Get your Shubb S1 Acoustic Guitar Capo Here
Introduction
The Shubb Capo company make great guitar capos, and this is their flagship product. This sucker has been around for along time, and reason is that this a ingenious design that works so well. While being a funny name, "Shubb" is not a well established brand in the guitar world. We are delighted to recommend this as the best adjustable capo. The Shubb S1 is a wonderful capo.
History
The Shubb Acoustic is the passion project of banjo player Rick Shubb and his auto mechanic friend Dave Koonitz. After inventing a successful fifth string banjo lever-capo in 1974, they began dreaming and experimenting about a guitar capo in 1976. At first they added a hinge to the traditional "C" shaped capo. And then one day luck struck. Dave was cutting a piece with a milling machines, when the machine snagged the piece and it went flying. The accident had bent the piece into lovely curved shape, which became the body for the new guitar capo. The designed was brought to production in 1979 and was an immediate hit. As of 2018, the Shubb Company has sold over six million capos.
The first prototype Shubb capo.
Capo style
The Shubb Steel String Guitar capo is a different take on the capo mechanism. Using their patented "Roller Design," the team at Shubb have sacrificed speed of use for quality. It is for this reason the Shubb is one of the most well used and well loved capos. There is a soft rubber piece attached to a curved body. This looks both simple and clanky. It has an L-shaped bar, and two floppy moving pieces both attached by hinges. There is one bar that fits on the bottom of the guitar and another second that has an adjustable screw, thus an adjustable capo that fits different neck sizes. The second bar closes on the first, shutting the capo on the beck . When you pick it up if feels all flopping, as if it can't have a strong grip. You carefully close it over the fretboard, and all of a sudden it has a perfect grip.
Shubb call this 'moment' the "Drop Off." The capo is designed so that as you close it the pressure increases to a high amount and then 'snaps' into place with the perfect amount of pressure. Shubb also call this a "sublime closing action." We agree. After this snap, the pressure really can be perfect. The Roller Design is notable for its ingenuity and simplicity. It is a really great capo.
We note, that in terms of aesthetics, this capo ain't much to look at. We love the concept of the design, in part because it looks so basic. Other capos certainly look more sleek and attractive. You can get an Shubb acoustic capo in various colours, like blue or even iridescent pearl, but we find these options a little bizarre. This is not a fatal strike, as the look is considered classic by some, and the design works so well.
The Shubb Advantage
Most capos cause intonation problems, to one degree or another. To ensure that the capo really clamps down, most capos go big on pressure. For example, the spring in the Kyser is strong and there should never really be any buzz. However, this strong pressure can increasing the tension on the string, acting similar to when you tighten the string to raise the intonation, that is to make the note sharper or higher. This problem is by no means awful. Generally the problem will be mostly uniform across strings, so when you are playing by yourself you are still in tune with yourself. More importantly, the change can often be quite small. Generally, for casual purposes if you carefully place a Kyser, or other similar capo, this isn't a big deal. Also, the size of guitar neck makes a big difference too.
If, however, you are a professional doing a recording, you really want to have your guitar in tune. Its possible to put a Kyser on and then tune it after, but the Shubb is aiming for no intonation problems at all. The Shubb website claims that, "the Shubb capo is BY FAR the best at not creating tuning problems." While we feel there are a few that will give the Shubb a run for its money, (e.x. the G7th 3), if positioned correctly the Shubb will cause few to no tuning problems that other capos do, and this is amazing.
There are a few reasons for this. The soft rubber on the arm is lovely and flexes a lot. But the real reason is the Drop-Off moment that the roller style gives. To get it right you need to set the little adjusting screw at the bottom just right. You'll need a bit of trial and error to get it you. You set the screw and then put the capo on to see if you've got it right. Once set, the screw should stay in place.
Who is this capo for?
Because the capo is so great at avoiding intonation problems this capo is preferred by studio musicians. The capo is a bit difficult to put on and take off. Most people find they need two hand to get it straight. For that reason, it may not be the best capo for live performance, especially if you want to change keys quickly. That being said that, if you are able to take the 3.2 extra second to use both hands this will work in any live show. This capo is suitable for any guitar player, beginner to advanced.
The Shubb number system
A word of explanation on the names is required. Shubb sell a lot of capos, and they have a handy chart to explain it all. All Shubb Acoustic Guitar capos have the number one in the name. So the S1 and C1 are made from two different metals but are the same Acoustic Guitar capo design. So, the S1 is steel and more expensive than the C1, which is polished nickel. The C1b is brushed nickel. The C1 is the cheaper model , because the materials are cheaper to acquire. It still has the same excellent form and doesn't suffer at all in terms of use. Each of these looks pretty similar, but there are difference. There are several other color choices with different metals makes and they each cost a bit different. For example, the C1B is brass and the C1k is chrome with a black finish. You can see their explanatory chart here.
Also, they have a "2" series, which are for Nylon String guitars and a "3" series, which are fore 12-string guitars, all the way up to "9," which are for ukuleles. So, the S2 is a steel capo for a nylon and a C2 is a brush nickel for a nylon. The upshot of this is that you want to make sure you get the right "number" - the S1 will fit more guitars, but not all.
Conclusion
The Shubb Acoustic Capo is considered an industry standard for a reason. We recommend this capo for anyone appreciate a well designed machines and the advantages in reducing intonation problems. This is our best adjustable capo.
Comments