Part II Case Study: A Guitarist’s Dream—New Converse All Wah Sneaker Has a Built–In Wah
Pedal
During Converse’s Chuck Hack sessions in 2013, Critical Mass presented the first prototype for a Chuck
Taylor designed specifically for guitarists. The All Wah: A Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker with a standard
Wah pedal built right in. (The wah pedal is used for tonal control.) The original prototype featured cables
plugging directly into the sole of the shoe.
Cute Circuit, a fashion technology brand that designs wearable technology, spent a few years working on
development and design. Then, in 2016, they unveiled the completed product: The Chet Atkins All Wah.
(Chet Atkins was the first guitarist to use the wah pedal.) The improved sneaker uses micro–sensor
technology to give guitarists freedom from the pedal and the wires too.