G7th Heritage capo redux and shoutout to Simon Campling at G7th...

GardMan

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About a month ago, I posted some positive comments re: my G7th Heritage capo in this thread started by Tommym...

Wouldn't you know it... shortly after I posted those comments, I started having issues with my Heritage capo. I first noticed that I seemed to be having to tighten it down more to eliminate buzzing on the 4th and 5th strings... this might have been getting subtly worse over time, and I hadn't paid much attention until... a week ago at my Thursday night jam, as I was trying to tighten the capo down to stop a persistent buzz, the adjustment knob popped off the back of the capo! Oops! I have an old Shubb that lives in my guitar case, so used that the rest of the evening...

The next day, I was able to pop the knob back on, but it felt rough when trying to adjust the capo, and I couldn't get rid of the persistent buzz on strings 4 &5, as if the capo wasn't fretting them properly. The knob was also noticeably crooked on the capo... as you might see in the pics that follow.

I had never registered the capo on-line, and didn't have the receipt because it was a Christmas gift from my wife in 2016. But, over the labor day weekend, I contacted G7th about my issue via their website... I gave the SN and my wife's name (she had purchased direct from G7th), and hoped they would be able to look it up in their sales record, and I would be able to sent it in for repair under warranty.

Labor day Monday I rec'd an e-mail from Simon Campling at G7th, asking for a shipping address so he could send me a new, replacement capo. Simon told me that my original Heritage, SN 0388, was one of the "earliest," which used a gel-based compound in the A.R.T. ("Adaptive Radius Technology") pad, and that newer Heritage capos used "mechanical" A.R.T.

My replacement capo shipped by post from the U.K. on Tuesday, and I received it the following Wednesday. I used the new Heritage capo and jam Thursday night, and every day since, and am very happy with it.. .I'd like to publically thank Simon at G7th for his great customer service!

When comparing the new vs old capo, I noticed another minor tweak to the design, so thought I would take some pics (not the best... under fluorescent lights, no flash) to highlight the differences. Here's a comparison shot of one of my old Shubbs (L) the "old" Heritage (middle), and new Heritage (right):
168122979.jpg



and another with just the two Heritage capos (old on left, new on right)

168122980.jpg



You can see that the new adjustment knob is wider in diameter, and squatter/shorter. I find the new knob noticeable easier to adjust with thumb and forefinger, and it has a "lower" profile on the back of the guitar neck. The first pic also shows the smaller profile of the Heritage capo above the frets.:

168122981.jpg


168122978.jpg


I never really found the knob to be a hindrance when playing, but the re-designed knob should be even less noticeable.

Here's a shot from the front (Top to bottom: Shubb, old Heritage, new Heritage):
168122977.jpg
 
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F312

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The larger thumb drive will probably be better, from an ergonomics standpoint.

Ralph
 

GardMan

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Had to run off and pick my wife up at the grocery story, prematurely ending my post. SO I'll add a bit more...

In the first two pics, you might notice that the A.R.T. pad on the old capo has thinned out, and is uneven, with a thinner spot over the bass strings (left side in the pic). I'd guess that the gel used in the pad lost its resiliency over time... preventing it from properly fretting strings 4 &5 (especially 5).

In the first 3 pics, you can see the adjustment knob on the old capo is sitting a bit cockeyed. Shortly after I shot the pics, the adjustment knob popped back off... Clearly, it is no longer useable.

I just noticed that it's not so much a change in the height of the knob, as in the depth of the frame that gives the knob a lower profile... but ys, the wider knob IS better ergonomically.
 

dreadnut

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Kinda pricey! I'm seeing online prices of $139 - $169 for the G7 Heritage capo.
 

GardMan

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Kinda pricey! I'm seeing online prices of $139 - $169 for the G7 Heritage capo.
Yes... they are NOT cheap. But the closest comparable is the McKinney or McKinney-Elliots, which run $150-175.

I do like my Heritage, and was using almost exclusively over the last two years. Altho' it doesn't go on the neck as fast as the Shubb, I find it EASIER to reposition on the neck than the Shubb. If you move the Shubb significantly on the neck, you need to take it off, adjust the thumb screw, and put it back on. If it buzzes, you take it off, adjust it again, put it back on ( I have never been able to adjust the screw on a Shubb when it was clamped on the guitar).

But, with the Heritage (and probably the Elliots), you don't have to unlatch the capo to slide it up... loosen the knob just a little, slide it up, tighten the knob. If you need it a little tighter, just turn the knob a little... no need to unlatch.
 

Mr. Lumbergh

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I have a G7th Performance 2 capo that I like well enough. It has a ratchet in the hinge that grips without springs and without having to twiddle with thump wheels and the like.
The Thalia capo I picked up a few months ago blows them all away though IMHO and at a lower pricepoint the Traditional, too.
 

dreadnut

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My Shubb Deluxe capos have a little wheel and they work great for me. I like the low profile. And at about $20, I won't feel quite so bad if I leave one lying somewhere.


0xUUOJD.jpg
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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Hi Dave.
Good to see that you got the capo replaced.
I have thought about getting one of the new G7 capos but I am still very happy with my Shubb and Paige capos for now.
I use the Paige on my stage guitar for quick use.
I like the Shubb best for overall use but it does take more time to pick it up and place it on the neck when compared to the Paige,
which sits behind the nut when not in use. Thus the Paige for preforming.

By the way,
will you be attending the Bill Stains show in Ogden Oct 3rd?

I will be going in for shoulder surgery the following week, so no guitar playing for a few months.
 

GardMan

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By the way,
will you be attending the Bill Stains show in Ogden Oct 3rd?

I will be going in for shoulder surgery the following week, so no guitar playing for a few months.
Yep... Kara is holding tickets for us.

Bummer about the shoulder surgery, hopefully it will be better once you recover.
 
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