A genuine capo innovation from G7th....

Lewy · October 2016

First off, this capo costs 130 quid which means that unless you capo nearly all the time (some of us do) it's a ludicrous concept but I imagine that this ART technology is going to start showing up on their other capos too...

http://www.g7th.com/getmetafile/c9abe673-c8d9-4f2f-bd68-d7736f3ea651/Heritage_Guitar_S_Style1_539.aspx
http://www.g7th.com/heritage-capos.aspx

I don't subscribe to the idea that capos that don't exactly match the guitars radius need to necessarily pull things out of tune....just place it right next to the fret and that doesn't happen, but I have experienced that the mismatch can be a total fret killer because applying enough pressure across all the strings means a couple of them are really getting mashed down hard. I've put divots in frets within a few months of play due to this. So balancing the cost of fret dresses across a few different guitars, this starts to not look so ludicrous if it actually works....especially if you are a fan of this style of capo.

Still, for the same price you could put a Shubb in every case and probably every room in the house....but f*ck I want one....

Sassafras · October 2016

I'd rather fill my house with Shubbs than spend that much on a single capo.
I can't see there's much advantage over the Shubb apart from it being all nice and shiny.

Lewy · October 2016

Sassafras said:

I'd rather fill my house with Shubbs than spend that much on a single capo.
I can't see there's much advantage over the Shubb apart from it being all nice and shiny.

You can get shiny Shubbs

However I think the fact that It moulds to match the radius of the fret counts as a genuine functional thing beyond aesthetics. Although Shubbs kind of do that by virtue of their thick soft rubber.

crunchman · October 2016

I got rid of my Shubbs. Tuning/intonation is much better with a G7th.

Even if you have one for every guitar, Shubbs are still a pain as the neck gets deeper as it goes up. if you adjust so it's right for the first fret then it will pull the tuning slightly sharp on the 4th. Worse than that it seems to affect different strings differently. If the whole guitar was slightly sharp but in tune with itself it wouldn't be so bad. I find the tuning is much better with the G7th.

I'm not sure I like the look of that new one though.

TimmyO · October 2016

I think as you say Lewy if you're a prodigious capo-er it makes the case for itself. I saw Stuart Ryan post a review video of it recently - no doubt it is a pro pickers dream capo.

I can't help wondering if putting a squidgy layer on (sorry, 'ART technology...' ) a Capo isn't something that might soon show up on more modestly priced items though...

TimmyO · October 2016

Also there is the other consideration:

I own 2 Shubbs, one G7th Nashville, and one elastic cheapo Capo - I can never find any of them

Lewy · October 2016

TimmyO said:
I can't help wondering if putting a squidgy layer on (sorry, 'ART technology...' ) a Capo isn't something that might soon show up on more modestly priced items though...

That certainly seems to be the implication. It'll probably show up in the next gen of Performances.

People who like this yoke style of capo won't balk at the price because they'll have seen Elliots and the like (same kind of price). Even Shubb's own version will run to about £90 with shipping and VAT etc and that doesn't offer anything new. Paiges are cheap but they feel it in use too and again, still give you the problem of radius.

Anyway, fuck it I've ordered one. They had me at "shiny"

TimmyO · October 2016

Is this like an acoustic player's version of a new booteek overdrive?

"The Klon of capos" (r)

Lewy · October 2016

TimmyO said:

Is this like an acoustic player's version of a new booteek overdrive?

"The Klon of capos" (r)

I'd put it more akin to something like a set of Waverly tuners - about the same price, cheaper things would be perfectly adequate, but they are a nice appointment that enhances the user experience and pleasure of ownership.

ICBM · October 2016

For that price I could literally buy a Kyser for all of my guitars and carefully bend the grip to match the fingerboard radius if for some reason it doesn't quite match (only found that once), and I would *still* be able to use them smoothly with only one hand and clamp them on the headstock when I'm not using them.

The Kyser still is - and will probably always remain because it's impossible to make it any simpler - the easiest to use and most hassle-free capo there is.

Sassafras · October 2016

Just seems like a triumph of marketing speak.
Adaptive Radius Technology when they mean a piece of rubber. Genius.
Pretty much every capo I've used has had a piece of ART on it. I just didn't know it was that technically complex.

Lewy · October 2016

Sassafras said:

Just seems like a triumph of marketing speak.
Adaptive Radius Technology when they mean a piece of rubber. Genius.
Pretty much every capo I've used has had a piece of ART on it. I just didn't know it was that technically complex.

More like a failure of marketing speak because you haven't caught that it's not the rubber they're talking about.

richardhomer · October 2016

At that price I'd rather hire someone to barre behind what I'm playing.... At least I'd have some company....

Lewy · October 2016

richardhomer said:

At that price I'd rather hire someone to barre behind what I'm playing.... At least I'd have some company....

But would that money buy you someone you wanted to be in that close a proximity to?

richardhomer · October 2016

Lewy said:

richardhomer said:

At that price I'd rather hire someone to barre behind what I'm playing.... At least I'd have some company....

But would that money buy you someone you wanted to be in that close a proximity to?

I'm really not fussy....

Sporky · October 2016

Lewy said:

More like a failure of marketing speak because you haven't caught that it's not the rubber they're talking about.

I don't understand what it is either.

I have an original G7 and it works perfectly (as far as I can tell). I just can't tell what ART is.

Lewy · October 2016

Sporky said:

Lewy said:

More like a failure of marketing speak because you haven't caught that it's not the rubber they're talking about.

I don't understand what it is either.

I have an original G7 and it works perfectly (as far as I can tell). I just can't tell what ART is.

Behind the rubber is a silicon gel insert which enables the rubber to contour more accurately to the radius of the fret.

There's an "A.R.T. explained" video on their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/G7thTheCapoCompany/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

For people who never experience this radius mismatch issue, and don't like yoke capos because one-handed operation is a thing for them, there is very little to appeal about this.

Personally, I only play un-capo'd about 20% of the time and both of my main acoustics have a compound radius, and I love the yoke design so it ticks a lot of boxes for me. Very expensive....unless you compare it to a TS808, or some NOS Tung Sols or etc etc etc

axisus · October 2016

130 squid, they're having a laff

thermionic · October 2016

This is from the US patent:

"The invention involves building a flowable material/medium (e.g. a fluid, gel, paste or equivalent type of substance with embedded solid particles), preferably contained within a chamber, into the clamping arm behind a hard layer made from a firmer, but still adaptable, material (e.g. rubber) that may be in close contact with the strings. The harder material must provide a solid surface that isolates the strings from the flowable medium behind it. If the flowable medium were enclosed only by a soft material wall that, in turn, was in contact with the strings then a dampening of tone would result."

So basically, instead of having soft rubber pressing down on the strings (and adapting to any radius), they have harder rubber with a layer of gel behind it, the gel allows the hard rubber to bend into a radius but the rubber itself is rigid enough to press down on the strings with a more even pressure. Like all good patents, the essence of the invention is very simple.

https://www.google.co.uk/patents/US20160247490

richardhomer · October 2016

All of this is making me worry if my fingers are too hard, or too soft....

I wonder if I've been out of tune all my playing life?

Lewy · October 2016

richardhomer said:

All of this is making me worry if my fingers are too hard, or too soft....

I wonder if I've been out of tune all my playing life?

Nope, they're perfect because they're infinitely adaptable....

Sassafras · October 2016

That's a relief. I was thinking I might need an ART implant in my index finger.

richardhomer · October 2016

Sassafras said:

That's a relief. I was thinking I might need an ART implant in my index finger.

You'd imagine Kim Kardashian would be going for it, if she played....

TimmyO · October 2016

Lewy said:

TimmyO said:

Is this like an acoustic player's version of a new booteek overdrive?

"The Klon of capos" (r)

I'd put it more akin to something like a set of Waverly tuners - about the same price, cheaper things would be perfectly adequate, but they are a nice appointment that enhances the user experience and pleasure of ownership.

Or put more simply "yes" :-)

I've owned a Klon - I get it

ICBM · October 2016

richardhomer said:

You'd imagine Kim Kardashian would be going for it, if she played....

I doubt she can afford it now.

Or possibly even a G7 capo...

Sporky · October 2016

Lewy said:

Behind the rubber is a silicon gel insert which enables the rubber to contour more accurately to the radius of the fret.

Ah! Gotcha, thanks. I don't have a bookface account so hadn't found that bit. Much obliged.

It's a chunk of money, but if it works that well it doesn't seem particularly unreasonable for someone who makes a lot of use of capos.

crunchman · October 2016

I'd be more interested if they put this onto the normal G7th capo.

I didn't realise until I looked at their website in response to the OP that they brought out an updated version of their normal capo a couple of years ago. I'll wait until I lose or break my current ones though.

Lewy · October 2016

crunchman said:

I'd be more interested if they put this onto the normal G7th capo.

I didn't realise until I looked at their website in response to the OP that they brought out an updated version of their normal capo a couple of years ago. I'll wait until I lose or break my current ones though.

I'm sure they will.

I had one of the updated Performance2 capos. Lovely capo.... much lighter and less obtrusive that the Performance 1. But had to send it back because it just didn't work well with the compound radii on my main acoustics. You had to squeeze it way too hard to get firm contact across all the strings, hence my keenness on this one.

SRich · October 2016

Capo di tutti capi........

Too expensive

olafgarten · October 2016

Isn't this just a Paige Capo with a bit of silicone stuck to it?

Lewy · October 2016

olafgarten said:

Isn't this just a Paige Capo with a bit of silicone stuck to it?

In the same way that a custom shop strat is just a squier made of better stuff and with more care and attention, yes.

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A genuine capo innovation from G7th....

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Capo di tutti capi........