Capos! or... -- Here we go again!

[Twang Gang]

The G7th ART system makes a lot of sense.  Most guitars don't stay in tune that well as you move up the neck anyway, so any accuracy that the capo can provide is a good thing.  

However I will use my Shubb or change the key of a song before I spend $149 on a capo.  (The gold plated one does look cool though).    

[BluesKing777]

48 minutes ago, Twang Gang said:

The G7th ART system makes a lot of sense.  Most guitars don't stay in tune that well as you move up the neck anyway, so any accuracy that the capo can provide is a good thing.  

However I will use my Shubb or change the key of a song before I spend $149 on a capo.  (The gold plated one does look cool though).    

 

I love my Shubbs and have a drawer full of various models I bought over the years once I discovered that love, normal, v neck, 12 string, black, gold, steel!

Depending on how thick the neck is, all capos put the guitar out of tune. I find the Shubb puts the WHOLE Strings out evenly, so it sounds good still if you play alone. If you check it with a tuner, whoops. When it all goes really bad is when you play with a piano player like I did for years. I mean horrible. He didn't sound horrible, I did! B string is the enemy. Same note on piano is a dream!😁

I think people will appreciate the ART system more if they are those kinds of situations. It does work well.

 

BluesKing777.

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by BluesKing777

[BluesKing777]

 

Oh yeah, the first capo I ever had was the Dunlop thing that a lot of us have had!

It may have been operator error but I couldn't do anything with it and didn't bother with capos for years and years after that.

 

https://www.jimdunlop.com/37070000001-elastic-capo/

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

[kidblast]

13 hours ago, Twang Gang said:

Like Kidblast I too have heard that capos will speed up wear on frets - not just Kysers, but any capo.  But I think it would be more likely to occur for those people that ALWAYS have a capo on a given fret, not so much if you put one on for a song and then remove it.  I have heard of people that will tune down a half step and always have a capo at the first fret to reduce string tension and make it a little easier to play.

That is a good point.   I've already got some visible fret wear on my 2016 J200, and I don't leave it capo'd  and I move it around a lot. 

[BluesKing777]

 

Don't we get fret wear as soon as we start playing the thing?

BluesKing777.

 

 

[kidblast]

11 hours ago, BluesKing777 said:

 

Don't we get fret wear as soon as we start playing the thing?

BluesKing777.

 

 

no  of course not,  it is ONLY when you use a capo,, so  ..    if you're curious...   do a few googles, Capo and Fret Wear... plenty out there that discusses this.

[BluesKing777]

 

I used to put a capo back from the frets to leave some room for fingers not hit the capo all the time, and the guitar(s) were always way out of tune unless I did the Tommy E trick of snapping all the strings after putting the capo on (hoping they would go back to their tuning!). It does work, sometimes but...

So I mostly left capo work to others.....

But there was a thread on possibly UMGF 7 or 8 years ago about Tony Rice and how he puts his capo right on the dotted line of the fret to keep his guitar in tune. Everyone tried it and it works! Guitar stays in tune! So I still do this, but the catch is the fingers don't get as much room and occasionally, knock the capo sideways a tad.....AND the UMGF'ers say the frets wear even more!

A friend was over and he saw my capo on the fret and got all the details and the whole idea spread like wildfire!

 

Here is my G7 Performance 3 ART capo on the fret, and the second photo shows after I have played for a while - bumped it sideways a frak on the high string side:

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

Edited November 19, 2020 by BluesKing777

[Fidalgo]

I have tried Shubb, Paige, Victor, Kaiser, and a few others over the years. I got an Elliott McKinney with a used guitar I bought a few years ago, and everything else went in a drawer or was given away. I have no idea what the radius of the bar is, but it works great on every guitar I have used it on.  My wife has used Shubbs for years on her 6 string and 12 string and has had zero issues. I wanted to buy her an Elliott for Christmas last year, and she said it'd be a waste of money, because the Shubbs work just fine. 

[bertrandbrebis]

By far the main issue for me with capos is tuning stability before the audience.  I've tried many (Dunlop, Shubb, G7th, Daddario) and none works.  They all randomly detune the guitar, sometimes 1 or 2 strings, sometimes only the low strings, etc. 

Even if you put them on the fret, which is the best position in that regard although you lose some sound resonance.

I dream of a reliable capo.

[Dave F]

Here we go again.

I went through  many looking for the perfect one. The latest was the Thalia with the interchangeable pads. Works great but the pressure is beyond what my old joints can open. It takes two hands to open/move it.

I prefer the D'Addario Artist. I can operate easily and by using a few tips from Tommy E, I have no issues. I prefer the lever on top so it doesn't interfere with my thumb.

    

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by Dave F

[kidblast]

I do like the thalias, but they are heavy and clunky.  the newport are light with a real small foot print,  theywork great!