Horses for courses - though I don't care much for the Ernie Ball type with the strap. You're likely to get too much pressure or too little.

I like the Shubbs best of all - though they're fiddly to set up and once you have them set up for one guitar they may not form a happy union with another.


The Kyser type (the second type you show) has the advantage of a quick change. I have seen players (John Martyn, Guy Buttery) move the capo whilst playing. You can't do that with a Shubb. Also they're easily stowed on the head stock. I think they can also mark the neck because the pressure (generated by the spring) is not regulated and can't be regulated.


I have a G7th Performance capo.

This has a lot going on the convenience side of things and if you get the hang of it you will always have just enough pressure applied. Again you can't move them around on the fly like you do the Kyser type. The mechanism works very well, and the capo will easily handle a 12 string or go a long way up a 6 string neck. However I find them more obtrusive than the Shubb in certain hand positions. They're not cheap. I bought mine in London - it was twice the price of a Shubb. It's the sexiest looking capo by a some distance.

well I'm scouting for one of these as well and I asked elsewhere becasue noone here was talking to me at the time and I got a whole lot of different opinions. And one guy said that he digs the planet waves ns capo lite which is going for like nothing on take2. http://more.take2.co.za/moreusa-planet-waves-ns-capo-lite-b0037ma69i.html. but I dont know what it costs in stores though. And someone else reckoned that the G7th capos are the greatest. But they're a bit more $. http://more.take2.co.za/moreusa-g7th-nashville-capo-silver-b000y7t9ce.html or http://more.take2.co.za/moreusa-g7th-performance-capo-six-string-silver-b0007gguga.html. So I still dont know but will probably try and find a planet waves to begin with.

i have the planet waves ns capo lite.



while i haven't tried any other capos, as i got this one as a present and hadn't used one before that, i would say its pretty excellent. its very simple and it works. plus, you can effectively set the pressure on the strings with the little screw. its also pretty cheap. only downside is that it takes more time to put on/take off than the ones with the spring.

good luck

makepeace wrote: i have the planet waves ns capo lite.



while i haven't tried any other capos, as i got this one as a present and hadn't used one before that, i would say its pretty excellent. its very simple and it works. plus, you can effectively set the pressure on the strings with the little screw. its also pretty cheap. only downside is that it takes more time to put on/take off than the ones with the spring.

good luck

Let me just understand, when putting it on do you have to set the tension using the knob every time?

+1 on Shubb. Very cool once Bob explained that it needed careful set up for the guitar you're using.

I have tried them all, Capos are the bane of my life in some way, the day I find one that keeps my guitar perfectly in tune... Will be.... well the day...
Especially when I partial Capo and a normal capo above that... eeek
The best of the lot

1. The G7th
2. Shubb

er ja if you have to throw in the Kysers, they do the job too, when I cant find the G7 or the Shubbs...
and Kyser for the Partial Capos, cause no one else makes them...

Kilgors Harmonic Capo.. Wasted my money
The Spider Capo... Wasted my money

Like I say, if it has the word capo in, I have tried it ?

i use kyser and shubb, prefer the shubb.

Brentcgp wrote:Kilgors Harmonic Capo.. Wasted my money
The Spider Capo... Wasted my money

That's good to know 'cause it looks like such a cool idea. I'd have wasted my money on it too.

Capo's provide for different voicings and are very useful for that, but generally speaking they cause accelerated wear on frets - check out any blue grass player's guitar for fret wear.

Right with that in mind, the G7 is my favourite and Shubb next.
The G7 is pressure regulated - you merely press onto it until it takes up the pressure. The release mechanism works like a charm.
The Shubbs are very nice too, but you can't stick them onto the headstock, which is exactly why I lost mine in the first place.
I don't like the Keiser spring-types because the spring is way too tight and causes the strings to bite into the frets causing rapid wear.

It is also important to note that capoes for classical guitars are different, for they are not radiused like steelstring models, but flat.

zohn wrote: It is also important to note that capoes for classical guitars are different, for they are not radiused like steelstring models, but flat.

Important point this.

I only use Shubb now, maily because you can get spares (ie rubber thingy that contacts the strings/frets, plastic thingy that fits on the screw). I must admit those capos that look like they've been designed by Porsche look pretty sexy.

I use the Planet Waves NS Capo. The G7 capo is probably very good but checking it out on eBay its very expensive!! The NS capo is light, nifty and can be operated with one hand. (I do it with one hand!). For me the Shub is a good second option.
The capo useum is fascinating. Its amazing how many different ways guitarists over the centuries have devised of improvising such a device. http://www.sternercapo.se/Capomuseum/. If you ever get washed up on a desert island pencil and a rubber band also works!

chilliepot wrote: If you ever get washed up on a desert island pencil and a rubber band also works!

Only on a classical though...

Whenever a new student arrives with a Capo I say "do you play in a worship band" and they say "how can you tell" and then I proceed to teach them all about bar chords ?

i have a large selection , both for classical and steel string ...... i have those simple jim dunlop ones which are great for nylons almost like the old traditional flamenco capo's that wrap around the guitar and the i have a kyser ( which i find too big .... it's very unwieldly to have on the guitar ) and a NS one from planet waves..... which unfortunately has a little wheel one turns to release the tension which intermittantly on my one fails to release the mechanism even though it turns, prob a freak fault but i loved the light weight .....but that wheel not releasing at times makes it unreliable for stage where i want quick changes between tunes.and even though it works if i fiddle with it ..... thats a no no on stage .but that weight of the NS is awsome almost feather light ( it's made outa airplane aluminium or was it space shuttle ?) but the one i use at gigs is the shubb one ...it replaced the NS when it started giving probs..... it's easy and works great and i often use the capo with the E string open as in uncapo'd for my original work and it never slips off.....so the shubb is out of all of them my fave and roadtested and never a hassle..

Keira WitherKay wrote:but the one i use at gigs is the shubb one ...it replaced the NS when it started giving probs..... it's easy and works great and i often use the capo with the E string open as in uncapo'd for my original work and it never slips off.....so the shubb is out of all of them my fave and roadtested and never a hassle..

This sounds interesting. Are you saying that the shubb can be used to partially capo the neck without modifications?

deefstes wrote:

Keira WitherKay wrote:but the one i use at gigs is the shubb one ...it replaced the NS when it started giving probs..... it's easy and works great and i often use the capo with the E string open as in uncapo'd for my original work and it never slips off.....so the shubb is out of all of them my fave and roadtested and never a hassle..

This sounds interesting. Are you saying that the shubb can be used to partially capo the neck without modifications?

well yes any of the clamp type capo's the kyser/ns and shubb can work as partial capo ..well by partial i leave the low E uncapo'd ..... i doubt it can leave say 2 strings uncapo'd but i aint tried that yet ..dfinitely stable ( as in never slips off) with either high or low E uncapo'd

deefstes wrote:

Keira WitherKay wrote:..... it's easy and works great and i often use the capo with the E string open as in uncapo'd for my original work and it never slips off.....so the shubb is out of all of them my fave and roadtested and never a hassle..

This sounds interesting. Are you saying that the shubb can be used to partially capo the neck without modifications?

Partial capos are popular in the States. Phil Keaggy sometimes uses two in tandem that leave different strings open.
The most common is the one that covers the lower 5 strings leaving the top (bass E) string open as in a dropped-D configuration.

I don't use a Capo - I have 6 fingers on my left hand .... ? ? ? ?