Frequently Asked Questions
- Will the Voice Capo fit my Guitar?
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Voice fits all Standard Sized Acoustic Guitar Necks
Voice fits all Guitar Necks (Acoustic & Electric) between 1.65" (42mm) and approximately 1.76" (44.7mm)
Almost all Acoustic Guitars are either 1&3/4" or 1&11/16" width at the nut*. The Voice Capo will fit all of these guitars.
Unless you specifically bought a wide necked acoustic guitar, then it is almost certain that Voice will fit your Acoustic Guitar.
Some, but not all, high end guitars like Martin and Taylor have wider finger style necks (greater than 1.76").
Voice will fit these guitars, but will most likely cause interference on the Low E and possible also the high e string. It is recommended you verify that Voice will fit your guitar before purchasing.
There are a few ways to verify that Voice will fit your guitar:
- Use a ruler. Voice will fit all guitars that measure between 1.65" (42mm) and approximately 1.76" (44.7mm) at the nut*.
- Download and print this pdf. Then use it to measure the nut* width on your guitar
- Use the guide on the back of the package to measure the nut* width on your guitar.
We recommend doing this before opening the package.
Note: The Voice Capo will not fit Nylon String Classical Guitars.
*The nut is a strip, between the fret board and headstock, on which the guitar strings sit, and has small notches which are used as guitar string guides
- Will the Voice Capo fit my Fender Stratocaster?
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Most Strats Yes.
The biggest issue with the Stratocasters is that they have 2 different common neck sizes, 1&5/8" (1.625") and 1&11/16" (1.6875").
Most newer Stratocasters use the 1&11/16" (1.6875") width neck, these all work perfectly.
A lot of the older Strats use the 1&5/8" (1.625"), which will also work... but they are right on the edge.
When designing Voice, I wanted to accommodate as many necks widths as possible, so I made the ledges that sit on the neck accommodate neck widths between 1.6" to 1.8", since most necks are either 1&3/4" (1.75") or 1&11/16" (1.6875").
I advertise that Voice will fit necks between 1.65" and 1.8", but the actual distance between the shortest distance ledges is actually 1.56".
(Note: a LOT of engineering went into Voice! My mold tolerances were .005")
So theoretically, Voice should accommodate the smaller neck strat, but only having about .06" of wiggle room is not a whole lot...
However, I couldn't have made any more room since I would have then created interference with the low E string when mounting Voice on a 1&3/4" neck.
Things to consider if trying to mount Voice on a smaller necked Stratocaster:
1) Definitely use both pairs of mount strips. One thick and then one thin on top of the thick on each side.
This should help with the mounting.
2) To eliminate buzz, you want to position the Voice as far down the neck as you can while still covering the first four frets.
Basically, you want the triggers to be pushing down the string right behind the fret.
- What is the difference between Open Voicing and Open Tuning / Alternate Tuning?
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Open Voicing is an entirely new concept made possible by the Voice Capo. Open Voicing is achieved by forming chords on an instrument and then playing over those held chords. For example, to play in an Open C Voicing, you would hold down a C chord on the Voice Capo and then play above that chord on the rest of the neck. Your instrument will remain in standard tuning (EADGBE), but your open strum will now be a C chord.
In contrast, to play in open C with Open Tuning / Alternate Tuning, you need to change the tuning of every string on your guitar except the G and high e string. Your strings become CGCGCE.
It takes a lot of time and skill (Even with an automatic tuner) to re-tune your guitar to play in an alternate tuning. It is an annoyance which is why most people do not play in Alternate Tunings / Open Tunings. However, Open Tunings / Alternate Tunings create beautiful sounds and allow for a great amount of experimentation which is why musicians like to use them.
Now, with the invention of Voice, you can play in Open Voicings and expand your sonic pallet and creative potential without having to re-tune your guitar!
- How did you come up with the idea for the Voice Capo?
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After I left my job at Apple, I decided to travel the world. About a year and a half into my travels I found myself on a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, living in a hut on the beach for $10 a night in the most beautiful tropical island paradise with only a few other souls on the same beach. I had initially planned on staying for 3 days, but ended up staying in this particular location for over a month. That's how beautiful it was.
So all I did all day was eat amazing fresh caught food, explore the island waterfalls, and sit on my porch playing the $8 classical guitar I had picked up in Bangkok. The way I love to create on the guitar is to start with a basic chord, and then add or remove notes from that chord as I fingerpick. The problem was that I kept running out of fingers! I kept thinking how cool it would be if I could hold down the chord I was playing and then free my fingers to keep adding to what I was doing. This is where the idea was born.
I ended up finishing my travels in the late summer of 2008, at which point I took a shot in the world series of poker! I spent a month living in the Venetian playing poker every day. After a month I had broken even, and I decided that playing poker every day was not for me. When I returned home to Santa Cruz, CA in September 08, I began to think about the idea I had come up with in Thailand. I researched patents and started building my first prototypes out of wood. I invested all of my remaining money into what is now Voice, and a year later I have a product!
- What's up with the Trigger Pads and Shims?
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The Trigger Pads and Shims are what allows Voice to create a clean and pure tone, as if the string was being held down by a real finger.
By doing research with a company that provides materials for Biomedical Equipment, we were able to isolate a high density polyurethane foam that simulates the fleshy tip of a finger.
Through extended research we also discovered that the use of a thin polyester shim over this material can help to eliminate string buzz in certain chord configurations. The same way a calloused finger helps to hold down a string.
By Combining these two materials, Voice is able to create a pure tone with each trigger.
All of the triggers should have shims applied during the initial setup.
You can then add more or remove them if necessary depending on your guitars response.
- Can I tune with a Trigger holding down the same string?
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Technically you can tune with the triggers pressed down, however be aware that this could move your Trigger Pads and Shims, decreasing their lifespan.
A slight adjustment is fine now and then, but you should be in tune before putting on Voice.
- Can I leave the Trigger Keys pressed when I am not using my guitar?
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Although the Trigger Pad material is made from a super rebounding foam, in order to extend the life of your Trigger Pads and shims it is not recommended to leave the Trigger Keys pressed down when you are not using your guitar.
- How long do the Trigger Pads and Shims last?
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It varys based on your playing. I have had the same pads and shims on mine since early July and they still work fine. And I use them almost every day, including occasional all day performances in public.
- Is the Voice Capo for me?
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If you answer YES to any of the following questions, then Voice Capo is for you:
- You want to experiment with open tunings without retuning your guitar
- You want to expand your creativity on the guitar
- You are a song writer, recording artist, or recording hobbyist
- You have limited mobility in your hands and you want to be able to make music on the guitar.
- You want to learn chord shapes and are also interested in learning scales.
Especially how each note in the scale relates to the underlying key, or root chord
- Can I use the Voice Capo to do rapid chord changes?
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Although you can change the underlying chord while playing, rapid switching from chord to chord is not the intended use.
The Voice Capo is designed to expand the creative possibilities of the guitar by allowing the guitarist to play in open tunings without retuning.
It is also useful for learning scales and practicing scales over chord forms, but it is not intended to eliminate the need to learn chords.
- What if I want to use the first four frets?
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When designing Voice I decided to make it four frets to allow for the maximum amount of chords possible. A Guitar is tuned in 4ths, except between the g and the b, which is a 3rd. So the 5th fret of each string is actually the next open string. (The 4th fret on the g string). So on a guitar in standard tuning, you are technically only loosing access to the F,F#,G, and G# on the Low E string, since you have access to the rest of the covered notes up the neck. However, you can successfully hold down these notes with the Voice Capo while performing. If you hold any of the triggers 3/4 of the way down, they will sound the note they are covering, without locking on. It's not the same as having them right there, but the advantage of being able to form chords and keep them held down far outweighs not being able to access those few bass notes as easily.
If you decide you want to start playing back on the first four frets again, Voice comes on and off in a matter of seconds!
- Does Voice work on a 12 string guitar?
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No. For two main reasons:
One - 12 string necks are wider than most accousting and electric necks.
Two - The string thickness difference, especially between the Low E and the high e it's paired with, would be extremely hard to hold down soundly with the current trigger pads.
- Does Voice work on a left handed guitar?
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Unfortunately there is not a left handed version yet. Voice is designed to mount at a very slight angle across your guitar neck to accommodate the change in string thickness across the neck, and this angle was designed around right handed guitars.
However, the Mount Ledges are only offset by 1mm. So theoretically you could file down the Mounting Ledges on one side and add a little bit of space back on the other side (Superglue... hot glue... something). This may allow Voice to be used on a right handed guitar.
However, I can't recommend this, or guarantee that it would work, and doing these types of modifications would void the warranty.
- Do you plan on making a bass / 12-string / left handed version?
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Based on the future success of Voice, I will look towards other versions of the product, but there are no immedaite plans.
