Fun fact: I used to write music and play guitar in a few short-lived bands in my hometown of Bangalore, India. One of the things I loved most about that time was fiddling with amps and effect pedals to create new sounds.
Naturally, I was intrigued to learn that Converse has developed a sneaker that features a built-in wah pedal, to help you get that iconic sound made famous by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins and Steve Vai. You can just plug in your guitar and amp to the shoe and start kickin’ out the jams instantly.
The idea was prototyped back in 2013 by fashion label Cute Circuit, but it’s since been updated for increased flexibility. The sole of the All Star uses a micro-sensor that mimics a potentiometer used in expression pedals to pick up foot movement and turn it into wah modulation.
The sneaker captures your movement and beams it over Bluetooth to an actual wah effect modulator. Converse says that the All Wah can also be used with a Mac or iPhone.
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The clip above shows guitarist J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. testing the sneaker.
The company hasn’t announced when it will begin selling the Chuck Taylor All Wahs, but I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed hoping that it’ll be sometime soon.
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