Shubb Capos
for 7.25"
radius fretboards
The Shubb capo models C4, C4B, C4k, and S4 are made to fit
a fretboard radius of approximately 7.25 inches (as opposed
to our standard steel string models, which can nicely accommodate
a radius ranging from 9 to 16 inches).
So which guitars have these fretboards? Ah, that is the question.
There tends to be a fair amount of confusion about the radius
of guitar fretboards.
- First, it's safe to say that the vast majority of guitars
which MIGHT have a 7.25" radius fretboard are electric guitars.
But...
Do all electric guitars have
a 7.25" radius fretboard?
NO! Most
have a 9.5" radius or greater, and should use our C1, C1B, or
S1 capo.
- Fender guitars are often associated with radically curved
fretboards, but...
Do all Fender guitars have
a 7.25" radius fretboard?
NO! Even
most Fenders have at least a 9.5" radius.
- Some people assume that a Tele or Strat has a radically
curved fretboard, but...
Do all Fender Teles or Strats
have a 7.25" radius fretboard?
NO! There
are so many models of Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster, most
of which do not have this radical curve, that it is difficult
to keep track of which has which curve.
HEY! Wait a minute. Do ANY
guitars have this curve?
Well, yes. SOME of the old vintage Teles and Strats,
and some copies of these styles of guitars, DO have the 7.25"
radius fretboard. That's why we made this model of capo.
The only way to know is to learn
to identify by eye.

Kind of hard to see much difference here,
isn't it? But on your guitar, you can tell ...once you're used
to looking at one or the other.
What if you get the wrong one?
In many cases, this is not a big
problem. The rubber on the Shubb Capo is soft and forgiving,
and depending on your string gauge and action, it can accommodate
the difference between these two curves.
But of course, it is always best to
have the right model capo to fit the curve of your fretboard.
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