Get your Kyser Quick-Change Acoustic Guitar Capo here.
The Kyser Quick-Change Capo is considered an industry standard, and for good reason. This is a well made machine that looks great and gets the job done. Many guitarists, from pros to amateurs swear by this as the only capo they will touch. While we won't quite declare full monogamy to the Kyser, we too are devotees and love this tried and true model. We recommend this as the best quick-change capo around.
The Story
The Kyser is a great capo with a great story. Milton Kyser was the son of hard working cotton farmers. He was a devotee fo the country music scene of his local Texan town, Deep Ellum. He invited this device to help the musicians he knew. Previous makes of the capo were more clunk and took time to change up. He designed a capo that would be easy to put on and take off, as well as consistently grip the strings with strength. He did such a good job that the design has not changed since 1985, well over thirty years now.
The Make
This capo is designed so that you can grip it with your fret hand. When you squeeze the handles, the bottom bracket pulls away, opening the capo. It is made of aluminum, so that it is lightweight, durable and strong. It is a sturdy thang - if you knock it when it is on it will stay in place.
Key to the strength of the Kyser is the steel spring. The tension is wound up high so that it will grip the strings well. That was the genius of the design. We find the capo easy to put on because of this high tension. It has no problems gripping the strings down. So long as you put it on correctly there should be no buzz. Sometimes it takes a few goes to place it right, but it is fun to do!
There are few reasons that people dislike the high tension spring. For some, the capo is difficult to grip with one hand. Also, for guitar with thin necks the high tension has a propensity to make the guitar go sharp. For these cases, we recommend the Low Tension model, which has the same form function with 25% less string tension. Kyser also carry an electric-guitar capo which is designed for a lower action guitar: "a slightly smaller body, less radius, and less spring tension than the original Kyser." They also have a classical guitar capo, which is designed for a higher action guitar and a cute little ukelele capo.
The capo has a lovely rubber piece that grips the fretboard, but the "boot" that grips the back of the neck is made of silicone. You can actually replace the boot on their site. There is one more nice touch, a little piece of fabric guards the inner part of the capo to protect the neck in case you scrape it - but you should just try to avoid that all together.
This is a well made capo. They are said to last for ages. We have been using our gold Kyser for at least seven years and there are no signs of any problems. The spring will wear out eventually on any spring-based capo, but the Kyser can last a long time. The ease of use is a testament to the quality of the design.
The Look
We were not surprised to learn that the Kyser was designed in Texas! The gripping mechanism is both big and fancy. The largeness does allow for a long lever on the spring, which makes gripping it not so tough. But apart from the practical purposes, it makes a statement. The top handle has a distinctive curvy top, as well as two little "cut-out"spots. If anyone know a purpose for these design features, do let us know, but the overall impression is a capo that says, "Look at me."
There are two things to say about this. First, as if is so large you may want to think carefully about the colour you choose. There are currently 21-colors available on amazon, including tie die and blazing orange. We have a gold one and love it. Also note, Kyser change the design a little bit recently. There used to be a few 'ridges' on the top of the capo but these have been eliminated in the newest models.
A second thing to note is that as the capo is so large you want to think about which way you put it on. If you are a righty, then your playing hand (the left hand) comes up under the backside of the guitar (normally). You then want the long arm of the Kyser facing toward you, away from your playing hand. Even if you do this the Kyser can at times get in the way of playing chords, but this is a minimal issue.
Conclusion
All in all, if you are looking for a great capo we highly the Kyser Quick-Change Acoustic Guitar Capo. We love ours and we are happy to recommend this as the best quick change capo. Perhaps the greatest testament to the Kyser's quality is the longevity of its popularity. This guy has been famous for many years now and we see it remaining the choice of guitar players. Kyser claims it is the "original one-handed capo." Here's to originality and classes.
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