I was at NAMM this past weekend and picked up on of Shubb’s new F1 models. It’s an old-fashioned “stirrup style” capo, like those popular with bluegrass players. But it has a few upgrades to that design that really set it above the rest (like the McKinney Elliott, which retails for an absurd $135US)
It’s all solid stainless steel, with a large rubber pad on the main brace and two smaller ones on the side to prevent the metal from banging against the sides of the neck. The frame has nice, rounded edges and a very slim profile. I find it less obtrusive than any other capo I’ve ever used, although this is the first stirrup style capo I’ve tried.
The adjustment screw is large and has soft round edges as well. There are numbers engraved into the 6 sides of the screw, which make for a convenient reference when tightening (I now know that I need it set to a 3 when I’m on the 4th fret, for example) The whole thing closes very securely with a jewellers clasp.
I also like that I can store it above the but when not in use. I live with my brother, and he often borrows my guitar and a capo. When he’s done with the capo, he just sets it on the couch or something and then it’s missing for a couple days. Now I can just leave it on the guitar all the time.
It’s quickly becoming my favorite capo, and I’ve been using the classic Shubb model for almost 20 years.
Definitely worth a try if you’ve got the cash and can find one. They aren’t planning to make this a major model, just fulfilling some requests from the players that use this style of capo exclusively (i.e. bluegrassers). Still a very cool, top-notch product.
You can check out the video below, which also includes a lesson on the Fox & the Red Hares song “Restless Soul”, which is available on our debut album.