If you haven’t heard of Thalia capos yet, you’re in for a treat. I don’t remember where I first saw them (probably an online ad), but the first thing I noticed was how different the design is and beautiful they look. I said to myself when I saw them, “Man, it would be nice to have one of those! That’s probably the coolest capo I’ve ever seen.” Fast-forward not even a year later, and I HAVE ONE! If you’re considering purchasing one, read my review below.
Special thanks to the folks over at Thalia Capos for making such a quality product and for letting me try one out for myself.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. I personally use this product and have direct experience with it to be able to give an honest review based on my own opinions. If you click one of these affiliate links and make a purchase, I will receive a commission.
My Review
TL;DR – It IS a worthy purchase, but there are a couple of slight drawbacks in my opinion. If you don’t care about the details and reasons involved in my review, you can click here to jump to the conclusion 🙂 (pun intended)
Now for those of you who want to make a well-informed decision, read on…
The Company
Thalia Capos – https://www.thaliacapos.com/
I won’t say too much here other than this is a father – daughter company that seems to be founded and built upon this revolutionary capo design. It’s a pretty cool story of a guitar-playing inventor dad who is inspired by his daughter’s comments about Taylor Swift needing a prettier capo in a picture she saw. You can catch the whole story on their website here.
After following this company’s email list for over a year, I can say they seem to be down-to-earth, and they are concerned about their fellow man. During all the COVID-19 stuff in 2020, they were helping manufacture PPE, and they maintained good communication with their customers on things like shipping delays.
The Good News
So now for the review. Let’s start off with the good news — and there’s more good than bad here!
Looks
Let’s face it. The main thing that drew me to Thalia capos (and probably you, too) was the look of them. They’re custom. They truly stand out in a crowd. Thalia capos are the best-looking capo around. You can choose the finish on the metal and the type of wood that goes on your capo, so you can make it be YOUR special piece of equipment. They’ll even engrave a design or letters / words on the wood inlay on your capo. Oh, and you can choose the type of wood. HIGHLY customizable.
Tuning
It comes with different pads that allow you to custom-fit your Thalia capo to the thickness of your guitar’s neck. The box has a chart in it that tells you recommended pad thicknesses for different guitar neck radii (wow…the plural form of radius actually fits in on my website!). Compared to traditional capos, Thalia enables you to throw a capo on mid-set and not need to re-tune. Other capos tend to compress too hard, bending the strings slightly sharp.
Placement
Also, Thalia capos can be placed in the middle of the frets, instead of right next to the fret like other capos. Placing the capo in the middle of the frets benefits you in two ways (that I can think of) :
- quick adjustments
- playability
Quick Adjustments
If you need to change keys in the middle of a song, Thalia capos are built well for that. The last thing you want in this scenario is to have to position your capo just right on the neck. Thalia capos can go just about anywhere between the fret, and with the right size pad for your guitar, you don’t have to worry about strings buzzing.
Another benefit of Thalia capos is the way they’re built. It allows you to move the capo while keeping your hand in relatively the same position you do while you’re playing. Traditional capos place the release lever mechanism on the opposite side of the neck from your hand, which takes more time and motion to move the capo.
Playability
Capos that have to be positioned right behind the fret can sometimes get in the way of your hand when you’re playing certain chords. Thalia capos create more space behind the fret, giving you more flexibility in the chords you play.
Packaging
Usually I don’t get too enamored by something like packaging, but in this case, I think Thalia does an exceptional job. You really get a sense of the quality and care that goes into their products by the way they package them, not to mention the ingenuity of the packaging itself!
I plan on making a video on this product later, and I’ll be sure to link it here when I’m done. In that video I’ll show more details on how it’s packaged.
The Disappointment
I had SUCH high hopes for this capo. Trust me. I was PUMPED about this thing…but I have to be honest. I was slightly disappointed in a few ways.
Storage
There’s no good place on my guitar to store the capo when I’m not using it. With any other capo I’ve ever used, I just clamp it on the headstock of my guitar until I need it again. Well, I think the intent with the Thalia Capo is that you can clamp it down on top of the nut when it’s not in use, then you can easily slide it back on the fretboard when you need it again. I don’t like this method, because it feels like I’m on the verge of missing the nut and leaving it resting on the strings. Also, when you do manage to get it squarely sitting on the nut, the capo is a little bulky down there, right up against your hand in some chords.
Another reason it’s difficult to store is that I use a strap that attaches at the nut already (I don’t have a strap peg on the heel of my neck). My strap tie attaches to the headstock just past the nut, so it makes it almost impossible to store the capo on top of the nut.
Since I’ve been using my Thalia capo more lately, I’ve decided it’s fine for me to just put the capo in my pocket while not in use. It may not be the “coolest” solution to the storage problem, but it also doesn’t bother me that bad.
Clumsy
Just being transparent, I felt a little clumsy at first trying to adjust the capo. The spring-loaded button to open the capo works well, but since it’s so different from a traditional capo, it takes a little getting used to. This is by no means a deal-breaker, but you need to know what to expect if you plan on getting one. In fact, it’s hard to classify this as a “negative” attribute of the capo. I think this is just the result of the Thalia capo being re-engineered in such a way that its normal operation has been revolutionized. It just takes a little getting used to.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Thalia capos are without a doubt the best-looking capo on the market today. I used to think I wouldn’t buy one, but I have changed my mind on that. Now, speaking from experience, I have only grown to love my Thalia capo more and more each time I use it. It looks sharp and does the job of a capo well. So I would definitely recommend getting one. The main annoyance to me is the fact that it won’t conveniently attach to the headstock of my guitar, but I am getting over that!
Tell me what you think if you own a Thalia capo — or if you are interested in buying one, please feel free to support me by using my affiliate link here:
Finally, let me know in the comments below what you think about YOUR Thalia Capo. I’m eager to hear how well this capo works for you.
P.S.
After using this capo for a couple of years now, I must say, I more highly recommend it now because it is such a great quality tool. I got used to the different shape clamp mechanism, and it’s my go-to capo for my acoustic playing now!
Check out Thalia Capos!
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