Welcome to guitarplayers.net, your go-to resource for all things guitar! Today, we’re diving deep into the world of Guitar Capos. For this feature, we’ve put together a comprehensive round-up review, examining a wide range of capos, from budget-friendly options to high-end, premium models. We’ll give you our honest, no-nonsense thoughts to help you choose the best guitar capo for your playing style and budget.
Guitar capos are indispensable tools for the modern guitarist. Forget the outdated notion that “capos are for beginners.” These tools are embraced by players of all levels, unlocking creativity and making guitar playing more accessible and enjoyable.
In fact, a guitar capo is one of the top 6 guitar accessories we recommend for anyone starting their guitar journey.
A capo simplifies learning, injects fun into practice, and opens doors to incredible musical ideas. Many beautiful fingerpicking pieces, as you may know from our recently updated Fingerpicking Classics course, absolutely require a capo to be played authentically.
Our students, both online here at Guitar Domination and in person, frequently ask for capo recommendations.
Over the past month, we’ve rigorously tested a diverse collection of guitar capos to bring you the best advice.
While we’ve always had a few favorites, we thought it would be incredibly valuable and insightful to put a wide variety of capos through their paces.
This review includes everything from widely popular choices to premium offerings and even budget-friendly capos that have garnered positive attention and strong Amazon reviews.
Among the 10 capos we evaluated, we’re confident there’s a guitar capo perfectly suited to every budget, playing style, and personal preference.
Our Testing Methodology for Guitar Capos
Each guitar capo underwent thorough testing using four distinct guitars (more details on this later).
We assessed each capo based on the following key criteria:
Features
As you’ll discover in this review, guitar capos come in various designs. Each type has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. This section will briefly describe the type of capo and highlight noteworthy features.
Tuning Accuracy
One of the most common frustrations when using a guitar capo is the potential to throw your guitar out of tune, even if it was perfectly tuned beforehand and properly intonated.
This often happens because capos can clamp too tightly, pulling the strings sharp.
Have you ever tuned your guitar, put on a capo, and then thought, “Something sounds off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it?”
It’s likely that the capo is pulling one or more strings out of tune. While it’s a bit of a hassle to retune with the capo in place, it’s far better than playing an out-of-tune guitar!
For this review, tuning accuracy is a critical factor. We meticulously checked each capo’s intonation using a tuner at frets 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.
Excited reviewer with a box of guitar capos ready for testing
Ease of Use
Some guitar capos can be cumbersome to attach, remove, and reposition on the fretboard. To evaluate ease of use, we performed a ‘one-handed test’ for each capo.
Build Quality
Durability is essential. A guitar capo needs to be robust, sturdy, and built to withstand frequent use. There’s little value in a capo that breaks down just as you’re mastering “Fast Car,” or if it’s made of flimsy materials that bend or break after the inevitable drop onto the floor that seems to happen to all new gear!
Value for Money
The guitar capos in this review span a wide price range, from premium options like the Thalia 200 ($79.99) to budget choices like the Donner DC-2 ($8.49).
Most capos fall within the $10-$30 range. We’ve included links to the U.S. Amazon listings and manufacturer websites (where available), although not all are available on Amazon in the U.S. or have dedicated websites.
Rating System
Considering all the factors above, we’ve assigned each guitar capo a rating out of 5, using ‘G’s (for ‘guitar’) instead of stars – a bit of guitar-themed fun!
Here’s what our ratings signify:
Awesome!
Very good, but not quite perfect!
Good, but with some drawbacks!
A bit subpar!
Oh no, this is quite poor!
The Results: Which Guitar Capo Reigns Supreme?
Presented in the random order we pulled them from the box, here are our evaluations of each guitar capo in the review:
Shubb S1 Guitar Capo
Features
The Shubb S1 is a stainless steel guitar capo featuring an adjustable screw. This design aims to achieve precise tuning at any fret by allowing you to fine-tune the pressure. The S1 is designed to fit most acoustic and electric guitars, with other Shubb models available for classical and 12-string guitars.
Tuning Accuracy
After testing on all four guitars, the Shubb S1 consistently delivered excellent tuning and intonation across various frets. A small turn of the adjustment screw while the capo is in position is all it takes.
Unless you’re making very large jumps in fret position, like from fret 1 to fret 10, the tuning remains accurate along the neck.
Ease of Use
While not overly complex, the Shubb S1 is slightly more intricate to use than some other capos. However, with a little practice, you can master one-handed placement.
Adjusting the intonation with the screw is straightforward and simple.
Build Quality
Our test model is the deluxe stainless steel version, as opposed to the standard brass and nickel-plated model. Shubb claims the stainless steel version is more resistant to scratches and nicks.
Made and assembled in the U.S.A., the craftsmanship is excellent. It feels and looks like a quality piece of equipment.
Value for Money
While it requires a bit more adjustment than some capos and may take a little practice to use efficiently, the Shubb S1 offers exceptional value. It’s affordable, high-quality, and very accurate.
What it might lack in pure convenience, it more than compensates for in overall value. It’s a fantastic guitar capo to have in your collection.
Rating
Get it!
Adagio Pro Deluxe Guitar Capo
Adagio Pro Deluxe Guitar Capo
Features
The Adagio Pro Deluxe is a typical budget spring-loaded guitar capo. Uniquely, it also features a pin puller at the end, designed for removing bridge pins on acoustic guitars when changing strings – a somewhat quirky but potentially handy addition.
Tuning Accuracy
Unfortunately, this capo suffers from significant tuning issues. It consistently makes notes sound sharp, and it requires precise placement to avoid string buzz. Sustain also diminishes rapidly, like a lead balloon dragging down your favorite 65 Twin amp.
Ease of Use
Like most spring-loaded capos, it’s easy to use. However, the narrow gap between the clamp and arm means you need to open it fully by squeezing firmly to avoid accidentally catching a string during placement, which can bend the string and worsen tuning problems.
Build Quality
Surprisingly, it feels quite solid and robust, giving the impression it’s built to last.
Value for Money
It’s inexpensive, but its poor tuning performance makes it a waste of money.
No matter how stylish, feature-rich, or easy to use a guitar capo is, tuning accuracy is paramount. The Adagio Pro Deluxe fails in this critical area, making it one we cannot recommend.
Rating
Get it!
- Amazon
- Manufacturer: No website available
G7th Performance 2 Guitar Capo
Features
Unlike many capos, the G7th Performance 2 isn’t spring-loaded. Instead, it utilizes G7th’s ‘Unique Tension Control System.’ This innovative system allows you to precisely control the pressure applied to the guitar neck, giving you much greater command over the clamping force.
Tuning Accuracy
Because you regulate the tension by squeezing the capo closed rather than relying on a fixed spring, tuning problems are virtually eliminated. Most spring-loaded capos lack adjustability, but the G7th Performance 2 puts you in control, a welcome change for anyone who has struggled with cheaper capos.
If you notice notes are slightly out of tune, simply squeeze a bit harder or ease off the pressure slightly.
Ease of Use
What we truly love about this guitar capo is its intuitive ease of use. Minimal adjustment is needed to achieve precise tuning.
Simply place it on the strings, squeeze until it feels right, and you’re ready to play. It’s remarkably intuitive. After a couple of uses, it becomes second nature, easily passing the one-handed test.
Build Quality
The build quality is superb. It feels compact, solid, and strong. We’ve dropped ours countless times without any fear of damage or breakage.
Value for Money
The Performance 2, assuming you don’t misplace it as one of our students did, is an excellent investment. It’s a truly outstanding guitar capo for the price.
It’s simple to use, allows for one-handed operation, tunes perfectly, and feels incredibly robust yet manages to be stylish for what is essentially a metal clamp.
Rating
Get it!
Dellwing Guitar Capo
Dellwing Guitar Capo
Features
The Dellwing is another budget-friendly guitar capo. It’s quite large and surprisingly heavy. The reason for its weight is unclear – perhaps for self-defense in case someone tries to steal your prized Martin 000 acoustic!
In essence, it’s a straightforward, no-frills spring-loaded capo.
Tuning Accuracy
Surprisingly for a budget spring-loaded capo, the Dellwing proved quite accurate on all frets tested across three of our four test guitars.
The Aria was slightly sharp on most frets, while the other three guitars maintained accurate tuning. This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Ease of Use
It’s quite easy to use, but it has a very smooth finish, and the clamps are spaced wide apart. Unless you have large hands (which we don’t), squeezing the clamps together requires precise hand positioning. Otherwise, you might need to use your other hand for support.
Build Quality
It feels incredibly sturdy, like it could withstand serious abuse – perhaps even dent a tank!
It doesn’t have a premium look (politely put, it looks a bit cheap), but it will get the job done and likely last a good while. Just avoid dropping it on your guitar (or your foot!).
Value for Money
It’s also not overly expensive. Just be careful not to drop it and ding your Les Paul, as that repair bill might sting!
For a spring-loaded capo, it’s surprisingly accurate, easy to use, and works well across a range of frets without requiring superhuman hand strength.
Rating
Get it!
- Amazon
- Manufacturer: No website available
G7th UltraLight Guitar Capo
G7th UltraLight Guitar Capo
Features
The UltraLight is G7th’s latest guitar capo, a screw-style design aimed at budget-conscious players who still prioritize tuning stability and sustain. It’s also remarkably small and weighs just 8 grams.
Tuning Accuracy
Like any screw-based guitar capo, tuning is in your control. The UltraLight tuned accurately on all four test guitars. However, we did need to monitor the tuner and tweak the tension to get it just right for each guitar to be perfectly in tune.
It’s not as immediately intuitive as some other screw-based capos in this review.
Ease of Use
Like most screw-type capos, it isn’t the easiest to use. One-handed placement on the fretboard isn’t possible, though it can be removed one-handed. Repositioning it along the neck is straightforward.
Be cautious not to unscrew it too much, as the screw actually came out a couple of times during testing. It’s easy to reinsert, but still, it’s not ideal.
Build Quality
It’s reasonably well-made, but its extreme lightness makes it feel a little flimsy. It’s unlikely to break under normal use, but the delicate feel is somewhat off-putting. We twisted it around (it’s very flexible) to test its durability, and it’s actually tougher than it initially feels.
Value for Money
It’s affordable, tunes accurately, and is more durable than it seems. However, there are some drawbacks, and better alternatives exist at this price point.
If you’re on a tight budget, consider another capo from this list or save a little more for the superior Performance 2 if you want a G7th capo.
Rating
Get it!
Donner DC-2 Guitar Capo
Donner DC-2 Guitar Capo
Features
The Donner DC-2 is another spring-loaded guitar capo, featuring a spring that supposedly has “internal memory to provide strength and fatigue resistance” – whatever that truly means in practice.
It has a visually appealing design, aside from the quaver symbol on it, which might be a bit cheesy for some.
Tuning Accuracy
Unfortunately, the Donner DC-2 suffers the common fate of many spring-loaded capos, but even more severely. Out of our four test guitars, it only tuned the Aria accurately (perhaps the neck size is a perfect match for the capo). Every other guitar was sharp at each fret.
This is typical of cheaper spring-loaded capos that lack tension adjustment. Worse still, sustain seems to noticeably diminish at higher frets.
Ease of Use
It’s a simple spring-loaded guitar capo to use. One-handed operation is a breeze, and the spring tension isn’t too stiff. Be careful, especially with guitars with chunkier necks, not to ‘catch’ the strings when placing it, as this can cause strings to tune sharp.
Build Quality
Nothing particularly noteworthy here, except to say it feels very solid and unlikely to break anytime soon.
Value for Money
There are many positive Amazon reviews for this guitar capo, and after reading them, we were happy to pay £5.99 ($7.92) to test it.
Honestly, if tuning accuracy isn’t a major concern for you, or if you don’t mind placing the capo and then retuning to compensate, it might be acceptable. However, it’s likely that tuning precision is important to most players.
Therefore, in our opinion, this capo is largely a disappointment (we’re not sure what the Amazon reviewers were thinking!).
Rating
Get it!
Shubb F1 Guitar Capo
Features
The Shubb F1 is one of the more expensive guitar capos in our review. It’s a classic, yoke-style capo designed to be left on your guitar even when not in use.
When you don’t need it, instead of removing it, simply slide it past the nut and tighten it slightly to keep it in place. This is a fantastic feature if you, like many of us, occasionally misplace your capo!
Tuning Accuracy
The tuning accuracy of this guitar capo is exceptional. Because you can adjust the tension at any point by tightening or loosening the screw, you have complete control over tuning.
It lacks the typical capo ‘arm,’ so pressure is applied evenly across the middle of the neck. This results in consistent pressure distribution, unlike most capos which tend to be slightly tighter on one side.
Ease of Use
It’s very easy to use, featuring a screw adjustment knob that allows you to increase or decrease tension to suit different guitars.
The only minor issue we encountered was with the Cort, which has a higher action and thicker neck than our other test guitars. At higher frets, we needed to apply significant pressure to get it to clamp the strings securely. Otherwise, it’s incredibly user-friendly. For guitars with very thick necks, the F3 model, designed for wider necks, might be a better choice.
Build Quality
A guitar capo should be well-built and durable, and the Shubb F1 certainly is. The construction is excellent, the design is refined, and it almost feels like a piece of jewelry in its precision. It definitely doesn’t feel or look like some of the budget capos in this review.
Value for Money
Although it’s more expensive than what most beginners might initially want to spend, it represents excellent value. It’s exceptionally high quality, built to last, easy to use, and the only capo in this review that’s virtually impossible to lose.
We love it. It has a cool, classic design and is well worth the extra investment.
Rating
Get it!
- Amazon: Currently unavailable on Amazon
- Manufacturer
Thalia 200 Guitar Capo
Thalia 200 Guitar Capo
Features
The Thalia 200 is a truly unique guitar capo that comes with 7 interchangeable ‘fretpads.’ These fretpads are designed to match the fretboard radius of your guitar. This innovative feature, which we haven’t encountered before, aims to eliminate tuning problems often associated with clamp-style capos.
Tuning Accuracy
We first tested the Thalia 200 with the standard fretpad it came with on all four guitars. We quickly realized that changing the fretpad was necessary to achieve accurate tuning. Once the correct fretpad was installed, the tuning was virtually flawless across the neck on each guitar.
Ease of Use
Using the Thalia 200 is quite simple, and a ‘quick start guide’ is included if you need assistance. It’s effortless to move up and down the neck, and one-handed operation is easy and smooth.
Changing fretpads takes only seconds, which is a great advantage if you use it on multiple guitars with different fretboard radii.
Build Quality
The Thalia 200 is beautifully crafted and feels like a genuine piece of artisanal craftsmanship. We particularly love the ‘Santos rosewood’ inlay design of our test model, but the other available designs also look stunning.
Value for Money
It’s undoubtedly one of the most accurate, unique, and versatile guitar capos available. It allows for precise tuning across a variety of guitars and is easy to use.
While not the cheapest option, it’s a sophisticated and worthwhile investment for a pro-level capo.
Rating
Get it!
D’Addario/Planet Waves NS Guitar Capo
Features
This is one of the oldest guitar capos we own and has been a reliable workhorse for years – you can spot it in many of our tutorial videos). It has a basic, jet-black design with a simple screw to adjust string pressure.
Tuning Accuracy
We’ve never experienced tuning issues with the D’Addario NS, but we still put it through the same rigorous testing as the other capos in this review.
It tunes very well, although you need to apply firm pressure as the far side seems to have slightly less clamping force compared to the screw side.
Ease of Use
Screw-style capos like this aren’t as quick to use as quick-release capos (but generally offer superior tuning accuracy). It’s not overly difficult to use and can be operated one-handed with a bit of practice. You might need your picking hand to assist with clamping, especially at higher frets.
Build Quality
It’s solid but not exceptional. It has lasted for years and feels durable. According to the manufacturer, it’s made from molded ABS thermoplastic (sounds impressive!). Basically, it has minimal parts and is well-constructed.
Value for Money
Everyone should have a backup guitar capo for those moments when the ‘capo thief’ (the guitar-playing cousin of the sock thief!) strikes and steals your primary one – this could be the perfect backup.
One of our most dependable capos ever. Not as fancy, stylish, or easy to use as some others in this review, but it’s affordable and an excellent first capo and/or backup.
Rating
Get it!
Kyser Guitar Capo
Features
The Kyser Quick-Change guitar capo is a simple spring-based capo that is also a stylish piece of gear. We tested the maple version, which we think looks particularly smart. Kyser offers a wide range of colors to choose from.
Tuning Accuracy
Tuning is quite good, but like many similar capos, you need some practice to find the precise placement for optimal tuning accuracy.
We found that after ‘breaking in’ the capo slightly, it tuned better and was quite accurate on 3 out of the 4 test guitars. Strangely, it didn’t tune as well with the Les Paul (it was slightly sharp).
Ease of Use
It’s quite easy to use but is a bit on the tighter side and requires a firm grip to operate.
We appreciate the design subtlety of being intended to be placed from the bass side. This prevents the capo itself from restricting your fretting hand, which is a thoughtful design element.
Build Quality
It’s exceptionally well-made and looks and feels like it should cost significantly more than it does. It looks robust and is beautifully varnished, giving it a sleek look and feel.
Value for Money
Within our reviewed price range, the Kyser is one of the more affordable options and performs admirably. Aside from being a little tight and not perfectly suited to the Les Paul, it’s a very good guitar capo. It looks great, feels great, and offers excellent value for the money.
Rating
Get it!
Conclusion: The Best Guitar Capo – Our Top Picks
Most of the guitar capos we reviewed were great, some were awesome, and a few were disappointing.
Our personal favorites are the Shubb F1, Thalia 200, and G7th Performance 2.
These three stand out for their exceptional tuning accuracy, ease of use, build quality, and overall style. They aren’t the cheapest, but they prove the adage “you get what you pay for,” and these three are simply outstanding.
If we were pressed to choose just one, it would narrowly be the G7th Performance 2, but the other two are also fantastic choices.
Many guitarists wonder about the best capo specifically for acoustic guitar or electric guitar. These top three demonstrate that a truly good capo is universally excellent, regardless of guitar type.
For those on a tighter budget, the D’Addario NS, Kyser, or Dellwing will perform well on a variety of guitars.
Keep in mind that some guitar capos come in different sizes to accommodate varying neck dimensions. If your acoustic guitar has a particularly wide neck, you might want to consider larger models offered by some manufacturers to ensure a proper fit.
Collection of guitar capos and guitars used for testing
A Note on Our Testing Process
The same tests were conducted on the following guitars, each with distinct neck profiles, allowing us to thoroughly evaluate the guitar capos:
- Cort MR-710F (Acoustic)
- Aria AGP-001 (Acoustic)
- Yamaha Pacifica 812v (Electric)
- Epiphone Les Paul (Electric)
All guitars were accurately intonated, and we verified string tuning before placing the capo at the test frets to ensure precise readings of any tuning issues introduced by the capo.
We spent more time testing these capos on acoustic guitars but also assessed their performance on electric guitars.
Our testing also included playing excerpts from various songs, such as Fast Car and Scarborough Fair.
We selected these songs for their blend of fingerpicking and strumming techniques, their classic status, and their suitability for capo use.
We plan to create more round-up reviews in the future if you, our readers, find this format informative and helpful. This blog is for you, so please let us know your thoughts!
That concludes our guitar capo review. Leave a comment below and share your experiences with the capos listed above, or tell us about your favorite or least favorite capo!
