Yoke capos are one of the most convenient capo types available. They are beautifully designed to stay on your guitar when not in use, and very easy to recruit when a capo is necessary. For a while, there was really only one high-end yoke capo option until this company came along…
G7th capos have made quite the name for themselves in the capo world with some very sleek designs. Namely, their performance and performance 2 capo took the guitar world by storm with their ease of use, reliability, and aesthetic appeal. Funny thing though, G7th is the type of company that never stops innovating or asking players what they want or need out of their capo… which is where their new heritage capo came from.
As a result of their constant raising of the bar, the G7th heritage capo was born. This is a yoke style capo with a very sexy design (sexy for a capo of course), smooth operation, and some very useful innovations.
Now I should say this I am a very dedicated Elliott capo user. I think Scott Elliott of Elliott capos makes some of the very best yoke style capos on the market, in particular, the Mckinney Elliott capo. So I have to admit I compared the G7th Heritage capo to my Elliott capo at every chance I could.
First let’s start with price, The G7th Heritage capo in its basic form comes in right around $139 USD. This price point, in my opinion, places this capo in the higher tier, elite level of capo… a category that Elliott capos call home.
So my impressions of the G7th heritage capo were for the most part on the very good end of the scale with only one main concern, which I will shed some light on a bit later.
I like the aesthetic of the Heritage capo. It’s a sleek polished stainless steel and it looks quite classy. I also was very impressed by its versatility due to G7th’s new development, A.R.T. (Adaptive Radius Technology). This technology allows for the pad that touches the strings to adapt to various fingerboard radii and create a buzz-free capo situation. I was skeptical of this, but I tried the capo on a Gibson Southern Jumbo, a Santa Cruz Vintage Southerner, a Martin HD35, and a 1935 Martin 0-17… the capo worked beautifully on each guitar. I also found out that the capo’s fretting pad could be replaced which definitely adds to its longevity and usability as time goes on. In addition to the capo’s functionality, I also found the packaging quite attractive with its leather carrying pouch and gift box presentation.
Oh, and one more bonus, the inside of the yoke is fully padded so no metal on instrument contact, which is an enormous benefit of the Heritage capo.
While I did have a great experience with the capo I do have some concerns as well. The first of which is the amount of “play” when the latching harness is closed. In comparison to my Elliott capo, the G7th has a considerable amount of “play” which may be a part of the Adaptive Radius Technology, but I am not 100% sure… the Elliott capo is incredibly solid when the latch is closed, which is the reason why I noticed the movement on the G7th.
The other thing that was a bit of a concern in the roadworthiness department of the G7th Heritage capo is the nylon insert where the capo tension screw is. I found the tension screw of the heritage capo to function smoothly, however being that the entire capo is metal and in one of the highest use areas, the tension screw, a plastic insert was introduced, I had a concern that part may wear out prematurely.
Concerns and all, this capo exceeded my expectations and I feel it is a welcome addition to the high level, elite capo category. One thing I should note in closing here is that the G7th company exhibits top notch customer service across the board and they truly stand behind their product. This capo, and I believe most in their lineup, comes with a lifetime guarantee. If anything should go wrong with your G7th capo just let them know and in most cases, they will replace it.
I still fiercely stand behind and use my Elliott capo, but as I said before it is great to see another damn good capo option in the “boutique” or “elite” class of capo.
G7th Heritage Capo Links