G7th Heritage capo full review

[fazool]

G7th Heritage Capo review
By AGF member Fazool

While using a capo on certain guitars, I became increasingly frustrated with certain notes going sharp. Not all notes - only certain notes, so it was tricky to compensate for. My frustration led me to research all the capo options available, which brought me to the G7th Company and their Performance capo.

The capo is a simple, and very old, accessory so finding true innovation is pretty rare. The G7th Performance capo had innovation, however, with a clever new one-handed system for engaging and releasing with adjustable tension. This was exactly what I needed to tame my intonation issues, and it worked perfectly. In addition, the product had very high quality workmanship and an almost artisan level of precision.

I don’t say this lightly, as I lead the engineering of very high precision, microscopically-assisted assemblies of exotic alloy components. So, I live in the world of ridiculously precise machinings of perfect fit and finish. And my G7th Performance capo completely wow-ed me.

When the company announced the Performance-2 successor, I immediately bought one, knowing it would be high quality and curious to see what more you could innovate on such a simple little product.
I was, again, surprised because this “simple little product” did it again: the Performance-2 capo had all the best things of its predecessor, but trimmed them down to a very lightweight profile and added a more ergonomic lock/release mechanism. They did it again!

So lightning struck twice and this company “got lucky” being able to actually come up with truly new ideas and clever innovations again on such a simple and old product. It must be luck, right?

Not so fast…..

When Nick Campling, of G7th, pre-announced their upcoming new Heritage yoke-style capo it caught my attention. Honestly, I’ve never been interested in old, yoke-style capos but my experience with G7th products and innovations immediately made me line up to test drive one.

Quick summary? You want a quick one-line review? I’m debating whether to use “lightning strike thrice!” or “Hell, G7th MAKES the lightning and tells it where to go!”
Make no mistake; I am no glassy-eyed fanboi loyalist gushing about my favorite brand. These guys nailed it, again, and this review is as much about their latest product, as the company itself.

The new Heritage yoke capo brings more innovations to a simple old product that you would have thought was beyond innovation (again). I received this capo, purposefully without reading any advertisement for it and without seeing any specifications or marketing info – I went into this “blind”, deliberately (except the one tagline about their adjustable radius and the instructional video provided to me).

Three innovations set this capo apart:

First is something they call A.R.T. for “Adjustable Radius Technology”. This truly is a very clever feature. Because I worked in a related industry I asked some technical questions about its operation. Nick gave me some inside information about the engineering design of this, which I will respectfully not pass along – it’s not my place to share their engineering info. Suffice it to say; I know this topic very well and this is a really brilliant design - don’t worry about HOW it works – it just does.

The idea behind this is that the rubber bumper moves and reshapes slightly to match the curvature of your fingerboard. So, you can use this capo on a tight radius fingerboard or a more flat fingerboard and you don’t have to wrestle with uneven pressure points across the different strings.

I tried this out on my electric, my fingerstyle acoustic, my 80’s dreadnought (with a les paul neck profile) and even on my broad-neck 12 string. The latter wasn’t a targeted use, but I wanted to really test this thing out. It worked on every guitar, equally.

Now, one thing to note, you still have to adjust the yoke screw for the various neck thicknesses. It’s not an instant snap on use. So, the bottom has to be adjusted between guitars (and position up the neck, but that’s the way a yoke capo works).

Maybe that can be a future innovation (hint, hint, Nick) – if anyone can do that it would be G7th.

So the A.R.T. system really works quite well. I found it to adapt and provide even pressure to whatever fingerboard I threw at it.

The second innovation has more to do with G7th’s precision workmanship that I described above. If you look at the progression from Performance to Performance-2 you can understand this next one. The Heritage capo is extremely thin and lightweight. They apparently used higher strength materials and higher precision machining to create an ultra-lightweight and super strong device. This thing is “feather” light but rock solid sturdy. Again, I know this topic well and this (seriously) feels like aerospace quality parts – stronger and lighter than makes sense to the eye.

The third thing I noticed was the screw mechanism. Now, I admit I don’t know how all the other yoke screws feel but this one is very unique from a mechanism perspective. At first, I thought the threads were too loose and almost “floppy”. Once I used it I understood – the threads are very precise and engage just perfectly- the “looseness” I felt without pressure allowed quick adjustment. It’s hard to describe but it’s the perfect balance of snug secure thread engagement and loose, quick turning knobs. You have to feel this one, yourself, but I think it’s exactly the right balance.

In using this capo, installation and adjustment were very easy. Most importantly, I found intonation to be excellent, even when going from guitar to guitar.
Now, one thing to caution you on: the little latch is a protruding bit of metal. It’s highly polished and very smooth but it sticks out a tiny bit. All yoke capos have this - they have to. So the side guards protect your neck nicely but always pay attention when the capo is “open” so this little exposed bit doesn’t bump your wood. Again, this is not a flaw – it’s a fundamental part of this type of capo. Perhaps another future innovation?
The overall sense I got from this was that it reminded me of jewelry. That’s what it looks and feels like. It’s that good.

The capo arrived in a very elegant gift box

Inside was a very high quality leather case, with a nice polishing cloth.

The leather case, itself, was impressive in workmanship and design.



The size of the capo is surprising in its delicate appearance (but rock-hard solidity)

The workmanship and quality of manufacturing are evident throughout






And, of course, the fit and function on the guitar were perfect


My capo came with a beautifully executed engraving. I highly recommend this as an option to personalize your G7th Heritage capo.
I give this product 5 stars, an A+ score and my highest recommendation.
I think the idea that a company can make such substantial innovations, on an unsuspecting product and create such high quality workmanship is just a wonderful thing and it’s simply not coincidence that they hit another grand-slam homerun – it’s a testament to a really good company.

[DMZ]

Looks cool and quality. I like my G7th as well. Probably get it as well. Good to see all the pics too. Thanks for sharing!

[Schau_ins_Regal]

what´s the retail price?

[BrunoBlack]

Looks very nice. Great pictures Fazool.

[rampix]

Great review Fazool! The McKinney-Elliot I use for my HD28V will only work a few frets up the neck of my recently acquired 000-18GE due to the wider neck. I've grown fond of the stirrup type capos and I think I'll give one of Nick's G7th Heritage models a try for that guitar.

[jay7347]

Been loving my G7's and I look forward to this one. Fazool, your review is one of those aspects that make this a wonderful place for guitar players. Have a great weekend!
-jay

[tgaume]

Very nice, I want one (or 5).

Watched the video of G7thNick on the website, nice to put a face to the name.

It looks nice enough, but at $139 I can't imagine it luring me away from my Elliott capos.

Any chance you could weigh one? My Elliotts are 25-30 grams depending on the model.

[fazool]

Just weighed it - 33g

[pjroberts]

Fazool, thanks for the review. I'm also a G7th fan, but have had a couple guitars that don't play nice due to the radius. Is this the same capo that Nick has been recruiting beta testers for? Not sure, because this one is obviously shipping.

I've been keen to try a G7th Newport for same reason mentioned.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by pjroberts

Fazool, thanks for the review. I'm also a G7th fan, but have had a couple guitars that don't play nice due to the radius. Is this the same capo that Nick has been recruiting beta testers for? Not sure, because this one is obviously shipping.

I've been keen to try a G7th Newport for same reason mentioned.

yes it is that same one

[jaymarsch]

I was also fortunate to be selected to try the new G7 Heritage yoke-style capo. After, I put it through its paces on 4 different guitars with different neck widths and neck shape profiles, here is what I discovered.

This is an elegantly designed and well engineered capo. It most closely resembles the Elliott McKinneys that are my favorite capos. Let's start with my biases - I like a capo that is as light and unobtrusive as possible yet still gives me closest to the same tone and sustain as not using a capo at all. Like the Elliott's, this capo delivers on those attributes. Tone is very clean and full. I tested it on both hex core strings and round core. Bending strings is no problem for this capo either. The string easily moves back into place and pitch.

I find the mechanism for tightening easy to use and like the Elliott, very easy to quickly dial in the right tension. I am not an engineer so cannot comment on the A. R. T. Technology but it must work, because I did not have any issues with switching from different necks. I can note here that I do not usually have any issues with the Elliott's either. I imagine that it would be a nice alternative to exchange pads to fit different necks. And, I am looking forward to trying it out on my friend's electrics.

After, I made all my notes for my review, I saw Fazool's post so I will not repeat here what he shared about the wonderful pouch that the capo comes in except to say that it is included in the price and not a separate item. He posted great pics. The engraved design on the sides are very well done and adds a touch of both class and tradition. Here are a few pics of mine.







I like this capo very much and my only other comments relative to the Elliott is that the adjustment screw is larger on the Heritage and protrudes out farther. It still did not get in my way. And, when playing harmonics, I found that with the Elliott, they ring a bit clearer and louder than with the Heritage. I have pretty sensitive hearing so I am really honing in on small differences here. I had an email exchange with Nick and he has some thoughts on improving on the harmonics and knowing Nick's passion for detail, I imagine he will solve that!

I am picky and I really like this capo. Now, I have two favorite capos - the Elliott and the Heritage.

Very nicely done, Nick! Here is a link if you want to explore further:
http://www.g7th.com/heritage-capos.aspx

Best,
Jayne

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

It looks nice enough, but at $139 I can't imagine it luring me away from my Elliott capos.

Any chance you could weigh one? My Elliotts are 25-30 grams depending on the model.

I am sure that Nick has the weight, but it feels to me to be very similar to my Elliott-McKinney in weight. The Elliott is a bit slimmer and as I said in my review just a tad cleaner with the harmonics. It will compete with the Elliott's with its main attribute being that you can use it from guitar to guitar with radically different neck radii (or is that radiuses?). That will be an assest for folks who regularly play both acoustics and electrics.

Best,
Jayne

[jaymarsch]

Originally Posted by fazool

Just weighed it - 33g

Thanks, Fazool!

[martingitdave]

What is the limitation in terms of neck width for the standard model? Does it handle 1-3/4" nut Martin neck? Would this be effective on my Taylor 12 string?


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