The Chetboard

I don't use a capo much, but when do, I would like to get one that is good to the guitar and easy to remove. I have 2, and I like them equally poorly. I have a Schubb and a Kyser for steel strings - and the models I have are easy to remove but they are not adjustable. They put a death grip on the strings and the tuning goes sharp on my Fender and my Gretsch, especially on the treble strings. Does anyone know of a good adjustable one that I could buy and know that I'm getting one that isn't putting more pressure than is needed to do the job?

Terry-

D'Addario sent me two of the new Planet Waves NS capos (both steel and nylon string models), and they're great. They're extremely lightweight, fully adjustable, and tuning problems are just about eliminated.

Craig

Here's a link:

http://www.planetwaves.com/pwProductDet ... ductid=503

Check this out video from Pete Anderson:

Thanks Craig! This looks exactly like what I want. The other capos I have will be retired, just like me. Of course, I could use them tor finger strengthening exercises....

Just ordered the NS Lite - at $8.45 can't go too wrong eh ?

Hi, Terry... I'm kind of puzzled about your disatisfaction with your Shubb capo. Maybe you have a different model than me but, mine has a tension knob to accommodate different positions on the neck and I can slap it on and have it in position and at just the right tension in a matter of a few seconds. No intonation or tuning problems at all. That being said, however, I hope you can find one to your liking. Like I always say, these things only have to satisfy one person, right? -Regards, Tom W.

The new capo is interesting... I used to work with a singer and needed a capo to allow me to use certain finger style applications with her odd keys.

Would be interested in a bluegrass guitarist's opinion on that. Those guys capo all over the place

".... disatisfaction with your Shubb capo"

Hi Tom,

My Shubb capo is probably a decade old. I think I got it at Sam Ash or Guitar Center....just can't remember. It does not have an adjustment, and although it is better than the Kyser - it still has too much grip on my Gretsch. I was using it at my last gig and I can distinctly recall putting it on the 3rd fret to play one of the newer Stever Wariner tunes called "Up The Red Hill" and the wound G string was enough sharp to annoy me just one time too many! I guess we have all had one of those "straw that broke the camel's back" moments and this was one for me.

Mitch- Don't know about the NS Lite, which I think is made of a plastic-type material. Mine are the NS Pro models, made from machined aircraft grade aluminum (or aluminium, for our UK friends).

Tom- I've got several Shubb capos, too. They're great- one is over 30 years old and still going strong. What I like about the NS is that you adjust it with the thumbscrew as you're putting it on, and can get just the amount of tenison you need, without pushing the strings out of tune. (The Shubb kind of snaps on, as you know.) Also, the pressure is applied to the back of the neck at a different angle.

Norm- A lot of bluegrassers I know like the Paige and McKinney/Elliott capos, which are well over $100 each. Which means that many of them don't actually own one, but they like them.

Terry- I love "Up the Red Hill!" It's one of Steve's best new tunes, I think.

Probably my all-time favorite capo was the Sabine, which is no longer made. It had little feet that you positioned against the fret, so that the capo pressed directly onto the fretwire. Absolutely no tuning problems or "retouching", and no "fudge" sounds- worked every time. I still have a steel and a nylon model, but the composite material has crumbled away, so they're unusable. (They're from the late 1970's.)

Craig

I received my Planet Waves capo in the mail, and it is great! Not only does it not cause the trebles to note sharp but it also does not have the protruding installation handles that my hand bumps into when I am doing E major or B7 chords in the 1st position. One hand operation just like the Shubb and Kyser models I have - but none of the user issues. Thanks for the recommendation Craig!

Terry-

Glad to hear you like the NS capo. I'm very pleased with mine.

Craig