If you have never used a capo before you might be wondering if a capo can damage your guitar. Should you be nervous to clamp a capo onto the neck of your instrument? Guitars are wooden instruments (sometimes hollow) and they are susceptible to scratches, breaks, bends and holes. If you treat your beloved poorly you may regret it. A scratch on the body will mar the appearance and finish. Significant damage, like warping of the neck or cracks and holes on body, will affect both the look and the playability. You want to treat your guitar with respect.
So, do capos damage guitar? The answer is "No." As long as you follow a few simple guidelines capos are perfectly safe and you should use one without fear. In this article we will discuss three types of damage that people worry about: neck damage; string damage and fret damage. We tell you everything you need to know about using a capo safely.
Capos Apply Tension
To understand why people are worried about the potential for damage we need to discuss tension and pressure. Capos do apply tension. They are little devices that hold down guitar strings. The most basic capo has two arms: one that grips the fretboard and strings and another that grips the back of the neck. Together these arms raise the intonation of the guitar allowing you to play common chord shapes with a different key. Capos have different mechanisms to create tension like springs, levers, screws or even strings. No matter the underlying mechanism, every capo applies pressure that imitates humans fingers holding down strings.
Capos Have Fret Pads
As capos add tension guitars need some form of protection. If you take metal bar and squeeze it hard onto your guitar that certainly could damage the neck or the fretboard. Capo makers are guitar lovers and would never design a device that would harm wooden instruments.
All capos have fret pads that protect the wood. These days fret pads are either made from rubber or silicone. For example, the Shubb and the Thalia both use rubber to cover the metal arms. The Shubb company claim that their rubber sleeve imitates the exact padding of a human finger. The Wingo uses silicone, which is more modern material. The Kyser use rubber on the top arm and silicone on the bottom arm. Both silicone and rubber do an excellent job of shielding your guitar from harm.
Capos have been around for a long time and have always had padding to protect the guitars they are attached to. In the past capo makers commonly used cork for the fret pad. The Elton was a popular from about 1900–1960 and had two cork pads to protect the guitar.
Will My Capo Cause Neck Damage?
A capo will not cause neck damage. Even though the capo applies some pressure directly to the neck, this will not cause any bending, warping or scratching. Luthiers design and make guitars to withstand certain amounts of tension. The strings on a guitar naturally apply a large amount of tension. To counteract this, Luthiers have placed metal rods inside the guitar neck, called tension rods. Further, they make guitars out of hardwood that both resonate well and flex as they are played. In particular, the fretboards are made from woods like ebony, maple or rosewood that can withstand being pressed and squeezed. Guitars are built to withstand pressure and tension. If placed properly, the tension your Kyser applies will not harm the guitar neck.
The exception to this would be if your capo is not in good working order. If the padding is worn, missing or broken then the metal arms of your capo will be exposed and may damage your guitar. In this circumstance you should not use your capo as it will harm your guitar. Some companies make replacement fretpads which you can purchase from their websites.
Also, if you use the capo in a way it is not designed for, it could damage the wood. If you scrape the metal against the body or throw it at your guitar, then you might be sad! If you use a healthy capo the way its meant to be used then it will not damage your neck.
One issue that has been discussed online is the possibility of wearing the neck finish. There are a few capos that use a nylon strap that goes on the neck instead of a fret pad, like the Jim Dunlop and the Bill Russell. It may be possible that using such a capo for an extended period of time may wear the varnish finish, but this would be very small. My first capo was a Jim Dunlop and I used it for over ten years on both my acoustic (Yahama) and electric (Fender Strat). There is no wear on either of those guitar necks. If that capo were to cause wearing it would take a long, long time.
Will My Capo Cause String Damage?
No, a capo will not damage guitar strings. Strings wear out over time. Acoustic guitar strings are made from various metals and metal alloys like steel, bronze and nickel. Classical guitars are made from nylon, with the bass string being nylon wound in a metal alloy. All kinds of strings are inexpensive to purchase and degrade over time. String makers recommend that you replace your strings regularly.
Several things contribute to string regular wear. First, the minerals and salts in the air will bind to various materials in the strings causing oxidization. This process leaves discoloured spots on the string and 'deadens' the tone. Bright sounding strings begin to sound flat. If you live in a climate with more minerals in the atmosphere this process will be more aggressive. Second, as you play the guitar the oils in your hand will bind to the string also contributing to oxidization. Cleaning your hands before playing will minimize the oils on your hand, but not eliminate them. Finally, playing the guitar involves hitting bending and the strings. While the strings are malleable and can withstand they will loose their strength overtime which also leads to a dull tone.
It is true that clamping a capo to your guitar will add pressure and bend to the strings, but this pressure is similar to the normal forces you apply when playing the guitar. A capo won't break or bend your strings. It will contribute to the ordinary wear of the strings, but this will be a minimal contribution and nothing you should worry about. Your strings will wear out over time. If you play more regularly your stings will wear out more quickly. You can notice this is you are paying attention. You will not notice a difference in the speed that strings wear out if you use a capo. We do recommend that you remove the capo from the frets after you're finished playing.
Will My Capo Cause Fret Damage?
No, a capo will not damage your frets. Like strings, frets wear out. Unlike strings, this wear takes a long time and is expensive to fix. As you play the guitar the pressure from your fingers presses the strings into the frets, which slowly scrapes away at the metal of the fret. Over time regular playing can create ruts or gaps in your frets. This process takes years, unless you play all the time.
The photo below is taken from our own acoustic guitar. This guitar has not had a fret dressing in over thirty years. The picture is the third fret. You can see green corrosion along the top of the fret. The fret has three divots, right under the G, B and E strings.
We recommend that you take your guitar to a shop to be looked at every couple of years. There are a number of tune up items that need to be taken care of, and fret are one of them. If your frets are slightly worn the guitar shop can do a fret dress, where they sand the frets to an even level. If the wear is more extensive then they will have to replace the frets, which is more expensive. This process is complex and requires precision tools, so we highly recommend you do not do this yourself unless you are a trained professional.
A capo will not damage your frets. As the rubber fret pads protect the neck, they will also protect the frets. Frets are metal and the fret pads are rubber. It is the guitar strings that will cause issues over time. If the fret pads are missing, broken or worn do not use the capo as this will be unsafe for your guitar neck and frets. Otherwise you don't have to worry. A capo will contribute to the ordinary wear and tear of the frets, but just like with the strings, this contribution will be minimal and you won't notice a difference.
Conclusion
So long as your capo is in good working order it will not damage your guitar. Please make sure that the fret pads are in good working order. It may contribute to the wear and tear of strings and frets, but if you were afraid of ordinary wear and tare then you should play your guitar at all! These instruments are meant to be played. You need to care for your guitar strings and frets as part of guitar.
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