D'addario Ukulele Capo issue

CalBrit · Mar 26, 2021

I was wondering if anyone here has a D'addario ukulele capo and has experienced it leaving a distinct mark on the fretboard. I kept one on my Cordoba 20tmce at the first fret for a couple of weeks and I think the rubber they use has reacted with the fretboard.

I have attached a photo. I also wrote to them around 2 weeks ago but have not heard back which is poor form.

Dohle · Mar 26, 2021

I haven't noticed any marks left on my uke whenever I've used the same capo but then again I always take it off after use. I doubt the rubbery material is that dissimilar found in other types of capos. No idea how it's reacted with the fretboard however.

I'd first try to oil the fretboard or use some fretboard cleaner product to see if you can get rid of the mark.

VegasGeorge · Mar 26, 2021

The D"addario capo has the same rubber top and bottom. Did it leave a mark on the bottom of the neck too?

Ms Bean · Mar 26, 2021

I am inclined to think that the wood that was exposed to UV light has naturally gotten darker. The wood that was covered by the capo hasn't (yet). You could try to always remove capos etc, and I think that the paler strip will eventually catch up.

Canada Jim · Mar 26, 2021

I haven't had this problem, but have seen finish ruined from leaving the tuner or capo clipped to the headstock. The paper instructions that come with a Snark has a disclaimer telling you to tune your instrument, then remove the tuner to prevent damage to the finish.

CalBrit · Mar 26, 2021

Thanks all for your responses. The ukulele is over 5 years old and as a result the fretboard has darkened but its only relatively recently I have taken to using a capo on the 1st fret. This kind of gives me a zero fret feature which lowers the playing action a tad. It's already quite low.

I will try the oiling suggestion and obviously not leave the capo on after playing. It's not a big deal in the current scheme of things but I was just curious to see if anyone else had this issue. Carry on

Peter Frary · Mar 26, 2021

I've used D'addario capos for years and there are no marks on any of my instruments, but I always remove after playing. I suspect Ms Bean is right about the UV exposure causing gradual darkening of the fingerboard. When I had a music shop I used to place a card under the strings with specs and price for sale instruments and noticed the instrument would get a "suntan" after a couple weeks but under the card was lighter. We stopping doing that...

Kenn2018 · Mar 26, 2021

I suspect that your Cordoba's fretboard has a stain on it to make it darker and more uniform. That may have reacted to the material on the capo, making it lighter. Or as others have suggested, reacted to the light making the unmasked areas darken. It's hard to tell from the photo, but if it was the material on the capo, the areas under the strings would be less affected. If it was from light, all of the areas blocking the light would be somewhat uniformly pale.

D'addario Ukulele Capo issue

CalBrit

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