Capo for ukulele mod.

Poul Hansen

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I tried several capos for ukulele and didn't like any.
I had a very cheap one that was very good once on the ukulele but it was so small that I could only open it with my thumb and index finger, but also being narrow, it would rotate out of my grip and even scratch the ukulele.

I then glued a coin to it and painted it. Now it's very convenient and safe to use.

2020-02-18 20.31.35.jpg 2020-02-18 20.31.47.jpg
 
Good solution. I hope it was a small denomination coin.
 
hehe, I just checked, it was a 1 krone coin from Norway, about 10 us cent and I don't go there very often ;-)

So that's my 10 cent about ukulele capos ;-)
 
Each to their own, but don't like trigger capos on ukes myself as I find they exert far too much pressure. Much prefer ones with adjustable tension - you need hardly any tension on a uke capo - only enough to engage the strings.
 
I agree, that's why I bought a Schubb but it interferes with my hand.
 
I tried several capos for ukulele and didn't like any.
I had a very cheap one that was very good once on the ukulele but it was so small that I could only open it with my thumb and index finger, but also being narrow, it would rotate out of my grip and even scratch the ukulele.

I then glued a coin to it and painted it. Now it's very convenient and safe to use.

View attachment 125369 View attachment 125370

Good idea, but isn't it illegal to modify government currency? :) :)
 
Yes, but for a ukulele where you need hardly any capo pressure, I find it works just fine to get it 'just tight enough'.
 
Planet Waves has a nice compact adjustable capo. I haven't tried it on a uke yet, but I've been using it on my bajo for a couple of years and it works really well and is small and light. I would avoid spring loaded capos. Get an adjustable one and tighten it just enough to stop the strings buzzing. The spring loaded ones press the strings right to the board and pull the instrument out of tune.

planet waves capo.jpg Planet Waves Banjo capo.jpg
 
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Planet Waves has a nice compact adjustable capo. I haven't tried it on a uke yet, but I've been using it on my bajo for a couple of years and it works really well and is small and light. I would avoid spring loaded capos. Get an adjustable one and tighten it just enough to stop the strings buzzing. The spring loaded ones press the strings right to the board and pull the instrument out of tune.

View attachment 125383 View attachment 125384

I have seen that one but didn't like that you have to screw it on everytime although it looks inobtrusive. My modded capo isn't too bad but I'll just give the G7 another chance, as I just ordered one. Trial and error is expensive: I now have a Schubb that I don't want and I only bought it 10 days ago for 25$

EDIT: No wonder I found my capo alright: The spring tension is just right, only the highest/thinnest string touches the fretboard under the capo, the 3 others don't. What a coincidence ;-)
 
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I have seen that one but didn't like that you have to screw it on everytime although it looks inobtrusive. My modded capo isn't too bad but I'll just give the G7 another chance, as I just ordered one. Trial and error is expensive: I now have a Schubb that I don't want and I only bought it 10 days ago for 25$

EDIT: No wonder I found my capo alright: The spring tension is just right, only the highest/thinnest string touches the fretboard under the capo, the 3 others don't. What a coincidence ;-)

It takes no time to screw this capo on.

Another thing I don't like about spring loaded capos is that some folks leave them on the headstock when they're not using them and it looks ugly, especially if you also have a Snark clipped on there. (. . . or a cigarette stuck under the strings)
 
My favorite is the yoke type capo. Either an Elliot or Showcase. Showcase are custom made to each persons specifications. They're a bit expensive but considering how many bucks I've spent on trying different types, these seem fairly reasonable.
 
I agree, that's why I bought a Schubb but it interferes with my hand.

I tried the Schubb and it interfered, then I tried the old school elastic strap, which also interfered, as did the ones that have the finger grips sticking down, then I got a Kyser mandolin/ukulele capo with the grips sticking up that interfered the least. I don't find a problem with the spring.

Kyser capo.jpg



This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 6 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 41)

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Planet Waves has a nice compact adjustable capo. I haven't tried it on a uke yet, but I've been using it on my bajo for a couple of years and it works really well and is small and light. I would avoid spring loaded capos. Get an adjustable one and tighten it just enough to stop the strings buzzing. The spring loaded ones press the strings right to the board and pull the instrument out of tune.

View attachment 125383 View attachment 125384

I almost never use a capo.

The spring-loaded types I tried got in the way of my hand.

This Planet Waves/D'Addario capo is unobtrusive it only takes a moment to attach and tighten, it doesn't have a spring to break and, as Jim said, it won't make your uke go sharp.
 
I almost never use a capo. The spring-loaded types I tried got in the way of my hand. This Planet Waves/D'Addario capo is unobtrusive it only takes a moment to attach and tighten, it doesn't have a spring to break and, as Jim said, it won't make your uke go sharp.
I just realized something, once a week I play with an acoustic group with guitars, ukes, mandolins, etc. using a songbook they create. Some songs specify to use a capo, which we all do. Literally all of us use a spring loaded capo, which means all of us go sharp, so it doesn't seem to matter.
 
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