Introduction
You may not realize it, but a lot of thought -
In this post we have gathered everything there is to know about capos.
What is a capo?
The word capo comes from an old Italian word, "Capo Tasto." In Italian "capo" means "head" and "tasto" is a verb that means to tie or press down. So a "capo tasto" is something that presses down on the head of a stringed instrument. A capo has one goal: to press down on strings to give a musician more freedom and range. The most famous capos are those that brace the six strings of a guitar, but there are many kinds of capos. Some are designed for other stringed instruments, like ukuleles, mandolins and banjos. Other capos are designed for other functions. For example, Kyser have a partial capo that only holds down three strings at time.
If the purpose of the capo is to hold down the strings of a guitar or other instrument, then it needs three things to do this. First, every capo has some way of creating tension and gripping the guitar. The Kyser quick change capo has a double wound steel spring that you can squeeze to open. The capo has two arms that close over the guitar neck from the side. The spring creates a gripping force that holds the capo in place over the frets. Other capos use different methods of creating this tension, like levers, screws or elastic. Second, every capo has some kind of flat bar that holds down the frets. Typically this bar is made of a partially pliable material like rubber or silicone, imitating the human finger. The capo needs to be able to provide force down on the fretboard without damaging the wood. The Kyser has a fretted made from rubber. Third, as the capo is attached to the guitar neck with some tension it needs a way of protecting the neck so its wood doesn't get damaged. The Kyser capo has a silicon piece that slots onto the bottom bracket and softly clasps the neck. The Kyser also has a little piece of fabric on the inside of the body that cushions the guitar if you shove the capo too far in.
What makes a good capo?
These are three essential design features in every capo. A way of creating tension, a flat pliable bar to hold down the frets, and a way of protecting the neck. The long history of capo design is a testament to the ingenuity of humanity. There are hundreds of capo designs out there, and there are over three hundred capo patents on the books. Many people have thought up a new way of designing a capo and made it. There is one guy who collects capos and has put them up on his website called the capo museum. Check it out.
So, if there are so many capos out there, why are only a few brands well known? Well, there are several things that go into making a good capo. Some designs are destined to never see the the light of day. The best ones have a way of claiming the popular spotlight. There are at least seven things that make a capo 'good'.
First, a good capo has no buzzing whatsoever. Some capos have too little tension; some have strange bars. Now, some guitars have buzzing naturally. Electric guitars often have their actions set low, so there will always be some buzzing. However, if you put a capo on and hear buzzing from your guitar when you normally wouldn't, that capo is not worth your time. It is a bad capo.
Second, a good capo is intuitive. When you pick it you can figure out how to use it easily. One capo that was immensely loved and used in the 60's and 70's was the Bill Russell. You can see a picture of it below. It's one of the earliest capos to use elastic to attach to the guitar. It is small and unassuming. When you pick one up you can immediately figure out how to get in onto the guitar. Today, there are many quick change models, and this style is notable in that it is obvious. There are a few successful capos that require a little learning to get on the first time, like the Shubb. The Shubb has a clever lever system that has some real design advantages (more on this later). It can be a little confusing the first time you try it. However, once you get the hang of it, it is easy every time. Any capo that is annoying to understand is a bad capo.
These first two items are the most important: a capo must eliminate excess buzzing and be intuitive to use. There are few other features that capos might have to distinguish themselves. The following features won't be present in every capo. The more of these features, the better the capo.
First, some capos are quick. The Kyser is not only intuitive but fast. It was called the Kyser quick-change capo, for good reason. If you're playing in live show you can get it on and off between songs without breaking a sweat. Second, some capos limit intonation issues. As capos add tension to the guitar they can cause the strings to go sharp. Capos with adjustable tension, like the Shubb or the D'Arrrio NS minimize these problems. Third, some capos inventors seek to create beautiful capos that are a piece of art. The Thalia is billed as such a beautiful capo. They come exotic wood and abalone inlays that are eye catching. Forth, some capos are made cheaply and compete on price point. There are number of Kyser imitators out there being made in China. The Wingo, for example, is a quick change capo that comes in at a low price point.
Popular Capo Brands
There are many capo brands out there. It is worth listing a few of the most popular brands.
The Kyser Quick-Change capo has been popular for at least forty years. It is well made and easy to use. You can check out our full review here.
The Dunlop Trigger Capo has a similar designed as the Kyser and has also been around for years. It is not quite as popular as the Kyser, but you see them around. You can check out our full review here.
The Shubb has also been popular for a long time. This capo is based on a clever lever system. The capo has a roller wheel that creates a "dropoff" affect. As you close the capo the tension builds and then "drops off" in a beautiful magical moment. This drop-off combined with the adjustable tension is a truly great design.
The D'arradio NS is an attempt to improve on the quick change design of the Dunlop and Kyser. This is a spring wound capo, similar to the Kyser, with the addition of a mechanism to adjust the tension. This design is well executed in this great capo.
The Thalia capo company released their first capo design in 2014. These capos aim to combine a new engineering style with gorgeous designs. This capos also comes with replaceable fretpads to match your guitar, reducing intonation problems.
The G7th Performance 3 has the most technological innovations we have ever seen in a single capo. The capo attaches with an original squeezing mechanism. The inventors have also created their proprietary Adjustable Radius Technology. The fretpad of the capo flexes to meet the fretboard
Wingo is a cheaper quick change spring loaded capo.
What is a capo used for?
Classical guitar and lute players of the 1700's were already using capos, and they have been used ever since. The natural question is why? What is a capo used for? The most basic answer is to change the key of the guitar. As guitars have multiple strings the guitar is a natural instrument for playing chords. If you place a capo across the first fret, this raises all the notes up a semitone. If you play an E chord shape, you will really be playing an F Chord. If you place the capo on the second fret you will raise the notes two semitones. Your E chords shape becomes an F#, and so on.
Beyond this basic reason, the main motivation for using a capo is to match the guitar key to other instruments. In particular, the capo helps the guitar be a better singing accompaniment. Some singers have limits to their vocal range, or simply prefer singing in certain keys. If someone is using the guitar to set the key of the song, whomever is singing may desire to sing in a different key. If they simply want a higher key, a capo will do the job. If the singer wants a lower key, the guitarists may need to transpose the chords into different shapes and then use a capo. Either way, the capo is the golden solution.
As an example, in Blues music there are a number of songs that are considered 'standards,' famous songs that most musicians will want to play. Many excellent singers will sing these standards as part of their repertoire, but each singer will select a key they like for that song. The guitar player can play the same chords shapes for each instance of that song and the capo will change the key for the musician.
The ability to change keys on a dime is quite powerful. There are, however, a few further users that musicians have found for capos. For example, sometimes guitarists will place a capo high up on the fret board in order to get a particular high and twangy sound. In the Beatles' song "Here Comes The Song" the acoustic guitar has a capo on the seventh fret, giving the whole song a bright feeling. Simon and Garfunkel's song, "Bleecker Street" Paul Simon has a capo on the ninth fret! Wow. Also, capos can be used on a portion of the fret which can lead to interesting open tuning.
Music Styles that Use Capos
As the capo's central use is to assist the guitar in accompanying other music, musical styles that are focused on the vocals and story telling have an affinity for the capo. In music style where the guitar itself is the a focal point the capo may become more of a hindrance than help.
There are many genre where the capo features a large role. The oldest is Flamenco music. This passionate musical form is from the café's of Seville. The basic elements are singing, dancing, clapping and guitar. The guitar is the only instrument, but the focus is typically on the dancing and singing. The guitar is there to set the key and tempo and even the mood, but the soul of the musical form is the crying, wailing, singing. It no surprise, then, that Flamenco music birthed one of the the earliest capo designs, the cejilla. It is made from a beautiful solid piece of wood, traditionally wrapped with velvet. The tension system is made from guitar parts. A nylon guitar string is wound by a tuning peg attached to the top. Ingenious!
Country music frequently features guitar players using capos. Country music is all about story telling. The lyrics often lead the audience through a journey, either serious or humours. The singing is there to say something. The rhythm guitar is a wonderful partner for many country singers. The ability to play a few simple chords in the right key makes the guitar/capo combo a regular staple of country music. Folk music, the older cousin to country, is also focused on lyrics that tell a story to say something. The guitar/capo combo is popular there too.
Whenever the guitar is used for soloing, the capo can cause problems. If you bend a guitar string when the capo is on, the capo will hold the string somewhat bent which is undesirable. For example, jazz guitarists rarely have capos. Back in the 1950's there was a first fret capo that jazz players commonly installed on their guitars, but this fad did not last. Athletic jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt never used a capo, as they were able to solo in any key.
Rock music is an interesting test case. Bands that feature solos or even heavy electric guitar tend to not have capos. Punk bands, heavy metal bands, guitar shredding - these types of musicians rarely have a capo. There some pop-rock bands or acoustic rock bands, maybe indie rock, that do use capos. The Beatles were really a pop-rock band and many of their sounds were capo based.
What kinds of capos are there?
When discussing kinds of capos there are a few distinctions to make. First, there are capos for different instruments. The most famous capos out there are made for guitars, but there are many other stringed instruments that use capos. There are special capos designed for other kinds of stringed instruments ukuleles, mandolins, banjos and so on. The ukuleles specific capos are like miniature guitar capos, really cute looking. In the 1700's Swedish lutes had a form of capo that was built permanently into the headstock of the lute.
Even within guitar capos there are different kinds to be aware of. For example, Kyser made several different guitar specific capo. Their most popular capo is designed for acoustic guitar. There is different capo made for the electric guitar, which has less tension than the original Kyser. Electric guitars typically have less string tension than acoustic guitars so the capo need less tension to prevent buzzing. Kyser also produce a capo designed for classical guitars. This capo has even less tension than the electric guitar capo. Also, this capo has a perfectly flat fret pad. Acoustic guitars and electric guitars have curved fretboards. Capos are designed to fit curvature and have curved fret pads. Classical guitars, however, have flat fret boards and so it is important to get a classical guitar special capo with a flat fret pad. There are also capos that are designed with specific purposes and look quite different to guitar capos. For example, a banjo fifth string capo looks very very different.
So, there are capos that are use for different instruments. There are other was of classifying different kinds of capos. On Anders Sterner's site he uses two categories to classify his capos. His first category is mechanism. Capos uses different systems for closing and creating tension. Today, the most popular mechanism is springs. Kyser and other quick-change capos have springs that hold two arms shut over the guitar neck. You can squeeze the capo force the spring open. There are many other ways of getting a capo to work! Some capos use screws. The yoke and screw capo is popular in blue grass music. Several companies make these capos as they are considered traditional, including Paige, Shubb and G7th. Some capos use elastic to clip on. The Bill Russell was very popular for twenty years. It is basically a flat bar with a nice piece of elastic. Another method is levers. The have been many lever style capos out there. Today, the Shubb is a popular capo that has a unique take on the lever action, integrating adjustable tension and a lever that you push past. The Hamilton was popular in the same era as the Bill Russell and was based on a lever mechanism.
The other category that Anders Sterner uses to classify capos is the style of attaching. Many capos attach from the side, including the Kyser and all the quick-change spring loaded capos. Again, there are other ways of attaching. Some capos are called yoke style, because they wrap all the way around the neck of the guitar like the yoke system on oxen. Others, like the Bill Russell and the Jim Dunlop Toggle capo, wrap around the guitar neck. Still others are screwed on from the top! While no longer popular, a T-Bone capo was often used in the 1800's. A hole would be screwed right through the neck of the guitar (or lute). The capo itself had a long metal screw that went through this hole and that capo was attached with a screw on the other side of the neck.
Intonation Problems
In our next section we will discuss how to use a capo, that is the best way to place a capo on the guitar. Before we reveal the answer to that question we need to discuss the intonation problems that capos can create. The pitch or note of any stringed instrument is based on a number of factors including string length, string width and string tension. Changing any of these variables will change the pitch being played. When someone fingers a fret or places a capo at a fret they are shortening the string. This action creates a change in the string length that raises the pitch.
In theory when you clip on a Kyser at the second fret, this will raise the pitch by two semitones.
The big problem with this idea is that any capo has the potential to also increase the tension, raising the note too far. That is, capos have the potential of making some of the strings on the guitar sharp. The Kyser and other spring based capos set their tension so that the capo will work, that is they set the capos to be sure to eliminate buzzing. Therefore, they tend to side on more tension rather than less, which means that there will often be intonation issues.
The right way to place a capo
Many people do not realize that exactly where a capo is placed is important and affects intonation issues. Some people place the capo right in the centre of the fret. This is wrong. The best practice is to place your capo as close to the fret as possible. We conducted some experiments to test this and found that placing your capo within 2mm of the fret is best. The greater the distance away from the fret the greater the chances of intonation issues. You can place the capo at 1mm away or even right up against the fret. Placing the capo this close to the fret might feel a bit weird if you are used to placing capo in the middle, but further than 5mm is definitely too far.
During the capo experiments, we discovered a few things. First, electric guitars are much more prone to problems than acoustic guitars. Second, intonation issues do not affect each string the same way. As the capo went further and further away each string reacted differently. Not all strings were sharp, and not all changed pitch at the same pace.
In addition to putting the capo close to the fret, there are a few other considerations. First, it is important to centre the capo on the neck. Second, it is important to keep the capo straight against the fret. These factors are especially for acoustic and electric guitars. As previously mentioned, these capos have curvature that is designed to match the curvature of the guitar neck. Angling or tilting the capo away from the fret has the potential to misalign these curves which creates unevenness between the fretted and the guitar, which aggravates pitch issues.
For some people, intonation problems are no big deal. If you're jamming by yourself you may not notice it all. There are many reasons why some do care about this issue. If you are aware for the problem, and place your capo properly, then the problems will be minimal. Also be aware that you can you retune the guitar after you put the capo on.
Capos that seek to deal with Intonation problems
There are a number of capos that actively seek to address these intonation issues. The classic was of doing this was providing some way of adjusting the tension that the capo applies to the strings. The Shubb capo comes with several neat innovations. Their roller design allows a lever to press just the right amount of force. The roller bar is attached to a screw that changes the precise height of the lever. There is a quite a bit of room for movement in the screw. The screw is a 'set it and forget style.' You need spend a bit of time finding the right spot for your guitar. Find the spot where the Shubb is too loose and begins to buzz, and then make it a little tighter. Once you've done that, you can leave the screw in that spot and the capo should be perfectly set up. In our capo experiments we compared the Shubb to the Kyser. We found that if you set the Shubb to the right tension amount, it can almost eliminate intonation issues. There are other capos that have adjustable tension. The D'Arradio NS combines the quick change spring loaded style with a variable tension. The G7th UltraLight Guitar Capo is another.
In the last ten years a number of capo designers have tried to tackle this intonation problem in other ways. Thalia capo is focused on the issue of fretboard curvature. While it is true to say that all acoustic guitars and electric guitars have curved fretboards, they don't all have the same curvature. This means that often the capos fretpad doesn't quite match the curvature of the fretboard. The result is that your capo will press harder at some points and softer at others, resulting in uneven pressure and creating sharpness. Thalia's capos each come with a set of fourteen fretpads, and a manual explaining how to choose the right fretpad for your guitar. They claim on their site that this means the Thalia capo is an exception to the rule about the right way to place a capo. If they are correct, this means that you can place the Thalia pretty much anywhere without creating problems. We hope to test this theory.
Another company that seeks to tackle this problem-set is G7th. The have released a series of three capos, the G7th Performance, the G7th Performance 2 and the G7th Performance 3. Each new generation add more new technology. Their Performance 3 capo has been called the Tesla of capos. This capo comes with their patented Adjustable Radius Technology (ART) which is another take on their issue of fretboard radius. G7th note that because guitars are made of wood they are not machine perfect. Even a well made fretboard will have variations and imperfections along the surface of the wood. The Performance 3 capo has a fretpad that is flexible. As the capo is squeezed onto the neck, the ART fretpad flexes to meet the fretboard evenly and smoothly, eliminating variance.
Speaking of squeezing, this capo also attaches in a unique way, called the Unique Tension System (UTS). The capo has a wrap-spring clutch on the inside. This is the only capo that you squeeze on. We have found that this hand motion of squeezing a capo on feels a bit strange, but is intuitive to use. The main plus of the UTS is that you can set the amount of tension you want for your guitar. It takes some practice getting it just right, but after a few goes we were able to find that sweet spot.
Non Standard Capos
The majority of this article has so far discussed 'standard' capos, that is devices designed to hold down all six strings of a guitar, all at the same time. There are a number of mechanisms that we call a capo, but have a unique take on exactly what it does. First, there are partial capos. Kyser have a Short Cut Partial Tuning capo that holds does three strings. Using this capo require some understanding of open tunings. While it is not identical, it can be used similarly to playing some open tunings. Kyser also have a Drop-D capo, that holds down five strings. If you place this capo at the second fret it imitates having detuned the bottom string to D. Kyser is not the only company that makes partial capos. Shubb and G7th also have excellent partial capos.
An even more extreme version of this is the spider capo. This capo screws onto the side of the guitar and has six individuals hammers, each controlled by a level. Once you get the capo on you can choose which of six strings you want closed. There is a community of people out there who love experimenting with the Spider capo. We have seen people use multiple of these at the same time. You can get quite creative. You can place two on the guitar and play between them, for example.
Another totally different kind of capo is the banjo fifth string capo. The Shubb banjo fifth string capo looks nothing like other capos you may be familiar with. This capo is a rail that is permanently attached on the side of the banjo with a moving metal notch that can hold down the fifth string. The fifth string on the banjo is called the drone string. It is normally tuned to a G note, and banjo players leave it open. The fifth string 'drones,' that is it rings out on every chord struck, adding volume. The fifth string capo allows the banjo player to change the drone note to allow playing the banjo in different keys.
The History of the Capo
We have written an history of the capo on our site. In the process of researching this subject we discovered there has been almost nothing written about it, either in print or on the internet. In our history series we collected primary documents, including patent filings, photos, paintings
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