Topic: What capo do ya suggest?

[westside ryan]

Besides some "custom" capos that I made (Shubbs w/ cut up rubber) to play in weird tunings many moons ago, and a Paige that I had on my banjo, I have not had much experience with capos.  I am looking for some input on what kind of capos I should be looking at.  I just purchased another Paige (wide/12 string) for my parlor guitars because I liked the way I could just store it behind the nut when not in use on the banjo.  Only problem is, because of the V necks on my parlors, the Paige won't fit behind the nut.  This makes it inconvenient to put on and remove, so I'd like to try something else.

[frailer24]

I use a Kyser Quick Change. I like Shubb, but expensive.

[mr mando]

I had a Kyser for my mandolins, but after a couple of years, the spring lost too much of its tension. I now use different Shubb models for guitars and mandolins.

[Pan]

I used the spring powered Kysers for many years, but have lately come to the conclusion, that they can pull you out of tune, since the spring tension is quite strong. They also left bite marks on my guitar's neck.

Therefore I like the Shubb capos, because they can be individually adjusted.  They also won't fly away, if I lose my grip. 

When I play on a gig, I like to use the Planet Waves NS Lite, because it is lightweight enough to be stored to your shirt pocket. It is also adjustable.

Some guitar finishes reportedly can react chemically to the rubber used in capos, so storing on the headstock for longer periods can be problematic.

Neck and fretboard profiles, and fretboard width are, of course, also a factor, when choosing a capo.

Cheers

Pan

[Lyndvs]

Shubb,simple and do the job.
Lyndvs

[Adam Franklin]

Shubb all the way. I'd sell my house and all it's contents for a Shubb.

Bought the first one in 1991, still have and use it, only changed the rubber once when my son chewed it. I have one in every guitar case.

Get a Shubb, Adam.

This post is sponsored by Shubb Capos.

(It's not really)

[Norfolk Slim]

Im fond of G7s myself.  They squeeze on as tight or soft as you want, and have a low enough profile not to get in the way too much.

[Stuart]

I like the Dunlop Pro 14C - the one you can adjust. I had it for decades. The others are fine by me as well. I like Shubbs, but it's just a matter of personal preference at this point. BTW, Harvey Reid has a site devoted to partials:

http://www.partialcapo.com/index.htm

[Mike Shipman]

Ive tried most of them and reckon the G7 Newport (the thin line one) is best of the lot. Its pretty easy to put on and take off, doesnt pull strings out of tune and most importantly, doesnt get in the way of my left hand.

[Rivers]

Pencil and rubber band, Al Young / Charlie Patton style. People at jam sessions don't tend to want to borrow them and accidentally walk off with them attached to their guitars.

Me, I use Kysers mostly these days, and more than one has walked so you've got to consider TCO (total cost of ownership). WTH, so long as it doesn't buzz who cares.

[alyoung]

Pencil and rubber band, Al Young / Charlie Patton style. People at jam sessions don't tend to want to borrow them and accidentally walk off with them attached to their guitars.

Me, I use Kysers mostly these days, and more than one has walked so you've got to consider TCO (total cost of ownership). WTH, so long as it doesn't buzz who cares.

I only ever did use the pencil and rubber band as a bit of a joke -- and to see if it worked. It did, surprisingly well. BTW, I copped the idea from a John Estes album photo (not C. Patton). Otherwise, I now use Shubbs after reluctantly converting from the old Dunlop clip-down, which was great because it didn't get in the way of your hand, but was a bitch to tune under. I'd quite like to use Kysers -- quick, easy and firm --but the damn things get in the way of your hand so bad (I don't have good technique and my thumb moves around  behind the neck). 

[frailer24]

Pencil and rubber band? I thought that was just a myth! I must try this!

[alyoung]

Pencil and rubber band? I thought that was just a myth! I must try this!

No myth. Lay the pencil up close behind the fret and get a fairly strong rubber band that'll do two or three loops around the ends of the pencil and behind the neck. It doesn't have to be extremely tight ... just fairly tight. Might even be possible to use a piece of string if your knot-tying skills are up to it. There is, as I mentioned, a John Estes album cover that shows it very clearly -- unfortunately I'm away from my music room, so I can't quote it, except that its a Delmark ... I think.  Probably works best on a flat fretboard, but it'll also handle a curved board if you get the pencil up behind the fret. Ditch the Shubb and knock yerself out!

[blueshome]

Just get a Shubb - industry standard.

The pencil trick works of course but I've always found it a total pain to get the right tension with the rubber bands.

[uncle bud]

Since you are doing setup work on two guitars, I'm not sure why the capo question has come up in the first place. This seems like something someone working on guitars would have a pretty good handle on. And I'd assume they would likely have a few types of capos depending on the guitars in question. For radiused fretboards, wide fretboards, 12-strings, deep neck profiles, v-neck profiles, different instruments etc. But I guess I'm wrong.

My answer would be Shubb is standard, does the job, but capo choice ultimately depends on the neck and the player. I also have come to really like the Planet Waves NS capo like Pan - light, simple, small footprint and a bit more fine-tuneable on the tension than a Shubb, IMO. And cheap.

[NotRevGDavis]

I really like Planet Waves NS but I'm intrigued by the PW NS Tri-Action.