Capo Question

[jklotz]

Every time I see a blue grass player, they have one of those Elliot style capos. I've never tried that style, one reason being I've heard they don't work if the headstock has a volute.

What is it about this style of capo that makes it so appealing for bluegrass guys?

[llew]

Not sure about bluegrass players but it's small, thin, and out of the way. And it pulls from the center of the back of the neck so it tends to not pull your strings sharp like some spring loaded capos will. Never heard anything about not working with a volute? They do come in different sizes based on your guitar. They aren't inexpensive but they do work well when I use mine but I typically use a Planet Waves capo FWIW?

[StillStephen]

Originally Posted by jklotz

Every time I see a blue grass player, they have one of those Elliot style capos. I've never tried that style, one reason being I've heard they don't work if the headstock has a volute.

What is it about this style of capo that makes it so appealing for bluegrass guys?

The volute issue is only if you want to store the capo above the nut, it has no effect on using it. As noted, it offers more even direct downward pressure on the strings. There are a couple of latch versions to choose from. Also recommend going up one size - if your nut is 1-11/16, buy a 1-3/4 which will allow you to capo further up the neck, but still be out of the way.

[Wellington]

I've also noticed this, I've never used one, I mainly use a shubb to deal with getting sharp or not, then a Kyser as a backup, but I'd like to try one these other types one day.

[Scotso]

Paige or Taylor styles...Eliotts?- I would not buy one cuz I am forgetful and prone to losing them. This style is nice cuz you can slide behind the nut on top of strings without tuning issues. Never had a volute prob I can see it with a high profile volute

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by jklotz

...What is it about this style of capo that makes it so appealing for bluegrass guys?

I've never had a problem on any guitar with a volute when using an elliot-style capo. It does take a few more seconds and two hands to secure when not using than a clamp-style capo on the headstock.

[gr81dorn]

It's funny...you see a lot of guys with super expensive guitars buying these super expensive capos and you start thinking the must have some magic to 'em.

Then you see someone like, say James Taylor, who plays $50,000 Olson guitars and uses a $10 Dunlop trigger capo. And, for what it's worth, there is a video on YouTube of James tuning a guitar. He is ridiculously meticulous to intentionally tune certain strings a few ticks sharp and flat to get the right sound....with that level of atttention to detail on tuning, I'm shocked he'd use a cheap spring-loaded capo, except that I have several of them and they work awesome, so...who knows.

I don't rag the Elliots, I just can't seem to get on board when I think that Dunlop, the $12 Planet Waves, even like $30 G7th are super good at their job. Every capo is gonna pull the strings a little. Your set-up and strings have more to do with it staying in tune than the capo IMHO.

[Michael Watts]

I've never had a problem using an Elliot capo on a guitar, in fact I wouldn't use anything else now to be honest. That said I'm not sure I've tried one on a Martin with a volute. I hope you find something that works for you.

All the best

Michael

[Beakybird]

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

It's funny...you see a lot of guys with super expensive guitars buying these super expensive capos and you start thinking the must have some magic to 'em.

Then you see someone like, say James Taylor, who plays $50,000 Olson guitars and uses a $10 Dunlop trigger capo. And, for what it's worth, there is a video on YouTube of James tuning a guitar. He is ridiculously meticulous to intentionally tune certain strings a few ticks sharp and flat to get the right sound....with that level of atttention to detail on tuning, I'm shocked he'd use a cheap spring-loaded capo, except that I have several of them and they work awesome, so...who knows.

I don't rag the Elliots, I just can't seem to get on board when I think that Dunlop, the $12 Planet Waves, even like $30 G7th are super good at their job. Every capo is gonna pull the strings a little. Your set-up and strings have more to do with it staying in tune than the capo IMHO.

I'm becoming capo agnostic as well. After seeing a legend like James Taylor using a cheap Dunlop, and after trying a bunch of capos, the strongest I can feel is a slight preference for Shubbs.

[Goodallboy]

Any capo discussion that doesn’t include G7th’s Adaptive Radius Technology is missing the greatest innovation in capos since they were designed.

So there it is.

[brandall10]

My Elliot Elite stores just fine behind the nut on my PW 000-28 w/ volute.

I can imagine it could be a problem on slotheads w/ a thickish headstock though.

It's crazy nice, I love how well it applies equal pressure without *too* much to make any strings go sharp. An adaptive radius capo would be handy to use on multiple guitars with other radii, so you do have to get one specific for your guitar.

[gr81dorn]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Any capo discussion that doesn’t include G7th’s Adaptive Radius Technology is missing the greatest innovation in capos since they were designed.

So there it is.

Pfffft....that's got nothing over this tried and true capo...

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by StillStephen

The volute issue is only if you want to store the capo above the nut, it has no effect on using it. As noted, it offers more even direct downward pressure on the strings. There are a couple of latch versions to choose from. Also recommend going up one size - if your nut is 1-11/16, buy a 1-3/4 which will allow you to capo further up the neck, but still be out of the way.

FWIW, I can capo my 1 3/4 up to the 8th fret on my 000-28 which measures 2 1/4" at the 12th fret (1 3/4" nut, 2 5/16" string spacing).

[jim1960]

The Elliot is a nice capo but it isn't the right capo for everyone. I tried one for a bit many years ago. The part of the capo that wraps around the underside of the neck was interfering with fretting hand. It didn't take too long before I went back to the Shubb which, when top mounted, leaves the underside clear.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by jklotz

Every time I see a blue grass player, they have one of those Elliot style capos. I've never tried that style, one reason being I've heard they don't work if the headstock has a volute.

What is it about this style of capo that makes it so appealing for bluegrass guys?

Hi jk

First off, they DO work fine as a capo, even with odd shaped/size volutes. They just don't store by sliding them down past the nut well if the volute is tall or odd shaped. They are pretty easy to remove from the neck and slip right in a pocket.

The allure is the narrow top armature which doesn't tend to mute strings rather than simply depress them. And it just apply to Bluegrass players.

And storing behind the nut was not why I bought mine.