Electric XII Capo Recommendations

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akpasta
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Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:35 am

Sorry for flooding the board with 12 string questions. I've got a 65' Electric XII and it's intonated perfectly. I want to capo it sometimes. I bought a Shubb Capo with a 7.25" radius. It pulls the low E and A (low strings only) way out of tune and everything else just slightly out.

Can someone recommend either a capo or capo placement/technique that will help me keep the thing in tune better? I don't mine re-tuning in the practice space or studio, but live it's a little inconvenient.

Thank you!

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Fri Oct 05, 2018 11:15 am

OK this one kind of got crickets so I'll try again.

Basically it seems like the capo I use is doing the following:

Making low octave strings sharper than their relative octave strings. On the low E A and D strings the low octave string is much thicker than the high octave. In order to apply necessary pressure to fret the thinner string without buzzing, you must exert more force on the thicker string, which causes it to go much sharper than the other string, pulling them out of tune.

I was doing some research and came upon this capo, designed to solve this problem - https://www.g7th.com/12-string

Image

It's got a string pad that allows room for the variance in string gauges that must be compressed.

Has anyone tried this capo?

Does anyone have any other recommendations or thoughts re: capoing an electric xii?

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StevenO
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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by StevenO » Tue Oct 09, 2018 5:19 am

Try putting the capo directly over the fret wire rather than in the middle or directly before it. This way it pushes the strings directly against the metal and has less of that valley between the fret wire so the strings don't get bebt out of tune. If you experience a little bit of muffled sustain, just adjust it until you don't.

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Embenny
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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by Embenny » Tue Oct 09, 2018 5:34 am

That's good advice.

Still, capoing a 12-string basically means needing to adjust tuning. I've never met a 12-er with perfect intonation, and imperfect intonation means that a capo any given fret will need a slightly different tweak when you get there.

12-string (acoustic) is one of my main instruments. Leo Kottke once said "a 12-string guitarist spends half his time tuning, and the other half playing out of tune."

If you capo, just tune back up. You'll notice you're off by the same amount every time, so if you get to know your guitar's behaviour at the frets you commonly capo, you'll become very efficient at correcting for the capo (typically, flattening the wound strings a bit).
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:24 am

My 12 string is perfectly intonated. If you have a 12 with a 12-saddle bridge there's nothing stopping you; unless it's a weirder guitar with a trem or something that knocks things out of tune.

I'll experiment with capoing on the fret wire.

I ordered that capo, but unfortunately it's got a FOURTEEN INCH radius hahaha, which isn't going to work on my 7.25" Fender. So I'll have to send it back.

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by minimumnishe » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:09 am

https://www.g7th.com/heritage-guitar-12 ... neck-width

This 12 string capo adjusts itself to the radius of your fretboard which is pretty cool. The $149 price tag - not so much :fp:

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:14 am

Ya, that's ridiculous. It's a cool design, but come on guys, you can make that cheaper if you want to.

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by SignoftheDragon » Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:06 pm

I occasionally capo my Surfcaster 12s with a pretty standard spring-clamp capo- I think it's just a Planet Waves or some other easy-to-come-by brand that I added to an order from Musicians Friend to get free shipping. My guitars are setup and intonated perfectly, and I've only noticed slight variations in tuning when capoed- nothing that would put me off from using it in live performance, etc.

I usually position the capo dead-center between the frets, so I may try scooting it up right behind/onto the fret wire just to experiment.

The Surfcaster has jumbo+ frets and a compound-radius board, but the slight curve in the capo & the spongy stuff that grips the strings seem to eliminate any of the troubles you mention- I don't think that each string needs to be smashed down against the fretboard- just pressed down enough to activate it on the desired fret. (you may be over-doing it with the pressure if you're getting that much noticeable detune.)

Try easing off a bit, and see if that helps.

My 2cents...

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:10 pm

Thanks for the recommendation.

I think maybe I need to try a capo with a thicker/spongier rubber clamp. But also, my Fender has a 7.25" radius, which is maybe curved more than most capos, requiring extra pressure to get at the E and A pairs.

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by SignoftheDragon » Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:11 pm

akpasta wrote:
Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:35 am
I don't mine re-tuning in the practice space or studio, but live it's a little inconvenient.
Quite the understatement! My band got so sick of waiting for me to re-tune on stage (for key/tuning changes mostly) that I had to just get more guitars!

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:13 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Tue Oct 09, 2018 1:11 pm
akpasta wrote:
Thu Sep 27, 2018 10:35 am
I don't mine re-tuning in the practice space or studio, but live it's a little inconvenient.
Quite the understatement! My band got so sick of waiting for me to re-tune on stage (for key/tuning changes mostly) that I had to just get more guitars!
LOL. There's a solution!!

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by marqueemoon » Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:55 pm

The only time I capo mine is for recording. 12 strings and capos are each their own hassle.

I like the Dunlop trigger capos. Not perfect, but way better than Kyser. It works acceptably with radii from 7.25” to 12”.

In my experience as a habitual capo user tuning issues are often related to string height at the nut. If the slots are too high the action can still feel fine, but notes and barre cords close to the nut will go sharp. Adding a capo will have a similar effect only the capo doesn’t listen and adjust pressure accordingly.

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by akpasta » Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:26 pm

I’m reviving this thread!

I have been using a 7.25” radius shubb capo on my 82’ Rick and 66’ Fender XII with decent results.

However I have an Alternate Reality XII with a 9.5” radius and a normal 9.5” shubb capo doesn’t do it.

Has anyone tried one of these??

https://www.g7th.com/newport-12-string-silver-csp

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by SignoftheDragon » Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:57 pm

Haha- I haven't used a capo since I posted upthread years ago!

Like I said- best solution is to GET MORE 12-STRINGS!

(Current count: 10 12-strings!)

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Re: Electric XII Capo Recommendations

Post by snarf » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:26 pm

I use a g7th newport. Works pretty good on the electric xii neck. Goes for about $20-30 on reverb just gotta search for the deals.

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