Leave the capo on

[Methos1979]

I leave my Colorado yoke-style capos on two of my guitars (I only have two capos) down around the 2-3 frets as they hang on the wall. But I reduce tension just to keep them in place. No fret wear, no neck dents.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

Assuming you’re using a capo that has adjustable tension.

If you're not, you should be.

[Paleolith54]

Originally Posted by redir

I have one guitar where I leave a capo on in the 3rd fret position almost always. I'm not sure how a fret would wear out without any movement back and forth of the string. I could be wrong but it seems to me that two pieces of metal simply touching each other will not cause any wear.

Anyway I like to leave it on because it stays in tune and when I pick it up it's ready to go.

Yeah, plus frets are easy to have replaced if it actually comes to that. If it plays better with a capo at 1, or 3, or wherever I say leave it on.

[SecondCity]

I know nitro finishes are super finicky. I never really know what will harm one, just that I should live in constant fear of damage.

So, based on that, I tend to take my capo completely off the guitar each time I'm done playing.

[Horsehockey]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

If you're not, you should be.

I am a newbie and my capo is spring loaded and non adjustable. Help me out a little here. Should I be adding this to my mistake list?😵*💫

[RalphH]

I don't buy this "leaving the capo on makes dents thing". Metals simply, fundamentally don't work that way. So if you left if on for 100 years the strings would slowly sing through the fret till they touched the fretboard? If I leave a bean can on the hood of my car long enough, will it slowly sing through? No.

Metal is a crystalline solid, not a thick liquid or amorphous solid and that's not how crystalline solids work; any denting is near-instant at the moment you apply pressure and exceed elasticity.

I don't disbelieve people who've got dented fretboards, but if you're tempted to leave a capo on permanently at a certain point, that tells me you play with a capo there all the time, and it's more likely that constantly applying the capo put in those dents.

Rubber however is not a crystalline solid, it is an amorphous solid and those can be deformed over time with even pressure. Glass is another example; you may have seen very window pains that are thicker at the bottom than the top, leading to the misconception that glass is a (very) thick liquid rather than a solid.

So, it may wreck your capo, but (most) capos are cheap, so it's up to you.

[SingingSparrow]

I don't capo in the same place and often don't use a capo at all (and often do.) But if I am using a capo while playing, I'll just leave it on when I am done. I certainly don't want to think about these things too much.

If I were inclined to worry, I'd worry more about the rubber pad on the capo.

Guitar playing is fun. Whatever makes it easier to just pick it up and bang on it for a few minutes in between tasks is great.

I am a newbie and my capo is spring loaded and non adjustable. Help me out a little here. Should I be adding this to my mistake list?

No. Play on.

[kizz]

Thanks to all
There have been argued for and against leaving it on based on experience and logical explanation.
My own conclusion is as others mentioned, that worst case scenario is that i need a fretlevel job in a few years, which i may anyway and then buy a new pad for my capo occasionally. Of course i have to modify my case, and when i have ripped it apart it maybe strikes me, that it would have been easier to just put the capo on/off, but hey if my guitar plays and sounds better it´s worth it

deleted account

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Horsehockey

I am a newbie and my capo is spring loaded and non adjustable. Help me out a little here. Should I be adding this to my mistake list?😵*💫

No.

My answer was of course, a bit tongue in cheek, but it is based on 65 years of playing experience. Capos are generally cheap, so it's easy to check out a few.

As far as fixed vs. adjustable, all you really need to realize is that the vast majority of all the different capos that are available are adjustable tension. There's a reason the manufacturers choose adjustability for their designs.

Probably the most loved adjustable capo is the Shubb, I have a couple different ones and prefer the stainless steel deluxe roller version. Under $20 and the bar pad is widely available for a couple of bucks, if you eventually get "dents" in a pad from leaving it on. My favorite music store has the pads in a bowl by the front cash register.

My current weapon of choice is the all brass Dunlop / Victor, although I might pick up one of my others and start using it at any time. The most often cited issue with them is the internal gear wears out after years of use. When the capo costs about the same as a set of strings who cares?