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This thesis introduces the design and redesign process of MAHW, a digital–mechanical whammy bar add-on for electric guitars. It is intended to serve as a more customizable and easier-to-fabricate substitute for the traditional mechanical vibrato systems on guitars. As a musical interface, MAHW combines the mechanics of a whammy bar and digital modeling of vibrato using a pitch-shifter.
The necessity for the new musical interface is discussed in the beginning chapter, by analyzing the problems present in existing vibrato designs. Following that is a summary and an evaluation of the two major design iterations that MAHW went through, transforming it from a simple, wired musical controller to a standalone, portable system that can process sound on its own. The hardware/sensor design and the signal processing algorithm are explained in detail. Special at- tention is given to how the redesign reduces the friction in using the system while keeping the fabrication complexity low. Several interesting techniques were discovered during the redesign process, such as the use of 3D-printed springs as a reproducible custom passive force feedback mechanism and a trick to model the nonlinear dissonant characteristic of a mechanical vibrato system. The contributions and limitations of the interface are discussed in the end to provide an insight into the next steps for the research and MAHW.

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