Dunlop trigger capo for mandolin

[GEH]

Truly - I hate capos on a mandolin. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
But some singers use horrible keys ...

My question:
Is the Dunlop trigger capo for mandolin flat or curved?
All Dunlop capos have flat or curved in their title, expect the mandolin capo.
And the capo images are not obvious.

[SpazMan]

Use a Paige capo. They're curved slightly, but work well on a flat fretboard too. I have one.

Ari

[mythicfish]

"But some singers use horrible keys ..."

For instance ...?

[mandroid]

revised, 'never-mind'

my gift to singing is, to not.
.

[GEH]

Thanks, but I realy play without capo if possible.
Please no advices on playing or for other capos.
I own an Shubb banjo capo and it works fine for most of my mandolins, but not for all necks.
This is the reason why I want to test the Dunlop.
But I have no mandolin with curved fretboard, therefore it is sensless to buy a curved capo.

I merely have the simple question:
Is the Dunlop trigger capo for mandolin flat or curved?

[Ray(T)]

Not using a capo on mandolin seems to be something of a "macho" thing (a bit like only putting the strap over one shoulder rather than round the neck). Don't know if you get the TV programme in the US but the current series of the Transatlantic Sessions is running in the UK (Produced by Andy Irvine & Jerry Douglas) - there seem to be some well qualified mandolin players using capos on that. ......if its good enough for them!

[allenhopkins]

Sight unseen, I've never found a capo marked "mandolin" that was designed for a curved fingerboard. IMHO, radiused fretboards on mandolins and ukuleles are a fairly recent development, and far from the norm. So, shooting in the dark as it were, I think you'd be fairly safe in getting the Dunlop.

I've only used a mandolin capo (actually, I used a banjo capo on the mandolin) once or twice, when I wanted a ringing, open-string sound on a particular tune that the singer wanted to record in A flat. But I see no "shame" in it. Some guitar and mandolin pickers look on capo use as a concession to inadequacy -- "you should learn all the chords in all the keys." But that may not be the point. Just because you can play a series of closed chords, or even scales, in a multi-flat key, doesn't mean you can get the same sound and style you could get if you had a bunch of open strings to work with.

The drawback, of course, is that capoing a short-scale instrument like the mandolin increases the likelihood that you'll stray from standard pitch, or that the relative pitches of the strings may be altered, so the instrument sounds out of tune. If you want a really extreme example of this, work with a tiple, where the strings are tuned in octaves in three courses. Put a capo on, and listen to what happens to the octaves!

In any case, if the Dunlop mando capo does have a curved bar, you're not out a fortune. I might suggest that you would surely be safe buying a banjo capo, since I've never seen one of those not designed for a flat fingerboard.

[moku9]

sterner capo....worth every penny

sterner (http://www.sternercapo.se/)

[Salty Dog]

I rarely use a capo but on the occasions that I do, I found the Paige capo to be the least intrusive - unfortunately they only come flat. #An inquiry to Paige about one for a radiused fretboard was ignored. #Greg Boyd modified one for my 12" radiused BRWs at no charge and also offered a replacement "industructible" rubber part for the capo that I haven't used yet. #I have dealt with Greg's business several times, have no financial interest, and found them a joy to deal with - knowledgeable, efficient, and eager to please the customer - highly recommended!

[mandopete]

I use a Shubb banjo capo and find that with the adjustable tension feature it works well on any mandolin neck.

[BadeInBulverde]

Well .. I was surprised Saturday night when Clent Holmes popped a Kyser capo on his mandolin every time the song was in the key of A ... (see this link regarding my Saturday night experience with Clent Brief Brush With History link (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=48174)

I guess it ain't that big a deal in the grand scheme ...

Bade

[Tim2723]

The Dunlop Trigger Mandolin Capo has a concave inner surface. It will work on a flat fingerboard, but is designed for a radiused board. I have used it successfully with both. The rubber used is pliant enough to accomodate either type. This rubber, however, has very poor compression set characteristics and I find they don't last more than a year or so. YMMV.

[mythicfish]

"Not using a capo on mandolin seems to be something of a "macho" thing..."

Not to put to fine a point of it, but it's a "music thing"

[Amandalyn]

This is a great one for mando's-
Will fit a curved or flat board.
Mandolin Capo G7Th New Item
http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin....trieval (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=25394&query=retrieval)

[Paul Kotapish]

On the few occasions I use a mando capo--mostly for playing when I want to use open-string drones but singer is in Ab or Eb--the Shubb radiused banjo capo is perfect. It's small, unobtrusive, lightweight, and it adjusts perfectly for even pressure with no buzzes on a radiused mando neck. I'm sure the flat-fingerboard model would work on flat fingerboards, but I haven't tried it. The flat one is not so good on a radiused mando fingerboard, but the radiused one is dandy. (If you get the black "noir" model, it will be harder for your mando-playing friends to spot you playing with a capo.)

http://www.shubb.com

YMMV.