12-String Capo Recommendation?

Well, I couldn't afford a Guild 12, and I was getting too frustrated with trying to keep my old Framus 12 in tune, so I just bought one of the last Simon & Patrick Woodlan Cedar 12s to be produced. It has a great sound, an easy neck, and the B-Band electronics are great, too.

One problem I have, though is picking a capo. I use a G7th Performance on my Guild D-50 and love it. I tried a G7th 12-string capo an the S&P, thinking it would be just as good but sadly, it wasn't. I had to fight to position it to where I'd have no buzzing or dullness.

I have a feeling the G7th is designed for a perfectly flat fingerboard and that of the S&P 12 has a slight radius, 14" I believe.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a 12-string capo that will work reliably on a radiused fretboard? I've heard good things about Schub bu thave never used one. I'd like something that's pretty quick to position.

I have a Shubb for 6 and 12.

Seems to work fine, I can mess up chords with or without it.

Don sells them btw.

I've tried many and had similar experiences with the G7. What a shame... they're expensive... As Graham mentions, the Shubb works nicely. I mostly use Kysers which are quite inexpensive, quick on/off and reliable. The one drawback to the Kyser is that they are made out of plastic and can break if you're not nice to them...

Scratch said:

I've tried many and had similar experiences with the G7. What a shame... they're expensive... As Graham mentions, the Shubb works nicely. I mostly use Kysers which are quite inexpensive, quick on/off and reliable. The one drawback to the Kyser is that they are made out of plastic and can break if you're not nice to them...

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The problem I've had with Kysers is that the spring is sooo tight I've gouged the back of my D-50's neck when taking it off. And it's not a comforatable thing to squeeze, either. I'd hate to mess up a brand new guitar neck!

The G7th is great with the D-50 - but their 12-string version just clamp the 12-string well.

I'll probably try the Shubb.

I know what you mean about the spring. Not arthritis friendly for sure!

I've got one of these for my six strings: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=361650. Works quite well; haven't tried a 12 string version though...

I agree about the Kyser spring, but my 6 and 12 Kysers are made of metal. No gouging yet. I think I might get a shubb.

Scratch said:

I know what you mean about the spring. Not arthritis friendly for sure!

I've got one of these for my six strings: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=361650. Works quite well; haven't tried a 12 string version though...

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That one is quite kewl, and worked very well as I remember Scratch.

I've used shubbs for years on 12 or 6 they work fine on different guitars and their design has been upgraded from when they first came out to make them even easier to put on and take off...Very solid little Capo! No buzzing...make sure you get the 12 string version...the 6 string will work on a 12er but only on the lower frets (they are not quite long enough to grab all of the strings further up the neck). The only drawback is they need to go in a pocket when you are not using them where as the keyser can be easily clipped on the headstock when not being used...but then again, a pocket is easy enough to find :lol:
Happy Pickin and enjoy that cedar 12er!

12stringer said:

I've used shubbs for years on 12 or 6 they work fine on different guitars and their design has been upgraded from when they first came out to make them even easier to put on and take off...Very solid little Capo! No buzzing...make sure you get the 12 string version...the 6 string will work on a 12er but only on the lower frets (they are not quite long enough to grab all of the strings further up the neck)....

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I picked up a Shubb today and it works well. No-one around seemed to stock the new S3 with the easier release (just a lip extension it appears) and the roller so I got the original. On the twelve I don't do a lot of moving around of the capo so as long as I get no buzzing I'll be fine.

Do the Guild 12s have a radiused fretboard?

I am sure you will be pleased with that capo. I have not tried the newest version but I know that the version that they now call "original" has a nylon cap on the adjustment bolt that is an improvement over the first models that they came out with...My Guild F112 has a radius fingerboard as do the other 2 12ers I own. happy pickin!

Scratch said:

I've got one of these for my six strings: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=361650. Works quite well; haven't tried a 12 string version though...

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Wow...that looks like a good one! No pocket?...no problem! I will keep an eye out for it for sure and see how it works on a 12er.

My Jim Dunlop "Trigger" capo



seems to have precisely the right curvature for the G312 neck.


And the old Heriba capo



has woked for me on lots of 12s - the many little independent teeth seem to get a better bite on the octave strings than most.

I use the same Dunlop on my G-312, John, and I am very pleased with it.

Guildmark said:

I use the same Dunlop on my G-312, John, and I am very pleased with it.

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I'm starting to think that one of the difficulties with capoing the S&P 12 is the shape of the back og the neck, which is very flat (but vary comfortable, too). I've tried a Shubb and it works the best so far, but I still have to tweak it.

Oddly enough, shile I had difficulty with the G7th 12, the 6 version works better but still can't get quite tight enough.

Questions about the Dunlop:

It appears that you have to squeeze quite hard to open it fully. Is it as tight as a Kyser (don't like them)?

I'd also think that the large extension of the triggers behind the neck would interfere with the hand on chords that require the wrist to be turned towards the headstock.

I've been tuning and tuning so much with these different capos it's driving the wife nuts. She says I'm getting into the Sergio Garcia club-regripping rut and she's right.

I don't have to use too much pressure on the Dunlop. I squeeze it open with my thumb and fingers and mount it from the top edge of the fretboard. Here it is in action:

I've tried the Kyser only once but I did feel it had a stronger spring that was best opened by squeezing it in the palm of my hand. It was a little awkward from the way I am used to. I prefer the Dunlop because the handles are behind the neck and not as visible to the audience. I have seen another fellow mount these type of capos from the bottom edge of the fretboard which worked fine, but just looked a little odd to me. I have rarely had trouble with the capo handles being in the way. I like to place the capo directly behind the fretwire, though, and on certain chords you are right - it can be a little bit intrusive. The Kyser handles are in front of the fretboard so they don't have the problem as much. If I know which songs I have the problem on I move the capo to the back of that position so it's about an inch further back and out of the way. You risk intonation problems that way, but for one song I can handle it. Sometimes I'll try to substitute a different inversion of the chord somewhere else on the neck to avoid the problem.

Good luck finding what works for you.

I'll probably give the Dunlop a try, too. I wrote to G7th from a link on their website and got a very nice response from Nick Campling, who seems genuinely interested in learning what might be the problem with the G7th 12 I tried. I also got a response from Kevin Kastning, a professional musician whose is quoted on the G7th site as endorsing their 12-string capo, saying that Nick at G7th has been great to work with, and suggested I write him, right before I got the email from Nick!

They may even send me a capo to retry. I'll update the thread if they do.

If nothing else I'm learning that there are many guitar pros out there, artists and manufacturers, who are really open to talking to and helping out "the rank and file". Nice to know.

+1 for Dunlops

Interesting that I saw this thread update just as I got back from a week out of town and found that Nick from G7th had indeed sent me a 12-string capo all the way across the pond - to replace the one I bught that I couldn't get to set tightly. Talk about customer service!

I did try a Shubb in the interim and while it worked OK it was bit of a pain to position and set so as not to bend some of the strings.

While not being able to get the G7th-12 I bought locally to not buzz on my S&P 12, the one Nick sent did the trick without all the pressure I had to apply on the first one. I still do have to make sure the capo is about 3/8" above the fret with the curved pad centered over the fretboard. Then I just squeeze - no bending at all.

While I actually did get their 6-string version to work on the 12 as high as the 4th fret, the 12 version can go higher.

So, I still LOVE G7th capos.

Thanks, Nick.

Chazmo said:

I agree about the Kyser spring, but my 6 and 12 Kysers are made of metal. No gouging yet. I think I might get a shubb.

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I got a Shubb and I'm totally kicking myself for living with the Kyser's imperfect spring-loaded system and clumsy gun grip. I'm completely converted with the Shubb. No springs and an adjustable screw. I love this thing. I'm throwing away my Kysers.