Books Movies & Music / Musical Instruments / Guitar Capo one handed simplicity

I've been around musical instruments all my life having been raised in a family where impromptu "concerts" and get together's was the norm rather than the exception. The only thing we have more of in my family than entrepreneurs, are musicians and almost every Aunt, Uncle and cousin either plays one or more instruments and/or sings.   I grew up in a home where both my mother and father were musicians and singers and you'd often find guitars perched on their stands, tucked into the corner of almost every room in the house just waiting to be picked up and strummed.

I use to watch as my parents would play guitar for hours at a time and every so often my father would attach what he called a Capo (pronounced Kay-poe) to the neck of his guitar.  I remember how quickly he'd position it and tighten it down and so when I picked up the guitar later in my teens my father had made putting that Capo on so easy I didn't expect to have much trouble.  Well, my first attempts where a little off - I'd clamp it down, tighten it up and there it would be - crooked!  Once I finally got the hang of it I was set.

Years later after I'd been away from the guitar for a lot longer than I should have, I decided it was time to put some effort back into a part of my life that I missed.  Grabbing my guitar, a simple acoustic, I went to hunt down my father's capo but although it's here somewhere, we've moved a number of times since I last packed it away and of course, I couldn't locate the box that I'd put it in.  While in Toronto one week a few years ago I decided to visit Steve's Music on Yonge Street.  The staff there were great and very helpful.

When I mentioned what I was after, the sales staff recommended this easy to use Planet Waves NS Capo which is a very nice black capo that works with just one hand!  I love this Capo.  I can slip it onto the neck of the guitar in a second flat and with a quick twist of the screw have it tightened to just the right pitch.  It works great and the guitar sounds excellent.

The Capo is used for those times when you want to get a higher pitch from the strings and eliminate "buzz" - it is also a great device for beginner guitar players who want to practice chords and songs but want to remove the struggle that sometimes comes with early playing experience - the dreaded "too much finger pressure" on the strings.  The Capo places pressure on the strings which then draws them closer to the neck and this reduces the amount of "buzz" that can often accompany a new player's efforts and sometimes be a little frustrating.  This capo provides enough pressure that new players can easily produce a good, clear, crisp tone with little effort and is light enough that the guitar neck has no additional weight placed on it.

This capo is made from lightweight aerospace aluminum with a black finish and it is in my opinion,  one of the most solid, easy to use capo's I've ever owned.  It came highly recommended and has a rubber base on both the top of the capo that crosses the strings and the bottom curved portion that grips the bottom neck of the guitar so the surface is not marred or scratched.

The design is done in collaboration with Ned Steinberger and J. D'Addario & Company and is designed for both 6 and 12 string guitars.

If I had to guess I would say that it weighs under 2 ounces and the one hand action with a smooth action micrometer dial is excellent.  This was well worth the money and although I don't use it a great deal - it has come in very handy to quickly get up to speed with a few songs I'm working on.  One of the best Capo's out there in my opinion.