built mainly from two sections. The neck/scroll and the bout. Both sections are made by layering 3mm plywood that were cut using a laser cutter. The rest of the violin is assembled using readily available violin parts I purchased from Amazon.
This version was much better than my first version. The angle of the fingerboard felt right and the instrument was much more easier to hold. However, it was still not perfect. The fist problem was the height between the strings and the fingerboard. It was still a bit too high and hurt my fingers when I played for a longer duration. Another problem was that the scroll of the violin was too heavy because I had used base guitar tuning pegs made out of metals. Also, the distance between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard was way too long.
These problems made the violin uncomfortable to play. But overall, it was much better than my first attempt and I would call it a success. However, at the same time, it made me realize how hard it is to make a genuinely good violin, and made me appreciate the amount of craftsmanship that goes into building a proper acoustic violin.