I’ve finally got the credit cards paid off and I’m getting myself a little reward. Guitar capo is high on the list. There are a bunch of new capo types out there (well, new to me anyway), e.g. the G7th lever type. I’ve used the Shubb type on steel-string (& occasionally on electric) but I’m looking for a new capo for my nylon string. I’ve got the old clamp and screw type and it’s a pain and getting a bit sloppy through age. Oh, and I can’t use the Dunlop spring loaded type–something about the angle and the squeeze makes my left hand go squrinch.
I’m a steel string player so take it FWIW but I like Shubbs, if you do too I’d be inclined to try their nylon string capo (perhaps the “Lite” version - they are aluminum and weigh half as much as their standard plated brass models).
It depends on whether you intend to move it around or not. I like the old fashioned elastic capo, the ‘caterpillar’ as many people call it, but it isn’t much good if you intend to shift the capo a lot. (Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle, undo, place at a different fret, fiddle, fiddle, fiddle, do up, re-tune while wriggling the strings between the nut and the capo every now and then to make sure you’re not building up an excess of tension there… Not my idea of a good time, esp. in front of an audience.)
Shubb makes a series of capoes for classical guitars, and I like these very much. Just remember to mute the strings with your other hand when you snap it down - it makes a fairly loud ‘thwack’ followed by all six new ‘open’ strings ringing for an astonishing length of time.
Did you mean this for the Dunlop? I’ve never tried one; I’ll keep an eye out the next time I buy strings and have a go with it. I do have several Kyser capoes, and I’m quite pleased with them. I have one which is cut in half, so that it only covers the 3 lowest strings - it works a treat for playing in flat keys without retuning. I keep it on the nut for certain songs where I have to capo on the fly, and it has worked very well for me. (If you aren’t changing capo position on the fly, you are allowed to hold the instrument between your thighs and use both hands on the capo spring, by the way. I don’t know how well that would work out with that Dunlop trigger job.)
The biggest things to look for - the capo needs to be large enough to fully cover a neck which is 2 inches (or slightly more) wide, and it needs to be flat to accommodate a fingerboard which is absolutely without radius. From there, it’s a question of the hardness of the capo material. 12-strings are actually the most challenging, requiring some fairly soft rubber to manage the 3rd - 6th courses with their different string thicknesses. Classical instruments tend to be a little more uniform in string thickness, and therefore the material can be less giving.
I have one for my steel string. Function well; heavy. I find they require both hands, and since the Kysers also function well and can be manipulated with one hand more easily, I prefer them.
I have no problem applying and removing the G7th with one hand. I agree it works well.
I don’t think you can beat a Shubb capo for functionality combined with ease of use. As zombywoof mentioned they do make capos for nylon string guitars (2¼" wide, flat).
Everybody and his brother seems to love the Keysers, but I don’t care for them at all. They bend the strings too much and are too darn bulky.
