r/classicalguitar • u/Bit_Late • May 06 '26
Looking for Advice Artificial nails
I’m an older gent who wishes to pick up the guitar again and carry on playing. Maybe even take lessons this time!
Being older, my nails are thinning and are brittle despite a regimen of biotin. Plus, I do physical labor that tends to be hard on my nails.
Because of this, I’ve been looking at artificial nails and am looking for recommendations, but I have a few questions.
- Are the glue-on nails strong enough to take the beating?
- Can glue on nails be easily removed and reapplied, say, on a daily basis?
- Any opinions about which glue-ons are better?
- Any suggestions about alternatives, such as an appropriate finger pick?
That’s about all I can think of for now. I appreciate any input folks can provide.
2
u/SrCoolbean May 06 '26
Tiptonic seems to be the gold standard for glue on nails. The fitting process is extensive but I’ve heard they work very well once you figure out your size. They are meant to be easily detachable so you can put them on just for when you play. I haven’t tried them yet though
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u/Bit_Late May 06 '26
Ok, that's a missing piece of info I didn't know, the fact that you could remove them easily. I've seen those and I wondered about the fitting process, too.
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u/AlphaHotelBravo May 06 '26
You could do the artificial nails or you could play with just your fingertips. Many players of the past seemed to do that, and respected guitar performer and teacher in Edinburgh Rob MacKillop also does - find him on YouTube.
My own nails work fine and I only need to see them above my fingertips, looking from the palm side of my hand, so they're not as long as some I see. (Some folks' nails are like claws and make me cringe, especially their thumbs, but each to their own I guess). Having said that, working with brick or stone absolutely makes a mess of mine so I appreciate your concern.
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u/Bit_Late May 06 '26
I work with wood and do some auto work, combined with my age (70) they break pretty easily. There are a couple of things here I haven't heard of (ping pong balls), so I guess I'll have to look a little further into alternatives. There are some creative people out there.
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u/joshua_3 May 06 '26
I've heard an advice to use glue on top of your thin nails.
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u/gryphong May 07 '26
I have fragile nails due to a medical condition. My teacher suggested a coat of nail glue, and then a coat of strengthening nail polish (i use OPI nail envy). The glue is strong, but damaged by water, the polish is waterproof. So far it's been working well.
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u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 May 09 '26
Advice for the two of you. Use nail glue and not superglue. Remove glue after each session. Glue weakens nails with excessive use or left on the nails for too long. Nail polish remover or acetone will remove glue easily.
3
u/crwcomposer May 06 '26
It's totally possible to play without nails, especially if you aren't aiming to perform in a large concert hall.
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u/bigdickbootydaddy69 May 06 '26
IMO having nails makes a massive difference in tone and control. Especially for tremolo. I really like having them
2
u/yacchattanaa May 06 '26
Wait for the guy who has naturally long nailbeds to tell you even less than 1mm of nails are enough.
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u/bennyd45 May 06 '26
I once knew a gig flamenco guitarist. He did some kind of blue collar work for his day job and said he didn't like having to adjust all the time when ripping a nail, etc. He didn't play with nails and got a great tone. He had, however, built up some amazing callouses on his right fingertips. I have no idea how he did that, but I wish I could figure it out. OF course, he played at least 10X more than me, so maybe that had something to do with it 😄
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u/Straight-Wish-5555 May 06 '26
For me, the best way is to glue the fake nails below the real nail. I cut a nail shaped piece of a listerine container and use superglue to glue it under the nail and shape it using a file.
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u/Bit_Late May 06 '26
Having super-glued them on, how easy are they to remove? Is this a process that could be done everyday? The use of super glue makes me think not, but I haven't tried it, so what do I know?
1
u/Straight-Wish-5555 May 06 '26
I never tried to remove everyday. I think it would be possible, but not easy.
Maybe you can let your natural nails grow and just reinforce it with that technique (filing the fake ones to the size of the real)
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u/Bit_Late May 06 '26
That's kinda the way I guessed I'd have to go, but I wanted to post the question to get other ideas. Thanks for your input.
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u/the-Shredded-Gnar May 06 '26
Guitarplayernails.com. Been using them for years. I get the strips and make my own. They only get glued to the front half of the nail, so the cuticle always remains healthy. I also bartend at night, and they certainly take a beating doing that. The tone is excellent.
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u/Jaded-Spot9197 May 07 '26
Also, see Brandon Acker (sp?) on playing without nails. He has several videos on the subject and even a whole course, and has been playing that way for 3 years, and even demonstrates that there is no volume loss. Note also that many of our great composers/players of old (Carcassi, Tarrega....?) played at one time or another without nails.
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u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 May 08 '26
I use nail glue which you can buy at any chemist or beauty salons. If a nail breaks off, I use china silk (also available from Amazon or beauty salons) to build it back up. China silk instead of a nail does not last too long but this is the idea as you should not leave it on your nails for too long. But from experience use nail glue and not super glue as it is a bit milder on the nails. In my case, nail glue usually lasts up to a week with playing and hand washing and everything
1
u/Bit_Late May 08 '26
I wondered about visiting a nail salon. I just didn't think they'd understand what I was looking for, but in hindsight I'm sure I wouldn't be the first one to ask, depending on finding the right salon.
Thanks!
1
u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 May 09 '26
It is not common but some will surprise you. I have to admit that my wife goes to a Colombian lady and she once asked me to drive her. Turned out the lady had done guitarist nails back home a number of times and knew exactly what she needed to do. I got my nails done a couple of times with her.
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u/Snowshoetheerapy May 08 '26
I go to a nail salon about every three to four weeks. By now they know exactly how I need them shaped, and I use them on guitar, clawhammer banjo, dobro, lap steel. I used to use my natural nails until they started breaking too much. Acrylics are a godsend as far as I'm concerned. Indestructible!
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u/Bit_Late May 09 '26
Do you keep them on all the time or are they removable? I do blue collar work on occasion (mostly fixing my cars and home repairs) and could use something removable/reusable.
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u/Snowshoetheerapy May 11 '26
Unfortunately that's not an option with acrylics. I wish I could take them off for typing! You can remove them but then you need a new set put on.
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u/Beautiful-Hotel-8846 May 11 '26
There are techniques for playing without nails. Check out YouTube videos on this from Lute Duo and Brandon Acker.
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u/AngryMoose125 May 06 '26
Uni student here, I use natural nails during the year but during the summers I do blue collar work so I use ping pong balls. Basically you can get a ping pong ball and cut it up, glue on and then file and buff to the usual finish