There have been tons of Capo recommendations coming into Acoustic Life Studios as of late. One capo in particular stands out as a versatile and aesthetically gorgeous capo that you can design to fit your guitar geek needs…
Thalia capos are hard to miss, they are aesthetically gorgeous and quite honestly they are all over the internet… for good reason.
Thalia capo inventors Chris Bradley and his daughter Thalia have designed a beautiful capo that was made a reality by a wildly successful kickstarter campaign. They have firmly planted themselves at the intersection of capo form, fashion, and function… I am talking guitar geek fashion here so let me explain.
Thalia capos can be made to match your guitar. Simply put, these are the most customizable capos out in our guitar geek world. From metal finishes, exotic wood veneer options, and even custom inlays these capos can be made to match you and your guitar. If you want your name inlayed across the capo you can have it done, if you want the capo veneer to match the back and sides of your guitar that too can be done.
Compatibility is another reason these capos are wildly popular. Thalia capos come with interchangeable fret pads that allow the capo to be compatible with fretboards of many different radii. The interchangeable fret pads are easy to change and makes your capo useable on a variety of guitars.
After using the capo for a few months I wanted to share my thoughts and opinions about it and its functionality. First I will say that being able to get a capo that matches your guitar is truly a guitar geeks dream… I mean as a guitar geek custom guitars are one thing, but matching custom capos is a whole other level.
Functionally, I thought the capo worked very well, it accommodated many of my guitars with ease. The only guitar that I had a problem capoing with the Thalia was a vintage Martin 0-17 from 1935. This guitar has a significant neck taper and I couldn’t capo past the 5th fret. Not a huge deal but something that I wanted to note for folks thinking about using a Thalia with a vintage, aggressively tapered neck profile.
Having a buzz free capo experience on my guitars was super nice, and the ease of application was a nice perk as well. This is definitely a capo you can operate with one hand which is a great bonus when having to capo quickly and with accuracy.
The one issue I had with the capo was it’s overall size and weight. The capo that I tested was pretty heavy and often I found my fretting hand running into it while playing. Granted, part of the size of the capo is related to housing the mechanical portion of it, and that very mechanical portion is what makes the capo so easy to use… so in essence, that is a trade off.
For all of you guitar geeks looking for a capo that has a customizable and organic feel this is one to surely try. If you want a slim capo that is a bit lighter you might want to pass this one up, but if you want easy operation and buzz free capoing housed in a beautiful guitar geek package this one should certainly be on your list to check out. Dive into the Thalia site for an array, and I mean a huge array, of options.
Thalia Capo Links
- Thalia Capo Site
- Thalia Capo Overview Video
- Thalia Capo 100 series vs 200 Series Video
- Thalia Capo Custom Shop Video
- Thalia Capo Behind the Scenes Video
- Buy the Black Chrome & Rosewood Thalia Capo
- Buy the 24K Gold & Rosewood Thalia Capo
- Buy the 24K Gold & Celtic Knot Koa Thalia Capo
- Buy the Chrome & Mother of Pearl Thalia Capo
- Buy the 24K Gold & Abalone Thalia Capo