A superior capo

[LiveMusic]

Can anyone recommend a good capo or type of capo? Is there anything that has been produced that is "better?" If possible, one that's good for acoustic and electric, too. (I've seen professional musicians using capos on electrics lately, which surprises me. New to me.)

 

Anway, acoustic use is the most important for me but if anybody has any ideas on electric use, let me know.

[Eric Worthington]

I prefer Chubbs. You set the adjustment screw to be just the right pressure for your neck. No tighter than needed. If it's too tight, of course, then you're gonna be out of tune.

 

Ever see a guy put on a capo, and THEN tune up? Something's wrong there. (Of course, poor neck intonation can also make one go out of tune with a capo.) A lot of people use the Kaiser, which is that spring-loaded clothes pin kind of thing that you can stick on the headstock when you're not using. Very convenient -- but not as precise as the Chubb. In fact, I think it grips way too hard.

[BK_dup2]

Eric

 

I totally agree. I do use a Kyser for live only because of the quick placement. For studio I use the Shubb - It is much more accurate.

 

BK

[Tedster]

Yep, I use a Kyser...and have to re-tune just about every time. But it's great in that I can leave it clamped to my headstock, even when the guitar is in the case. Haven't tried a Shubb, but probably will now.

 

There's another capo that has a handle you grip like a trigger to put the thing on. Haven't tried that...it may be made by Dunlop...not sure.

[Guest]

I agree that the Shubb has the lightest touch.

However, you need to make sure that the model

of your Shubb matches the curvature of the neck;

they make several models with different radii.

Incorrect model will lead to some strings buzzing,

or intonation from pressing too hard on some

strings while too light on others. The Kysor is

fast but presses too hard. Wish they would make

one with less spring pressure. It helps a little

to remove the clear rubber shim on the back leg

of the Kysor, which places less pressure on the

spring, hence less on the string. Place a piece

of scotch tape where the rubber shim was to

prevent damage from the metal of the capo on

the neck of the guitar. Place the capo as close

to the effective fret as possible, perhaps even

riding the effective fret ever-so-slightly, to

minimize intonation problems. The Dunlop trigger

capo performs much like the Kysor.

[Eric Worthington]

I have to say, I never thought the quick access of the Kaiser was enough of a difference to use it over the Shubb. Instead of having it clamped onto the end of your headstock, you reach over and pick it up off the music stand, or pull it out of your pocket, or whatever. Takes an extra, what, 10-15 seconds? Is that worth the intonation problem?

 

Think about this for a moment: you save all that time putting the Kaiser capo on, and then take twice more time adjusting the tuning--and then, dig this--adjusting the tuning again when you take it off! With my Taylor (in other words, a properly intonated guitar that hasn't been abused yet), I can put the Shubb on the 7th fret, and be right in tune.

[murph]

I use a Kyser on stage and in the studio.... I rarely have to worry about the intonation after I put it on. If your guitar goes out of tune with that, chances are, it needs an adjustment somewhere, usually a sign of uneven frets. If you have that checked regularly, you won't have those problems.

[effclef]

Imagine this: a spring-loaded capo increases its pressure the higher up the neck you go. A Shubb will allow you to easily adjust pressure (like your hand adjusts pressure while you play).

 

IMO, more pressure contributes to more fret wear.

[Tedster]

Guess I'll have to buy me a Shubb...especially for putting on the untunable monster...the Rick 360-12...

[Beagle1]

Both the Shubb and the Kyser are fine capos and either should do the job. But you might also try out the Greg Bennett roller/glider capo--it's great for fast changes in capo position. Also the design distributes equal pressure on all the strings so intonation is usually quite good in any position. However, my favorite capo is the TransTrem on my Steinberger M series :-)

[rosespappy]

>>>>>>The Rick 360-12.

 

Tedster! I didn't know your Rick was a 12! Dah-rool, Dah-rooel!

Awesome fiddle!

 

Rick

[rosespappy]

Duh....... Oh yeah! Shubbs

[fantasticsound]

I have used all the above mentioned capos, and currently use the Kyser, the Dunlop that Ted mentioned, the Glider (roller capo), and I have a third hand capo as well.

 

First, the added pressure of the Kyser has NO effect on the tuning. It's the difficulty of squeezing it open that causes some people to shake their wrist when engaging the capo. This causes the capo to either pull the string sharp or relax it flat. Once you get used to, and pay attention to this, you'll have no trouble with your tuning.

 

Second, the Dunlop trigger capo is not as good as the Kyser. It looks like it should be easier to set, but my experience is that it is more difficult to squeeze with your wrist You have to bend your wrist if you set the capo with the guitar strapped on. It's awkward, but otherwise ok.

 

The Glider is wonderful. Can't pull off "Your Smiling Face" by James Taylor without it. He resets the capo up two frets twice in the song. Easy when you have a band playing behind you, but I'm playing solo. This capo allows me to reset FAST. When not in use, it rests above the nut. This tends to put pressure on the strings, raising the open tuning a bit. It's design makes it secure, but difficult to quickly detach. This is why I don't use it exclusively.

 

The third hand is an old capo that may not currently be in production. It's designed with 6 offset rubber pieces that can swing out of the way. This allows you to capo certain strings while leaving others open. (Re-tuning without touching the tuners!)

 

I also modified my Dunlop trigger capos to serve this purpose, but they can only grab one way. Mine skip the first string from the end, then hit the next three. From the 1st string side, this frets an open A chord. From the 6th string side it makes an Esus4 chord. I did this on my own, but I've heard of several pro players who do the same, who then convinced Kyser to produce a premade capo of this type. Very cool.

 

I was not happy with the Shubb, but it is favored by MANY players on AND off this forum, so check it out.

 

Hope this helps you make your decision.

 

Neil

[Tedster]

>>The Glider is wonderful. Can't pull off "Your Smiling Face" by James Taylor without it. He resets the capo up two frets twice in the song. Easy when you have a band playing behind you, but I'm playing solo. This capo allows me to reset FAST. When not in use, it rests above the nut. This tends to put pressure on the strings, raising the open tuning a bit. It's design makes it secure, but difficult to quickly detach. This is why I don't use it exclusively

 

I'll have to try that. I just usually try to get around being capoed for the modulations and avoid "open" strings, as there'd be absolutely no way I could switch capo positions with my Kyser. But then, I have a bass player watchin' my back...

 

Oh, and yep, the Ricky is a 12 stringer...(sings) "Hey Mr. Tambourine man play a song for me"...

[fantasticsound]

Yeah, Ted. I like the original chord inversions, so I get stuck making use of the capo for the key changes.

 

Like you, I enjoy my Kysers. For one thing, I drilled a hole in the end of one handle to allow me to connect it to my ear plug case, etc. Makes it easy to find in the gig bag, and when I worked MI retail, I kept it on my keychain. During breaks I'd head for the acoustic room...

 

Here's an image of my modified Dunlop (Notice the rubber is cut away from the inside edge to skip the 6th or 1st string.), Kyser, Glider, and 3rd hand capos.

 

http://members.aol.com/neilbergmn/caposs

 

Now, if only I can convince the 3rd hand people to get together with Kyser and integrate the movable rubber pieces with a Kyser type spring. The old stretchy capo design of the 3rd hand sucks.

 

One thing I failed to mention about the third hand is that the rubber pieces can be spread apart or pushed closer together depending on the width of your guitar neck. It sits on the edge of the neck in a groove on the white plastic piece. (You can see the piece, but not the notch in the pic.)

 

The example of fretting A or Esus4 with the modified Dunlop assumes you're covering the second fret

 

Neil http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

This message has been edited by fantasticsound on 04-30-2001 at 02:05 PM