Fake Nails
After complaining about not having fingernails, I decided to buy a box of Sally Hansen Perfect Manicure nails. Bradford Werner mentioned that he uses them. I opened the box, and I confess that I am nervous about taking the first step. I don't even know if you are supposed to have nails on the thumb (I assume you would) and the pinky (it would look a bit strange if I only had 4 long nails on my hand, wouldn't it?).
There are both double-sided adhesives and a tube of glue. Do I use both?
Plus, once you apply the nails, you need to shape them. I bought a Dremel tool to help me.
It looks daunting. I suppose that once you do it successfully the first time, it gets easier the next times.
Is there anyone here who uses fake nails that I might be able to bounce some questions off of?
-marc
11 replies
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I tried growing and using my own nails, but my natural nails produced a very thin sound. Using fake nails has been a game-changer, they are easy to use and I can now control my sound and tone. I use Guitar Player Nails, they are designed for guitarists and come in a variety of sizes. I use 19 for my fingers and The Monster for my thumb. I had no luck with glue as it destroyed my natural nails. I just use the double sided tape. The tape lasted about a week for each nail. But, the tape would get wet and having water soaking into my nails caused my nails to flake. So, I use tape to put my nails on when I practice or play and take them off and use new tape the next time. This works great for me since I no longer have to worry about my nails when I'm not playing. I can reuse the nails over the course of 1-2 weeks. I do go through a lot of tape, which I get from Strings by Mail, but its worth the price for me.
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Hey Marc, I use one fake nail on my a finger due to its uncooperative natural shape. No glue, I found out the hard way about nail bed damage. YMMV. Double-sided adhesive dots hold the plastic nail to the thin coat of dry, clear polish on my natural nail. I have "short-term", light adhesive dots which enable me to remove the fake nail easily. For a gig, I use a dot with stronger adhesive that stays put for a few days before falling off.
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I Marc,
This video should answer most of your questions
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I used to use guitar player nails but ultimately the glue damages your nail bed and your nails become really yucky After fighting this I checked the video on tonebase about playing without nails and ended up purchasing the course I now play without nails and am glad I made this choice I am currently playing la Cathedral and can do the tremolo for recuerdos If i find a piece just can’t work without nails i move on
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I have just started using fake nails and i like the effect. However, i agree with the comment that water gets trapped under them, im using double sided tape.
Also the sticky tape attracts dirt around the edges under the nail which is hard to clean/clear.
I'm currently experimenting with liquid nail hardener to see if i can get my natural nails to work, I'll update when i have some results.
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I have been having trouble with my nails for several years now.
I used fake nails (SBM and GPN) for a long time but they started peeling off the top layer of my nails, I tried dots but they didn't last very long (as I recall) I also found it difficult to reposition the nail correctly which required reshaping, reducing the size of the fake nail, and requiring a new replacement. I tried playing w/o nails but I never liked the results. I have also been taking Biotin capsules for years but don't notice any improvement.
Currently I keep my nails very short and use either biotin or keratin hardeners. These seem to be a little helpful (as a hardener) though I still wear down my nails quicker than I can grow them. TY Zhang said he used nail glue w/o the fake nail on just the tip of the nail and it didn't cause any damage to his nails. He said it was better than hardener. I think this might be my next attempt.
All of my nails are very hard and solid - except the 'm' and 'a' fingers on my right hand. Maybe I should learn to play left handed. Sorry for the long rant with no viable solutions from my experience. I have heard some people have had good experiences so it is worth trying different options.
Good luck.
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Thanks to all of you for your answers. I will definitely avoid the glue. I was curious about what happens to the nails (especially the adhesive tape) when you shower, and also, I wonder about what would happen at the gym when I use those weight machines.
I am tempted to just forget about the nails. But there are just some pieces, like Brouwer 6, that would really benefit from a set of nails. I might just try it once for fun, and see what effects it has on my playing.
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I forgot to mention that I have been using ''Alaska Picks'' for more than a year. They are very cheap and are good for a long time.
Definitely not perfect but working fairly well for me.
I posted my first experience with them in the forum at this address
https://guitar-community.tonebase.co/t/60y66rn/experience-with-alaska-picks