Converse Made a Sneaker With a Wah Guitar Pedal Built Right In

Converse’s Chuck Taylor All Stars and music have always gone hand and… well, foot and shoe. A good pair of Chucks can last a performer through hundreds of stage shows. Now, Converse has debuted a new type of shoe that not only fits the rock and roll lifestyle, but actually serves a purpose beyond looking fly.

Conceived by design agency Critical Mass during a Chuck Hack event back in 2013, the All Wah is a high top Chuck Taylor with a built-in Wah pedal. Simply move your foot, and the tech in the shoe adds a Wah to any plugged in guitar. Fashion technology brand CuteCircuit took Critical Mass’ original concept and went even further with it, removing the cables and making it entirely wireless.
A flexible sensor in the sole of the shoe registers movements similar to those of pressing an actual Wah pedal. That information is sent via Bluetooth to a Wah Box, giving your guitar that desired distortion. What’s more, you can even connect the All Wahs to a Mac or iPhone instead of an amp.
A press release made no mention of when or if the All Wah will be available to the public, though 13 guitarists did get their feet in them earlier this year for a test run. Check out video of an early prototype, which still needed to be plugged in, to get an idea of how the All Wah works.

Kaye, Ben. "Converse Made a Sneaker with a Wah Guitar Pedal Built Right in." Consequence of Sound. June 22, 2016. Accessed June 23, 2016. http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/06/converse-made-a-sneaker-with-a-wah-pedal-built-right-in/.