Fifth String Banjo Capo - Bronze

Although the banjo I have has the "railroad" spikes, it didn't have one where I needed it. This 5th string capo easily solved the problem. It is so useful that on my newly ordered banjo, I'm only using this 5th string capo. (Note, you'll still be using the other capo for the other 4 strings)

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. 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 I quibble I’ve had is that if my thumb digs up too much from below, it can lift the string and tilt the capo, but that’s rare, and it drops back into place. I thought it 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”. Worth having!

I purchased this thing, hoping to not have to put railroad spikes in my banjo neck, as there aren't any good luthiers where I live. Don't waste your money.p.s. I made the trip to a good luthier to have spikes installed.

This thing works ok. But dude, for over $50 this thing is cheaply made. The description intentionally leads you to believe that it's made of metal, but it's not. The "bronze" is brown plastic. Also that little holder thing ("gig clip" LOL) that it comes with is a cheap little piece of crap. Save your money. You can capo your 5th string by inserting one of those pen caps and it works fine. Or use railroad spikes.

While this device is expensive, it actually works and gives you the right tone, probably just as good as if you had the little spikes!

I have a 40+ year-old Epiphone that belonged to my father, and I did not want to drill or nail holes into the neck, so I gave this a try. It works exactly as advertised and I have used it for a couple of gigs already. Slip it under the 5th string at whatever fret you need, tighten it a little and you get perfect tone. I'm knocking a star off because I thought, for the price, it would have a little more weight to it. It's very light and you have to be careful not to bump it while it is in place or it will pop out with the 5th string acting like a bowstring to shoot it across the stage. But, exercise a little caution and you get an easy-to-use capo for your 5th string without marring the neck of your banjo.

Just buy a cheaper capo. They bloat the price by adding a useless "gig clip" and a tiny bag. I imagine any other 5th string capo would work just as well as this one for less cash

For me worth every penny and provides excellent tone. Who would want to drill holes into your banjo neck. I have spent more on far less.

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

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.

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.

Immediately workable on both of my fretted banjos. No scratches or marks or any such concerns. Spot-on intonation and crisp, clear tone. As a claw hammer player it took a few minutes (10? if that?) to settle my overly aggressive thumb, but that’s a good thing because the 5th is brighter with the capo on so a lighter thumb is all that is needed.

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.