Fingernail wear

TrevinDevon

After reading this thread I bought something called Nunale nail strengthening cream for less than a fiver off ebay. I've been using it for a week or so and it seems to be working since my nails are in need of filing now instead of just being worn away, and no splits.

ToneControl

@artiebear ;

First attempt was applied by my daughter. Very lumpy, flaked off pretty quickly, had to sand it down loads 
I did a second coat that was smoother but not very strong, only lasted a few days
I decided to clean that off and leave it a bit

Recently I noticed that the nails were thinner and weaker than before, I assume because of all the sanding down

Finally I managed to do better yesterday, I had watched a couple of the youtube videos
I concluded that I needed to use more of the liquid

So now I have proper, smooth, great big thick acrylic layers 

One thing I have noticed is that the tone I am getting is less bright, which is great on my brighter guitars, but I will need to use 80/20 strings on my favourite warmer guitar

I tested the effect against 2 plectrums, one thick, one medium, and with this thickness of nail, I am definitely getting more like the thick plectrum tone, which makes sense

I hope these nails don't flake, but they are nice and thick now

artiebear

ToneControl said:

@artiebear ;

First attempt was applied by my daughter. Very lumpy, flaked off pretty quickly, had to sand it down loads 
I did a second coat that was smoother but not very strong, only lasted a few days
I decided to clean that off and leave it a bit

Recently I noticed that the nails were thinner and weaker than before, I assume because of all the sanding down

Finally I managed to do better yesterday, I had watched a couple of the youtube videos
I concluded that I needed to use more of the liquid

So now I have proper, smooth, great big thick acrylic layers 

One thing I have noticed is that the tone I am getting is less bright, which is great on my brighter guitars, but I will need to use 80/20 strings on my favourite warmer guitar

I tested the effect against 2 plectrums, one thick, one medium, and with this thickness of nail, I am definitely getting more like the thick plectrum tone, which makes sense

I hope these nails don't flake, but they are nice and thick now

I find that that the tone of my acrylics ( if applied right ) do sound close to my Jim Dunlop thumb picks, which for me is a good thing as I cross pick a lot and don't want an inconsistency between the two. Pay careful attention to the string side of the application, I have found that making sure there isn't too much build up there helps to get a clearer tone. If there is too much it can create an issue where the string is actually sliding over the build up in the picking action rather than creating a clear attack, similar to using a 2mm pick against a 1mm. 

My issues are usually the other way, with the tone getting brighter and thinner as I wear the acrylic down on the underside.

ToneControl

@artiebear ;
for now I have removed it from all but thumb and index finger - most of my guitars were sounding very dull, and I remembered those 2 were the thinnest nails
Seems to be working with this combination so far - I mostly use the other fingers for the top 3 strings
May try to put a thinner layer on the other nails next time

artiebear

I used to tour with a guy who only ever did the index finger for acoustic stuff.. It leads you down a veritable rabbit hole of analysis as to how you strike the strings and how you use each finger. I didn't realise how much I cross picked until a nail broke on me..

ToneControl

Also the surface of the nail drags a bit when strumming, does polishing it reduce that? it feels like the string is sticking to the nail instead of gliding past

artiebear

ToneControl said:

Also the surface of the nail drags a bit when strumming, does polishing it reduce that? it feels like the string is sticking to the nail instead of gliding past

Definitely do so if it is dragging. I tend to just use a very fine grade file across the hail to smooth out any ridges or uneven areas. 

ToneControl

This morning I have filed the acrylic on the index finger nail into more of a bevelled shape, so that it gets thinner closer to the nail edge, this seems to have helped the tone when plucking

I will polish it later to see if I can reduce the drag