A guitar capo is a clamp that holds the strings down at a chosen fret, raising the open tuning so familiar chord shapes can be played in a higher key.
A guitar capo is a clamp that holds the strings down at a chosen fret, raising the open tuning so familiar chord shapes can be played in a higher key.
About Guitar Capos
A guitar capo clamps across the fingerboard at your chosen fret, shortening the playable length of the strings and raising the pitch of the open tuning. That makes it easy to shift a song's key to suit a singer's range, or to play familiar open chord shapes in brighter voicings without relearning the song. SWAMP stocks capos to suit steel-string acoustic, electric and nylon-string classical guitars.
The range runs from quick one-handed spring-loaded clamps by Kyser and Guitto through to the G7th Performance range, engineered for precise, controllable string pressure that preserves your tuning and tone without fret buzz. A capo works best on a freshly tuned guitar, so pair yours with a guitar tuner, and browse the wider guitar accessories range for straps, strings and more.
A capo shortens the vibrating length of the strings, raising the pitch of every open string by one semitone per fret. You can then play familiar open chord shapes in a higher key, which is ideal for matching a song to a vocalist's range.
Spring-loaded capos are the quickest to move one-handed, while adjustable-tension designs like the G7th Performance 3 let you dial in just enough pressure to hold the strings cleanly without pulling them out of tune. Partial capos clamp only some strings, opening up alternate-tuning style voicings.
Yes. Electric guitars suit capos made for slimmer necks and flatter fingerboards, while nylon-string classical guitars need a capo built for their wide, flat fingerboards. Many spring-loaded guitar capos will also clamp onto a ukulele neck, so check which neck profile a capo is designed for before you buy.