An open source FFF 3D printed electric violin.

The F-F-Fiddle (pronounced eff-eff-fiddle) is a full size 3D printed electric violin that can be produced using common FFF-type 3D printing equipment. When it was first published in 2013 there were no other 3D printed violins available for anyone to download and print. The F-F-Fiddle paved the way for many new 3D printed violin designs.

 

Digital Design and Manufacturing

I designed the F-F-Fiddle in Autodesk Fusion 360 over the course of about three months. The design is based on dimensions measured from a classical violin, and all of the instrument’s data (dimensions, shapes, etc) is contained within a digital design file (CAD file). With all of that data contained in that digital file, it was easy for me to 3D print the violin and iterate on my design until I made something that worked. Now, with that digital design, the F-F-Fiddle can be shared globally, and anyone with a 3D printer can reproduce this exact design locally. Digital design and fabrication tools empowered me to make a violin and to share it world-wide!

Open Source Hardware      Creative Commons License oshw_blackred

The F-F-Fiddle is officially licensed open source hardware! That means that it is designed and shared by the standards described by the Open Source Hardware Association. The F-F-Fiddle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This means that you are welcome to modify and distribute the design and derivatives thereof. You must, however, share your design under this same license and give credit to OpenFab PDX, LLC with all derivatives and copies. You may use the F-F-Fiddle for commercial purposes under these same constraints. By opening the design and encouraging you to do the same we all get the maximum amount of cool 3D printed violins and musical awesomeness.

Designed for FFF Printing

All parts can be printed without support material by home FFF style 3D printers. The F-F-Fiddle is designed to showcase 3D printing technology: the chin and shoulder rest positions can be customized on each instrument, I embrace the flat build surface, and I use curvy internal wire routing (only possible with 3D printing). The semi-hollow infill of the 3D printer leaves space for sound to resonate—this isn’t a solid-body instrument! The printed layers also leave a surface finish reminiscent of the wood grain of a traditional instrument. A lot goes into the design of a product, perhaps especially a 3D printed product! You can learn more about my design process on our blog.

Iterated for Playability

The current fiddle is the seventh physical prototype and the eighth revision of the design. I played them all and iterated for playability and ease of assembly. It doesn’t feel quite like a traditional violin, but that’s part of the magic.

What You Can Do:

  1. You can still make one! But I would recommend making a Modular Fiddle instead. 
  2. Design your own or modify mine. Don’t start from scratch! Below are all design files and documentation for the project.
  3. Join the community. Sign up for my e-mail list and be the first to know about design changes, opportunities to contribute, new products, and other F-F-Fiddle news. You can also join the OpenFab Violin Builder’s Group to offer your feedback and get support from other Builders.

F-F-Fiddle Project Files:

You can download a complete package (RAR format) of design files and documentation via this Google Drive link.

F-F-Fiddle by OpenFab PDX, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Based on a work at www.openfabpdx.com.