Capo - Do you capo?

Bud Harger · From: Belton, Texas by way of Baton Rouge, Louisiana

I was in a conversation this week about a Nashville steel player that "capos" a lot...using a round thin bar that fits (JAMS) under the strings.

Do you do this? What do you use for a capo? How can I (we) get one?

Thanks,

bUd

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

Lord, no. I understand the open-string theory, but putting a capo even on a resonator, for me, is like putting a capo on a piano. But, this is why one tuning works fine for me, simpleton that I am.

Al

[This message was edited by Al Terhune on 03 November 2006 at 04:34 PM.]

Robert Shafer · From: United Kingdom

There is a gentleman here in the UK who makes a square neck or lap steel capo which he sells on eBay for $39.99 plus postage. His eBay ID is plum741. He has made many of these and enjoys 100% feed-back.
His capo is hand made from high quality materials and makes accurate allowance for the different string thicknesses. It's a nice piece of kit.
He does not have one listed at the moment, he's probably making new stock but if you check item #230040522644 you'll get the idea.
Give him a call via 'ask seller a question'. He's a very communicative chap and most helpful. His name is Graham.
Hope this helps.

Billy Wilson · From: El Cerrito, California, USA

I use a steel guitar bar that is narrow enough to slip right under the strings.

Klaus Caprani · From: Copenhagen, Denmark

I've seen capos on dobros but never on a PSG.
I couldn't imagine using one.
I'm not playing too many open strings anyhow, and this instrument to me is the easiest thing in the world to switch keys on (And that's about all which is easy about this Winking

.

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Klaus Caprani

MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com

Colin Goss · From: St.Brelade, Island of Jersey, Channel Islands, UK

Jeff Newman had a piece called Friends which was played with a capo on the 12th fret. Effective, but you could only use the style once in a gig.

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

I have tried putting a 3/4" bar under the strings and it seems to work OK. If it ever occurred that I needed to play open-string, dobro-type pulloffs in a particular key it could work, but that's not a frequent urge of mine.

(If you're trying to do pulloffs down towards the nut, which is sort of the point, it's easy to brush against and move the nose of the "capo" bar with your left hand, and then it sounds like a very bad idea indeed.)

[This message was edited by David Mason on 02 November 2006 at 11:53 PM.]

basilh · From: United Kingdom

I do believe LLoyd used one on Louisiana Man by Pride.

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

I made one from a piece of 3/4" aluminum angle stock. I had to do a little sawing and grinding, then put adhesive-backed felt on the bottom to protect the fretboard.

It worked like a charm, and in a moment of weakness, I gave it to Dicky Overbey at a Bobby Flores session.

One o' these days, I'll make another. A capo is necessary for at least one Ray Price song I can think of: "Walkin' Slow and Thinkin' 'Bout Her."

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I believe the first use of a steel capo (that I can recall) on a major record was in the song "Poison Love", by Johnny and Jack, that was around '61 or'62.

Anyone care to guess who played it?

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 03 November 2006 at 05:42 AM.]

Gary Spaeth · From: Wisconsin, USA

let's see, johnny was johnny wright, kitty wells husband so i'll guess jimmy crawford. i was thinking of using a socket from my socket wrench set to capo the low string so you could slide the bar forward and get a low note with a chord from a higher fret position. eg. if you capo the 10 string at the first fret and play g at the tenth fret (pedals down) you could get a low d by opening the 10th string.

[This message was edited by Gary Spaeth on 03 November 2006 at 06:34 AM.]

Gere Mullican · From: LaVergne, Tennessee, USA (deceased)

If I am not mistaken, Walter Haynes used a capo back in the 50's or early 60's.

Gere

ps. Walter, you might jump in and correct me if I am wrong.

[This message was edited by Gere Mullican on 03 November 2006 at 07:04 AM.]

Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

I have a 1/2 inch diameter glass test tube that slides under the strings of my MSA. I have used it under the 2nd or 3rd fret to play behind-the-bar harmonics at the 14th or 15th fret for some interesting effects. I use it under the 7th fret to get bell like overtones kind of like a Carillon or distant church bells. (With enough reverb that is.) I haven't had a reason to use it lately but I still carry it around in the same aluminum cigar tube I've used since the 70s.

BD

[This message was edited by Bill Bassett on 03 November 2006 at 08:29 AM.]

David Mason · From: Cambridge, MD, USA

You know, I started thinking and I got to looking at this thing:

You bend the strings by pushing behind them on a koto, but you could sure also slide around above them.... you could have separate "capos" at different frets, you'd need like little, wide-based metal golf tees, or better yet tiny, notched Eiffel Tower models. Chessmen with grooved heads? The mind boggles... "prepared" pedal steel, oh why not.

Jim Peter · From: Mendon,Mich USA

I used to wonder why you would need a capo on a psg but then I saw a guy use one and it made a lot of sense. He used it on bluegrass songs like a dobro player would, and he could get great hammer-ons and pull-offs. The band would play in G and he would slide that thing up to the 3rd fret and do some really cool stuff that you could not do with pedals.

Walter Haynes · From: Bullard.Texas, R.I.P.

In the fifties I used a capo on a lot records, it gave me open strings to use when needed them. It came in handy when we did a cajan tune or a fiddle tune. I used to play Jimmy C Newman,s spots on the Opry using a capo I guess that was when I started a capo. I plan doing a CD using a capo soon hope you like it!!!!! Walter Haynes

Les Green · From: Jefferson City, MO, R.I.P.

Bud Carter turned me on to the capo back in the early 60's. Along with not muting the strings it gave a cajun type sound. Also a lot of open string possibilities.

Gere Mullican · From: LaVergne, Tennessee, USA (deceased)

Walter, thanks for bailing me out so I don't look like a dipstick.

Gere (from Belle Meade theater days)

Drew Howard · From: 48854

Stars of the Steel Guitar
Hollywood
released 1994

This is a great CD, has two cuts with Walter Haynes, he uses a capo on at least one cut.

Amazon

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Drew Howard - website - Red guitars sound better!

[This message was edited by Drew Howard on 05 November 2006 at 07:45 AM.]

David Higginbotham · From: Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA

You will not find many steelers in this part without a capo! Reason is that we typically play with the accordion as the primary lead instrument and accordion players have thier preference as to which key they like to use. Also, some singers prefer to sing behind certain keys. The choices are pretty much B-flat, C, and D with the addition of F such as last night with one accordion player. Some even choose to change accordions several times throughout the gig.

The capo allows us to simply change our open chord without having to re-tune to accomodate the change in accordions.
Dave

Jon Jaffe · From: Austin, Texas

I have one Bud. I have not used it since the early 80's. It is a round steel bar and about 7/16" in diameter. I would place it under the 12th fret and pick on the keyhead side. The over tones were cool, but it limited the keyes I could play in. It make some nice sounds for "Space Music". Digital signal processing probably can replicate it and more.

Don Barnhardt · From: North Carolina, USA

I'm about 98% certain that Shot Jackson played Poison Love with Johnny & Jack.

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