Every guitarist needs a capo. It's the little device one uses to "fret" all strings at once, so you can play in familiar chord shapes up the neck. For example, if a given singer wants to do a G song in B-flat, she can capo 3, play as she normally would in G, and be good to go. Bluegrass musicians play a lot of tunes in G-position, capo 2, in part because fiddles and mandolins are "happiest" in A-major rather than G-major. Finger-style guitarists often capo way up the neck and play in alternative tunings to get that delicate, etherial sound they enjoy.
The Basic Shubb Guitar Capo is the one I've been using for years. It's the familiar capo with the lever that "snaps" down into place. A medium-hard rubber sleeve, fitted over a metal bar, contacts the strings and "frets" or "dampens" them. A small thumb screw allows you to adjust the tightness of the capo to accomodate necks of different thicknesses. A firmly attached strip of rubber contacts the back of the neck of the guitar, providing a tight fit and protecting the neck of the guitar.
The Shubb capo is small and feels solidly built. Unlike the "screw down" types (actually, thumb-screw down), you can't leave it on (at the nut) when you're not using it, but I just leave my Shubb hanging half-way out of a pocket when we're playing in a no-capo key. Once adjusted properly for a given guitar, I find that the Shubb snaps on firmly and does its job well. Shubb claims that their capo does not cause strings to bend and go out of tune, but I find that every capo tweaks strings a bit, and you have to develop your own technique for getting it on in such a way as to minimize string bend. I generally put the capo close to the fret and apply some "counter-pressure" relative to the direction in which the capo seems to want to move as I put it on. Even so, low E strings tend to go a bit sharp (other guitarists I've talked to agree that this is a universal), so I tend to go into a bluegrass gig with my bottom E-string tuned just a hair flat to compensate.
I've never had a Shubb capo suddenly pop off when I was playing, but occasionally I'll bump the capo while fretting, and if it's not on perfectly, it can move a bit. That's operator error and not the fault of the capo.
The rubber sleeves that press on the strings do go "rubbery" after a few years of use, and this brings up something else I like about Shubb: their casual yet effective customer service. When the plastic "thimble" that contacts neck support on one of my Shubbs went missing at a recent blugrass campout (I'd had the capo for about 10 years), I checked Shubb's website and learned that replacements are available for $1. And that doesn't mean $1 plus $9.95 shipping. Just drop a dollar bill to in an envelope and send it to Shubb and they'll send you the replacement part. I decided to get a new rubber sleeve as well. Same price: a one dollar bill. Shubb isn't out to make money selling replacement parts; they just want you to be using and enjoying your capo. The directions that accompanied the replacement parts were great as well.
The Shubb capo comes in several "models," though I've only used the basic one. It is 2" wide and is said to fit most acoustic and electric guitars. Its radiused, or slightly curved, edge works with a wide range of fingerboards, and they also make special capos if your fingerboard shape falls out of the "normal" range. The retail price of the regular Shubb capo is $24.95, but you should be able to get one for $16 to $20.
The Deluxe Shubb is similar to the original but is made of stainless steel and has improved roller (instead of the little thimble). Retail of that version is $29.95. Other versions vary mostly in cosmetics: The Brass Shubb will darken over time ($24.95). The "Shubb Capo Noir" is a basic Shubb in a black chrome finish ($26.95). The "C1a" is a basic Shubb in an "antique" finish ($26.95). The "Shubb Lite" might actually feel diffferent: it's made of "aerospace grade aluminum" and is said to be less than half the weight of an original Shubb Capo ($26.95).
To conclude, Shubb's basic capo works fine for me and I recommend it, and the Company, highly.
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
We call it CAPO NOIR: it's the Original Shubb 12-String Capo in black chrome finish. In response to years of requests does it come in black? now we ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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