Shubb

I've had the Shubb Axys Reversible Guitar Slide for a few years. I bought it because I was looking for a slide that would allow me to switch back and forth between playing slide and playing chords or a lead part that I couldn't do with a normal slide. This looked like the perfect slide, as this is exactly what the reversible side is for. However, I could never get it to work quite as I wanted it to. While it would work sometimes, other times I would find that I couldn't really spin it around quick enough for when I wanted one slide or another. I also found it a bit harder to play slide guitar when it was on the proper side, as I didn't always feel comfortable with it on. Perhaps that with a bit more practice I would be able to get the hang of it, but at this point I would rather just play with a normal slide and switch when I want to. This would only really be useful for live shows and I don't find myself needing to switch too often during a show anyway. Inside the studio I can do it easy enough without something like this. While I do think that this is a very good idea, I think it would help if the slide part itself was a bit more rounded to make it easier to play with. I wouldn't be surprised if others could get used to this quicker and more easily than I could, but the slide just didn't work for me. The price of the Shubb Axys Reversible Guitar Slide is just a bit more than a normal bronze slide, so it isn't like I spent too much money on this. I would definitely encourage those interested to try it out first if at all possible, but if not and you think it might be able to help you for switching between slide and non-slide parts, I'd take the chance and check it out anyway.

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.