Hello everyone!
I have been trying to figure this out for years now. My Vega long neck tubaphone from 1963 has pre-existing holes in the neck for a 5th string capo. I certainly don't want to drill new holes, so I'm looking for a replacement capo with holes that are exactly the same distance apart: 7 11/16th" from the center of one hole to the other. I bought one capo that seemed like the same style Vega might have been putting on their banjos in the 60's, but the holes were 1/8th" too close together.
I'm not sure if one came stock or if it was added later, but if it was stock it would be great to find an authentic replacement. All of the legendary shops in my area seem to have closed down and I've found so many broken links on the internet to 5th string capo manufacturers that no longer seem to be in business.
If anyone can point me in the right direction or have something I could purchase from them directly, I'd greatly appreciate the help! Thank you all!
-Kevin
I have 3. I measured them. On one the holes are 7 9/16” apart,another is 7 3/4”. The 3rd one has 3 holes and is longer.
The 7 3/4” might cover up your extra hole if you don’t find anything else.
Vega factory installed Vega-Pittman 5th string capos. Just 2 screws. The finger that pressed down on the 5th string was just a bent piece of tiny metal rod (steel I believe -- it was NOT very flexible).
You could also buy these capos in the aftermarket to install yourself, as my dad did on my own banjos.
I have no records of the screw hole spacing, both of these banjos are long gone. I like Rod's advice above; the 7 3/4" will cover up the hole from the 7 9/16".
@Ks_5-picker, thanks so much for taking the time to yank those out and measure them.
The one you have that is 7 9/16" is the same size as the one that I bought that was too short, so we might have the same one.
The one that has three holes I'm guessing is a Shubb?
The 7 3/4" ...I'm wondering if it is the same size as what I'm looking for - perhaps our tape measures or the way we're measuring might be different. I am indeed measuring from the center of one hole to the center of the other & not from the edge of the tape measure.
Thanks so much for chiming in, The Old Timer. My research has led me to conclude that it's highly likely to be a Vega-Pittman that I'm missing, but I have been unable to find any on the aftermarket anywhere. If anyone has any leads, that would be amazing.
ONE POTENTIAL PROBLEM regarding the 7 3/4": if it's 1/16th" wider, when I drill the third hole, because it is so close, it will only make one of the pre-existing holes wider, rendering me unable to support the screw...unless I do a good job of filling the original hole before I drill the new one.
Thanks so much again, guys!
Just put spikes in, less invasive. Less cumbersome, cheaper.
Edited by - Fathand on 11/04/2024 15:45:32
Fathand, I have two other banjos with spikes and plenty of experience with both 5th string capos and spikes...and I really have never been a fan of spikes. 5th string capos aren't cumbersome at all for my style of playing. I also already have holes in this banjo for the 5th string capo and no holes for spikes.
There's tons of advice here on the BHO about filling old sliding capo screw holes.
Vega Pittman sliding capos come up for sale here in the BHO Marketplace occasionally. I saw one the other day in fact.
The Old Timer, thank you so much, sir! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled. :) :) :)
