Are G7 Capos better or just different?

DavidR

Thinking of getting a Performance 3 and they ain't cheap (£37) c.f. previous capos. Are they a lot better?

Has anyone used both and which did you like best?

Nerine

The latest G7 I bought (which has a kind of malleable spring loaded bar that contacts the strings so it is able to be more sympathetic to the neck radius) isn’t as good as a standard G7 I had years ago (and lost). 

Moe_Zambeek

I’ve had a few G7s and would agree that the original G7 I have is better than the other models.I’ve had a Nashville which I didn’t like and one of the newer performance ones, I just preferred the mechanism of the original, probably because I was used to it. I do rate them if the mechanism works for you. 

crunchman

I haven't used some of the competitors like Kyser but the G7th is definitely better than the Shubbs I used to have.  I find the intonation/tuning is a lot better with the G7th.

If you play with the thumb wheel on a Shubb, you might be able to get the right force on it so you don't pull the guitar out of tune, but then it will be wrong when you move it up a fret or two.  I put my Shubbs on Ebay and got shot of them when I got a G7th.

Bod

I've tried many different types and eventually forked out for a G7 last year.  I wish I'd done it sooner.

lustycourtier

I used them for years but went back to Shubb by accident last year and havent returned. G7th are brilliant in every way, except when you have a few radius guitars.  

fretfinder

I’ve used most decent capos over the years and I used a G7 for while but it broke so I went back to Shubbs and I’ve kept using them ever since and had no issues.

chrisj1602

I really like mine. £37 might see a lot compared to some but I’ve been using the same one for 12+ years so not a bad outlay... 

Snags

Just different, in my view.

I've got a variety of Kyser-style capos, a G7 Nashville and a more traditional G7 "squeezy" one. The squeezy one doesn't work brilliantly on all necks, in my experience (it's OK on my Faith, not always great on the Furch). 

The Nashville is good across the board, but no better than the Kyser/trigger-style ones I've got. The only advantage to it is that unlike my other trigger-style capos, the Nashville puts the lever parts pointing up, so they're less in the way of your fretting hand if you're playing notes/chords up around the first couple of frets.

CarpeDiem

The G7 works well and can be fitted or removed with one hand. I agree with @Nerine that the previous version works slightly better, despite the latest version being marketed as an improved version. I’ve used the G7 effectively on electric and acoustic guitars.

Roland

I’ve got both a G7 and a Shubb. I prefer the Shubb because it’s smaller and lighter. That said I only use them on electric guitar necks, and only on the lower frets. I don’t have any experience of capoing acoustics higher up.

Kilgore

I haven't tried a Performance 3 but I've used a G7th Newport for years on my acoustics, more than happy with it.

Stuckfast

As long as it matches the radius of your fretboard, the Paige capo is easily the best IMO. 

ICBM

Capos are a very personal thing. Having tried almost all of them, for me there’s nothing better than the Kyser - it’s simply unimprovable, it works flawlessly, more easily, more quickly and with less faff than any other type. But not everyone agrees…

Winny_Pooh

The original g7 is good but very heavy and awkward.

The lite g7 is rubbish 

The shubb is my overall favourite and fits nicely in a rear trouser picket when gigging.

Having said that and although its clunky, I'm enjoying the Daddario NS artist. It's a clamp capo but has adjustable tension.

merlin

This was the first video I found when I searched for "capo out of tune". Useful tip. 

axisus

That sounds like a mad amount of money to me for something that just holds the strings down. I bought a Kyser many years ago for about a fiver at the time and used it ever since.

MartinBush

That's an interesting video @merlin ; - seems a faff though just to use a cay-po.

I have a couple of cheap ones off ebay which seem to work fine. My approach is to not worry whether it's in tune...

Snags

It's not a massive faff when you do it in real life, you just pull/push a string as required, quicker than actually tuning.

lustycourtier

axisus said:

That sounds like a mad amount of money to me for something that just holds the strings down. I bought a Kyser many years ago for about a fiver at the time and used it ever since.

Theres so much more to a capo than that. A good capo allows you to bend strings and will return to pitch. Cheap ones dont.

BabyFrankReborn

After years using Shubb and Kyser (plus variants thereof) I'm a recent convert to G7th Performance 3 capo, after buying their excellent 12-String capo. That worked so well I picked up a Performance 3 and then another.  Tuning stability is excellent without having to fiddle with screws (unlike Shubb) or having no tension adjustment at all (Kyser).  Using on acoustic and electric guitars both solo and with other musicians, where the tuning stability is key