D'Addario: Capo Conversations with Ned Steinberger Part 2
V-DADD_008
Video Transcription
[on-screen text reads: Capo Conversations Part 2 of Three - What Makes Our Capos Easy to Squeeze?]
What makes our capo's easy to squeeze?
Jim D'Addario: A lot of people notice how easy it is to open and close the Artist or the Tri-Action. We have two models. One is for behind the neck, the Tri-Action. And the other is for up top here, and they both have the same geometric engineering.
How'd you make these things so easy to operate compared to the competition?
Ned Steinberger: This spring geometry is organized so that the force of the spring, which is aligned with this metal piece that I put on there for demonstration purposes, as the capo is opened, the distance between this pivot point here, I don't know if you can see that, and the force of the spring, is much closer as the spring is compressed. The leverage that the spring has on the capo is reduced as the tension is increased, so the tension on this, the jaws, is very steady. But as at the end when it gets really close to that pivot, it actually lightens up, so that it's easy to hold the capo open and easy to use.
Rob Cunningham: So, that would also make the tension equal as a neck gets thicker. A regular capo, if you put out a really thick neck, it's going to press even harder.
Ned Steinberger: Yes, it applies much more even pressure because again, as the spring increases its force, the leverage that it has on the capo itself is reduced in proportion so that we keep the thing at a steady pressure.
Jim D'Addario: So what hour in the middle of the night did you come up with that idea?
Ned Steinberger: You said, "We need to simplify the capo, the spring capo." And as usual, I thought to myself, "Oh great. This is not going to be possible." But driving home from the airport and I was thinking about it and it just popped into my head at that point.
Jim D'Addario: It's genius. Absolutely fantastic design.
