The printers, filament and bought parts that the designs in this library call for. We chose them from what the designers' own notes ask for. There are no prices here because they change too often. Always check the designer's notes before you buy.
Most designs here are split into parts that fit an ordinary printer. Of the 209 designs with a detail page, 15 state the printer size they need. 12 of those fit a 256 mm printer (the Nukulele's one-piece files need 267 mm of height, but split files are included), and only 3 need a large-format printer. The rest don't say. You don't need an expensive machine to start.
The Prusa beds are 250 × 210 mm or larger and the Bambu Lab beds are 256 × 256 mm. That is enough for every design here that states a bed size and doesn't need a large printer. Choose an open printer for PLA and PETG, or an enclosed one for ABS, ASA, nylon and carbon-fibre blends.
A beginner-friendly open-frame printer with a bed big enough for nearly everything in the library, including the Prusacaster body sections and the PrintBone bell. Add the AMS lite if you want multi-colour parts.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
A reliable open-frame printer from the company behind the Prusacaster and Prusa Mouth Organ in this library. Several designs here were sized for a Prusa bed, including the Prusacaster (25 × 21 cm).
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Prusa Research ↗ Global (ships from Czechia)
An enclosed printer for when you want PETG, ABS or ASA parts that warp less, and multi-material printing with an AMS. Same bed size as the A1.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
Prusa's enclosed printer with a heated chamber, for engineering filaments and quieter, cleaner printing. A little taller than the MK4S, which helps with tall flute and bell sections.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Prusa Research ↗ Global (ships from Czechia)
For the few designs that print big parts in one piece, such as a lyre body and the one-piece snare shell. One design, the Fully Playable Violin V1, asks for 350 × 350 × 400 mm, which is taller than every printer below, so check its notes before you buy anything for it.
Used in 3 designs here:
A lower-cost large-format printer for the few designs that need more than a 256 mm bed, such as the Neapolitan mandolin bowl and the one-piece lyre body.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Sovol ↗ Global (Sovol lists a Canada warehouse)
Bambu's largest enclosed printer, for large one-piece bodies and shells in PETG or engineering filaments.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
The large version of the CORE One, with a 300 mm square bed: enough for the 300 × 300 mm mandolin bowl and lyre body.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Prusa Research ↗ Global (ships from Czechia)
Resin (MSLA) printers make very fine detail for small parts like mouthpieces, nuts and whistle heads, but have small build areas. Resin needs gloves, ventilation and washing and curing after printing. Most resins are not rated for mouth contact. Read the resin's safety data sheet before you print anything you'll play with your lips.
Used in 4 designs that mention resin here:
A resin (MSLA) printer for small, precise parts where FDM layer lines get in the way: mouthpieces, whistle heads, nuts and saddles.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Elegoo's regional store elsewhere
An alternative resin printer with a slightly larger build area; Anycubic runs a Canadian store.
Specs from the manufacturer's page.
View at Anycubic store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
Materials come from each design's own build notes. Lists only include designs whose notes name the material.
The default for almost everything here: bodies, bells, flutes, ocarinas, stands and cases. It is stiff, which helps instruments resonate, and easy to print. It softens at about 55–60 °C, so don't leave a PLA instrument in a hot car.
A dependable, widely sold PLA for bodies, bells, flutes and most accessories.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Polymaker's shop elsewhere
Bambu's standard PLA, with RFID profiles for Bambu printers.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
Tougher and more heat-tolerant than PLA, and a little flexible. Good for stands, clamps, reed cases and parts that get knocked about. A few designers say PETG instruments sound brighter; others found it too flexible for clips.
Tougher and more heat-resistant than PLA: good for stands, clamps, reed tools and parts left in a hot car. It replaces PolyLite PETG.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Polymaker's shop elsewhere
Bambu's current everyday PETG, which replaced PETG HF. Tougher and more heat-tolerant than PLA, for stands, clamps and parts that get knocked about.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
Rubbery filament for pads, seals, chin rests, capo pads, reed-case inserts and the odd whole instrument (the Fart Accordion). Print it slowly; Bowden-tube printers can struggle with it.
Flexible filament for drum skins, reed corks, chin-rest pads, capo pads and other parts that must bend or grip.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Polymaker's shop elsewhere
Bambu's flexible TPU.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
PLA with wood fibre, for a wooden look and feel on flutes, lyres and the alphorn. It is weaker and more abrasive than plain PLA, so avoid it for parts under string tension, and consider a hardened or larger nozzle.
Used in 3 designs here:
Wood-filled PLA for a wooden look on flutes, lyres and the alphorn. It is weaker than plain PLA, so not for stressed parts.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Polymaker Wood PLA from Polymaker elsewhere
Bambu's wood-filled PLA.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
PLA, PETG or nylon filled with chopped carbon fibre: stiffer and less prone to creep, which some guitar, violin and drum designers recommend for parts under load. It is abrasive and needs a hardened-steel nozzle. Not every designer found it better: the steel-string mandolin's designer found plain PLA just as good.
Used in 3 designs here:
Carbon-fibre-filled PLA, stiffer than plain PLA; several guitar and violin designers recommend it. It needs a hardened nozzle.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Bambu Lab PLA-CF from the Bambu Lab store elsewhere
Abrasive carbon-fibre filaments wear out brass nozzles; fit a hardened-steel nozzle or hotend first.
View at Bambu Lab store ↗ Canada, UK, US or EU store, by country
Engineering filaments for heat resistance and toughness: an ABS saxophone stand, ABS trumpet mutes, nylon guitar nuts. They print best in an enclosed printer, and ABS and ASA give off fumes, so ventilate. We don't list a specific product; most filament makers sell them.
For a resin printer, a tough engineering resin holds up better than standard resin for parts that flex or get handled, such as nuts and mouthpiece blanks. Check the maker's biocompatibility rating for anything that touches skin or lips.
A tough, engineering-style resin for functional resin parts such as nuts and mouthpiece blanks. Siraya rates it for external skin contact only, so treat anything that goes in your mouth with caution.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Siraya Tech's shop elsewhere
Grouped by instrument family. Each design's page has its own exact list under "What you'll need". Shop links open the store for your country where we have one (Canada, the UK, the US and much of Europe). Sizes vary, so check the design's notes before you buy.
Strings, tuners and fittings are almost always bought. Check the scale length, string type (loop end, ball end, nylon or steel) and the tuner hole size the designer gives before you order.
Most designs take standard strings; check the gauge and length the designer lists.
View at D'Addario ↗ Global
A large music retailer for strings, violin fittings, tuners and pickups: Long & McQuade in Canada, Gear4music in the UK, Sweetwater in the US and Thomann elsewhere.
Find a music shop ↗ Shop chosen by country
Tuners for the ukuleles and the banjolin that do not use printed pegs.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; StewMac elsewhere
Metal frets for the banjolin and other necks with fret slots; steel strings wear printed frets quickly. Check the fret size your design calls for.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; StewMac elsewhere
Rounds and smooths fret ends after you press in fretwire.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; StewMac elsewhere
For fine-tuning string slots in printed or bone nuts.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; StewMac elsewhere
The Hovalin needs an 8 mm × 500 mm rod, and this pack is that size; several ukuleles and violins use 5–8 mm rods instead, so check your design.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
Woodwinds and reed tools need cork for tenons and mutes, pads and springs for keyed instruments, thread for joints and cane for reeds.
For tenon joints on printed flutes, clarinets and recorders, and for key felts.
View product ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; MusicMedic elsewhere
Pads, springs and cork in one kit, useful for keyed printed woodwinds and for repairs.
View at MusicMedic ↗ Global (US-based)
Gouged and shaped cane for the reed-making tools in the double-reed section.
View at Forrests Music ↗ Global (US-based)
A standard lipstick-style tube that helps printed joints slide and seal; the Irish flute uses it with thread wrapping.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca (pack of 2) or .com; a UK music shop in the UK
Traditional thread wrapping for sealing flute and bagpipe joints. Any colour works, and DMC floss is easy to find.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
Several printed horns take a standard metal mouthpiece, and printed valves and slides need oil or slide cream to move freely.
Used in 4 designs that need these here:
Synthetic valve oil for printed trumpets and trombone slides: MusicNomad MN703 (2 oz) on Amazon.ca, Blue Juice elsewhere.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca in Canada; Amazon.com or a UK music shop elsewhere
7C is the usual starting trumpet size (Libretto on Amazon.ca, Bach elsewhere). Some printed brass designs accept a standard trumpet or trombone mouthpiece; check the design and shank size first.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
Printed drum shells, banjos and the banjolin use standard drum heads; match the diameter the design gives.
Used in 6 designs that need these here:
The banjo, banjolin and drum kit use standard drum heads; check the diameter in the design.
View at Remo ↗ Global (find a dealer)
Electric violins, guitars and the theremins need pickups, jacks, boards or kits. Most designs list the exact parts on their own page.
A bridge-mounted pickup from a long-established pickup maker, for electric and printed violins. For ukuleles or other designs, match the pickup type the designer names.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
The bits nearly every build needs: superglue, epoxy, heat-set inserts and screws, sandpaper for bores and tenons, and something to measure with.
Many designs bolt together through brass inserts melted in with a soldering iron. M3 is the most common size; some designs use M2 to M6.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
The most common glue in the build notes, for tenons, small parts and seams. The gel doesn’t run on vertical joints.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
For load-bearing joints such as guitar bodies and violin necks. It sets slowly, which gives you time to align parts.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
For bores, tenons and finishing. The designs mostly call for 180 to 800+ grit; check the grit mix in the pack and add finer sheets if you need them.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
For cleaning up peg holes, tuner holes and small bores without changing their shape much.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
For checking string, rod and tube sizes before you buy and print. An inexpensive, very widely reviewed pair.
View on Amazon ↗ Amazon.ca, .co.uk or .com, by country
Pictures: product photos are from Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons licences shown on each card (cropped and resized). They show the type of product, not always the exact product linked.
Suggestions, corrections or a better local source? Email [email protected]. The product list is kit.json.
