Fake Nails?

equalsql

Anyone using them?
If so have you got any recommendations?

I play finger-style with the meat of my fingers as I cannot get my own nails strong enough. They end up splitting all the time.
I've tried every style of finger-pick known to mankind... but just cannot get on with them.

Rox

Drink more milk!!

Roland

... and for the surprisingly large percentage of the population who are lactose intolerant?

Rox

Lactose free milk, like my other half drinks.

Gagaryn

Nail varnish!

Gizmo

Ping pong balls,work'ed for the (late) great michael hedges

xmrchi

I use a couple of dabs of super glue on my nail as I don't use a plec, works perfectly

axisus

It wouldn't be so good for a bunch of nails, but I use my index finger instead of a plec and I put an acrylic coat on every couple of weeks. Works brilliantly for me.

Bidley

Picking strings with my fingernails sets my teeth on edge, am I the only one who gets this?

digitalkettle

Bidley said:

Picking strings with my fingernails sets my teeth on edge, am I the only one who gets this?

It's got to be flesh and nail...kind of at the same time.

If I hold my right-hand out, palm towards me, I can see almost 1mm of nail (a little more for the thumb) and the shape is purposefully biased to the left...this gives me the attack I want and is pretty durable (for playing and life stuff*).

*remember: longer nails = more toilet paper

10thumbs

axisus said:

It wouldn't be so good for a bunch of nails, but I use my index finger instead of a plec and I put an acrylic coat on every couple of weeks. Works brilliantly for me.

I thought I was the only one , used his index nail as a plec , lol

But what do you mean by , an acrylic coat ..?

Islandape

Gagaryn said:

Nail varnish!

A surprisingly large percentage of the population are acetone intolerent

mellowsun

Go to a nail bar and get silk wraps done.

Phil_aka_Pip

I once had nail extensions on picking hand p i m a. Worked very well for the playing I wanted to do at the time, well strong & hard BUT ... as they started to grow out, they became more difficult to file to the right shape, until the artificial bits just dropped off. Because the lass had used a rotary tool to abrade the surface of the nail to give the glue something to key onto, what was left of the natural nails was half the normal thickness and therefore useless for any kind of finger picking. It was 6 months before all that had grown out. Worth the experiment, but not a long term solution.

I started using some nail hardener liquid, when dry I applied clear nail varnish (the tough no-chip kind). This helped but I was still getting breakages.

These days I still play fingerstyle BUT I keep the nails trimmed to showing less than 1mm proud of the fingertip if I turn my hand so the palm is towards me. I also file the nails so that where they pluck the string, the shape is very gently radiused, almost flat. It means that if there is a pointy bit then it is to one side of the finger - so the shape is somewhat asymmetrical. This in turn maximises the area of fingernail that takes the pressure of plucking the string and reduces the force per square mm of nail (if you have a pointy bit where you pluck, the load is concentrated on a small area and more likely to break the nail).

My nails still break but less often. Plus, I use an acoustic amplifier with my guitar, so if I want more volume I turn the wick up instead of trying to pluck the guitar harder.