...like the full Les Paul Rail Kit...but smaller and interlocking! This kit is DIY 3D-printable kit inspired by Les Paul's Rail—developed and maintain by the RATLab through ongoing projects about Les Paul, which are being explored at the Electric Guitar Innovation Lab (EGIL).
See also our full-size dual-string Rail Kit here
This research was sponsored by the Les Paul Foundation; to learn more about Les Paul's life of innovation, visit http://les-paul.com
The Les Paul Rail kit was inspired by an experiment Les Paul conducted in his youth, where he and his friends made a simple musical instrument with a discarded piece of rail, a guitar string, and some railroad spikes, and a transducer made from his mother's telephone. Though the rail was not a practical guitar, it was an influential experiment in Les' life as evidenced in his later work with solidbody electric guitars.
The goal of this project was to create a "Rail Kit" for our Les Paul: Experiencing Innovation Music Tech Camp, where students could create their own rail-type musical instrument and then use it to perform and record. Our kit contains a 3D printable rail that allows the camp students to learn about the timbre (by comparing 3D printing filaments to the existing rail), string tuning and tension, how to 3D-print using a 3D model, and how 3D printing differs from machining. Students then assemble the kit themselves and use it in their own music-making! Additional activities in the camp that accompany this one include the creation of a simple pickup and an amplifier.
Here are the components you'll need:
1. One 3D-Printed Rail (model included in this repository; use with any 3D-printer)
2. One standard tuner from a set of six-in-line tuners that mount with two pins like these
3. One guitar strings from a set of standard electric guitar strings; 1 and 6 strings from a set of, for example, D'Addario XL110 strings
4. One set of Assembly Instructions for Students (below)
5. Optionally, we recommend a large-diameter tuning peghead hand reamer (roughly .312" to .625") to widen tuner holes if needed
6. Optionally, a small contact microphone or piezo pickup can be stuck underneath the strings to amplify the instrument. In our camp, we use a pickup with a standard 1/4" guitar cable and a small amplifier like this
We recommended sharing the story of Les Paul and the Rail with students and then showing them a view of the 3D model we've made of the rail from this webpage we've prepared.
Then follow these steps to print this model.
1. Download the 3D model "the Rail.stl" from this repository by clicking the "Code" button on this page and selecting "Download Zip"; unzip the file you downloaded to reveal the .stl model file.
2. Import the model into your 3D printer's printing "slicing" program and adjust the layout of the model so that it optimally fits within the printer.
3. Once the layout has been finalized, select the Slice button to adjust the slice settings. We found 10% infill and 1mm wall thickness gave a good tradeoff between print resolution, stability, and print time.
4. Finally, once the slice has been created and saved, the gcode it produces can be sent to the printer for printing. Printing times will vary.
1. Remove any 3D-printed support material from the rail; that is, the thin, flimsy material on the side of the rail. This can be done using pliers, a flathead screwdriver, a file, sandpaper, or anything on hand.
2a. Take a tuner and remove the top washer from it by twisting it counter-clockwise.
2b. Insert the tuner into the bottom of one hole on the opposite side of the rail with the bridge.
2c. Secure the washer with the top of the tuner by inserting it back on the tuner and twisting clockwise. Do this for both tuners. Note: if the tuner hole is too tight, use the reamer to gently widen the hole.
3. String the rail by placing the strings through the holes on the rail until the ball end of the guitar string rests on the back of the bridge.
4a. Insert the string all the way into the hole in the metal tuner post, and twist the excess string around the post to bend it slightly.
4b. Tie a knot in the string at the tuner (consult a YouTube video if unfamiliar).
4c. Use a wire cutter to trim the excess string that remains after the tuner post.
5. Feel free to use any tuner application to experiment with what notes are being played by either string! Free tuner apps include Pitchlab, Pano Tuner, and Martin Tuner.
Our Rail Kit models can be printed in many different filament colors; for EGIL's Les Paul Music Tech Camp @ WPI, we've used a variety of different colors including glow-in-the-dark filament! The 3D-printed Rail can be a useful musical instrument, and allowing students to choose their own color can help them personalize their instrument. Additionally, with some effort, the .stl file we've provided can be modified to allow students to etch their name into one side.
Infill Percentage: 10
Layer Thickness/Height: 0.25mm
Wall Thickness: 0.8mm
Support on build plate (not everywhere)
Note: previous versions of this model included lettering on the side, which has been removed since version 1.1
These models are an open community effort and released here under the following Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.ia The contents of this repository are in development and are made available through the aforementioned license without any warranty whatsoever. For license inquiries, contact: license@vjmanzo.com
- V.J. Manzo, WPI Faculty and Founding PI and Director of the RATLab
- Anthony Gilbet, WPI undergraduate student
- Lyle Edwards, WPI undergraduate student
- Dexter Stark, WPI undergraduate student