Capos

After discovering this and watching several videos with reviews on youtube I was wondering how it could work for me. A while later I was buying one. Hands on I use this capo for acoustic guitar. I think this capo will work great for indie music and for arpeggios. I did not try it on electric guitar because it fits my needs well for acoustic. The capo is relatively easy to install but sure I don't want to leave a mark on the neck (it comes with a soft leather in the pincer grips) but just in case I'm careful and no marks on the neck whatsoever. What I like most of this capo is the fact it gives you instant inspiration due to it's fabulous flexibility to create alternate tunings. That alone is worth because it's like having different stringed instruments in one just changing the position on the neck and the finger handles. It sounds clear and no buzz if it's properly in place. Also you can adjust the width of the finger handles to fit exactly your guitar. More, you can even use more than one capo if you want to go further on experimental tunings. PROS: A versatile tool and refreshing for experimented guitar players. Great tonal possibilities. CONS: Not the best option to use as a standard capo because it requires a while to put on the neck. It's kinda tricky to play comfortably very close to the capo.

(Originally written by JPipaci/translated from Audiofanzine FR) I've been using it for four years and it's my first capo. In the beginning I didn't play it a lot but now that I play in a band I take it out and put it back pretty often. And it is very uncomfortable because you can't place it and put it back quickly enough. Watch out for the placement because it tends to detune the notes and the thinner strings. You can't expect too much for this price. It was the right tool to learn how to play with a capo. But now that I have more experience I will buy a better one. I wouldn't buy it in spite of its price and I certainly don't recommend it.

The Kyser Quick-Change Electric 6-string capo is the perfect little capo for electric guitars. It can be repositioned with just one hand, and it can be moved without altering your guitar's tuning. It comes in many colors, including Black, Red, White, Silver, Gold, and Blue. It has a single spring in the back, which is connected to both the handle and the portion that grabs the back of the guitar's neck. The section that pushes against the frets is stationary, along with the other side of the handle. This small device allows you to easily put the capo on your guitar with one hand, and it can be done very quickly. It can even be done in a middle of a song, which my band's other guitarist does do. I find it works great on both acoustic guitars and electric guitars, and I have yet to find a standard guitar that it doesn't seem to fit on. In other words, it is almost entirely universal, and the design is very iconic. I find that for some instruments, mainly my acoustic guitars, I will need to slightly retune my strings after I put the capo on, as it sometimes shifts the tuning, and doesn't grab the strings perfectly. This nuisance is fairly common with capos of all types, however, and it is a necessary step to retune if you are a tuning freak. The Kyser capo is padded on both sections where it touches the guitar, and if used properly, will never come close to damaging your guitar, including more sensitive and fragile acoustic guitars. The spring has never wore down for me, and the capo have never broken. I've had my Kyser capo for several years, and there's absolutely no sign of year, even the black color hasn't faded, no wears whatsoever. Overall, this is the perfect little tuner that every guitarist should have. In fact, I have three of them laying around my basement right now, and I use all of them almost constantly. Be sure to check this thing out, and you'll never research other capo's ever again.

Primarily a singer, I've been playing guitar for about 10 years, been in a band (drummer!), and have continued to record and play with other musicians on a non-professional basis. My styles range from folk to hard rock, with heavy power-pop leanings -- Big Star, not Green Day. I first read about this new capo design in the UK magazine Guitar & Bass. The description seemed to fit exactly what I'd been searching for this past year, so I picked it up at Guitar Center for $16. My God...this is one great piece of gear. The concept behind the design is so simple you wonder why nobody else had come up with it before. Two of my guitars -- a Telecaster and a Taylor T5 -- have been giving me problems with capos because most of them clamp down so hard they pull the strings out of tune. On recommendation from a Sam Ash employee, I'd bought a Shubb S series, but it still didn't do the job. This Planet Waves NS Capo (the initials stand for the designer, Ned Steinberger of headless Steinberger guitars fame) did the trick instantly. The action on the dial is smooth, and its boast of "ultra-light aerospace-grade aluminum" is no lie: At first I'd wondered how it would mattered, but the difference was clear once I'd clamped it onto the guitar. Most capos, thanks to extended arms and other mechanisms, make your guitar neck feel more awkward. The NS Capo is so efficient and light that you don't feel it's there. And you can get it to clamp down hard or softly, so the rubber pad would probably last longer. The Guitar & Bass magazine accurately pointed out that, since you can adjust this capo to have a very light touch, it can also fall down if set like this. So you must clamp it with the dial on the bass end of the back of the neck, so the capo clamps down. But other than this barely relevant limitation, there's nothing I don't like. I don't know what this capo's durability is like, and given the aluminium construction, my worry would be heat, and whether this capo might warp under hot stage lights or if put on top of a powerful amp. But time will tell. This may just be the best capo I've tried. As long as it holds up on the durability front, I might just replace my Kyser capos with this unit. Ned Steinberger is indeed a design genius. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I recently picked up the Planet Waves NS Capo CP-02 in black and I will say right off the bat that’s it is now my go to capo for acoustic guitar. I bought it in a small music shop and it barely cost me anything. Previously I had been using the standard Kaiser capos and I had been growing increasingly frustrated with their ability to properly hold down acoustic guitar strings. It worked fine on some guitars but others with thicker strings and wider necks seemed to have a bit of an issue with it. Then I heard about the Planet Waves NS Capo CP-02 and when I came across one in the store I decided to take a chance on it. I have to say that I’m 100 % satisfied with this capo and will recommend it to anyone. The screw down system works extremely well as I haven’t had any problems at all with it holding down the strings on my Guild acoustic, a feat that the Kasier couldn’t always handle. I still use the Kaiser as it works fine for my electric guitar, but I’ll continue to use the Planet Waves on my acoustic indefinitely. I almost had bought a Shubbs capo which shares a similar screw on system and works great as well, but this one was half the price of the Shubbs. I only paid $12 (US) for this and while I think that’s a bit of an anomaly, it shows that it’s definitely cheaper than the rest, the Kasier costing around $20 and the Shubbs Deluxe about $25. While these are all options that will do the job more times than not, I’d still recommend at least checking out the Planet Waves NS Capo CP-02 – Black as although it’s not as popular as the Kaiser or Shubbs, it works the best from what I’ve found!

The Shubbs Deluxe Capo is an enhanced version of the standard capo, both of which have become a favorite of guitar players worldwide. I must admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of these style capos at first, but I've since come around and now really like them as they stay in place without any question of if it's holding down your strings properly. I don't know what all the differences are between the Deluxe and standard Shubbs capo, but the Deluxe is definitely sturdier and better built to last. All of the Shubbs capos use a unique mechanism that twists on in place to hold your strings down. The Deluxe just seems to be built with better materials and is extremely stable. It also has a slightly different design that just seems smoother overall. The price isn't too much more, so if you're already a fan of Shubb's capos, you're probably going to want to make the switch to the Deluxe version because it really is a better capo. I still use a Kaiser capo at home, but I'm seriously considering making the switch to the Shubb Deluxe Capo because it works great and better than the original version. The reason that I didn't like using the Shubbs capos at first was because of the tighten on system, but I'm realizing that it just may be worth the extra minute to tighten it up with this to ensure fully that your strings are held down properly. I don't come into the problem a lot, but with my Kaiser I do find that it can sometimes bend it out of tune, although this is a capo problem in general. In the end I'd recommend trying the Kaiser and Shubbs capos to see what works for you, but it's going to be tough to go wrong with the Deluxe Shubbs version.

A while back I needed a capo for a song we were doing, but I didn't actually own one at that point. After doing a little research, I went ahead and got the Shubb Original Capo. Why did I choose it over other capos? Because of the adjustable tension. Sure, it takes a little longer to put on, but because you can adjust how much tension it puts on the strings it won't pull all your strings sharp. That's the problem with the Kyser capos, you might be OK if you only capo within the first three frets, but as you go further up on the next the neck obviously gets thicker, stretching the spring of the capo more, which in turn makes the capo press down harder on the strings, throwing your guitar sharp. Maybe not a huge problem when you are playing by yourself, but when playing in a band it is definitely an issue. Sure, you can correct this by re-tuning, but that takes time, and then whenever you un-capo your guitar it's flat. Since you can adjust the amount of tension on the Shubb it eliminates that problem. I would rather spend the time upfront getting the tension adjusted correctly than have to constantly re-tune my guitar every time I use my capo. Overall, I highly recommend some sort of Shubb capo over just about any other brand. They have several different models, including one optimized for 12 string guitars. Granted, there are other brands that have models with adjustable tension, but they typically cost double or more what the Shubb does. At $15-$20, the Shubb Original Capo is a grant product with a great price. I would definitely buy another one if I ever have to, or I might get the Deluxe version for even smoother action and reliability.

This is a capo made by Kyser + Classics, who make the ubiquitous black capo that everybody has most likely purchased at one point or another, considering how cheap and relatively reliable they are. This capo looks pretty similar to that one except for one huge difference. This capo is called the Drop D capo, but I'm not sure why. The only unique feature of this capo is its design, which when applied across the strings, leaves the low E string untouched, giving you an open E string regardless of where you apply the capo. This can be really useful in coming up with open chords, as well as different variations of E chords major, minor, dominant 7th, etc. The only drawback that this capo suffers from is a lack of practical application. If you leave the guitar tuned to E, this capo will only be effective if placed on a few particular frets. My personal favorite is the fourth fret, as it has notes that fall in the E major chord. The 3rd fret works for minor chords but can be kind of limiting to a player. The 7th fret is a good choice as well. If you tune the guitar down (or even just the low E), other possibilities emerge, but then it also starts to get really confusing. The main thing about this capo that is interesting is that it basically forces a guitar player to think outside the box and come up with new, creative ways of playing chords. I think overall this is a really good thing, as it will enable players to explore chords that are usually outside of their comfort zone, with or without a traditional capo. However, unless you really take the time to experiment, this capo will have limited use for you, most likely. The usefulness of the product depends mostly on how much you are willing to let it be the deciding factor in your playing, that is, taking the time to work around this capo. A really cool idea but one that demands a commitment.

This is definitely my newest favorite capo, and for good reason. One of those reason is, quite frankly, the price. It's a little bit less expensive than the inexplicably popular Keyser capos that everybody seems to love, and it's a lot less than some of the higher-end capos out there. I've never had much desire to spend more than $20 on a capo, especially since they tend to disappear on me quite often. This is one of the nicer ones I've tried. If I had to compare it to any capo, I'd pick the Keyser standard capo. This capo is better than that for two main reasons. One is the design. The Keysers are just way too big, the ornate top part of the handle always gets in my way when I'm playing near the capo on the fretboard. This capo has a design where the handle resides mostly behind the neck, so it's far away from your hand when you're trying to play. Another aspect of this capo that I really like is the fact that it's not quite as strong as the Keysers. This is good because those Keyser capos tend to sneakily grab the strings and bend them slightly, leaving your guitar pretty horribly out of tune. This capo can do that if you aren't careful, but after a readjustment or two (or just being slightly careful in the first place), there's not too much to worry about. The keyser capos require a good two minutes of adjustment to keep intonation normal, which is a pain in the rear end, especially when you are playing a concert. I also prefer the sleeker, less ornate silver capo to the standard black and gold ones. This is mainly because while the capos usually stay in good shape functionally, they start to rust and lose the luster after some time. With the silver ones, it only looks cooler rusty. There's not a whole lot of variety in capos, so I feel like it's not too hard to find the best one. For the price range I feel like shopping in, this is the best I've found.

Working at a guitar store I received this gem of a capo when it was released into the market - that was around 2005. It is rather heavy and the brushed surface gives it a very elegant and expensive feel. There is nothing loose on this capo and the construction is elegant and simple at the same time. I have been using a Dunlop Capo (with a spring) and a Shubb Capo (you adjust the thickness of the neck and then clamp it). Both have done their job very well and will not be obsolete in the market - mainly because they cost half of what the G7th does. On the other hand if you really need to use a capo a lot and intend to use one on electric guitars you should really take a look at this thing. There is a relief switch on the capo that allows you to loosen it. All you have to do is to place the capo in the right position and then press from the back to tighten it. The hand will give it just enough pressure and the capo will not be forced to move sideways. It really is one of the only capos that can be attached and removed quickly while still ensuring a good intonation. These things are built like tanks and probably will be lost before they ever break. The weight might be a bit too much for some players but I have not felt like it really took away the balance on my instrument. If I lost it I would buy a new one immediatly!