A Tale of Two Capos

One challenge of some tunings is that they create more tension than desirable and one solution to this is to use a capo.  I described using a Shubb capo on a round neck Republic in an earlier post but have a similar issue on the Moog Lap Steel because, I'm told, its piezo pickups will not withstand tuning to GBDGBD.

Also, Shubb does not make a capo suitable for a squareneck or accommodating of the high string height of the MLS. So, I thought I'd try the Beard capos out.

There are two models to choose from so it seemed worth having a look at them both.

They come packaged in a bit of plastic tubing and arrived quickly.

Both work similarly. They have metal bar that is coated with a soft material which can be loosened in order to leave a gap between the body and the bar.

The bar is then inserted between the strings, the capo is rotated 90 degrees so that it crosses the strings and then the bar is tightened so that the capo is secured and the strings are in firm contact with the body of the capo.

The capo 'floats' on the strings and hence neck thickness and string heights are not an issue except that the action must be high enough to accomodate the bar under the strings.

Here is a shot of the brass version mounted in the strings.

It is exceptionally well made and finished.  This version has both a nut replacement and additional damping material. The nut material is firmly fastened to the body

From below you can see how the additional soft material intended to dampen the strings above the body works.

The other capo is a simpler, much more elegant, but missing both the nut material and the dampening of the strings behind the capo





Here is what they look like from the front:





Both are easy to attach and adjust although the 'well' in the brass version is less pronounced and the strings do not catch in it. Their appearance might appeal more or less, but that is an individual choice and each will have their own following.

So, do they sound different?

The strings above the capo vibrate with both capos. This seems to be a factor with any floating capo but it does not seem to affect the sound.

The nut material on the brass capo yields a sound more like the guitars nut while the metal one seem slightly brighter (which may be preferable)

The metal capo is prone to rattle on the top (thinner gauge) strings unless it is (very) firmly tightened. That said, it has a much larger tension knob allowing for this. I can't help but wonder dampening material similar to the brass one might not help with this.

On the MLS, sustain is not an issue but the steel one seems to have better sustain on my Republic and Dobro guitars.

My Take:

• the steel one looks better to me
• the sound of the brass one is preferable for my use
• the level of tightening required by the steel one might cause wear to the soft material sooner

If I were buying just one for the MSL, I'd pick the brass one. If I were buying just one for playing blues on a metal bodied reso, I'd buy the steel one. Both will get use in my kit.

Wishlist....  I wish the steel one had similar dampening material on the underside.