Review 11/30/2007 Shubb Capos.

When I first tried out the Shubb Deluxe Capo for steel string instruments I did so with an acoustic guitar autographed by all the members of the band Diamond Rio. The guitar has amazing tone and volume and my voice resonates with it well enough for some decent singing. My first impression was "this thing is genius"! Shubb really thought out the design. I at first glance also thought that it didn’t look like any quick release capo and I thought will this release and re-fit with any speed. I then tried it out on the neck and realized it is very well designed for quick release, could release and re-clamp just as quickly as any capo I have used before. The difference was in tone and percise fit. The Shubb Deluxe Capo is designed with a pressure knob that you can use to adjust the pressure to your specification not that of the capo like most. Shubb explains the technical points better than I can but I know the difference between the right fit and everything else I have tried and that’s why I recommend Shubb capos for the serious musician or the beginner. There is no need to have a drawer full of capos, Shubb Deluxe Capo is the sound choice. Five out of five stars, *****.

http://www.shubb.com/dropoff.html

The technical explanation

Shubb capos work on an "over-center" locking principle. If you've used one, you know the feeling. As you close the capo onto the neck, it passes through a point of greatest resistence (the "center"), then relaxes somewhat into its final "locked" position.

We've made up a name for the difference between the amounts of pressure applied at these two points; we call it "dropoff."

More dropoff means a greater difference between pressure encountered as it passes through center, and the pressure applied in the locked position. Less dropoff means a lesser difference between pressure encountered as it passes through center, and the pressure applied in the locked position.

Offhand you might imagine that less dropoff is better, but that's not exactly the case. If you have too little dropoff, the lock is less secure and there is a risk of the capo opening unexpectedly. But if you have too much dropoff, too great a force is applied to the guitar neck while closing, and there could be too little pressure applied in the closed position for the truest tone.

So you see, there is a JUST RIGHT amount of dropoff that makes for perfect capoing.

Another benefit of dropoff.

It is a well known fact that if a capo is too tight, it can stretch the strings out of tune. Most players understand that there is a "just right" amount of pressure for best capoing, too. The dropoff in the closing action of the Shubb capo serves as a built-in safeguard for those players who are not clear on this concept, and who might have a tendency to over-tighten a capo. In other words, it prevents the unwise user from putting his guitar out of tune by not allowing him to bring the capo to rest in its tightest possible position.

While this feature of the Shubb capo is not especially obvious to most users, it does in fact contribute to the capo's excellent reputation for not causing tuning problems.

On the original Shubb capo, the dropoff increases at the smallest end of the capos range, and decreases at its widest end. In other words, when used on an very thin guitar neck, the dropoff effect is exaggerated. In the extreme, it could result in insufficient pressure on the strings when engaged. On an unusually thick neck, the dropoff is minimal. In the extreme, it could result in an insecure lock, or too much pressure on the strings when engaged.

Review 11/30/2007 Shubb reversible guitar slide The Axys.

Shubb is a very innovative company they do not just make capos. One of the coolest Shubb products on the market is the Axys reversible guitars slide. It is made of bronze and is round like many other slides but on the reverse side of the cylinder there is a cut away allowing for your finger to be able to fret chords normally by spinning the cylinder with your thumb along the bottom of the slide. The Axys is very comfortable with a soft rubber grommet that cushions the webbing between your fingers and the base of the hand. It is easy to use and doesn’t take much getting used to because it is very natural in its application, you simply spin it around to fret and spin it again to slide without missing a beat. Five out of Five stars, *****.

While in use, the bronze slide is a hefty, no-compromise tool that features unsurpassed tone and control. When rotated behind the hand (which takes less than a second) it leaves all the fingers free for unencumbered, conventional fretting. It works so well because of the unique 2-piece design: the Delrin "ring" section remains in place on the finger as the bronze "sleeve" section is rotated with the thumb. The move is done with one hand, so quickly that it doesn't interrupt a solo, and any player can master it with very little practice. The revolutionary advantage of the AXYS reversible guitar slide is immediately apparent to anyone who plays slide guitar!

We suggest using the Axys on your RING FINGER.

Many slide players have designated their pinky as the slide finger, probably because with the traditional tubular slides or bottlenecks this was the best way to gain some limited use of the other fingers for fretting. Since the AXYS offers such unrestricted use of all the fingers, we encourage you to consider reassigning the slide to the ring finger or even the middle finger. Most players find this to provide greater control and versatility. It will work just fine on your pinky, of course, but this is a whole new ballgame now and you don't want to overlook any good possibilities!

http://www.shubb.com/axys/index.htm

Review 11/30/2007 Shubb transposing/ "bonus" capo guide.

This is yet one more genius idea from Shubb everyone should own. The transposing guide helped me understand the placement of alternate keys relative to what key I want to play in. So, If I have a song that was written in D but I want to play it in B, I simply move the guides and then the relevant chord charting is displayed for easy and fast reference.

In addition all you need to do is turn the guide over and you have a capo placement guide. While the capo placement guide will mostly be helpful for novice capo users, there can be a benefit for experienced players, too.

In the example shown here (Bb) most players would automatically place their capo at the third fret and play in G position. Or perhaps the first fret and play in A position. Because that is such a habit, they may overlook the other possibilities shown on the guide, such as capoing at the fifth fret and using the F position, etc.

In this way, the guide can suggest some less common (but perhaps interesting) options.

http://www.shubb.com/transposer/tg1_instructions.html

Again Five out of Five stars, *****.

My experience with Shubb products has left me with nothing but joy, ability and knowledge. SHUBB CAPOS ROCK and ROLL! Like a land slide, nothing stands in it’s way.

Review by Gary Housley
Publisher/ Editor, www.americanmadeguitars.com