low E out of tune when i apply capo

purerandom

hi all.
i have a beautiful guitar, a McIlroy AJ20c guitar (jumbo cutaway).
lately it appears that when i apply a capo the low E goes out of tune and i have to tune it with the capo on.
i have tried 2 capo's with the same result.
i have changed the strings but no improvement.
the string gauge is a set of Martin 10's light.
can anyone think of a reason for this?
any comments welcomed.

feylya

Where do you place the capo when you're placing it? How close to the higher fret?

purerandom

hi, i have tried it in all locations to be honest.

Gregor Samsa

How tight is the capo? I had an issue with a guitar down-tuned to D standard (so the strings were quite loose) and a capo that was too tight and basically stretched the strings out of tune. I loosened up the grip of the capo, and it fixed the issue.

purerandom

interesting. the guitar is tuned to Eb. i might have mess around with the capo, tighten\loosen it and see where it gets me.

roibas

Keep us posted please. I have the very same problem with a telecaster, but in my case is not just the 6th, are all of them. I'll try to do the same.

purerandom

hi, i keep the capo almost on top of the fret now and things have improved.

Squall Leonhart

This is something I encounter very frequently using a capo. I've got a good quality capo and use quality guitars, its just one of those things. A quick twist on a tuning peg or two when you apply a capo makes all the difference.

I agree with the poster who mentioned that loosening the capo can help.

doolox

Make sure the capo is not too tightly set down on the fingerboard it should be just tight enough to grip and hold the strings down on the appropriate fret.

Also be aware that frets are not flat but have a radius or curve on their surface from 1st to 6th string....the capo you are using might have a different radius which might grip the 6th string too tightly and be OK on the other strings.

The 6th string on most sets especially thin sets like 10's and 11's can be sensitive to being pushed down on the fingerboard too hard and going slightly sharp when it is pushed down too hard.

There is a brand of capo called G7 available from Thomann online which I find good because it does not required retuning when used on a guitar. Unlike most spring or rubber elastic capoes the G7 has a mechanical one way clutch whic allow the player to adjust the pressure to be just enough for playing and holding the capo in place without too much force.

lofto

Have a look on this forum; discusses different remedies.

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-213229.html