Kyser Capo Follow Up Poll

[rokdog49]

Since the ongoing post declared that Kyser's were not the Capo of choice, I thought I would do the good old informal poll and see what turned up.

[The Bard Rocks]

I have one on the guitar I use the least. Some time ago, it stopped working on one of my other guitars, which shook my confidence. Other capos worked on that guitar, but not the Kyser. Yet it used to and I could find no way to get it right (until, years later, I did a partial refret). After the Bird of Paradise, it's my least favorite, though the Dunlop is close on it's heels. My Shubbs, G7s, and Planet Waves capos are all a pleasure to use.

[musicman1951]

I have one in my collection. I gave it a good bend and then had to bend it back a bit. I can't seem to get it to work without making the low E string sharp.

I have a McKinney-Elliott, G7 and a couple of Shubbs - then there's the Kyser. If I ever run into a song that requires a really quick capo change I'll use it - but not before.

I have a working musician friend who uses one and just de-tunes that low E string when it's on. Whatever works for you.

[Wade Hampton]

As I mentioned in the previous thread about Kyser capos, I've used them at other people's houses when I didn't have my own guitars and capos with me. I've learned how to minimize the intonation problems with them, though not eliminate them entirely.

I've never owned one, and probably never will, unless I trade for or buy a guitar that has one in its case pocket, that form of accidental swag sometimes known as "case candy."

As should seem clear, I'm not a fan of Kyser capos but have learned how to use them fairly effectively. There ARE capos that I dislike considerably more than I dislike Kysers. No names, thank you, but

Exhibit A:

˙˙˙

Exhibit B:

˙˙˙

Wade Hampton Miller

[menhir]

I set my Kyser capo aside a long time ago due to the same annoying intonation issues many others experienced.

But unlike many others, the Bird of Paradise is my capo of choice.

[Oldguy64]

I have a ton of capos lying about the place.
I have two Kysers, and I use them when I’m puttering.
I also will use one when we are playing a song that would be easier to chord of the capo were in place.
There is no quicker solution.
Not that my oldest Kyser has been around for years and the spring tension is such that it doesn’t pull me far enough out of time to matter.

That said I have a variety of others. And my favorites are probably the Shubb and a plethora of G7th capos.

[TJE]

I just saw a video of Tommy Emmanuel using a Kyser capo!😜....The latest video I know about 😁

[AuntieDiluvian]

I have one somewhere in an old gig bag that desn't go out anymore. Somewhere along the line I got stuck out of town without it, and stopped into a local store and got a Shubb. I haven't lost the Shubb or left it anywhere, so I still use it.

[JTFoote]

My second capo was a Kyser. I wasn't impressed with it, due to the tuning issues. But I didn't know much about capos back then, with my first one being Wade's "Exhibit A". I used the Kyser because it was readily available at most music stores, and appeared to be an upgrade from the previous example. Then one night, the pad on it fell off during a gig, after having it only a few months. After that, I didn't use one again for years.

I'd buy a new one occasionally, but nothing really worked particularly well. I ended up with an eclectic collection of them, but they were lightly used, at best.

I settled on a Shubb, and stuck with that for a long time (although I still only used one on rare occasions), until I was willing to shell out the money for an Elliott. That was when a capo became a regular part of any playing session, and I haven't bought anything else for over a decade. Since then, if I get a new guitar, it gets a new Elliott to match.

I think about getting some kind of quick-change capo, once in a while, just for convenience, or for experimentation, but memories of that Kyser left a bad taste in my mouth, and I've successfully resisted the urge. For thirty years. I've consigned those type of capos to the past, kinda like my first wife. Live and learn.

... JT

[FrankHudson]

As sometimes with multiple choice polls, no answer really fits.

I don't think I've ever used a Kyser capo. No big conviction on my part. I do have a G7 spring/clamp capo that is roughly similar conceptually, and I keep it right at hand in my "Studio A" because it's super easy to apply quickly with one hand when I'm busy doing other things, like "producing" or engineering as well as playing.

Properly applied I don't find that G7 variation of the spring/clamp design is evil. How it differs from the Kyser I can't say, as I have no experience with the Kyser.

I generally use other capos on my 6 strings however. I prefer the Shubbs and the NS capos on six strings (acoustic and electric). They work, and are easy enough to adjust when I'm not trying to do three things at once.

Interestingly, for width, pad, and curvature reasons I'm often unhappy trying to capo my 12-strings. I keep thinking I need to try that G7 model with the special serrated pad for 12-string double courses. Right now, the G7 spring/clamp model works better than most others on 12-string.

I know others have great luck with Shubbs on their 12-strings. I, for some reason, don't.

[mdshax]

I had moved on from Kysers until they released their low-tension version. I have to say that I like the low-tension version better than most capos, and I tend to reach for them more often even than my Thalias.

[jim1960]

I've given up trying to find a capo I might like better than the Shubb.
I have some Kyser capos that I modified into partial capos many years ago and I still use them occasionally.

[stevemc]

I've always used Shubb capo's. Don't have anything against Kyser's, just never tried one.

[Earl49]

I voted for #4 "would never use one". I have tried them on occasion, but didn't care for the hard tension or the aesthetics. I would choose Wade's Exhibit A over a Kyser any day.... and yes I have one of them. Actually I have to confess that I own a Kyser capo. Years ago I started exploring partial capo use after a workshop at the AFF (Anchorage Folk Festival). I bought the presenter's DVD and a Kyser partial capo that covered only four strings. That capo has not been used in a dozen years however, and it must still be around here somewhere......

For spring capo uses where I want to make one handed switches, the Dunlop Trigger capo has worked far better than the Kyser, at least for me. Better tension and the handles to grip are on the back of the neck, yet still [mostly] out of the way when playing.

[1Charlie]

I use Kysers a lot, usually when I am capo'ing all but the low E on the second fret for a Drop D that I can use a regular G fingering on. Super fast, super easy. No tuning issues.

I have a Paige capo I also use, mostly when I will be capo'ing all six strings.