29 Worship Tools for Under $29, 10

By Jon Nicol

Disclosure: links in this post are affiliate links

When it comes to this tool for under $29, it’s almost assumed that you’re not a real Christian guitarist if you don’t use one:

#18. The Kyser Capo

Eddie Van Halen had his signature smoldering cigarette tucked in the strings just left of the nut. Us worship leaders have the tops of our Taylor headstocks adorned with a Kyser.

I’m a bit of a capo geek. I’ve got 3 kysers (2 of which have been tweaked, we’ll talk about later), a G7, a 15 year-old Glider, and two Shubbs, one for steel strings and a wider one for my classical guitar.

I like capos.

In most situations, my Kyser Capo wins. It’s easy to put on, take off and cleanly clamps to the headstock when not in use.

But…at times I run into a few of issues that require these other capos. (at least, that’s what I tell my wife – I need them!)

The Kysers, especially when they’re new, tend to squeeze a little too hard for some guitars. Even my well-worn one pinches my Carvin strat painfully out of tune. Here are a few solutions:

The G7th
I picked up a G7th Performance Capo last year at CMS/New York. I enjoy it. It’s mostly a one-handed operation like the Kyser, but the execution is completely different. It takes some getting used to. The big advantage is that you can squeeze exactly (and only) the tension you need for the strings. There’s no spring. It actually ratchets in tiny increments. The downside is, however, you won’t be getting this for less than $29. If you can score it for $35, be happy.

The G7 Nashville
I don’t own this a G7th Nashville Capo, but a student of mine did. It operates pretty much like the Kyser capo, but with a much sleeker design and far less tension in the spring. So much so, unfortunately, my student couldn’t use it with his acoustic guitar. But because of this, they work great on electric guitars where less tension is required.

I’m thinking about grabbing one sometime. (Don’t tell my wife.) Amazon has it listed (currently) for about $20. Still a tad pricey for a capo. But it's sweet-looking.

Shubb
I’ll admit it, I bought my first Shubb C1 Acoustic Guitar Capo because Phil Keaggy used them. The good news is, you can dial in variable tension, so I still use this 20+ year-old capo for my electric guitars.

The bad news is, it’s not as quick on and off like the Kysers or G7s. But I liked it enough I bought one for my classical guitar, too.

Glider
This next alternative is a the opposite of the Shubb: big and bulky, but self-adjusting and quick moving. The Glider Rolling Guitar Capo looks more like a miniature torture instrument than a capo. The biggest downfall to this one (besides the inch and a half of capo sticking out on either side of your neck) is that it requires a rocket surgeon to get it on and off. Once you figure that out, it’s OK.

I picked up my Glider specifically when I played on a worship team that was decidedly piano-driven: Bb, Eb, Ab, and F were the usual keys. And the worship leader would jump from one lousy key to the next like Tarzan swinging between trees. So the quick roller action of the capo made all that movement easy. I’m finding now, 10 – 15 years later, that the tension in the spring is a tad less than it used to be. I get some buzzing on the lower frets of my acoustic. But it still works great for electrics.

By the way, if the idea of the Glider appeals to you, but you’re not sure you’ll be able to take it off quickly enough, there is a trick. Simply slide the glider up and let it hang out on the nut. Voilà – open position.

So there’s more than you ever wanted to know about my capo collection. I’ve got one more to talk about in the next installment of 29 Worship Tools for Under $29.

What's your "desert island/can't live without" capo?

April 18, 2012