Music

CapoSonic - the world's most innovative capo?

CapoSonic - the world's most innovative capo?
The CapoSonic works like a “clamped-on chord," allowing your guitar to stay in standard tuning
The CapoSonic works like a “clamped-on chord," allowing your guitar to stay in standard tuning
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The CapoSonic works like a “clamped-on chord," allowing your guitar to stay in standard tuning
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The CapoSonic works like a “clamped-on chord," allowing your guitar to stay in standard tuning
The CapoSonic can hold down notes directly under the capo, or a fret above or below it, allowing guitarists to quickly and easily arrive at "open tunings" – or new sound configurations – without having to relearn the entire fretboard in the process
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The CapoSonic can hold down notes directly under the capo, or a fret above or below it, allowing guitarists to quickly and easily arrive at "open tunings" – or new sound configurations – without having to relearn the entire fretboard in the process
Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut
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Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut
The CapoSonic locks onto the guitar simply by tightening the clamp with your fingers
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The CapoSonic locks onto the guitar simply by tightening the clamp with your fingers
The device can not only hold down notes played directly under the capo, it also uses six individual hammers that can "finger" notes one fret up or down from the capo position
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The device can not only hold down notes played directly under the capo, it also uses six individual hammers that can "finger" notes one fret up or down from the capo position
Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut
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Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut
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To a guitarist, the humble capo is nothing new. For most working players it is an essential part of the musician’s tool kit; a nifty little device that clamps down on the fretboard, allowing for a hassle-free way of changing keys between songs. As handy as a capo is though, it has its limitations. What if you want to play a song in an open or alternate tuning?

Until now, the only option has been a rather irritating one: tuning up or down each string of the guitar into an open chord. Guitars are generally designed to be kept in one tuning, and raising and lowering the pitch of the instrument in this way can lead to strings quickly going out of tune or snapping, or worst-case-scenario – irreversibly warping the neck of your guitar. You can pay to have your guitar set up for open-tuning by a professional, but if you decide you want to try another tuning you’ll have to repeat the process yet again.

Working guitarist and CapoSonic inventor Ben Ryan is all too familiar with the hassle of carrying multiple guitars in multiple tunings to gigs. “When I play, I bring a bag of capos and a bunch of pre-tuned guitars,” he explains in the online video for Kickstarter. “And that was such a drag! So I came up with an idea to clamp a chord on the neck of the guitar, and change the voicings easily and instantly.”

The CapoSonic locks onto the guitar simply by tightening the clamp with your fingers
The CapoSonic locks onto the guitar simply by tightening the clamp with your fingers

The CapoSonic really is like clamping a chord onto the neck of your guitar. The device can not only hold down notes played directly under the capo, it also uses six individual hammers that can "finger" notes one fret up or down from the capo position.

The CapoSonic locks onto the guitar simply by tightening the clamp with your fingers. At no point, however, does any metal part of the CapoSonic touch your instrument. Rubber O rings insulate the hammers that are clamped down on the strings, which is great news for those players who might be hesitant to attach the device to their $10,000 Martin.

Arguably the biggest selling point for the CapoSonic is this: when your guitar is open-tuned (the traditional way), it requires meticulous relearning of the entire fretboard. Because the CapoSonic works like a “clamped-on chord," your ax stays in standard tuning – and allows you to play other chords and scales exactly the same way you normally would.

Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut
Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut

Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut. “People are always saying that all the songs have already been written, that every chord progression has been used and we’re now just recycling the old stuff. But what we haven’t done is explored all the ‘voicings’ that are available.”

By giving you 24,756 possible "tunings" at your fingertips, the CapoSonic allows guitarists to easily discover new voicings that they otherwise may never have conceived of.

The device can not only hold down notes played directly under the capo, it also uses six individual hammers that can "finger" notes one fret up or down from the capo position
The device can not only hold down notes played directly under the capo, it also uses six individual hammers that can "finger" notes one fret up or down from the capo position

Ben Ryan developed the prototype with help from a machine shop in Santa Barbara, California. A Kickstarter campaign was launched in September and ran for just over 30 days. Despite not reaching his intended financial goal, Ryan is quick to point out that he received a lot more than money from the Kickstarter campaign. “Kickstarter to me was a huge market validation,” he says. “We didn’t make enough for an initial production run, but we gained valuable insight from people all over the world and many names of people who are players and early adopters.”

Ben says that in the next 60-90 days, some final, minor changes will be made to the CapoSonic before production begins. The new model is to be lighter, sleeker and possibly made from a different metal than the anodized aluminum prototype. The metal O rings that insulate the attachment mechanism will also be replaced with another superior method and material.

Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut
Originally dubbed “the Freedom capo," Ryan says that the device is the perfect tool for players who find themselves stuck in a musical rut

A mailing list has been set up to inform potential customers when the CapoSonic will be available, at CapoSonic.com. The list price is currently set at US$149.

More information is available in the Kickstarter video below.

CapoSonic Kickstarter Video

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3 comments
3 comments
techwizgirl
i can't believe nobody thought of this before! What a genius! i hate the has ell of tuning open but i love the sound. I'm getting one of these things as soon as they come out.
Phlippy
An interesting piece of sculpture to attach to your guitar. Unfortunately for the same price I could buy seven 'Third Hand' capos but I only need two to do the same job and they'd take up less room, look a lot less clunky, be easier to carry around, have less metal work to mark the neck and stay out of the way of my hand better. Nice try though Ben. Keep those old grey cells active. I'm sure you have plenty of other potentially productive ideas that us struggling musos would like to get our hands on.
Colm Fitzpatrick
You could just buy a better guitar. ie one that doesn't mind being retuned frequently .. It is a very interesting idea but until it can be fitted and removed or adjusted live on stage it won't fly very well. Also how do I get DADGAD or DADGBE with this capo? The answer is I don't I guess but those are important tunings in my world.
I could see some innovative players perhaps trying to invent new tunings with it though.