InstrumentLIBRARY
3DP BANJO v2.2, a 3D-printed banjo
Photo: MyHotPL8 via Printables, CC BY. Resized and converted to WebP.
Strings · Banjo

3DP BANJO v2.2

A 5-string mountain banjo with a real head, tone ring and truss rod

Designed by MyHotPL8, published on Printables

CC BY Commercial use OK Build info 5/5

Licence verified on Printables, 20 October 2026.

Get the files on Printables ↗ Watch the video
Strings
5 (mountain banjo)
Printed parts
13 pieces, about 1.5 kg of PLA and roughly 170 h of printing (Printables metadata)
Documentation
38-page assembly guide, bill of materials and suppliers list (PDFs)
Difficulty
Hard
On Printables
110 likes · 344 downloads · 3 makes · 37 comments (as of 20 Oct 2026)

About the 3DP BANJO

A five-string mountain banjo designed by a first-time CAD user in two months for a Printables contest. It's based on a purchased set of woodworking plans for a small banjo, translated into printable parts. The approach is to print as much as possible but keep real hardware wherever strength or tone depend on it: a small real banjo head, tone ring, bridge, strings, pegs and tuners, and a double-action truss rod in the neck.

What sets this project apart is the paperwork. Version 2.2 comes with a 38-page assembly guide with over 60 diagrams, a bill of materials, a suppliers list and references, all as PDFs on the page. There are also print layouts planned by colour and bed size, and ready-made G-code. A few screws and bolts are designed in for strength, and so you can take the back off to replace the head.

Honest caveat. When the files were published the designer hadn't been able to print the full banjo, only test pieces to check fit, so there was no sound test from her. Our score counts the video on the page, but it shows the wooden banjo from the original plans, not a printed one. Check the makes and comments on Printables to see how printed builds turned out.

Who it's for. Patient makers who like detailed documentation, and banjo players curious about a printed instrument.

What you'll need

Printed parts

  • 13 printed parts: body, resonator and neck sections, fretboard and fittings (see the layout PDFs)
  • Optional: printed fret marker dots

Bought parts

  • A small real banjo head
  • Tone ring
  • Bridge
  • 5 banjo strings
  • Pegs and tuners, including the 5th-string peg
  • Double-action truss rod
  • Screws, bolts and nuts as listed in the bill of materials
  • Optional: bought fret marker dots

Tools

  • The assembly guide lists the tools; we haven't reproduced it here

Build overview

Follow the designer's 38-page Assembly Guide PDF on Printables. In outline:

  1. Print by layout. Use the supplied 3MF layouts, planned by colour and build plate.
  2. Gather the hardware. Order the head, tone ring, truss rod, tuners and fasteners from the bill of materials and suppliers list.
  3. Assemble neck and body. Fit the truss rod and join the neck and body parts as the guide describes.
  4. Mount the head and tone ring. Fit them and close the back with its screws (it stays removable).
  5. Set up. Fit the bridge and strings, adjust the truss rod and tune.

Print settings

  • Material: PLA
  • Layer height: 0.2 mm (Printables metadata)
  • Nozzle: 0.4 mm
  • ? Other settings: See the supplied 3MF and G-code files

Video

Play video: Half Past Four, played on the wooden mountain banjo from the original plans (loads YouTube)
Half Past Four, played on the wooden mountain banjo from the original plans, Musicmakers. Plays from youtube-nocookie.com after you click.

Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Video thumbnails are © their creators.

Photos

  • 3DP BANJO v2.2, photo 1 of 6
  • 3DP BANJO v2.2, photo 2 of 6
  • 3DP BANJO v2.2, photo 3 of 6
  • 3DP BANJO v2.2, photo 4 of 6
  • 3DP BANJO v2.2, photo 5 of 6
  • 3DP BANJO v2.2, photo 6 of 6

All photos: MyHotPL8, from the design page on Printables, licensed CC BY. We resized them and converted them to WebP.

19 more photos on Printables ↗

← Back to Strings