capo

I use a Shubb capo for electric & acoustic - when I bought a 12-string last year, found it wasn't big enough for the wider fretboard, so I bought a Dunlop Trigger Capo....

I asked for recommendations before I bought my first capo a couple of years ago, these were far and away the two most popular choices....

:D :D :D

Vic

you can purchase a cappo for a electric and a acustic guitars as i did ...

But classical I honestly don't know

I got a cheap trigger capo from Ebay which works on electric and acoustic, but although it's wide enough it doesn't have enough squeeze for my 12 string acoustic.

There are, basically, 4 shapes, that I've come across:
6 string curved (most electrics and steel-string acoustics)
6 string vintage curve (e.g. tight radius on old Fenders)
12 string (wider than 6 string)
classical (flat fretboard)
The classical won't properly fret the outside strings of an electric or steel-string acoustic and the "standard" capo won't fret the middle strings of a classical.

Good information Greybeard.

I have three different styles of guitar - jumbo style acoustic, Strat style electric, and classical.

As Greybeard mentioned, they all have slightly different neck profiles - with the classical being the widest and flattest.

I also have 3 different capos. One is a mechanical looking 'pistol grip type that can be put on quickly with one hand. The other two are cheapies that need two hands and a bit more time.

They all have pressure pads and curvatures that are slightly different. But the thing is that all three will work on all of my guitars. The difference is that if I use the 'wrong' or less ideal one it just needs to be positioned more carefully. Of course, none of mine are twelve strings, so I can't say how each one would go on a 12.

There is definitely a 'better' style for each neck, but you can also make a capo out of a rubber band and half a chopstick.... :P
So probably it's mostly personal preference, and how fussy you are about matching the capo to the guitar it's most going to be used on. If you can only afford one, unless you're unlucky, you should be able to 'make do' with it on another guitar too, until you feel you need a better match.

Cheers,

Chris

I have the one in the bottom-right of Chris' picture, and I'm planning on replacing it with one that is more low-profile, like the one on the left.

I find that I have to rotate my left hand away from the position I'm comfortable with in order to access the first fret (especially the higher strings) without banging into the thing.

It could be that my "normal" hand position is unconventional (nice word for wrong), or it could be that the capo is showing why it was the cheapest thing on the shelf...

I've got the one in the upper right. Works well enough on six steel acoustic strings, but don't be in a hurry to move it! Definitely a two-hander. I saw a clamp-style the other day at the pawn shop downtown for less than half of the retail price; I should go snap it up.

i use this kyser 12 string capo for all my guitars

I got a cheap trigger capo from Ebay which works on electric and acoustic, but although it's wide enough it doesn't have enough squeeze for my 12 string acoustic.

I had a Kyser 12 string capo and it didn't put on enough pressure. I bought a Shubb 12 string capo and it works pretty well on the acoustic.

I got a cheap trigger capo from Ebay which works on electric and acoustic, but although it's wide enough it doesn't have enough squeeze for my 12 string acoustic.

I had a Kyser 12 string capo and it didn't put on enough pressure. I bought a Shubb 12 string capo and it works pretty well on the acoustic.

my friend suggested the kyser when i was about to buy a Shubb because of the same reason, i guess you can always get a lemon reguardless of what brand. i've had my kyser for 3 years now, and it has plenty of pressure.

I like the Shubb ones because you can adjust the tension it puts out.

I have the Kyser and it works on everything except for my twelve. And the only reason it doesn't work is that it's just not wide enough. For the twelve I use the old standby elastic band one. I also have the Jim Dunlop lever one which I've used for years, but they do break.

the Kyser is nice in that when I put it on, it doesn't make the strings sharp, it has just the right amount of pressure, unlike the elastic one which takes some moving around to work right or the lever one which does make everything sharp.

I've been wondering about the different capo styles, too. I've got the 2 below. The Kyser (top) fits the classical well, and works well on my steel string acoustic, but I have to squeeze hard with both hands to open it enough to get it around the neck, as the neck is very rounded in back.

I thought I'd try a different style for a better fit, so I bought the Planet Waves one (bottom) because it has the curve on the bottom. It is a ratchet style. Well, it said it fits almost all acoustics, but it doesn't fit mine very well. The top part also has a slight curve and the top of my guitar neck really doesn't. So it moves when my hand bumps it and the B string buzzes a bit because it doesn't hold it down properly.

Can't say how either work on the electric because according to the UPS website, it's on the truck on it's way to me now. :D

Any suggestions as to what style might work better for my accoustic?