A capo is a helpful tool for people learning to play guitar, and even professionals use them sometimes. It’s a device you can fasten to your guitar to hold down the strings. A capo can make playing certain chords on a guitar a lot easier on the fingers, but many people wonder if it’s bad for their guitars.
Is a Capo Bad for Your Guitar?
Generally, using a capo is not bad for your guitar as long as it is correctly placed on the guitar and made out of high-quality materials. Using a capo is no worse than using your fingers, but a capo should be removed when finished playing the guitar.
In short, don’t leave a capo in place for extended periods.
Let’s talk more about the capo and how to best use it to ensure that it doesn’t damage your guitar. First, when is a capo bad for guitar?
When Is a Capo Bad for Your Guitar?
The primary way a capo will damage a guitar is by damaging the finish. There are three things that might cause a guitar’s finish to be harmed by a capo:
- Pressure: The pressure that’s applied to the neck of your guitar by fastening down the capo can cause damage if excessive force is used or if the capo is left in place for too long.
- A capo with a poor choice of rubber: Cheap rubber fasteners are not recommended to be used on guitars. Rubber is a naturally oily material. Cheaper capos may not use silicon rubber and, as a result, may leave some slime on your guitar over time. The slime that rubber leaks are called plasticizers.
A good capo will use silicone rubber, which is inert. Silicon rubber is the same type of rubber commonly used in baking materials. It won’t leak oil into your food or leave any on your guitar.
Silicone rubber is expensive and hard to glue, so many cheaper capos may not use it, and some reaction is possible, particularly over time.
- Scuff marks: Rubber fasteners can leave unsightly marks on your guitar’s neck. While these are not very noticeable most of the time, extra care should be taken to not let the rubber slide against the guitar’s finish.
Scuffing will occur over time when pulling a capo on and off the neck or headstock. Rubber is a high friction material.
What Happens When You Put a Capo On a Guitar?
A capo can be used on different frets of your guitar depending on which chord you are trying to play and what type of sound you want out of your guitar.
What Happens When You Put a Capo on a Guitar?
The purpose of a capo is to raise the pitch of all the strings of the guitar. When you put a capo on a guitar, it holds the guitar strings down at that fret and allows you to play at a higher pitch than you would without it.
Putting a capo on the guitar does three things:
- It raises the pitch. The tone is raised one semitone for each fret away from the nut.
- The timbre and tone change since the strings are effectively shorter and the bass is typically reduced.
- Alter the action. Guitar necks are slightly arched, so the strings don’t rattle on the frets. Placing a capo across the neck will lower the action, which means the strings will be closer to the frets, and you won’t be able to strum as hard before the strings start to vibrate against the frets.
In a nutshell, a capo is a helpful device that may be used to alter the guitar’s sound and make it simpler to play. The drawbacks are that a capo will reduce the maximum volume you can play before fret buzz, and it causes the guitar to lose some of its bass resonance.
A capo is a clamp-like device that you can use to shorten the length of a guitar string, which raises the pitch of the note that the string produces. This can be helpful when you want to play a song in a higher key than the one it was written in or when you need to create a slightly different tone for a particular passage.
The device clasps your guitar’s neck and shortens the instrument’s string length. It causes you to play at a higher pitch than you would otherwise. Many guitar players use this to avoid complicated variations of chords. Commonly, a capo is used so that you can play a song while still using open chords.
Is It Bad To Tune With a Capo On?
Your guitar’s tuning can change when a capo is placed on a fret or when disengaged from the neck of the guitar. Since the guitar is now out of tune with the capo on the guitar, is it bad for the guitar to tune with the capo on?
Guitar strings can be fine-tuned with a capo on the guitar neck; however, it is not recommended to make significant tuning adjustments, such as changing to an alternate tuning or when tuning strings for the first time.
The recommended practice is to tune your guitar before placing the capo on and then fine-tune it once the capo is on. A capo will usually cause the strings to go out of tune slightly, so tuning is a must.
When clamping the capo down, use only enough force to produce clear ringing from each string. When using a capo, make sure it is as close to the fret you are putting it on as possible. If the strings don’t ring clearly, see if altering the position of the capo toward the bridge helps before applying more force.
If you’ve installed and tuned the strings correctly and taken care when fitting and removing the capo, you should have little trouble keeping it in tune. Of course, that’s easier said than done.
You should always check your tuning before playing, just in case. The golden rule is to tune the guitar before and after putting on the capo. Also, tune the guitar when you take the capo off.
You need to tune your guitar often before, after, and while you are playing (between every few songs)!!
Is Leaving a Capo on Bad? (Can Leaving a Capo on a Guitar Damage It?)
Leaving a capo on is not recommended and may damage a guitar if left on for extended periods. The capo may cause damage to the finish of the guitar over time due to pressure from being clamped on or from a chemical reaction with the rubber part of the capo.
Capos can be an excellent tool for beginner guitar players who want to learn how to play a different song, but if you leave the capo on your guitar while it isn’t being used, this can cause damage to the neck of your guitar and/or finish. The neck may warp, and your guitar’s finish can be damaged by residue from the rubber used to hold down strings.
If you plan on using a capo often, try not to leave it on for long periods. Also, avoid leaving a capo on when you are not using it. If you use a capo often, avoid leaving it on your guitar when it isn’t in use.
Lastly, I should mention that I’ve heard one or two stories over the years of people who have left their capos on overnight and woke up to the neck of the guitar being snapped.
I’m not sure if I believe those stories as it seems a bit far-fetched, but I wanted to share this in full disclosure.
If you’re the type of person who decides to leave your capo on overnight (don’t do that!), be warned.
Is It Okay To Put a Capo on Headstock?
It’s not uncommon to see guitar players using capos on the headstock of their guitars. It’s a convenient spot to store the capo when not in use but easy to reach for when you get to a song that needs it. But is placing a capo on the headstock of your guitar a good idea? Let’s take a look.
It is okay to put a capo on the headstock. Though it may cause scratches or dull the finish over time. The capo will also rub off the guitar’s brand logo over time, and certain capos may cause discoloration over time.
While it is relatively safe to put a capo on the headstock, the risks are there, however minor they may be. So, let’s talk about some of the insignificant issues that may come about.
You may notice some marks on your headstock after repeatedly storing your capo there, but this outcome heavily varies as many say they never experience this.
It is also possible for the springs in the capo to weaken over time and be less effective if left on your headstock — this can cause it to be less effective after a long period because the springs can never rest. Keeping a spring under a constant load tends to weaken it. So, keep that in mind when storing your capo on the headstock.
Where To Put Your Capo When Not in Use?
A capo is a handy tool to have when playing the guitar, but it’s important to know how to store it properly when not in use. Here are some tips on keeping your capo safe and in good condition.
Common places to put a capo when not in use are on the headstock, on a stool, on a mic stand, or in your pocket. For long-term storage, a capo can be stored in a guitar case or gig bag but should not be stored on the guitar.
One important part of storing your capo is being consistent, so you always know where it is.
Because of the possible risks, as discussed earlier, some guitar players prefer not to leave their capo attached to the headstock. Also, it can distract from the look of your guitar and its natural curves.
A mic stand is a popular choice for storage during live performances because they’re usually close by and thin enough for the capo to wrap around.
Another convenient option is to store the capo with your picks. Many musicians carry picks in their pockets, which would be a convenient spot for your capo too, and it would allow you access to it when needed without risking damage to the guitar or spring.
I always have guitar picks in my pocket but don’t typically carry around a capo. That wouldn’t be very comfortable, but it’s a good spot if you are already playing.
Final Thoughts
Overall, a capo isn’t bad for your guitar as long as it’s good quality, you use it properly, and you don’t leave it on your guitar while you’re not playing.
A capo is a helpful tool for guitar players, but it can cause some damage over time. When not in use, be sure to store your capo off the guitar but in a consistent place so that you know where it is.
A capo is a handy tool to have when playing the guitar, but it’s important to know how to store it properly when not in use.
If you’re worried about the possible risks of storing your capo on the headstock, Common places for storing a capo include a mic stand, in your pocket, or in the guitar case or gig bag.
