G7th Performance 3 Capo Review
Capos are a HOT topic for guitarists. There are all sorts of shapes, makes, sizes and prices.
I’ve used capos a lot for gigs, teaching etc and I have my trusty faithful Dunlop Trigger capo (2 of them in fact) that have been in my guitar kit since 2004. Solid kit.
I have absolutely no reason to try anything else really but something piqued my interest…..
the G7th Performance 3
I saw one of my peers using one of these at a gig years ago and thought it looked quite snazzy. That was about 10 years ago. I’ve recently been interested in trying out some different gear so here we are. A perfect excuse to explore….
I’m going to break this down into little sections and see how the G7 holds up.
The Design
(the look, the feel)
My first observations on this when I unboxed it were that it just looks so SLICK. Whoever designed it really, really cared about it.
it’s compact. Everything’s rounded, it’s so smooth and it’s got a really nice weight to it which feels really secure.
Getting further into the design, the actual mechanics aspect of it…
The Mechanics
(operations)
It has this UTC – Unique Tension System. When you squeeze it shut around your guitar neck, it won’t reverse back open. It clamps shut.
It’s so impressive. To release it you have to put your thumb on this little lever and pop it open. The clamp releases and opens back up. It’s really easy to work.
One – Handed Operating
One of the things I wondered when I was looking into this was how one-handed friendly it was. Im used to using my trigger capo which is really easy to move up and down the neck, put on and take off with one hand. No – brainer. No sweat. With the G7th I was a bit dubious about how easy this would be. Especially if you were on stage.
What I found is the use of it is REALLY intuitive. When it’s on the neck it’s really straight forward to operate. It’s the shape of my hand and is smooth to pop open, shut, slide etc BUT I became aware that this is ok because It has the guitar neck to guide it. Once I looked at putting it on the guitar after picking it up from a table or taking it off the guitar and putting it on the headstock it felt a bit more faffy. I did drop it a couple of times and I would have to see how this went over time. It may be that I get used to handling it but I would have to see how it goes. I’ve only had this for a few weeks so….
Due to its compact nature it does slide into my pocket very easily which is a bonus.
The Sound
One thing that really stood out to me is how lovely the tone of my guitar is when the capo is on. It feels really secure on the neck. I’ve tried this out on a range of frets from the lower wider frets up to a couple of silly frets (fret 10) where the neck really changes shape and the frets are much narrower. I found the capo adapts really well and the resonance and sustain of the strings is remarkable. Great clarity and sustain. I really enjoyed this aspect of it and it stood out to me in such a way that I realised my other capo doesn’t sound like this.
Comfort
A huge bonus here is that due to its compactness of design there is nothing at all clunky in my way when I’m playing. It’s a really nice experience.
Price
With price you can obviously pay as little or as much as you want but the main thing is that what you pay for does the job it says it will.
Trigger Capos are roughly £26 in the UK at the moment and the G7th is £39-£44 depending where you get it from. This is quite a big difference.
Is it worth it?
Bonus Points
1. The G7th comes with a Lifetime Warranty that you register with the website. This looks great and hopefully if you ever need to draw on that they come through. It’s a nice touch though.
2. The string pad is replaceable. If it wears you can take it out and buy a replacement for £12. This means if that pad wears you don’t need to buy a whole new capo. I like this. Although the website does state that for most people this won’t be necessary in their lifetime. Again, this will be a test of time but it’s a nice thought!
Concerns
Only one thing….
The little lever. It’s a bit loose. I did wonder whether if you were to use it for a quiet session in a studio whether there would be any vibration or rattling issues. I’m not sure it would cause a problem but it’s worth taking into account.
Conclusion
Is it worth our money??
Yes. It is, absolutely! Thus far I’m very happy with my G7th Performance 3 capo.
If you’re playing guitar a lot, whether for fun or professionally. We need solid kit that’s reliable and so far this is. If you don’t want to spend that amount of money on a capo there are other excellent capos available that are in a lower price range.
It entirely depends on your budget and what you are using it for but I’m very happy with it. I’m seeing it as a refined, different style capo that’s more compact and just has a different thing going on.
I need to go away for a few years now and play with this and see if it lasts as longs as my others
See you next time.
Have fun buying new gear!
🎸
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