What is the difference between capos

It works much like a spring operated clothes pin. The reason many performing musicians use this type is that it can be installed, removed and repositioned very quickly with one hand.

There are no screws to tighten or levers to latch. Also it can be clamped on the headstock or mic stand or music stand for easy accessibility during the performance. The disadvantage of this type capo is that you cannot adjust the tension. A similar capo that I prefer is known as a " dual action " capo like the one made by Planet Waves pictured below.

This capo works much the same as the Kyser style spring clamp in that you can store it on the headstock and install and remove it with one hand.

But it has a tension adjustment knob that allows you to adjust the tension for your guitar. Different guitars have different neck thicknesses and the dual action capo allows you to adjust the amount of pressure on the strings so that you have just enough to get all strings ringing clearly with no muting but not so much that the strings are pinned tight against the fret board and pulled out of tune.

What I like best about this capo is that it is very thin the thinnest I am aware of. It gives your fingers more room for chords such as a B7 where you are fretting on the first and second fret using all four fingers. Another advantage is that the tension is adjustable for the exact amount needed to deliver clean sounding open strings with no more tension than necessary. It can be fined tuned better than the dual action because there is no spring tension involved. The disadvantage of the Paige capo is that it takes two hands to install or remove or move it.

You must open the lever with one hand while holding on to the capo with the other hand. Also, if you move the capo up the neck where it is thicker, you have to adjust the tension screw. I use this capo when I am going to be playing most songs in my performance with the capo in the same position. It's also the best capo to use if you want to reduce overall string tension by shortening the scale of your guitar by tuning a half step flat and leaving the capo on the first fret all the time.

Another thin bar capo that allows more room for certain chords but is a tad more easily moved than the Paige - is the Shubb pictured below. Like the Paige, this one does not use a spring uses a type of lever action so the tension can be fine tuned, but it has a trigger style release that allows for one handed removal although installing it with one hand is rather tricky.

It takes less time to install than the Paige, once you adjust the tension screw properly for your guitar. Another adjustable tension capo with a sleek design is the G-7th Capo pictured below. This capo works with an internal ratchet type mechanism. You place it on the neck and press down on the string bar as far as needed to get clean tone and the mechanism holds it in that position until you release it with the release lever.

This allows you to install and remove it with one hand as long as you are not too clumsy. It takes getting used to how hard to squeeze it to get the correct tension, but some folks seem to love this capo. If you are on a budget, the capo pictured below is very inexpensive and does the job and is very light weight. And if you are on a really tight budget, the elastic band type capo is quite versatile in terms of fitting many different type guitars.

It is not fine tunable and it takes two hands and one leg and an elbow to install and remove. Once you get your capo, you will find the chart in the link below very useful for determining where to place the capo for various transpositions. As with all music purchases, the best thing is to try out the available models, see what fits well your guitar.

Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. When securing it over the neck, the ideal strap tension often lies somewhere in-between two notches. One notch is too loose, and the next is too tight. Of course, this continuous stretching eventually will cause breakage. To solve many of the common problems of traditional capos…. A revolutionary new design known as the Shubb C1 was developed back in Through the use of a simple lever, which could be adjusted for tension, and easily flipped on or off….

The Shubb capo design combined both the speed of a trigger capo, with the precision of a screw capo. And its unique rubber contact surface prevented tuning problems by providing a broader fretting surface mimicking a real human finger. Over the years, the Shubb company continually refined their design, making several capos designed for specific instruments and playing styles.

While the Shubb company offered some incredible advancements in capo technology…. They were eventually outshined by a new company which launched in , known simply as G7th. Just like Shubb capos, G7th capos offer convenient solutions to all the major problems associated with earlier capo designs. Besides being heavier than some people prefer, G7th capos are damn-near flawless. While 99 percent of guitar players will never use them…. Shubb is probably the best compromise between quality, price, and performance of any of the capos tested: Shubb Capo S1 [?

Perhaps the most appealing capo for the professional, the G7th Performance is easy to use and can be easily adjusted to the ideal tension. The G7th capo uses a ratchet mechanism, similar to that of a car parking brake. As you engage the capo on a given fret, you apply a small amount of pressure to squeeze it onto the fret, squeezing more to lock the ratchet into tighter stages.

G7th capos are extremely easy to use one-handed, are fast at changing positions due to a quick-release, and also affect the tuning only minimally. The G7th capo is perfect for professionals or anyone who wants the top-performing capo.

G7th Performance [? Not afraid to outdo themselves, and apparently not satisfied enough having created the G7th Performance [? The Heritage uses a more traditional-style mechanism and a thumb screw. It is made of gleaming stainless steel, and is engineered to the highest quality, with no shortcuts taken.

The Heritage is a capo that seems certain to last for generations. The Heritage also features an adaptive radius technology, meaning that in addition to adjustable tension, the capo is designed to fit with any guitar radius.

That makes it the best-performing capo available. G7th Heritage [? The Kyser Low-Tension Capo [? More experienced players should consider the Shubb Capo S1 [? The Thalia Capo [? Thalia is one of the highest quality capos available, and the only one to feature interchangeable pads, allowing the capo to be converted to any instrument or even a partial capo!

Three capos stood out for having best overall quality: the G7th Performance [? For the professional, the G7th Performance 2 combines the best of all worlds. For a truly premium capo, the G7th Heritage capo combines the yoke-style thumbscrew-based tension in an incredibly well-engineered all stainless steel design. This is a capo that is likely to outlast you. Hub Guitar. Index View all articles lessons.