Review of the New G7th Newport 12 String Guitar Capo with Compensated String PadThe folks at G7th recently announced their newly designed 12 string guitar capo with a compensated string pad, available on their Newport and Heritage models. After contact with the G7th Company, we agreed to put their new Newport capo to the test and post a product review here on the forum.
https://www.g7th.com/12-stringBackground to Review:I have primarily used a Shubb 12 string guitar capo on the various 12 strings that I have owned, since the 1970’s. So, to conduct this review, I thought it would be beneficial to put the Shubb and the G7th through the same applications, to see how the new G7th capo performs (sort of like using my Shubb capo as a baseline). This may be helpful to others here, because I realize many guitar players use Shubb capos. It’s not my intent to discredit the Shubb capo.
Also, during my review, I used my Taylor 562ce 12 string guitar and a Snark Super-Tight tuner.
G7th Claims:“Allows all 12 strings to be fretted with the same tension, eliminating tuning issues common to other 12 string capos.”
“Like a compensated saddle on an acoustic guitar, the patent-pending Compensated String Pad takes into account the different gauges between the bass and octave strings, compensating for them with the ridges in the rubber over the fingerboard. This means all 12 strings are fretted at the same time and under the same tension, so you won't pull any out of tune.”
“Suitable for both acoustic and electric 12 string guitars (except for Rickenbacker 12 string guitars, due to their reversed octave string positions).”
Appearance and Build Quality:The capo has a brushed silver finish which is classy looking. It is very well constructed. The operation of both the flip lever (clamp) and the adjustment knob are easy and smooth. There is real nice padding to protect the surface of the guitar neck.
G7th provides a Free Lifetime Warranty on all its capos.
I compared the G7th to the Shubb in both physical size and weight. They are almost identical in size. Using a USPS scale, the G7th weighed in at 1.7 oz. and the Shubb at 1.9 oz. So, they are very close to the same weight.
REVIEW:I started the review process by ensuring my guitar was in tune, with no capo.
I first capoed the guitar on the second fret with the Shubb capo. As I have always had to do (and what is a common “problem” with all 12 string capos), I had to tighten the Shubb until my octave strings where not muted. If you don’t apply enough adjustment pressure, the thickness of the bass strings will prevent the capo from applying enough pressure to the octave strings, causing them to be muted. However, as a result of increasing the pressure, the bass strings are pulled sharp. So, I checked the tuning. The low E bass string was the worst out of tune (sharp). The A bass string was also pulled sharp, as was the D string, but by a lesser degree. So, at this point, I would need to retune the guitar before I could play.
I removed the Shubb, ensured that the guitar was still in tune (with no capo) and grabbed the G7th for the test. I had to get the feel for the compensated pad (teeth-like pad), to ensure it “seated” on the strings properly, before clamping down. I slowly slid it down onto the strings from the top of the neck, to where I could feel it settle in to the correct position. I had to do this several times to get used to it. Not really a problem, but something new to get used to. After several times doing it, I was getting a real feel for it.
Having never used a G7th capo before, I was really happy to see that with theirs, you clamp the capo on the guitar and then adjust the clamping pressure (opposite of a Shubb). I liked that….a nice feature.
I was not sure what the correct adjustment pressure was, so I hit each string to ensure they were all ringing clear. I noticed that if you don’t apply enough pressure, the highest string sets (high E and B) were muted. Inherently, this is common, since they are the furthest away from the effects of the clamping pressure. So, I continued to tighten the capo until those strings all rang clear. It wasn’t an undue amount of pressure, just more than what I anticipated when I clamped the capo on the guitar. I took the capo off and redid this several times, using my right hand to rock the capo a little towards those strings when I clamped the capo. It seemed to help direct the pressure toward those strings just a little more. Once the pressure was set on the capo and all strings were ringing clear, I checked the tuning. Wow, the octave strings on the bass strings were in tune, as were all the bass strings. I don’t think the use of any capo is going to result in perfect tuning, but the strings were in tune to a degree that retuning really wouldn’t be a must. I strummed some chord/melody tunes and then put it to the real rest by doing some fingerpicking. I use National fingerpicks, so I can clearly hear each string, including the octave strings. It sounded really good, and I didn’t have to retune first. I played around with it and loved what I was hearing….clear and in tune. And like my husband reminds me, I am VERY particular about my guitar being in tune.
I repeated my review process on several different frets up the neck and experienced the same, with both the Shubb and the G7th.
One last thing…..as with the design of a Shubb capo, the G7th is a low profile capo. For me, it didn’t interfere with my fretting hand at all.
In Conclusion:I am convinced that the G7th lives up to its claims. Their compensated string pad nearly eliminates the 12 string tuning issue. I’m qualifying my statement, because I just don’t think you can get an absolutely perfect tuning scenario when using a capo. But, it surely made a significant improvement, to a point where retuning after applying the capo would be very minimal.
I am in no way affiliated with the G7th Company and was an independent reviewer. My suggestion, if you own a 12 string guitar, would be to play around with your existing capo and really see how it is functioning. If you experience the same as most (if not all) of us do, then give the new G7th 12 string capo a try (either the Newport or Heritage models). You will likely be pleasantly surprised, as I was. I hate to say this, but my Shubb 12 string capo is now playing “second fiddle” to the new G7th Newport Capo.
