The Best Capo

[M.W.P.]

Paige for me. Don't see many mention this one.

[pjroberts]

Originally Posted by Marshall

Planet Waves NS. Set your own pressure. Quick on and off. Fits in your pocket.

Not so much, for me. These are the Planet Waves that I have. And though effective, lightweight & small, AND way affordable (I got two for under $20), they are NOT nearly as fast as the G7th capos (take your pick, Performance 1 & 2 or Newport).

If fast and easy (and easy is in my case, a product of fast) is not of concern or if capo use is infrequent, these are great, effective capos —*i especially love the adjustable tension, which is similar in function to my fav G7s.

Nothing like capo and string debates to bring out the AGF opinionators.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by M.W.P.

Paige for me. Don't see many mention this one.

Which except for your post and mine, it's largely ignored that the most expensive capo we've seen is the same design as the Paige.

Oh well......

[JonHBone]

i'm in the shubb camp. like others I've never needed to replace it for falling apart or losing strength. I think mine is about 12 years old now.

[Misty44]

Originally Posted by GraceGuitars

This is not the first time I've seen this mentioned. Could someone please explain to me the physics of why an Elliott capo would not require retuning and a Shubb (or similar adjustable tension capo) would? Every capo I have used usually makes the low E and A strings go noticeably sharp, even if carefully placed and tensioned. I've seen the Elliott capos and can't decipher what the difference would be.

I have an old McKinney/Rice capo made by Bill Stokes, predecessor to Phill Elliott. I'm also a bluegrass guitar enthusiast, which was my introducton to the McKinney style capos way back when...they were/are very popular with this group. Unlike the placement of other capos, I noticed that the McKinney's were placed directly on the fret, just back from center:

Rice, Rowan, Tyminski -



This capability minimizes string pull and fret wear, and is a result of the bar design and tubing. Tom McKinney's design was based on a circa 1900 yoke and screw capo Tony Rice had been using:



And they do require a bit of looking down to adjust them just so, as Tony demonstrates:



I also love the Shubb and have oodles of them around the house and one in each case. But because of its broad flat pad, the Shubb does not sit or perform well on the fret, and thus will be subject to some degree or other of pulling the strings sharp.

The only other capo I've come across that works like the McKinney Elliott is the now defunct Kat Eyz made by Mike Smith. They actually have an even smaller profile that the ME.

Shubb, McKinney, Kat Eyz -

[Toby Walker]

I demand one extra requirement from a capo, which 99.9% of capos cannot do... and that's hold the string in place when I'm bending it up.

Only two capos... and I've tried practically all of them... have accomplished this: The Shubb and the Elliot.

[Twelvefret]

How many of you pickers remember the brass Golden Gate? I still have one that I bought after seeing Norman with one.

[BluesyRob]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Which except for your post and mine, it's largely ignored that the most expensive capo we've seen is the same design as the Paige.

Oh well......

Originally Posted by M.W.P.

Paige for me. Don't see many mention this one.

I also mentioned the Paige. I guess we're a small club...

[Larry Pattis]

Most people that recommend the Shubb have never held or tried the Victor capo...

[00-28]

Originally Posted by Larry Pattis

Most people that recommend the Shubb have never held or tried the Victor capo...

Is that a genetic thing? Allergies? Innate fears? ......Mike

Originally Posted by Twelvefret

How many of you pickers remember the brass Golden Gate? I still have one that I bought after seeing Norman with one.

I could probably scrounge one up if pressed.

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

I believe it's primarily two things, maybe three, or four.

Straight pull
Precision adjustability
Stiffness of structure
Match to fretboard radius

By "straight pull" are you referring to even tension distribution of the capo across the strings?

The Shubb is also precision-adjustable and stiff.

As to the fretboard radius, it seems when I went to their website, that the only stock option you could change was to choose your guitar's nut width. Are you referring to their custom program (where they make one to your specifications)?

I don't currently feel comfortable spending that much on a capo, but would definitely like to get one in the future just to see.

[RustyZombie]

I'm happy with my Kyser, as it allows me to move it with one hand in the middle of the song and it doesn't pull the strings sharp. However, it should be noted that I place the capo on the fret and the acoustic I use it on is unusual in that it has medium jumbo frets.

Originally Posted by GraceGuitars

By "straight pull" are you referring to even tension distribution of the capo across the strings?

The Shubb is also precision-adjustable and stiff.

As to the fretboard radius, it seems when I went to their website, that the only stock option you could change was to choose your guitar's nut width. Are you referring to their custom program (where they make one to your specifications)?

I don't currently feel comfortable spending that much on a capo, but would definitely like to get one in the future just to see.

Yes, that is what I mean by straight pull. The tension adjustment being in the middle of the neck and the yoke extending to both sides.

The Shubb is precisely adjustable and stiff, which I why I like it. However to adjust it, you have to unclamp it. I make make small adjustments to Elliott one handed.

Phil will build (within reason) anything you want. Their standard capo matches the radius of Martin necks, which is mostly what I play.

If you want to try one but aren't fully committed, look for a used one. You have to be fast because they sell quickly. If you don't like it, you can resell it and maybe lose nothing or just the cost of shipping.

[BrunoBlack]

It's Shubb for me, but have had surprisingly good luck with Kava trigger capo I got this year (time will tell) Pretty nicely made with good clamping pressure and padding. It stays tuned reasonably well. Costs under $20 on Amazon.