I Don’t Need No Wah-Wah – Converse’s Distortion Pedal Sneaker
All you distortion-loving guitar players can throw your wah pedals in the trash–like you would’ve your old beat-up Chuck Taylor’s, which now contain said wah pedal.
As reported late last week, design house Critical Mass conceptualized the sneaker back in 2013. Dubbed the All Wah, all a wearer has to do is tap their foot to incorporate the sound into their guitar playing.
Still, three years is a long time in tech years, and the design has been updated by CuteCircuit–swapping out a toe-jack plugin with a wireless apparatus. The movement of pressing an actual wah pedal is achieved by a flexible sensor in the sole of the shoe. Through Bluetooth, the information is sent to a Wah Box, which gives your guitar the desired sound.
The All Wah is will also be able to connect to a Mac or iPhone instead of an amp.
No word on when the All Wah will be available to the public; so far, thirteen guitarists have taken them for a test run, and more questions have been generated than answered. Is it that hard to use a wah pedal in the first place? Will the price of the sneaker/pedal combo be cost-prohibitive compared to just buying both items separately? We suppose everything is superfluous until you try it. In the interim, salivate (or sneer) at these videos!
