Guitars with a Built in Capo

[bmth4111]

Hey,

Besides Rick Toone's Blur, are there any guitars with a built in capo? I know a few other others like Strandberg has made guitars with extended fret boards for the lower two strings but I haven't seen many built in capos in guitars. The only other instrument I have seen with this was a random bass on this forum.

I also haven't seen any of these guitars with built in capos have a trem. Is this just by coincidence or is a trem not completely compatible with these types of guitars?

My next question is are there guitars with two capos that can be engaged independently? Eventually my goal would be to be able to alternate the tuning of the 7th and 6th strings together or independently. This would allow my to play in GCGCFAD, GDGCFAD, and ADGCFAD. With that being said, I would still want to have a trem.

I understand I could just buy other guitars for these tunings but I want to avoid having to lug around a million guitars.

 

[diagrammatiks]

Some steinbergers had them.
But you might be better served with a variax.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

you'd honestly be better off buying single string capos if you want to do stuff like that.

the fret lock one in particular looks pretty cool.
this one might work for a seven string, though I'd double check the sizing.
https://www.stringsbymail.com/spidercapo-creative-tunings-adjustable-single-string-capo-6006.html

 

[bostjan]

Some steinbergers had them.
But you might be better served with a variax.

Transscales came that way, but I've only ever seen one, so good luck finding one.

 

[Winspear]

Sounds like you want a SpiderCapo or two

 

[Winspear]

Also, you mentioned other tunings. You probably are aware of this but I've seen people that didn't think it through...Capos only affect the open strings, so they wouldn't let you play in drop tuning in terms of fingerings. You have the range and open sound of the capod tuning but with regular (or whatever you're tuned to) fingerings. That's actually why I love the spider capo, I can access any strange drone voicing but without dropped/open fingerings which I dislike. Also the appeal of the added frets on bottom string string to me - drop range with standard fingerings. This is probably obvious but like I said, it doesn't occur to everyone haha. I know fingerings are most/all of the appeal of dropped tunings for many people so thought it was worth mentioning!

 

[ixlramp]

Steinberger Transcale baritones, all are 6 strings. Otherwise no.

Eventually my goal would be to be able to alternate the tuning of the 7th and 6th strings together or independently. This would allow my to play in GCGCFAD, GDGCFAD, and ADGCFAD.

Capos don't act the same as alternative tunings, the relative tuning, scale and chord shapes are unchanged.
Why not just retune the strings since those tuning changes are no more than 2 semitones?

 

[bmth4111]

Steinberger Transcale baritones, all are 6 strings. Otherwise no.

Capos don't act the same as alternative tunings, the relative tuning, scale and chord shapes are unchanged.
Why not just retune the strings since those tuning changes are no more than 2 semitones?

Ya I would just tune the string but I'm using a Floyd rose trem and would like to use guitars with trems in the future. So whenever I switch tunings I have to fight with balancing all the strings.

 

[bmth4111]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I just need a guitar which I can tune on the fly but still has a trem?

 

[diagrammatiks]

The only thing that does what you want is he variax.

 

[bostjan]

The only thing that does what you want is he variax.

7 String Variax? Cool idea! Where can I get one?

 

[marcwormjim]

He said he variax - You know, the Latin lover with the cybernetic tail.

 

[TedEH]

Sounds like you want a SpiderCapo or two

I didn't know this was a thing. Googled it. Was not disappointed.

 

[GuitarBizarre]

I came here to suggest a Steinberger Transcale, but as others have mentioned, you seem to want on-the-fly retuning, not a capo as such.

There have been a BUNCH of quick retuning systems on the market over the years, from Wilkinson guitars to Gibson robot stuff, etc.

All of them fail to get any market traction.

As for combining them with a floyd rose - there's no reason you couldn't, but if it were a floating bridge rather than a non-recessed one, it'd fuck with your action and potentially make the guitar hard to play.

 

[ixlramp]

Ya I would just tune the string but I'm using a Floyd rose trem and would like to use guitars with trems in the future. So whenever I switch tunings I have to fight with balancing all the strings.

Aha of course, sorry.

The headless Hohner Steinberger copies use the old Steinberger trem bridge that has a locking lever and a knob to adjust spring tension. I used to own a Hohner G3T and the trem was amazing: lock the bridge, retune the strings, unlock the bridge, then adjust the spring tension until the bridge returns to the point where the locking lever can be applied without moving the bridge at all (in tune), done within a minute.
That was my first guitar, and only later did i encounter the relative nightmare that is a floyd-rose.
I'm still amazed at the design of 1980's Steinbergers, they are still far beyond most guitars of 30 years later.

I don't know of any 7 string guitars with this trem though, maybe some expensive custom guitars.

 

[marcwormjim]

The Spirit Steinberger line still uses that design (R Trem).

 

[diagrammatiks]

7 String Variax? Cool idea! Where can I get one?

Oh I brain farted. Then the answer is nothing?

 

[USMarine75]

7 D-tunas?
Variax
MIDI, like Roland GK3

 

[bmth4111]

I wonder how well two Dtunas would work with the tunings. I also wonder how stable they are

 

[diagrammatiks]

i feel like if this was a solvable problem someone somewhere would have solved it already...you aren't the only person that wants to change tunings on a seven string trem equipped guitar...
hell if kahler can't build some kind of cthulhic monstrosity to handle it...all hope is lost.