travel electric guitar with ukulele body and 3D printed parts can be packed in hand luggage

Musical instrument machined from a single piece of ash wood

single coil pickup mounted under 3D printed top | images courtesy of Lance Rake

Travel electric guitar with ukulele body and 3D-printed parts

The electric guitar ukulele with 3D-printed parts isn’t the first model of the instrument for professor and designer Lance Rake. His first attempt dates back to 2022, featuring a 20-inch headless, small travel acoustic guitar with a redwood soundboard. While it was fun to play, the sound came out thin. He pursued the idea of a compact instrument with the scale length of a Tenor Ukulele but with 6 strings tuned like a guitar.

In his class ‘Electric Guitar Workshop’, a digital fabrication workshop he teaches every year, he decided to build and upgrade this travel guitar ukulele; this time, with a pickup to improve the sounds. The Electric Guitalele may appeal to frequent travelers and guitar players who are looking for a compact and lightweight string instrument to play. Its six strings are tuned to reverberate guitar sounds, while its ash body allows players to take it with them anywhere.

views of the redesigned electric version, with a 3D-printed top and a three-color shade lacquer finish

rechargeable mini amplifier for electric guitar ukulele

Building the electric guitar ukulele with 3D-printed parts didn’t come easy for Lance Rake, who shared that the ash he chose at the beginning had been infested by the Emerald ash borer, a type of insect that feeds on wood. But after a close inspection, the professor and designer went ahead with his material since he established that the tunnels the insect bore into were mostly located in areas that would not structurally weaken the instrument. In fact, they seemed to make the overall look more organic, alongside the natural grain of the ash wood. 

To further amp up its features, the professor and designer added a rechargeable, sandwich-sized mini amplifier to the current electric guitar ukulele with 3D-printed parts, so that the users can play it through their headphones. They can also use the amplifier if they want to play it with other people, making the piece of woodwork a versatile, compact musical instrument. As of publishing the story, the Electric Guitalele is the second iteration to come out of the ongoing series of Travel Guitalele.

ash was chosen for the main body

the input jack is located in the middle of the back, and the Steinberger tuners are quick and easy to adjust

Lance Rake located the tuners on the body and 3D printed a ‘turnaround’ to redirect the strings

headless design shortens the overall length and pushes the location of tuners to the body

every part of the neck was carefully examined to determine if the borer’s work compromised strength