My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

[TimmyPage]

I bought one recently because I'll be playing a folk/country solo gig when I go back to Canada next month, just to give a bit more key variation with open string licks. It's a nice Shubb capo, made of bronze, it feels really nice to use.

But heres the issue, it actually makes the open strings on my strat sound better. Not only that, but it makes the entirety of the guitar neck more comfortable and quick to play, and it's completely devoid of string buzz. The 'open' strings sound so much nicer, more resonant than they do at the nut. These are issues I've been dealing with on this guitar for a little while now.

What I'm wondering is.. what's wrong with my guitar? Is it time for a new nut? How do I fix it so that it feels as good as it does with the capo?

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Maybe go up a gauge in strings? Or get a new nut cut and installed made of bone or brass or bronze.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

I imagine your nut is too high and not seated properly. (Terrible thing to say to a man...but there it is) The capo takes the nut out of the equation and now your action is lower and the "open" strings making proper contact with the neck.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Maybe you a noticing the benefits of a zero fret? I.e open notes are now fretted.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

It makes the notes more tonally consistent by eliminating the nut. It seems easier to play because it effectively shortens the scale, and because you can play certain things in higher keys much more easily now. Perhaps it eliminates buzz because your guitar needs a setup and/or a nut replacement and/or fret work on the lower frets, not to mention that the strings are moving around less because they are higher notes.

 

[uOpt]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

It is the effectively short scale length.

If you really like it better you can either get a Gibson scale neck from a builder (quite common with metalheads) or you can try something Mustang like.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

It is the effectively short scale length.

If you really like it better you can either get a Gibson scale neck from a builder (quite common with metalheads) or you can try something Mustang like.

yeah or just buy a charvel fusion and be done with it.

 

[AlexR]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Well, if you are tuning the guitar the same way, then the same notes happen with the same fret length - the 5th fret on the E string is still an A whether you have a capo on or not.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Your guitar might need a proper setup paying close attention to the nut & fretboard geometry as well as intonation. It might be you just liking the sound of a capo'ed guitar - nothing wrong with that, the F#m7 is indeed a beautiful sounding chord among many others. Your open strings are now fretted but they are also shorter. In effect, your nut action is lowered and the effective neck relief is decreased as well. An open "E" chord shape with the capo on your 4th fret should not sound all that much different from a barre G# without the capo. The effort needed to perform either isn't close to being the same, as you most probably know well already.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Not all guitars sound good in standard E. The resonant frequency could be higher or lower.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Its the nut I bet.

off u see did MRSAge, I m on tapa talk and auto correct is hating on me

 

[koshikas]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

I imagine your nut is too high and not seated properly. (Terrible thing to say to a man...but there it is) The capo takes the nut out of the equation and now your action is lower and the "open" strings making proper contact with the neck.

Maybe you a noticing the benefits of a zero fret? I.e open notes are now fretted.

I think ur observations are due these two causes.

 

[Bludave]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Do your strings make a "ping" noise when you tune? If they do then the nut slots are too tight. You may also have some back bow in your neck which will cause the open strings to sizzle a bit. It could also be some worn frets from playing all those "cowboy Chords" You may just need a good setup and all should be fine. Take it in and have your guitar professionally setup unless you are confident you can do it yourself.

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Yeah it was definitely a nut issue, I took it to a tech I know and trust to get it looked it, but the nut was never actually cut deep or wide enough for the strings I used in the past, and my years of playing with 12s on the strat had kind of grinded away at the nut in a bad way. I'm going to have him cut me a new nut out of either bone or TUSQ, same price for both so I'm just going to spend the weekend researching the difference.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

I love zero frets. The Epi Viola bass has one and that is the only saving grace of that bass. Zero frets eliminate the difference in timbre between a fretted note (the steel or nickle sound) and an open note (the bone/ TUSQ/ brass sound). Any custom guitar I get will have a zero fret for sure.

 

[Securb]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Tune the guitar to Eb put the capo on the first fret and be on your way.

 

[playas]

Re: My guitar sounds and plays better with a capo?

Thanks, this is a great idea for checking the source of a tuning prob I'm having with one of my guitars.


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