Capo throws me out of tune

Hello everyone,
When I use a capo, it throws my Tele badly out of tune. If I remove the capo, it goes back in tune instantly. This has never happened to me while using an electric guitar before. My local guitar tech told me that it's normal to have to re-tune a Tele when you put a capo on it. Is he right, or can you guys slap a capo on your Teles and start playing without re-tuning?

I can't remember who makes my capo, but it looks very similar to this one:

http://www.music123.com/Kyser-Quick-Change-Guitar-Capo-i51953.music

Does the problem lie with my Tele, or with the capo? Would changing the capo make a difference, or would adjusting something on my Tele fix the problem?
Thanks!
Fab
p.s. I tried a friend's capo last night, and it was a bit different to mine. It still de-tuned my Tele, but not as badly as mine does.

He is absolutely wrong.

Be sure to place the capo as closely to the fret as possible. Also try to let it clamp down evenly, as it can "smear" a string or two and bend them slightly away from the others.

If it is adjustable, you may need to loosen it a little bit too.

It is sort of a similar issue to scalloped fretboards, where you are actually pulling strings out of tune by fretting too deeply...

After encountering this problem often, I took a little more care of how I put the capo on and it has now resolved the tuning issues. You may need to put it on, play a few notes, and then reseat the capo once or twice.

Could intonation be an issue in this situation?

That's another possibility.

When my intonation is dead on - this capo issue still happens to me... but definitely check your intonation, Fab.

Good point Spidercaster!!

problems at all. I think you're using the wrong kind from the picture. I use a Shubb which has a tension screw so you don't have make it so tight. Also as someone else said, put it as close to the fret as you can.......JH in Va.

Does it go out of tune at the first frett? How about the fifth?
How do bar chords sound as you go up the neck? In tune or not?
Sounds like you may have an intonation problem as mentioned by Spidercaster.
Is the action on your Tele really high?
I've never had a capo that put any of my guitars out of tune, of course I don't use one anymore. I have to fingerpick some of my stuff in Eb to accomodate my learned partners.

The crash-meister is Johnny on the spot.
Make sure it's JUST tight enough to keep the strings from buzzing.

The Capo you linked to (Keyser)...are notorious for making Guitars out of tune...one of the Best for Fenders (as mentioned earlier) is the Shubb..and get the one for the curved electric fingerboard.

I always found the Kysers required retuning after application, but some folks claimed to have figured them out. I've had much better luck with the Shubb type, which lets you adjust the tension. However, you have to fine tune it for where you are on the neck, unless your neck is of uniform depth all the way up. Most of my guitars have necks that get gradually deeper the further up you go, so what works at the third fret won't work at the seventh fret. I also have a G7th, but I didn't notice any tuning improvement over the Shubbs.

Kyser and Shubb capos aren't bad...but if you want the ultimate try one of these:


http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v301/timbascom/capo.jpg






This is the Showcase Capo by Bill Stokes...made down in Rowlett, Texas. With one of these you will stay in tune.

BTW...This is the capo that Ricky Skaggs swears by...and yes...they're pretty darned expensive. :smile:

the showcase one looks really nice
bet its at least £30-£40

the showcase one looks really nice
bet its at least £30-£40

Actually right at $115.00 USD. :smile:

I found that having a fingerboard radius of 9.5 or flatter,medium jumbo frets,and .010/.011 strings work very well on my electrics with a Kyser.
I make sure the capo is put on straight,and right up against the fret.

My buds that are heavily dependent upon capo usage all swear by the Shubb. This would include a guy that plays distorted electric guitars with a Celtic rock ensemble; for most of the material, he capos at the first fret, and the lead instrument is traditional bagpipes (non-440, as I understand it) - talk about your serious tuning considerations. He uses the Shubb in tandem with the capo-specific temperament offsets of a Peterson StroboStomp pedal tuner.

The only reason I haven't picked up a Shubb yet is because I rarely capo live, but I'm going to get one. I capo quite often for recorded tracks. I have several Kysers; it doesn't matter which of my instruments I apply the Kyser to, or whether or not said instruments have been freshly intonated, and with a proper fret crown intact - I always have need to tweak tuning after applying the Kyser.

I do try to place the capo lightly with equal tension, as close behind (and parallel to) the fret as is humanly possible. Which leads naturally to the consideration of sheer physics. For certain tracks, I like to capo as high as the 7th or 9th fret, and certain chord grips are a real challenge; for instance, the garden variety, cowboy chord 'A' shape, with the high E string as part of the voicing... for similar reasons that most folks would choose a barre chord on the inner four strings and forego the high E string entirely, as this shape is moved up the neck in capo-free tuning. The only way I can incorporate this grip and still get the high E with a Keyser is to use the somewhat unnatural (for me) fingering of 2-1-3 (from low to high). I'd speculate that the smaller profile of the Shubb would better facilitate this, to at least some degree.

+1 on the G7th.

I use a capo all the time on my 'Keef'........2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th fret....and change between songs, I can't afford that number of Tele's just to swap guitars........so I move the capo.........and have no trouble with the G7th capo..........never lets me down..............that's put the curse on it.

get the one for the curved electric fingerboard.



+1000000

Shubbs work perfectly for me.

I use a Keyeser on my Martin, tried it on my teles and freaked. Get a Shubb. They are the BOMB!

jeez, i thought it was normal to have to tune after putting a capo on. i use em alot and dont think i have a guitar or capo that dont go out a little.

s.

The G7 capo has the best features of the Keyser (you can keep it on your headstock when not in use) and the Shubb (completely adjustable tension), and has better tension control than ANY other capo I've used. I swear by mine. It even beats the Shubb out for tension control, because a: it's much easier to adjust, and b: you don't need to reset it for every different guitar. Yeah, it's $40, but a worthwhile investment if you use a capo much, especially on multiple guitars.

Shubb Rocks! Gentle Force Only Frets The Strings And Doesn't Pull Them Down. Buy One Now!!!

If you're carefull when putting it on, you don't even need an expensive one. Just mind your Ps and Qs when putting it on.

Cheapies worked fine for decades with all of them old legendary folks...

If you've got the scratch and it's really bugging you though, go ahead and drop $100 on one of them horseshoes.

My capo always puts me out of tune because its too tight and squeezes the strings too much, making them sharp. Its a common problem and most likely what you are expierencing. Get a capo like a shubb that lets you adjust the tension.

The G7 capo has the best features of the Keyser (you can keep it on your headstock when not in use) and the Shubb (completely adjustable tension), and has better tension control than ANY other capo I've used. I swear by mine. It even beats the Shubb out for tension control, because a: it's much easier to adjust, and b: you don't need to reset it for every different guitar. Yeah, it's $40, but a worthwhile investment if you use a capo much, especially on multiple guitars.

but the G7 does not have the option of a radius that matches vintage 7.25" Fenders. The shubb for vintage fingerboards is still superior for that reason alone...

If you've got the scratch and it's really bugging you though, go ahead and drop $100 on one of them horseshoes.

I thought it looked like a stirrup.

Question: How do you put that $115 Bill Stokes Showcase capo on the neck.

It looks similar to this cheapo I've had since the '60s but I don't see how you get it on the neck.

....................991

this is just me being ornery, but::: capos suck. i'd rather eat ***** than use one -- but every now and then :roll:

I HAVE TO!

[oooooh, the humanity!]

The Planet Waves Ned Steinberger designed capo is fantastic, and for 10 bucks it's a steal:

http://www.theguitarfiles.com/modules.php?name=catalog&file=product_info&products_id=1902

I've got that Planet Waves capo.....I really don't like it. A guy at guitar center convinced me to buy it, and I really don't like it. I can't ever get it to work properly. I can't get it to keep out fret buzz without pulling the strings sharp. It might be my guitar, but the Shubb capo does a good job. It is adjustable, and pretty solid

Funny - what I like about it is how little tension I can apply to it and still have it work. I can put it on with one hand and dial in just the right amount of tension - never gives me tuning problems.

but the G7 does not have the option of a radius that matches vintage 7.25" Fenders. The shubb for vintage fingerboards is still superior for that reason alone...

Works jes fine on my 'ol 52ri:roll:

Picked up a Shubbs today. Regarding intonation, it's clearly superior to my Kysers. I have an acoustic session later this week where I'll need to capo on the second fret; tried this with the Shubbs, and it was dead nuts. With the Kyser, three of the six strings needed to be re-tuned.

Devil's advocate comments. The Shubbs needs to be screwed in fairly tightly for best results (properly ringing strings and whatnot). This screwing process made mincemeat of my thumb and forefinger in short order. I can apply the Kyser and tweak the intonation in about the same amount of time as I can apply the Shubbs and tweak the pressure.

It's early yet with the Shubbs, but at this point, it's about six of one, and half-a-dozen of the other.

Picked up a Shubbs today. Regarding intonation, it's clearly superior to my Kysers. I have an acoustic session later this week where I'll need to capo on the second fret; tried this with the Shubbs, and it was dead nuts. With the Kyser, three of the six strings needed to be re-tuned.

Devil's advocate comments. The Shubbs needs to be screwed in fairly tightly for best results (properly ringing strings and whatnot). This screwing process made mincemeat of my thumb and forefinger in short order. I can apply the Kyser and tweak the intonation in about the same amount of time as I can apply the Shubbs and tweak the pressure.

It's early yet with the Shubbs, but at this point, it's about six of one, and half-a-dozen of the other.

thanks for the review Tim. I've always used kysers and thought it was okay to do a minor tweak to make it happy.... this thread had me thinking.... I gotta go buy.... a Shubb or whatever... I think I'll wait. my kyser works great on my larrivee which is what I typically use a capo on... thanks man!

i play out quite a bit and use a capo on 70% of the material... all over the neck and as high as the 9th fret!

shubb is the best for my purposes because of the adjustable tension. however, i make sure that all of my setups have good nut to first fret height ratio. if the nut slots are cut to high, and i have to press the string down too far on the 1st fret or 2nd fret, a capo applied to the same area will pull the tuning quite sharp.

i make sure that this ratio is minimal so that ANY capo applied will only minimally effect the tuning. as i go up the neck on my guitars with the capo (like that 9th fret thing), i make sure that the action stays pretty close to the frets (low) so that any capoing will again only minimally pull the tuning sharp.

and, if you use an adjustable tension capo, like my shubb you can compensate even more for any EXTRA tension that might pull it sharp.

it is imperative for me to use the capo in most of our material as it is BIG part of our sound. and, i absolutely CANT be retuning every 2 songs out of 3. we try to keep the show moving and i dont want to screw it up with even a minute of retuning, unless i am truly out of tune sans capo.

so, this system REALLY works for me and ive been using it for 6 years without any major glitches.

imho.


rand z tropicalsoul.net