Struggling with tuning when using a capo - any advice?

Chrisguitar · Post by **Chrisguitar** » Thu Mar 26, 2026 8:06 am

I play an acoustic guitar for church on Sundays and sometimes I have to use a capo. I noticed the strings lean sharp after applying the capo and so I have to tune the strings with the capo on between songs, which is very annoying during a live set. Has anyone else experienced this? Is this an issue that’s unique to my guitar (do I need to fix something) or is there a trick to avoid this problem altogether? Thank you!

MetalPlayer · Post by **MetalPlayer** » Fri Mar 27, 2026 8:55 am

Shubb has always been the answer for me.

BluesGuy · Post by **BluesGuy** » Fri Mar 27, 2026 9:56 am

Use a capo with adjustable tension. I like Shubb capos.

Markw72 · Post by **Markw72** » Fri Mar 27, 2026 1:24 pm

Splurge on a G7 capo.

GearNerd · Post by **GearNerd** » Mon Mar 30, 2026 8:15 am

If you care about your audience you tune after putting on the capo. It takes ten seconds with a clip-on tuner. Playing out of tune is a bigger problem than having to tune between songs.

StudioPro · Post by **StudioPro** » Tue Mar 31, 2026 9:23 am

Sounds like you need multiple guitars in this situation, that's unfortunate.