July 06, 2024 I Anniversary
Shubb Celebrates 50 Years of Capo Creations
Shubb Capo's Rick Shubb
In 2024, Shubb is celebrating 50 years supplying precision-engineered instrument capos that have become an industry standard. Throughout 2024, Shubb USA will be releasing a series of Limited Anniversary Collection capos first seen at The 2024 NAMM Show earlier this year, as a tribute to five decades of creativity by the artists who have made Shubb one of the world’s largest manufacturers of instrument capos.
“Milestones, like 50 years, tend to creep up on you,” said Rick Shubb, Shubb founder. “You go along from day to day, paying attention to the business at hand, and one day, ‘guess what?’ You’ve been doing it for 50 years! I have to say that I am very proud.”
Rick Shubb designed and launched the adjustable, lever-operated 5th string banjo capo in 1974, a design that provided sufficient string pressure to maintain tone, clarity and tuning stability.
Today, all Shubb capos are still based on his ground-breaking C1 guitar capo launched back in 1980, and now, with nearly 8 million sold around the world, Shubb capos are used by some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Distinctive Shubb qualities that are admired worldwide include the custom soft, rubber sleeve that cleverly mimics a human finger, allowing the strings to sink into the material with a patented closing action and the one-time adjustment, providing the exact downward pressure with a uniformed tension, where strings are kept centred, amiss of any sideways pull.
“It’s not just about the 50 years, that’s just time passing. I’m also proud of the way the musical community has embraced my capos,” Shubb said. “When I see a performer whose music I admire using my capo, I feel like I’m on stage with them, playing a small role in making the music a little sweeter, a little more fun and maybe even a little more creative. I’m also grateful to have found a life path that takes me into the world of music and musicians. I’ve dubbed our artists list ‘The Shubb Family of Artists,’ and that isn’t just hype, it’s the way I feel about these people.”
