I need plans for a capodastre!

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UgoCroce

Posts: 6
Joined: Nov. 11 2014

I need plans for a capodastre!

Hi everyone,
I want to make my own first capo. I have all the tools needed for this job and it doesn't look too hard to make, well I need to be sure there aren't hidden details before I start making it.

I've been looking for plans on the Internet and could not find any.
So does anyone owns some plans/links on Internet that he could share?
For example, that is the type of capo I want to make : http://www.foroflamenco.com/printable.asp?m=128678&mpage=1
I have in my possession a piece of African ebony that fits perfectly for what I want it to look.
This would be really nice.

Thank you all!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 5:04:32

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

I think you should use the Reyes plan or the 51 Barbero plan. All other plans are worthless.

Oh, oh , oh sorry you mean cejilla?

Find one you like and measure and copy it. If you can't find one, I can measure one of mine, or anyone here can help you with measurements.

Probably a capo plan by itself does not exist unless it is thinly veiled as a plan for a hash pipe being loaded and handed to a Morrocan housewife by her chambermaid before dancing like a hell hound dervish in a Marrakesh night club.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 6:32:02

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

So you need a plan to make a capo/cejilla.
Its a stick with a hole, a piece of string and a peg. Thats it. It would take longer time and be more difficult to make a plan than to make the cejilla itself.
Just go on and dont waste your time on the internet. Buy the peg, a violin 1/2 or 1/4 and make a stick, some 60mm long and the width of your index finger and here we go. If you want to make a good capo-cejilla, remember to ream the hole to the same shape as the peg.

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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 7:42:16

gerundino63

Posts: 1743
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

* and make sure the pegg will not go all trough the capo......it will ruin your fretboard.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 9:09:33

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

Rubber band and pencil! If you wanna be fancy buy a nice pencil.

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\m/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 18:28:30

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

I think a Home Depot carpenters lumber pencil pencil would be cool. Extra wide and flat.

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https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 18:34:19

UgoCroce

Posts: 6
Joined: Nov. 11 2014

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

Thank you very much for your answers guys.
Guess I will make it without plans, and if it's bad.. I'll do it again eheh!
Cheers!!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 20:05:50

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

Study this carefully.....

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

Attachment (1)

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 21:06:19

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

quote:

I think a Home Depot carpenters lumber pencil pencil would be cool. Extra wide and flat.

I've got some cool ones that say "Crenshaw Lumber" across 'em! lol

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\m/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 21:43:22

UgoCroce

Posts: 6
Joined: Nov. 11 2014

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Come on Andy Culpepper I want it to look beautiful :D

(not saying yours is ugly.. just not my style eheh)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 22:33:44

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

hehe...just a joke of course. The pencil thing barely works and takes lots of setup.

I made a cejilla once, it's very easy. Get a suede elbow patch and use it on the part that goes against the strings, and the string that goes around the neck. Fitting the peg is the only tricky part.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 11 2014 22:55:25

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to gerundino63)

quote:

* and make sure the pegg will not go all trough the capo......it will ruin your fretboard.

You have to push hard in order to make a peg ruin the fretboard. But, of course, using muscles is more fun than using the brain.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 12 2014 7:32:20

rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

Personally I think using your time for playing is more meaningful than making a halfway good looking and maybe not so good working cejilla... For adjusting the peg you would need specialized tools that are kept sharp and in good shape, otherwise the will not fit and slip in the most unwelcome moments, because there is some tension in the string that holds the cejilla.

There are plenty of well designed modern or traditional capodastros, Dunlop for a few Euros, a fantastic Planet Waves one for around 12 Euros, Shubb, or if you want a traditional look, some great working and good looking traditional cejillas made from Caseine distributed by Mondo Flamenco... Just my two cents...

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Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 13 2014 8:10:48

Richard Jernigan

Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to rojarosguitar)

Many years ago a friend made me a cejilla for a Christmas present. He made it much thinner (measured perpendicular to the fret board) than usual, but about the same width. Instead of having the peg in the center, it was offset far to the bass side. The peg may have been a violin peg, but he whittled it down very considerably.

My friend is a very capable steel string player. The design of the cejilla was meant to reduce interference with the left hand in the lowest position.

Now, if I could just find the damned thing!

RNJ

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 13 2014 18:40:22

UgoCroce

Posts: 6
Joined: Nov. 11 2014

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to rojarosguitar)

Hello Rojarosguitar, thank you for the answer.

My father has been working with the wood for more than 30 years, he is cabinetmaker, carpenter and he knows how to make this kind of cejilla.
That's why I have all the tools and machines I need to make it, all good!

He's gonna help me to do it, I trust him and I trust myself to make the finest work on this cejilla because I love my guitar :D.

Btw I wanted to ask some beginner stuff,
how long would last my cejilla? a whole life? do i need to keep it away from humidity? are there some pieces we have to replace sometimes (like the string or idk what)?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 4:41:37

rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

Live is unpredictable, so you may outlive the cejilla or the cejilla could outlive you. Excessive humidity is always a problem with would, but if you oil the hardwood I don't see how it could suffer too much.

The string can wear out but is easy to replace as well as the leather that goes on the wood against the strings. Apart from these two little things, if you don't let your car or tank

roll over it, it should last... The peg might need some peg soap from time to time to stay sticky...

_____________________________

Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 5:01:54

UgoCroce

Posts: 6
Joined: Nov. 11 2014

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to rojarosguitar)

Thank you again for posting and helping me.
Cheers!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 7:29:55

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

Why don't you make half a dozen of them and give them away as gifts. After you make on it is easy to make several.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 12:27:46

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

UgoCroce--I would recommend that you buy a cejilla to use as your template/guide or if you have access to one spend some time getting a feel for the peg fit. The shape of the body is easy enough to make and can be made from a picture but the peg fit takes some experience to get it just right--this you will need to do with your hands and not copy from a picture. Pegs are tapered whereas a drill bit is not and you will need to remove the taper of the peg with sandpaper to get the most surface area contact and this is where feel comes into play to get the peg to fit properly. It is very difficult to use a reamer as one has to cut the length of the peg for a cejilla and you would have to drill through the body and match the position of the reamer to the length of the cut peg shaft. I can tell you there is a good amount of variance in shaft diameters from one peg to another. Additionally, reamers are not cheap.

As to the materials, you can get some rosewood pen blanks at Rockler, pegs from International Violin (you will want a 1/2 size peg) and leather from wherever. As for the string, a G or B string works well.

By the way, I make and sell cejillas (have made and sold over 600). If you want I can write up a brief instruction guide for you and send it to you via PM.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 12:35:48

UgoCroce

Posts: 6
Joined: Nov. 11 2014

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to keith)

Hello Keith.
Thanks for the advices.
You tell me to get rosewood, but what about the african ebony I have? It's dense and resists to humidity.

quote:

By the way, I make and sell cejillas (have made and sold over 600). If you want I can write up a brief instruction guide for you and send it to you via PM.

It would be really nice to share your knowledge with me. PM me anytime.
If I can do anything back, just tell me :)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 22:00:59

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

A good cejilla is piece of art

There are small things that can make it work better.

For example, for guitars with lacquer, remove the leather part that contacts the neck. Melt a ball at the end of the string and drill a hole halfway through the peg so the ball goes inside the peg.
Use fishing line for extra strenght.
Use rubber instead of leather for the part that contacts the string, or at least don't use soft leather.

It's unforuntate that of all the traditional cejillas about 70% don't work well, no wonder the dunlops are so popular!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 14 2014 22:43:48

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: I need plans for a capodastre! (in reply to UgoCroce)

ugo--ebony works but it is trickier for ebony on ebony (body/peg). ebony can be brittle especially with pegs. rosewood on rosewood in my experience is less so--probably something to do with the oil content of rosewood. i will p.m. you some instructions.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 15 2014 0:29:53