Possibly the World's Best Capo

Product Review: BMF Capos

The problem with playing guitar is that, once you’ve bought a couple good guitars, there’s not really that much more to buy:  Strings?  Picks?  A strap?  A Capo?  Well…for me…lots of capos.  Once I figured out that a capo was indispensible in bluegrass jams (Yes…I know I could play bar chords, but I like the open sound, and simplicity of just capoing up to the right key).  The problem is…I have large, wide hands that either knock capos out of the way, or simply can’t fit up tight to the capo for those pesky C and F chord shapes. 

The BMF High Precision Guitar Capo

In my search for the right capo, I bought a lot of good capos, each with it’s pros and cons.  The old-school elastic capo was slim and stayed out of the way, but just wasn’t durable, and tended to slip out of place.  I bought (and still use around the house) a Kyser capo, perfect for quick changes, but it really gets in the way (and seems to pull my guitar more sharp than most).  The Shubb worked great if I put it on the guitar upside down, but still wore a sore spot in the lower, meaty part of my hand at jam session.  The Paige capos were pretty much ideal (low profile and easy to use/store) but I seemed to constantly knock them loose, causing them to drop to the floor. 

The Perfect Accessory for your BMF Capo

Then, I found the BMF capo while shopping one day at Elderly Instruments in Lansing.  I was intrigued by its rugged design and classic engineering. Although fairly expensive at $99, I sucked it up and bought one...and boy, was I glad I did!  It was slim enough to stay out of my way, but rock solid once screwed down.   I bought one…and never looked back.  As long as you fit the capo right on top of the fret, it does not alter your tuning.  Once snugly fit to the neck, it never moves.  Made of high quality stainless steel, it is as shiny as the day I got it—even after more than a year of daily use.  My one complaint was that the plastic sleeve is fairly soft and tends to wear out.  Then, one day, lo and behold, Elderly started offering replacement sleeves (and only a buck!).  Perfection!  I will never use any other capo.  Hmm…I wonder if their “B-Style” banjo capo would fit a <Gasp> mandolin!