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"The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, a 3D-printed guitar
Photo: Shane Wheat Industries via Printables, CC BY. Resized and converted to WebP.
Strings · Guitar

"The Gliding P" Electric Guitar

A V-shaped, through-body electric guitar inspired by the Prusacaster

Designed by Shane Wheat Industries, 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
Neck and hardware
From a Tele-style kit (a premium aftermarket neck also fitted)
Core
Carbon-fibre PLA with two 1/4 in steel rods
Strings
Through-body (10s used)
Electronics
Designed for active pickups; pickups mount to the pick-guard
Difficulty
Hard
On Printables
345 likes · 763 downloads · 7 makes · 24 comments (as of 20 Oct 2026)

About the Gliding P

Inspired by Prusa's Prusacaster, this is one maker's own engineering take on a printed electric guitar: a bold V shape, strings that run through the body, and parts that are easy to modify. The neck, bridge and most hardware came from a Telecaster-style kit. An aftermarket neck the designer tested also fitted without changes, though a shim was needed to get the string height right.

The strings put a big bending load on the body, so the central core is printed stiff: carbon-fibre PLA (which needs a hardened nozzle), 7 perimeters, 25% gyroid infill and organic supports almost everywhere. Two 9-inch steel rods are hammered into it. The core looks too big for the bed, but the designer says it fits. The bridge bolts to hex nuts pressed into the core. The other body pieces attach with M4 inserts and screws, but the designer found glue much more rigid and recommends it. PETG would be a better choice than CF-PLA for those outer pieces, for impact resistance.

Pickups mount to the pick-guard rather than the body, so you can swap pickup styles. Brackets are included for active pickups. You'll need a low-profile 3-way switch, because standard ones are too deep. If you use active pickups, wrap the battery with a ribbon so you can pull it out later. Strap points are mirrored for left-handers. The designer's video presents the finished guitar.

What you'll need

Printed parts

  • Core
  • Body pieces
  • Pick-guard and pickup brackets
  • Knobs

Bought parts

  • A Tele-style kit neck (or compatible neck), bridge and tuners
  • Two 1/4 in steel rods, 9 in long
  • Pickups (active pickups suggested) and a low-profile 3-way toggle switch
  • 10-24 bolts, hex nuts and flat-head screws for the bridge
  • M4 threaded inserts
  • Glue (recommended over screws for the body pieces)
  • Strings (10s)
  • A neck shim, if needed

Tools

  • A hardened nozzle (for CF-PLA)
  • Hammer
  • Soldering iron for inserts

Build overview

Print settings

  • Core: Carbon-fibre PLA, 7 perimeters, 25% gyroid, organic supports
  • Body pieces: PETG suggested for impact resistance
  • Pick-guard and brackets: No supports
  • Knobs: Fuzzy skin

Video

Play video: Gliding P guitar: release and download (loads YouTube)
Gliding P guitar: release and download, Shane Wheat Tech (the designer). Plays from youtube-nocookie.com after you click.

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

Photos

  • "The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, photo 1 of 6
  • "The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, photo 2 of 6
  • "The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, photo 3 of 6
  • "The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, photo 4 of 6
  • "The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, photo 5 of 6
  • "The Gliding P" Electric Guitar, photo 6 of 6

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

2 more photos on Printables ↗

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