Converse, the shoe company that brought color to high-top sneakers and basketball shoes, is now bringing high tech and sound to same. The company’s Chuck Taylor All-Wah (you see what they did there, right?) doesn’t look much different from your regular or garden variety Chuck Taylors. That is, until you notice the connector in the side of the sole and right above that two holes in the shoe itself.
The shoe was designed by CuteCircuit from a Critical Mass prototype. It has in and out jacks to connect directly to your guitar amp, or use the wah box to work the pedal wirelessly. Then just turn on the shoe, and move your shod foot as you would on an actual pedal.
If you’re just riffing at home, you can wah through your Mac or iPhone. When you’re not performing, you place a shoe on the box—just right so you get an orange light—to charge it.
All-Wahs are not yet available to the public, but when they are, they’re definitely going to give rise to whole new vocabulary of rehearsal excuses. “Hey, man. I’ll be late tonight. My shoe isn’t charged yet.”