There’s an excellent chance that you’ll find a capo in just about every guitarist’s gig bag. And there’s an even better chance that, when you find one, it will be a Kyser Quick-Change capo. Made in the North Texas towns of Kaufman and Canton, Kyser Musical Products produces about 100,000 capos annually, shipping them to distributors throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and Canada. The company’s mottos are “America’s capo” and “the world’s favorite.”

It all started in 1981, when Milton Kyser, a retired machinist, heard his guitar-playing friend complain about the elastic band capo that was standard at the time. Kyser figured he could create a capo that would be more precise and easier to use. His innovative design, which features a spring-tensioned clamp, became known as the Quick-Change capo.