Any capo recommendations?

[Mike Shipman]

Hi, my old Kyser doesnt work too good these days - doesnt hold all strings down properly. I need to replace but wondering about something else...? I dont like the screw on type as they restrict my left hand behind the neck - thats why I liked the Kyser originally.
Any thoughts?
Thanks, Mike

[mandopete]

I use a Shubb banjo capo - works great!

[John Flynn]

Shubb's are good, I have two of them. But even the banjo size ones are a bit bulky on a mando neck. The king of capos is an Elliott, but they are custom-made and therefore pricey. I have one of those and it is great! The great thing about a custom capo is that you can get all the dimensions to be exactly what you want, giving you the smallest possible profile. The John Pearse "Old Reliable" and the Paige banjo capos are the same design, but mass-produced and therefore a lot cheaper. The absolute least expensive, and least intrusive on your playing, is the Bill Russell "Elastic Banjo Ukulele" capo. They are also easy to customize to your neck width, making them even less intrusive. The problems with Russell's is they are very inconvenient to put in place and you really have to strain for that "last possible notch" on the elastic to get enough pressure for a mandolin. If your hand slips during the process, the capo may go flying. So it depends on your budget and your situation.

[Denny Gies]

You might consider abandoning the capo as you will learn more about how to play in different keys. I started using a capo due to a guy I met at a festival. After a couple of years I gave it up and really began to make progress. In my humble opinion, the capo really restricted my development.

[John Flynn]

You might consider abandoning the capo as you will learn more about how to play in different keys. I started using a capo due to a guy I met at a festival. After a couple of years I gave it up and really began to make progress. In my humble opinion, the capo really restricted my development.

Gee, I was thinking it was about time the "No-capo Police" showed up! What took you so long?

[mandopete]

Grrrr.

[PaulD]

I don't ever use capos... my fingers are too fat as it is and I find a capo really gets in my way. I do own a Kyser and a Paige (http://www.paigemusical.com/?q=paigebanjomandocapo), and I think Paige is the way to go if you want to capo.

pd

[Dan Voight]

Learn all 15 keys and a free one will apeer hooked to your left arm.:mandosmiley:

[mandopete]

Learn all 15 keys and a free one will apeer hooked to your left arm.:mandosmiley:

You are missing the point! The OP asked for capo recomendations not silly comments about whether or not one should use a capo.

15 keys?

[John Flynn]

Also, OP posted in the "Equipment" section, not the "Technique" section.

[Ted Eschliman]

Consummate chromatic musician here, defender of fluency in all 12 keys; alas, capo user as well. When you want that open string resonance, but the rest of the band is in Ab, why not capo the first fret? Technology is great; I don't have to churn my own butter any more either, and I can warm my cold coffee in a microwave.

I had problems the last time I used my (virtually new) Kyser capo, because the stage lighting for the song was almost completely dark. It wasn't until the 3rd verse of the song I could get the capo exactly they way I needed it to cover all 8 strings, simply because I couldn't see to line it up. I'm curious to see if any other capos (Shubb?) address this problem.

[mandopete]

I try to align the capo right behind the fret. I find that the rubber portion of the Shubb capo moves so I push it back down and center it back on the metal bar.

I use the Shubb on both the guitar and mandolin and another thing that I find that work is to push the capo down against the fretboard before engaging the cam mechanism. The way the locking mechanism is designed will cause it to pull the strings up or down depending upon it's orientation. I'm find that on the guitar I don't have to re-tune very much at at all.

[PaulD]

I had problems the last time I used my (virtually new) Kyser capo, because the stage lighting for the song was almost completely dark. It wasn't until the 3rd verse of the song I could get the capo exactly they way I needed it to cover all 8 strings, simply because I couldn't see to line it up. I'm curious to see if any other capos (Shubb?) address this problem.
Have you tried the Paige that I linked below (or above... depending on how the thread sorts for you ;) )? Since it clamps at the center of the back of the neck it provides pretty consistent pressure across the strings. I guess you could still have it cocked to one side or another, or it may work better with a round neck shape that a deep V. Another thing I like about it is that it's not much wider (maybe no wider) than the nut, so if I want it on my mando I can park it over the nut or just at the top of the nut and slide it into position when I want to. I'm not fluid in my closed scales, but it's still generally easier for me to play closed positions rather than bumping my hand into a capo... but whatever gets the job done.

pd

[Ray(T)]

I only use one when changing strings or if someone insists in playing a tune I don't know in a strange key. I use either a Shubb guitar capo or a G7 - I think it was originally designed for banjo but it works fine on mandolin.

As for whether you should use a capo - if it helps, use it. If you were on a sinking ship you wouldn't ignore the life belts just because you could swim!
Ray

[MikeEdgerton]

I bought a G7th mandolin/banjo capo from Janet Davis (other stores have them as well). It's pricey but it works great and doesn't seem to get in my way when I do use it, and that isn't very often. It's another tool to have in the case if you need it. By the way, I love the G7th mandolin capo, I don't care for the G7th guitar capo (I have both).

[Fretbear]

These are good ones:
http://www.firstqualitymusic.com/itemdetail.asp?item=P-BE&keyword=paige

[mandroid]

Ah the Capo on an already short mandolin neck thread , again.. :popcorn:

[John Flynn]

For those who are really into capos, check out the online Sterner Capo Museum. Very interesting!

http://web.telia.com/~u86505074/capomuseum/index.htm#menu

[allenhopkins]

You are missing the point! The OP asked for capo recomendations not silly comments about whether or not one should use a capo.
15 keys?

Anyone care for a ham sandwich?

[Mike Shipman]

Thanks for the replies folks - much appreciated. I think I'll give the Shubb a try.
Regards, Mike.

[Jim Broyles]

Anyone care for a ham sandwich?

You're much better off with turkey. Cheaper and less fat.

I use a Shubb banjo capo. Very unobtrusive and works great.

[WireBoy]

I'm a happy Shubb user; Deluxe S5r and standard C5r (both banjo, radius). shubb
(http://www.shubb.com/capomodels.html)

I agree with mandopete's application tip: with the cam bar open, place the 'rubber' right where you want it on the fingerboard, then flip the cam bar. I love the pressure screw so you can dial in just the right amount of clamp pressure. the Shubb is so easy to manipulate, i'll do it with one hand. and it is very quick. i find it doesn't get in the way fo my fretting hand.

i also agree with Ted. there are times that open chords fit the bill and a capo is an easy way to get there. there is alot of metal poking out from a Kyser. The Shubb has a very nice low profile all around the neck.

[MikeEdgerton]

Anyone care for a ham sandwich?

:)

[Dave Hanson]

The standard Shubb is great, nothing to go wrong with it except maybe replace the rubber sleeve after a good few years.

Dave H

[jim_n_virginia]

Anyone care for a ham sandwich?

I do! I'm hungry! Make mine on rye with Swiss!

And oh yes I use a Shubb when I need it (usually with those pesky Folk singers who capo the guitar all over the place!) and you can call me a lazy musician if you want sometimes I just wanna hear those open strings ring!
:mandosmiley:

[Mike Shipman]

My Shubb capo arrived today - very neatly engineered bit of kit for the money, bit more obtrusive to my left hand than the Kyser, but holds down the strings way better, Im sure I'll get used to holding my fretting hand a bit differently when playing by the capo. Thanks for the comments once again chaps.
Oh, and by the way, I upgraded my cheapo Oscar Schmidt A shape for a J Bovier round hole, Im very pleased with the quality, it cost me £400 and really held its own both soundwise and feel against mando's twice the price (I got it from the Acoustic Music Co in Brighton - great range and selection of instruments - possibly the best in UK!!).
Cheers, Mike.

[Mr. Loar]

I use a capo on the guitar and banjo, but never on the mandolin. I keep thinking that these jam session guitarists/singers try to stump me by playing in weird keys like Eb, B, or Bb, etc. I think a capo would limit me too much.

[allenhopkins]

I use a capo on the guitar and banjo, but never on the mandolin. I keep thinking that these jam session guitarists/singers try to stump me by playing in weird keys like Eb, B, or Bb, etc. I think a capo would limit me too much.

So, you're playing at a jam session, and the guitar player singing the next song says, "Let's take this one up jus' a bit," slaps on a capo, and starts out in Ab. The banjo player(s) put capos on and start playing along. There you are, having played your Eastman two-point for all of six months, staring intently at the fretboard and trying to puzzle out a break with no open strings.

But you have been taught to fear the capo police, so you do the best you can when your turn to take a break comes around, or you smile wanly and shake your head and let the kid banjo player on your left take two breaks.

Well, you can commiserate with the bass player...but of course she's not expected to take a break. I don't get the point; have you somehow held up the honor of mandolin players everywhere by refusing to use a capo? Are you advancing the thesis that it's better to struggle than to "give in" and clamp that "cheater" on your instrument's neck?

Three years from now, you'll be so facile and fluid that moving a break one fret up the neck will be, as we say in western New York, "no problem." And you'll be posting here, urging everyone to practice until they're as good as you are, saying that only a musical dunderhead would stoop to using a capo. Sounds like horse hockey to me -- and I've perhaps used a capo on one of my mandolins two or three times in 40 years. (Note I didn't say mandola or OM or mandocello!) But it's not a question of ethics or musicianship or moral stature to me. Just another tool.

And in another thread, someone's asserting the moral superiority of tuning by ear over using an electronic tuner. Friends, these "values issues" are cluttering up our mandolinic discourse...

[herbsandspices]

FWIW, I also use a Shubb, and have learned to adjust my fingering around it's shape. I love it... although I wish that John hadn't linked to Elliot Capos - those look awesome! ~o)

john