Get your D'addario NS Tri-Action Capo Here.
Introduction
The D'addario NS Tri-Action Capo is close to the Mecca of capos. It aims to combine the speed of a spring based design the accuracy of adjustable tension. Generally, capos choose between these two advantages. The Tri-Action wants it all. To top it off, D'Addario offer this at an affordable price. While there are a few minor flaws that mean this is not literal perfection, we are very pleased with this capo. We recommend this as the best spring based capo.
The Make: "Tri-Action"
The Tri-Action capo is a quick action capo. Built from aluminum, the body is light and sturdy. It is thin looking compared to a some others, the but the make is great. The frame is large so that you can wrap one hand around the handles and pull it off with easy. We have found that you need to really your hand all the way around, so that your hand really gets a hold of the capo, otherwise it can be a bit jumpy. Don't just use your thumb and two fingers. The handles are designed so you grip is underneath the guitar and it is intuitive. The geometry of the handles and screw is well thought out. As it is quite large you can get good leverage on handles, meaning that it is not too hard to grip.
The make is slightly on the cheap side. There is a plastic piece holding the adjustable nut in place, which seems out of place on the lovely aluminum. Some find that after a while the rubber piece on the top can come a little loose and you need to be careful putting the capo on. Don't get us wrong - the capo is well made. It comes on and off easy and does an amazing job of living up to its promise of combining quick release with adjustment (more on that below). We expect that if you get one you will love it and it will last for along time, unless you are using it a lot.
What we are saying is that while the capo does everything well it, the quality of make is not quite as good as the more famous Kyser or even a fancy capo like the G7th Performance 3. One result is that it is not quite as easy and fast to use as the Kyser, but the different is minimal. There will be some purists who love the simplicity and quality of the Kyesr. The Tri-Action will be able to get on and off the guitar almost as fast, certainly fast enough to change during a live show without sweating it.
Just a note - we aren't sure why it is called the "Tri-Action." As far we we can tell, there are two actions - opening and closing the capo (one action) and adjusting the screw (a second action). If anyone knows - let us know!
The Adjustable Tension
This is where the magic is. At the bottom of the spring there is a micrometer adjustment screw that you can turn to change the amount of tension in the spring. Incredible! Capos are always sailing between the Scylla of intonation problems and the Charybdis of buzz. When there is too much tension the strings can be pulled raising the intonation of the string sharper, and this unevenly. When there is not enough tension the string is not held firmly against the metal fret and it can buzz when played. The worse evil is buzzing, so many capos fall on the side of higher tension. The end result is that players often need to retune their guitar whenever they put the capo on.
Not so the, Tri-Action. The addition of this screw allows the guitar player to adjust the tension. If there is buzzing, tighten it up. If there is large intonation problems, loosen it. Does it work? Yes! We find that this capo does in fact go along way to resolving this baked-in capo problems. The custom tension is a fantastic addition that makes this a great design.
Now. This capo does not elimante all problems. As different guitars have different curvature on their fretboards one capo won't perfectly match all guitars. Further, the tension is not infinitely adjustable. Even the lowest setting has quite a bit of force, so a thin necked guitar with light strings may still have intonation problems. We are adding a little bit of realism to the excitement. We are saying this capo isn't the Platonic idea of The Capo. This qualification in mind, we love this capo and think you will too.
Other Considerations
In terms of looks, this capo is both thin and large, approaching the look of a sail. It is well designed, but nothing special to look at. We are disappointed that there are only two colour options, black and silver.
The capo has an interesting extra feature: and integrated pick holder. You can slot in one pick up in the plastic piece on the bottom. We have found that thinner picks work well intros slot, but thicker ones are harder to get in and out. This features might be helpful for some, but we would have preferred D'Addario to swap out the plastic piece for the high grade aluminum and drop the pick holder. This is a great capo that doesn't need the gimmick.
Integrated Pick Holder
Conclusion
This is a great capo that combines the best of two worlds: quick release springs and adjustable tension. D'Addario have executed on this this concept with a capo that is well make, easy to use and reduces the capo tension-problems. We highly recommend this capo to all interested.
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