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Post by Matt Milton on May 24, 2022 11:08:02 GMT
I've never much used a capo in all my years of guitar playing but recently i've had to in order to accommodate the vocal range I'm most comfortable in.
I've got two cheap capos and, to my ears, they both alter the guitar's voice: it's almost like a Chorus FX pedal has been turned on albeit in a very subtle way. The guitar has that sort of ringy sound to it. It's only a minor difference in tone but I don't like it. Is it inevitable that a capo will change the guitar's timbre this way?
And has anyone else who has experienced this phenomenon found any capos that minimise this?
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Post by vikingblues on May 24, 2022 11:27:01 GMT
I've tried a range of cheap capos over the years and binned them all. Nasty sounds and a lack of quality tone.
Ended up using a G7th Performance 3, and a G7th Newport. Both have what they call Adaptive Radius Technology - basically the capo being made with material that adapts to the curvature of the fretboard of your guitar. I've found them very un-buzzy, and way less influential on tone than the cheap end of the capo range.
The Newport is cheaper - in the £20-£25 range - it's more lightweight than the performance 3 and has a tension adjuster screw. So it's more fiddly. The Performance 3 is typically around £10 more. Squeezing it closed is the method for getting the right tension and it can be put on single handed and quickly. Both do the job, but I tend to use the heavier weight Performance 3.
There's a fair number of pricier capos around, and I'm pretty sure it's a type of product where price does equate to effectiveness.
Mark
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on May 24, 2022 11:36:04 GMT
Matt Milton - do you find the same tonal changes on other guitars when using those capos? I use G7 Newport and Planet Waves NS metal and the plastic Lite version and still have some original Shubbs. All do the job well at not too much expense - the PW Lite is particularly good vfm. All are easy to use and I haven't noticed any tonal changes as you describe with any of them. I also treated myself to the G7 Heritage which was scarily pricey. It does a great job and is fine in use provided there is room at the nut end to park it when not being used. Not convinced it does the job any better than the NS Lite, but it is certainly a very nice piece of kit which works well. Keith
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Post by Phil Taylor on May 24, 2022 15:50:27 GMT
I have a few full capos but my favourite is the G7 Heritage. It’s very expensive but a lovely piece of kit.
In my opinion open strings will always sound slightly different than a fretted string whether with a finger or a capo.
Phil
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Post by borborygmus on May 24, 2022 17:02:53 GMT
I repeat from a capo thread from last year: Another vote for the Planet Waves NS (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Waves-PW-CP-10-Artist-Capo/dp/B00GTSM8FW), which is just so easy. There is a version with one of their little tuners attached, neat. I like the G7th Performance too. I was lucky enough to be given an Elliott Capo for Christmas one year, and I would use that "if it was important" <grin>. I think there is always a little compromise when you use a capo, although sometimes a capo on the 5th fret is just "right" for the tune.
Thinking out loud: a capo at a natural harmonic point like the 5th or 7th - better outcome than on the 6th?
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Post by Gregg Hermetech on May 24, 2022 20:38:46 GMT
Changing the scale length will always alter the tone, IMO, it's why I love the sound of capos up quite high, sounds like another instrument. You are shifting all the harmonics up. Obviously the the same if you fretted all notes that high too. I see it as a bonus rather than something to be defeated.
I like my Thalia capo. You can get the interchangeable pads to fit any neck radius in either rubber (acts more like a finger fretting the notes, with a duller sound) or Teflon (acts more like a nut, with a brighter sound). Not cheap but had mine five years and use it daily, it's still as functionally good as new, although looks worn! Only downside is price and they have very strong pressure, so can be a bit uncommittable or a hassle to put on or take off, but I got used to it fairly quickly.
I've never tried a G7 but would love to, only hear good things about them too.
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Post by marcus on May 25, 2022 2:36:00 GMT
I always seem to hear a difference in a guitar's voice when a capo is involved (at least when I'm playing).
I thought that perhaps this was something to do with the fact that once you put on a capo, the bone/plastic/graphite/other nut is taken out of the equation and you suddenly have a metal fret acting as a "pseudo-nut". Maybe, it's just my imagination though.
Strangely enough, for some guitars I prefer the sound when they are capoed while for others they seem to sound worse when a capo is put on (it's more often the former so maybe I should buy a guitar with a zero fret).
I use a G7th performance and really like it.
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Post by surfguy13 on May 25, 2022 7:44:29 GMT
I've used a G7 Performance for as ling as I can remember. Wouldn't use anything else. This one has been used virtually every day and it still looks like new and works as well as it did day one. Amazing engineering. It has fitted every guitar comfortably.
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colins
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Post by colins on May 25, 2022 8:12:57 GMT
The mass of the capo will make a difference to the way the neck resonates. I know it's a bit different, but in my playing days I found that the simple Jim Dunlop strap capo gave the 'best' tone for me. I found however that I ended up not using capos at all, I guess it was the classical player in me just fretting the notes I wanted to play.
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Post by PistolPete on May 25, 2022 9:39:53 GMT
Changing the scale length will always alter the tone, IMO, it's why I love the sound of capos up quite high, sounds like another instrument. You are shifting all the harmonics up. Obviously the the same if you fretted all notes that high too. I see it as a bonus rather than something to be defeated. This - changing the tone of the guitar is a feature of a capo, not a fault. It gives you open string harmonics you wouldn't usually hear and a different balance. That's why you often see indie bands using the capo way up the neck - when they're playing G-shaped chords with the capo at the eighth fret it's because they want that glistening, chiming quality it brings, rather than that they aren't capable of playing in A if required.
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Post by dreadnought28 on May 26, 2022 5:29:27 GMT
I have capos from numerous manufacturers and ranging in price from a few pounds to nearly £200. My favourite is also the most expensive, the Elliot Elite with the G7th Heritage second. Risky taking those on the road as they would be easy to lose. From all the rest, at reasonable prices, the outright winner and go to capo is the Shubb deluxe. Got my first Shubb in the early 80s and it was life changing. Every capo up to that time twisted z the strings way out of tune and very often couldn’t keep all the strings in place without buzzing.
There’s a reason why by far the most common capo you will see used by professional performers is the Shubb De Luxe.
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Post by fred7 on May 26, 2022 12:01:35 GMT
I like a wide neck (12 string sort of width on six string guitar). A few years ago I went into a guitar shop to find a capo that would fit (obviously had to try in the shop on a 12 string in the shop) and found the G7th Performance to fit the bill perfectly. It spans the width, is not intrusive for the left hand and goes on perfectly every time with no need for jiggling to find the right fit. It also works perfectly on a 12 string guitar. I went in for a capo that day and came out with a capo and a new 12 string. All my other capos have been redundant ever since.
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juliant
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Post by juliant on May 26, 2022 17:57:01 GMT
I've never got on with G7ths, and have been quite happy with Shubb for years. Recently I've quite liked the lightweight NS Waves one.
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on May 26, 2022 19:31:33 GMT
I've got loads of capos. But it's the Shubb I carry around with me...
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Post by peterh on May 28, 2022 14:40:11 GMT
Hello all
I know how subjective and also costs and stuff, but I the if you like the yolk style, like a Page which I think sorts these problems.
So along with a Page Click I just got a shubb F1 from Eagle music. and it's easier to put on than the Page, and fits fine on the headstock if you want. may be an idea for some and the price was roughly 50 quid... kind regards
PeterH
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