Fifth String Banjo Capo - Bronze

Like so many banjo owners, I did not want to drill holes in the side of my instrument neck and I have no idea of anyone locally who could have fitted such a fifth string capo or any other ways of adjusting the fifth string tone. I had read a number of reviews of this product and watched their (quite poor) videos and was always put off by the price. Yet to pay someone to fix a capo permanently or to insert railroad spikes would likely have cost the same amount (not to mention travel expenses when I eventually found such a person). So I had two choices, buy this and hope, or keep re-tuning the fifth string. I received the item only two working days after placing the order and I thought that was impressive, especially since I used the standard free postage rather than pay for a faster service. Nicely and safely packaged, this capo is tiny and very light. Definitely not something you can leave lying around anywhere, far too easy to get lost. Fitting it was so simple I was amazed. In use the light weight of the product is perfect because it does not alter the balance of the neck (and a banjo is awkward enough to hold at the best of times). Taking it off, well, that's another story and I expect using it more and more I will soon get used to it. I will agree with other comments that have been left. This is not a capo for someone who needs speed of putting on or taking off, chances are only spikes will serve. And this is not a capo for someone who needs to change key mid-song or who has no time between songs to put it on and take it off. But this is definitely the capo for a banjo player who doesn't want to have anything screwed or hammered into the neck of his instrument, and who wants near-perfect pitch from his fifth string. With more use, I am certain I will be able to put it on and take it off much quicker, and since I always have clothes with pockets, it will be no bother to put it away safely between songs. Until manufacturers realise that a fifth string capo is not a luxury but is essential, we will always have to go to the additional expense - or else keep retuning the fifth string or even keep a banjo tuned to A (or other) rather than G. Until that day arrives, we will keep searching for the fifth string capo we can feel comfortable with. For the use I give a banjo, this capo really is perfect. It is expensive, far too expensive, but as another reviewer pointed out, the company clearly needs to recoup its production costs and so "early adopters" pay far more than they need. If they sold this at half the price, or less, there would still be profit and I expect far more would be sold (including to players with more than one banjo). In use, I can't fault it. Putting on and off, it can be a bit fiddly but as I've said, this will speed up with more use. Tuning, it stays in tune! And although it feels ultra light, that lack of weight is a bonus when it is fitted on the neck. I will recommend this, provided you don't want to change key mid-way through a song and you don't need to fit it/remove it ultra fast during songs in a set. But it is a damned good piece of kit and very useful.

This is an EXCELLENT bit of kit. O.K. yes it is rather expensive, but there is no real competition for it and it works really well. I can't understand some of the reviews who found it difficult to fit and take off. There are 2 very clear pictures on the packaging showing how to install and remove, and if you follow those it is EASY. Really pleased with the purchase.

I know what you're thinking - does this thing work?? How does it stay on?? But yeah, it works! I've had a few biro top adapted 5th string capos and had a number of them go flying across a stage at various points. This works significantly better than those, and is far less likely to go flying, though I have had it hop off on me once, though I was getting a bit carried away at the time and hit the fifth very hard - I have a suspicion I may not have had it on quite correctly also, so I'm giving it a pass on that :-) It's quite small, so I get the comments about it being very expensive, but I would recommend it. I'm far happier with it than putting up with the biro tops, and I definitely don't fancy putting a rail on my banjo.

The good news is that it works and it's really no trouble to use. That's the good news out of the way. The bad news is that it is without doubt the most outrageously priced item I have ever bought - bar none. You might think it is made of metal but you would be wrong: it's plastic. It's price is obviously influenced by the fact it is produced in small quantities. I am sure, however, that it is even more influenced by its being just about the only game in town if you don't want to drill into your banjo. I understand that but at this price it's never going to be a mass market product. I agree with other reviewers who suggest that some Chinese company will eventually produce a look-alike at a quarter the price and frankly it will serve "Banjo Highway" right! I've never tried the Bic pen trick being quite new to 5 string banjo - but if you know how to do it and can make it work then for God's sake don't buy this expensive little baby unless you really aren't worried about its inflated price tag. Four stars for performance, no stars for value. If anybody from BH is reading this, I hope you enjoy your super-profits from this item. This musician will avoid your products like the plague!

A quality product that is easy to use, was delivered (internationally!) super quick and sounds fantastic. I actually had another 5th string capo that I had got from another shop and it is ok but quite fiddly to use and expensive. This capo is far far better. I love it.

Ok it does the job. However, it almost does it too well. The fifth string rings out more than the others so the sound is very uneven. As to it's construction - it's cheap plastic! Bronze refers to the colour. The accessory bag is just a tiny, cheap cloth pouch with a draw string. And the "gig clip" is a small, cheap plastic holder with a self-adhesive strip so you can stick it to the banjo. I will certainly be sticking it - but not on the banjo. This item would be over-priced at £5.

this is a great little capo.the best i have used in many years of playing.the only small downside is having to remove it when playing in open G but what the hell. it's great in every other aspect.

Yes, it's pricey for what it is but it works perfectly. No drilling into my banjos and no more bic pen lids and blu tac. You get a nice clear sound. I just worry that it'll get lost as it's so small. It really must have cost about £2 to make but whoever invented it has done an ace job. Buy one.

An sich prima und die eleganteste Lösung für ein flexibles 5th-String-Capo…nur der Preis tut etwas weh. Darum nur 3 Sterne.

Like most of the other reviews I have read, this capo does a good job but is a ridiculous price for what it is. Happy though that I don’t have to drill into the neck of my banjo. The free clip for the back of the headstock is a great idea.

Great product. They could in future versions make the tightener a bit smaller so it does not block the strings as much. Overall, is great

I’ve used the little brass Strum Hollow 5th string banjo capo, but it won’t work with nylon strings, and one of my frailing banjos has nylon strings. It’s also easy to lose. Last month I paid a luthier to install railroad spikes, but the frets were too low, and the string was blocked by the next spike up. I decided to buy a couple of these, and I’m glad I did. They are expensive, but worth it. There’s a groove in the back that fits over the fret, so they are always in the right place. They will work with nylon strings as well as steel strings. Where banjo spikes pull the fifth string down to the fret, lowering the string height and keeping the string from ringing out, these capos lift the string a little, so they ring clearly fen with the capo at the tenth fret. They come with a handy holder I placed on the neck for easy access. This keeps me from misplacing it. They do pull the string a little to the side, but that doesn’t seem to throw the string out of tune the way a railroad spike often does. The only quibble I’ve had is that if my thumb digs up too much from below, it can lift the string and tilt the capo, and once the capo flipped off mid-song. (This might not be a problem with steel strings, as they are under more tension). My solution was to take a little piece of pickguard material with adhesive on it that I had on hand and adhere it to the bottom of the capo. This let the capo still use the slot cut in its bottom, but lifted its angle slightly and completely stopped the problem from the capo lifting. See photo. This could be fixed in a number of ways. Use your imagination. I thought the capo might extend out too far and get in the way of fretting the fourth string, but that hasn’t happened at all. It only extends about 1/8” beyond the 5th string. Worth having!

Work great. Simple to use