Shubb: Fifth String Capo

INTONATION — A capo's greatest challenge

Any capo can casually claim that it “doesn’t put the guitar out of tune”
...but we really mean it, and we take it very seriously!

Of course, to avoid tuning issues, a capo must be totally adjustable. This narrows the field a bit, but Shubb is not the only adjustable capo. So what makes a Shubb so special?

When we developed our capo, our main job was to minimize or eliminate the need for retuning. We accomplished this by designing
• a material which acts just like your fingertip, and
• a closing action that works exactly like your hand.

Most capos use a material to press the strings which is too hard. It bends the string over the fret, stretching it sharp. The thicker the string, especially wound strings, the more drastic the effect.

We formulated a special rubber material which behaves just like the flesh of your fingertip, while the metal bar inside functions as the bone. It allows the string to sink into the rubber just enough for it to relax, and not get stretched across the fret.
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Another reason that many capos will cause tuning problems has to do with the angle at which they press the strings. They can pull the strings off to the side, again stretching them sharp. Some get stretched more than others. And even retuning doesn’t solve the problem, because the strings’ own tension is still trying to pull them back into line under the capo.

Because the Shubb Capo closes onto the neck just as your hand does — not like a clothespin, or a belt, or a vise, or a pair of pliers — there is no sideways pull on the strings.

ugh

Fretted instruments are not perfect machines. And no capo, not even a Shubb, can make these imperfect machines perfect. But the ultimate achievement of a capo is to effect the strings in exactly the same manner as your fingers. This is what the Shubb Capo does far better than any other.