We heard recently from the good folks with G7 capos, a British company that has made tremendous strides in capo design this past few years. Their Heritage model was reviewed here when it was introduced in 2016, and they wanted us to see their 2018 editions. More about those in a moment.
G7 is unique in that they offer products from inexpensive, clamp-style capos for around $20, to high-end professional yoke-style models selling for up to $150. Each style is their own design, and none look like knockoffs made to emulate other popular products. All are sold with a lifetime warranty, and two of the capo types can be ordered with personalized customization.
They are showing up in specialty music stores all over the world, so you may have seen them on display, but not all dealers carry all five models, and you may not be familiar with them all. A quick look at the web site will show you what is available.
Or you may have seen the clever video they put out earlier this year, with a pair of animated capos discussing optimal placement.
G7 wanted us to check out the Heritage capos, knowing that bluegrass players prefer the yoke-style devices, often generically described as McKinney capos, after the ones designed by Tom McKinney some years ago. Like most of these on the market, the Heritage is made from highly polished stainless steel, both for durability and visual appeal. And they are lightweight, running from 29g for the banjo capo and 34g for guitar.
They differ in three chief ways: the knurled thumbscrew that sets the tension remains in place rather than traveling along a shaft, the interior walls of the capo are lined with a silicone material to prevent neck scratches, and by the G7 Adaptive Radius Technology (ART) which allows any capo to adjust itself to any fingerboard radius. Another plus is that the neck rest doesn’t spin of flop around when the capo is moved or removed from the neck.
The Heritage is offered for guitar and banjo, with both a standard and wide neck spacing. The standard guitar accepts necks up to 1.75” and the wider will accommodate widths up to 1.875”. The standard banjo capo will fit most any banjo neck up to the 4th fret, and the wide will work at the 5th fret and above.
G7 has modified its ART for 2018, and it works quite well. Chief designer Nick Campling explains how it works in this video.
The G7 Heritage is packaged in a heavy cardboard box, emblazoned with their logo, which includes the capo in its sturdy leather stage pouch which snaps closed for secure storage in your case. You also receive a nice, microfiber cloth suitable for wiping fingerprints and smudges from the capo’s surface.
Most bluegrass players will probably store their capo behind the nut, so you’ll always know where it is.
The Heritage capo carries a retail price of $139, with a $20 upcharge for gold plating. Custom engraving runs from $20-$80.
These are truly beautiful capos, and wonderfully effective.
You can see all the various options and capo styles online.
