Check out my cool new capo...

[Silence Dogood]

I dropped my 20-year-old Paige capo yesterday and messed up the little clamp that holds it closed.  I'm pretty sure I can fix it with a pair of pliers, but it served as a great excuse to go to the guitar shop and look at new capos.  And guitars.  And other stuff.  So I did.  No Larrivees in sight there, but what else is new?
 

They had a few styles of capos available.  I had owned a Kyser back in the day so I decided to try another one.  I picked up a plain black one and the sales guy told me there were some cool new designs in the back of the pile.  I found this blue one and bought it.  It's one of the coolest things I've seen in a good while so I wanted to share a pic or two.  Looks like blue shell. 

[William2]

Nice looking capo. I know little about capos. Is there a best one out there? Does the type of neck profile determine which one you should buy?

[Silence Dogood]

Nice looking capo. I know little about capos. Is there a best one out there? Does the type of neck profile determine which one you should buy?

Best?  No, not really.  It's all preference.  The Kyser is a good all-around capo.  I usually prefer the look of the Paige since it stays on all the time and rolls behind the nut, but I was ready for something different.  Neck profiles are so slight in difference that the differences are negligible.  You can see from the pics that the Kyser is pretty flat.  It will work for anything.  They also make them slightly wider for classicals.   

[eded]

Best?  No, not really.  It's all preference.   

This much I agree with.

I have had tons of capos. The only ones that work consistently for me are Shubb.

Ed

[B0WIE]

Nice looking capo. I know little about capos. Is there a best one out there? Does the type of neck profile determine which one you should buy?

Neck profile can matter, but the biggest thing is the fret board radius. Most players don't notice capos sending their strings out of tune. That's why most capos are sold in one radius even though guitars aren't. If you don't notice the change in intonation, or don't mind retuning, get a Shubb or other inexpensive type that lets you control the pressure.

I used to get frustrated with having to re-tune my guitar after applying a capo (no matter what capo or guitar) so I went down that rabbit hole and ended up with yoke style capos, in various radius. Essentially, they are shaped to match the fret curvature so no string gets squeezed harder than the others, thus the intonation stays correct. The back tightens at the center so it's equal rather than clamping from the side. I prefer KatsEyez (however he spells it) capos over the absurdly expensive Elliot brand. The guy at Kats made me some custom ones relatively cheap and they were game changers.

Again, if you don't hear the capo squeezing some strings tighter, don't fuss with the expensive ones. Most people will never notice, or they will just retune with the capo on. But, if you're like me and it's a point of frustration, there's options.

[Silence Dogood]

Bowie is right on all accounts here.  When I said "profile" I really meant fretboard radius.  My old Paige would knock my guitar out of tune if I didn't tighten it just right.  These clamp-on types like Kyser can absolutely knock your guitar out if you don't put it on straight or close enough to the actual fret.  Place it on crooked and in the middle space between frets will knock you out of tune every time. 

[William2]

Thanks for the information, BOWIE. Those Elliott capos are expensive. $230, Ouch! I was watching a young classical guitarist play the Bach BWV998 this morning. It is in the key of Eb but all classical guitarists play it in D. This player had a capo on the first fret putting it in the correct key. I think that is why I got tired of classical guitar. Most of the works are in guitar friendly keys. My only experience with a capo was when I was young. I took flamenco guitar lessons. My capo consisted of a wood block that had a nylon string attached to it and on the other end a violin peg. You wrapped the string around the neck and turned the violin peg into a hole on the top of the wood block.

[unclrob]

For me I hate kyser's for that mate I don't need or use them.Most people put the capo right behind the fret which cuts into the fret when it sould be place in between the frets,also its like a vice grip that it can cause damage to the crown.I also hate when not in use they clip it to the headstoke which can/will cause damage.


back to my cave so wait 4 seconds before throwing rocks

[teh]

That is a cool looking capo. I have a lot of different capos from various makers, including Kaiser, around the house and in guitar cases.

One of the most interesting is a Shubb C7b partial capo which switches a guitar in standard tuning to DADGAD tuning when placed over the 5th, 4th and 3rd strings at the second fret. With this capo in place, you can easily play barre chords up the neck without affecting the rest of the strings. If you place the capo over the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings at the second fret, it switches the guitar to an A chord. Either way, this partial capo opens up lots of new possibilities in your music.

I also have a Kyser partial capo which has a gap over the 6th string and switches the guitar to Dropped D tuning when placed at the second fret.

One final thought. I have three G7th capos made in England and two have broken. Since they have a lifetime warranty, I emailed the company, filled out an online claim form and they replaced both of them, no questions asked.

[Queequeg]

For me I hate kyser's for that mate I don't need or use them.Most people put the capo right behind the fret which cuts into the fret when it sould be place in between the frets,also its like a vice grip that it can cause damage to the crown.I also hate when not in use they clip it to the headstoke which can/will cause damage.


back to my cave so wait 4 seconds before throwing rocks

Agreed about the placement of the capo between the frets, and that Kyser spring will put your eye out.
Shubbs are good although they tend to sharpen the 6th string and I generally have to retune just that 6th string, but D'Adarrio is my first choice. Quick and easy, very light weight and won't break the bank.

[Silence Dogood]

No fans of Paige here at all?  I really like them but have to admit I enjoy there being nothing on the guitar behind the nut for a change.  Sometimes I'll do string bends behind the nut with harmonics and the Paige gets in the way.

 Also have to admit I've always thought a Kyser clipped onto the headstock looks cool.  When I was around 20 I started going to church and learning to play with a praise band.  The leader always had a capo on his D35 and he became a sort of hero to my young self.  I guess where I picked up an affinity for the capo/headstock look. 

[awarsoca]

Another brand that does this is Thalia and they have some pretty cool designs on their website.  There is a JCL specific one in the pro shop at Larrivee

Neck profile can matter, but the biggest thing is the fret board radius. Most players don't notice capos sending their strings out of tune. That's why most capos are sold in one radius even though guitars aren't. If you don't notice the change in intonation, or don't mind retuning, get a Shubb or other inexpensive type that lets you control the pressure.

I used to get frustrated with having to re-tune my guitar after applying a capo (no matter what capo or guitar) so I went down that rabbit hole and ended up with yoke style capos, in various radius. Essentially, they are shaped to match the fret curvature so no string gets squeezed harder than the others, thus the intonation stays correct. The back tightens at the center so it's equal rather than clamping from the side. I prefer KatsEyez (however he spells it) capos over the absurdly expensive Elliot brand. The guy at Kats made me some custom ones relatively cheap and they were game changers.

Again, if you don't hear the capo squeezing some strings tighter, don't fuss with the expensive ones. Most people will never notice, or they will just retune with the capo on. But, if you're like me and it's a point of frustration, there's options.

[B0WIE]

Another brand that does this is Thalia and they have some pretty cool designs on their website.  There is a JCL specific one in the pro shop at Larrivee

Do you mean custom? Their inherent design is very different than the yoke style. I'm not a fan of the Thalia, personally. But, I know they're quite popular and I've seen great feedback over the years.

 One of the things I really like about the Katz is that they're extremely light and thin. More so than similar style capos. I just checked and they're $120 now, which means they're more than most people will spend so I won't link them here. But, if I lost one of mine I'd replace it without question.

[mike in lytle]

I have a bunch of capos I never use, but my favorite never-used capo is the Larrivee-branded Thalia I got a number of years ago. It came with about 20 inserts, even one for partial capo, but the best part is it came with a copy of the Group of Seven Guitar Project DVD, which I still watch on a regular basis because it is really good.
Mike

[StringPicker6]

I get a kick out of those funky old school capos that look like a wooden dowel with an elastic band around the back. You use one of those and you end up looking like the flying nun. 

[B0WIE]

 The first capo I ever remember seeing was the old wrap-around (velcro?) fabric types. My mom's hippy friend had one on her guitar, which I was forbidden to touch, and I was baffled at this strange witchcraft. How could cloth hold those strings down (and, why would you want it to)? Looking back, probably not very well. 

 

[William2]

I was wondering why some instrumental players that don't sing use a capo for their playing. I see this a lot with Tommy Emmanuel and some Celtic music players. Second fret seems to be a popular place for the capo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQ2dp5CjV8

[B0WIE]

I was wondering why some instrumental players that don't sing use a capo for their playing. I see this a lot with Tommy Emmanuell and some Celtic music players. Second fret seems to be a popular place for the capo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQ2dp5CjV8

For me, it's the energy of the song. Just like a human voice, the guitar sounds more relaxed in the lower registers and more energetic up high. Sometimes, just two frets creates a different feel.

That said, when I see one two frets up it's often not holding the low E so, sometimes it's just drop D without retuning.

[Queequeg]

I was wondering why some instrumental players that don't sing use a capo for their playing. I see this a lot with Tommy Emmanuel and some Celtic music players. Second fret seems to be a popular place for the capo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQ2dp5CjV8

I just play instrumentals. I capo up to the 4th and the 6th and even the 7th fret because like B0WIE says, that's where the energy for that song is best discharged. I want to hear the... can I say "open strings" chiming. I can get the fingerings down at the nut but the piece just doesn't live and breathe there.
For a very similar reason, I play a baritone guitar because I want that low, sonorous cello-like resonance for some pieces.

[StringPicker6]

Paul McCartney used to play in the bathroom as a kid because it sounded better.