An industry standard, the Shubb Deluxe capo improves upon an already good design

 Pros: Versatile, tough, easy to use.

 Cons: People keep taking them and not giving them back. Only comes in silver.

 Bottom line: One of the best capos ever made

Other than a tuner or pitch fork, the capo is one guitar accessory I find absolutely necessary. One among the very few I recommend is the Shubb Deluxe Capo. It is well made, versatile and works with a variety of guitar neck shapes and sizes. I have used many capos over the years and use them quite often. Although I have not tried some of the expensive specialty capos recently on the market, Shubb’s deluxe model already meets every requirement I have.

 Ease and Extended Creativity at the Turn of a Screw

 The capo’s basic function is to shorten the length of the neck, which allows a player to change the key of a song without retuning the guitar or transposing the music by learning a whole new set of chords. This comes in handy when performing songs originally written for someone else because one can instantly change the pitch of the strings to suit their vocal range from song to song. When playing fingerstyle instrumentals the capo can add welcome pitch variation so the pieces in a set don’t start sounding too much alike.

 I like Shubb capos because they simply work better on a wider variety of guitar necks. I have had a menagerie of acoustic guitars from makers like Martin, Collings, Bourgeois, Gibson, and Fender. Some had low profile necks but most had some variation of V neck profiles. Some have had modern neck widths, others had vintage neck widths of 1-3/4″ or wider. The Shubb family of capos has always worked well with each and the deluxe model seems to be flawless. Other popular capo brands, do not work as well with wider fingerboards or necks with vintage thickness or V shaped profiles. They do not allow uniform tension across all six strings the way the Shubbs do.

 I also like Shubbs because they are well made from sturdy, stainless steel with riveted joints. The basic construction consists of a curved bar that reaches around and flattens out over the fingerboard. There is a rubber sleeve covering the bar where it frets the strings. Should the sleeve wear out over time, it can be replaced with a new one. This means a Shubb could last a player’s lifetime.

 They are also very easy to use. The capo’s fretting bar is held in place against the back of the neck with a lever that has a soft, rubber pad so that no metal comes into contact with the guitar itself. This lever is clamped into place with a second lever that has a screw passing through it so the capo’s tightness may be adjusted depending on the thickness of the guitar’s neck. To use the capo a player simply lines up the rubber sleeve over the strings and closes the lowest lever into the locked position.

 There is one very important addition to the deluxe Shubb that sets it apart from the basic model; it has a small roller to hold the capo in place. The basic model has a pointed, rubber tip on the end of the tightening screw. When one locks the capo the screw presses up against the padded lever, which in turn presses against the back of the guitar’s neck. The deluxe version’s roller is attached to a flexible piece of steel that sits between the screw and padded lever. The screw is used to set the height of the roller, but when you lock the capo into the position the roller moves along the length of the padded lever and wedges into place tightly and more securely. It also seems to employ an even better distribution of fretting tension and that helps with my favorite feature of the Shubb capos.

Alternate Tunings

 The Shubb design can be used to affect alternate tunings by attaching the capo while leaving one or two strings uncapoed. Other capos simply cannot do this. When using a Shubb so it comes around the treble side of the guitar’s neck one can lock it into place while leaving the padded bar off of the low E string. The result is instant Drop D tuning (only up a step, so it is actually Drop E tuning.) Leaving it off of the A string as well results in an even more exotic tuning. Reverse the capo so it reaches over the bass side and one can expose the B and or High E string while capoing the remaining strings. Use these settings farther up the neck or when in Celtic tunings like DADGAD, or blues tunings like Open G and countless possibilities ensue. Some players go even farther and trim out slots in the fretting pad to expose inner strings for even more exotic voicings.

 I do not go that far, but I do find the deluxe model works much better when it comes to capoing 4 or 5 strings because the roller gets such a good grip even when employed at an angle on the side of a V neck.

 So many professional guitarists have been using these tricks of the trade that Shubb ultimately came out with a special Drop D model and a Partial capo that features an even shorter bar that fretting only three of the innermost strings to achieve unique alternate tunings. I own both and like them, but they cannot serve as a regular six string capo and are currently not made with the deluxe roller in the locking mechanism.

 The basic and deluxe models are made to work with acoustic and electric guitars that have a fret board radius between 9.5″ to 15″. Other Shubb capos are available for older Fender-style electrics, 12-string guitars or flat fingerboards as found on Classical guitars.

 Unfortunately, the deluxe model only comes in the shiny chrome variety. All their other six string models are available in an attractive vintage bronze color, including the two special models previously mentioned. They look so much classier when on a vintage Martin or a modern guitar with aging toner or fancy gold tuning knobs. I can only hope Shubb will produce a brass colored capo with the deluxe roller someday. They even released a 2013 model that comes with a roller, but has a nickel finish, for a little less than the Deluxe. But I continue to wait for a brass Shubb with a roller. Ah well.

 And that is one man’s word on…

The Shubb Deluxe capo

available at Maury’s Music

as well as other fine dealers