Capo....how far up the neck ????

[Hipgrncln]

Look to be ordering a capo and the question of how far up the neck do you capo came up. The correct size capo allows up to @ 7th fret. Never had to go further but wondering about the possibilities.


Bob J

[GibbyPrague]

The highest we go is 6th fret and it seems fine with my Jim Dunlop clamp capo. wouldnt want to go much higher.

[Sombras]

I've used the G7th Performance, G7th Nashville, and Kyser capos up to the ninth fret on my Taylor. The Nashville and Kyser units worked great, but past the 5th fret the (expensive!) Performance capo starts to falter. YMMV

I'm thinking that user tendencies, capo design, string gauge, and neck characteristics all come into play when trying to compare capo effectiveness.

[Work & Worry]

The tension on the Shubb is adjustable, so you can pretty much go as high as you want. I think I've capo'd up to the 10th fret, beyond that, starts sounding like a mando!

[mchalebk]

I use a Planet Waves NS capo and play several songs that put the capo at the 7th fret (Scarborough Fair, John Barleycorn, Cat's in the Cradle). That's the highest I've ever tried for live performance.

One of my guitars is a Composite Acoustics Xi model and I have played around with a capo on the 12th fret. It works fine (the extreme cutaway makes it possible), but it's awfully hard to cram the fingers in to play full chords. it doesn't sound all that good by itself, but I thought I might double a standard part some time (kind of like Nashville tuning with all octave strings).

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Work & Worry

The tension on the Shubb is adjustable, so you can pretty much go as high as you want. I think I've capo'd up to the 10th fret, beyond that, starts sounding like a mando!

Right. It's feasible to use a Shubb capo even up to the octave fret, but if you do that the instrument's tuning has to be adjusted to a significant degree. The only time it's really practical to capo that high is when you're in a recording studio and need that particular sound for a particular song.

On a more practical day to day performing basis, I generally capo no higher than the fifth fret. It seems to me that at one point I was playing a couple of songs while capoed at the seventh fret, but I guess I decided I didn't like the tone of the strings when they're capoed up that high. So I figured out alternative voicings elsewhere on the neck.

I capo most frequently on the first, second and third frets, both on standard six string and also on my acoustic baritone guitar. On some songs on standard guitar I capo at the fifth fret, but generally go no higher than capoing at the third fret on the baritone.


Wade Hampton Miller

[kente777]

Bob,

It also depends on your neck profile. I have a Martin with a modified low oval and my Shubb has no problem going to the 7th fret. However, with my other Martin (modified V profile), the capo only went to about the 5th. After that it did not have a good fit, even to the point of popping off. So I got the Planet Waves NS capo and no problem going to the 7th fret.

[Glennwillow]

I have used capos up to the 7th fret but commonly use them up to the 5th fret. The further you go up the neck, the more the capo seems to get in the way of my fretting hand.

- Glenn

[shambolic]

The beatles 'Here comes the sun' was capoed on the 7th fret sounds ok to me

[Dan Carey]

Originally Posted by Hipgrncln

Look to be ordering a capo and the question of how far up the neck do you capo came up. The correct size capo allows up to @ 7th fret. Never had to go further but wondering about the possibilities.


Bob J

Hmmm. Never gave it a thought till now. I've never been past the fifth fret.

[Hipgrncln]

Part of the reason I was asking was because of a hopeful purchase of an elliott capo. Do NOT want to make a mistake.

Bob J

[M19]

Originally Posted by shambolic

The beatles 'Here comes the sun' was capoed on the 7th fret sounds ok to me

That sets my limit. Use a Shubb 12-er.

[BigRed51]

Originally Posted by Hipgrncln

Part of the reason I was asking was because of a hopeful purchase of an elliott capo. Do NOT want to make a mistake.

The limiting factor with an Elliott is going to be the width of the fretboard ... They make 3 or 4 widths, and I believe their website gives the maximum width for each size ... i.e. the 1 11/16 model will fit up the neck until it reaches 2" in width. I believe that they are designed to work up to the 7th fret on a guitar where the nut width matches the capo model width ... for example, their standard model is the 1 11/16, and it should work up the the 7th fret of most 1 11/16 nut width guitars ... it would work on a 1 3/4 guitar, but only up to the 5th fret.

While I capo at 2 and 4 most of the time, will often capo at 5 or 6 when playing with another guitar ...

[ErikH]

My G7th will go up to the 7th fret with no issues

[Jeff M]

Most capos are adjustable.
Assuming that the capo fits the neck and isn't digging into it/damaging it, and it frets the strings cleanly, there is nothing says you can't capo up as you want to.