Sterner TM

 

 

The Don Reno Banjo Capo Reno Banjo Capo

The most valuable collector's item in the Capomuseum is this unique Reno Banjo Capo. This is the only known copy and by far the smallest capo in the world. Many beleave that Don Reno never used a capo because they didn't notice it. No patent found.
Designed in the 1960's by Don Reno, USA.

Don Reno, capouser.
Don Reno using his capo.

Q: Hi,
A friend recently sent me a link to your museum web page. It's quite interesting and informative. Being a banjo player, I went to the capo humor page and saw (tried to see) Don Reno's capo. All that came through on my screen was a red square. Is there more to it, or is this how to keep a banjo player occupied so he can't play for a few minutes?
Thanks, Don
.

A:

Hi Don,
I kept you from playing for a while, didn't I?
Bless your wife, children, friends & neighbours,
Anders

Il Capo Di Tutti Capi
Al Capone
Da Capo Al Fine

The other meaning in Italian of 'Capo' is a divisional head of the Mafia. So, potentially you could run into problems if say doing a gig at a Mafia wedding. You instruct the banjoplayer:
- Put the capo on, Larry.
or
- Put the capo away, Larry.

Several years ago I became acquainted with Steve Gillette, performer and songwriter. Steve has one song in his repertoire for which he uses a capo. Steve owns one capo, which he claims to have had for more than 30 years, a classic Bill Russell elastic job. One evening he did that song complete with his "capo disclaimer". At the end of the set the MC at the club went up to him and said:
"Steve - There was a phone call for you - It was the Smithsonian - They want their capo back!"

- Norm Deaver

Chet Atkins always told a story on the rare occasion when he'd put on about the hills where he grew up. He said: "If someone would go out on their porch and shout 'B flat!', you could hear capos slidin' for 5 miles".

Copmpensating Capo
Banjo Newsletter, July 1995.

Some years ago, a friend of mine from southeastern Indiana attended an east coast rock festival. At the festival, he met and traded guitar licks with a very accomplished rock guitar player. When the rocker found out that he was from southeastern Indiana, he inquired if my friend was acquainted with the legendary rock/blues guitarist, Lonny Mack.

    Being a devotee of Mack, the rocker was impressed when my friend told him that he and Mack had been friends for many years. The rocker explained to my friend that although he had never seen Mack perform live, he had over the years learned virtually every guitar solo that Mack had ever recorded. The rocker said that he was in total awe of Mack, because of the difficulty of many of his guitar solos. He then asked my friend if he was familiar with how Mack played the guitar solo for a particular song. My friend advised him that he had seen Mack perform the song many times and was quite familiar with how to play it. My friend then asked the rocker to show him his version of the song. The rocker agreed and using an incredible array of knuckle busting, digital gymnastics, he proceeded to play his version of the song.

    When the rocker was finished, my friend smiled and told him that he could show him an easier way to play the song. My friend then put his capo on the second fret of the rockers' solid body electric guitar and easily played the same notes with a set of remarkably simple fingering patterns. Not surprisingly, the rocker was completely blown away. He said that he had been working for some twenty years to perfect his version of the song and it had never occurred to him that Mack might have used a capo with an electric guitar!

- C. Wayne Clyburn

A capo allows the banjo player, once out of tune in one key, to quickly be out of tune in any other key.

The Definitive Capo Kit

(Guitar not included.)

Shortens the neck once and for all.

Q:  Why do banjo players leave a capo on the dashboard?
A:  So they can park in the handicapped parking spots.


INJURY TO GUITAR PLAYER BLAMED ON DEFECTIVE CAPO!

Tommy Suggs, capouser. Tommy Suggs, guitar player and bass singer for "This Bluegrass Band Suggs" was slightly injured saturday afternoon while performing at the Possum Trot Bluegrass Festival just outside the city limits of Thornton, Va. The band was right in the middle of "Daddy Sang Bass" when the capo he had placed on the 2nd fret malfunctioned, threw a screw and a spring and hit Tommy up side the head. The true professional Tommy Suggs is, after some minor first aid and a couple of beers, managed to get up and finish the set with a rousing rendition of "Salty Dog" (without a capo of course, thank you very much!)

- The Bizargrass News

Is there any worse?

WORST CAPO DESIGN
The Bizargrass News appointed this capo the winner of  "Worst Capo Design of 1998".
Maybe it is the worst capo design ever?


Partial capo

This one is a much smaller for partial capoing, here making an Esus chord.

Sten's capo.

- Hey Sten, did you make a banjo capo out of a stick and an elastic ribbon!?
- Yea, I got the ribbon from my wife's nickers. That way I got double pleassure:  I got a good capo and my wife got more difficult keeping her panties up.

Um, John? Did you read the enTIRE website? Perhaps english isn't the authors native language, but on the "eccentric.html" page there is a proud declaration that:

"The Sterner Eccentric Capo comes right into your hand."

I don't need a capo for that.

Menu