False Nails for guitarists - How to apply and are they right for you?
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- I've used false nails exclusively for 12+ years. They can SAVE guitarists with weaker nails or demanding practice schedules. They can absolutely sound as good as natural nails and for me overall they sound far better than my natural nails did (consistent tone and POWER!)
Please note that I am not a qualified nail technician and that this process will severely weaken the natural nail!
The nails I use (plastic tips and fibreglass/silk wrap) are rarely offered in nail salons and a lot of guitarists don't know they exist. I think they're the best system for guitarists and I wanted to run you through what you need to apply them and how to go about doing it.
1:09 - MATERIALS (what you need to apply these false nails)
3:38 - SOAKING OLD FALSE NAILS OFF (and how to prepare your natural nail for the plastic tip)
7:26 - APPLYING THE PLASTIC TIP TO YOUR NATURAL NAIL
12:40 - BLENDING THE PLASTIC TIP INTO THE NATURAL NAIL
16:18 - APPLYING FIRST LAYER OF FIBREGLASS WRAP
37:10 - BUFFING IN SOLAR OIL (optional step)
38:16 - THE FINISHED NAIL (ready to play)
38:52 - SHOULD YOU TRY FALSE NAILS OUT?
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Links to materials used:
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ACETONE (OVER 18's ONLY) - www.edgenails....
STAR NAILS STORK SCISSORS - www.amazon.co....
CUTICLE PUSHER - www.edgenails....
THE EDGE COMPETITION NATURAL PLASTIC NAIL TIPS (10 of each size, great to work out which sizes are best for you) - www.edgenails....
COARSE GRIT EMERY BOARD - www.edgenails....
CUSHIONED FILE - www.edgenails....
3-WAY NAIL BUFFER - www.edgenails....
NAIL RESIN (large) - www.edgenails....
EXTEND NOZZLES - www.edgenails....
ACTIVATOR SPRAY (OPTIONAL) - www.edgenails....
FIBREGLASS WRAP - www.nsinails.c...
SILK WRAP - www.edgenails....
CND SOLAR OIL (OPTIONAL) - www.amazon.co....
Thanks for the tips! I used this method several years ago when I played steel string. At the time I found the maintenance too demanding, but now I play nylon string and am able to use most of my nails with just the natural tips since the strings are easier on them (except my index is permanently damaged from a work accident so it does need to be reinforced with this technique).
Thanks for this video. I've just invested in builder gel (& posted a video about it on my channel) but it's nice to know that wraps are an option too.
Love your tutorials and your playing. If I lived in England I'd have liked to study with you.
Thank you! If in the future you'd ever like to try an online lesson please let me know.
Hey so will the nail lady’s down the street do this?
It seems like you have to remove these and start from scratch every time. One thing I like about acrylics is that you can just backfill them.
Thanks ever so much for that. My index finger wears much quicker than my others - I play a mixture of finger picking and strumming on steel strings mostly. I feel the wrap only might be a good option to try, particularly as I worry about the length of time a tip would take to apply. I have used gel for a little while but am finding it chips much too easily. And finally, I just started looking for the fibreglass wrap and can only find the silk version available. Unfortunately your links seem to be out if date now, which is a shame.
Hey Milton, yeah it seems like fiberglass wrap is no longer available anywhere. I've just been using silk wrap and my nails are still fine. If you use wrap and activator spray it can be quite a quick process.
Hi Joseph. This method is great, but found the nail popped off after a couple of weeks. Would you recommend filing the false nail tip to be a little slimmer than the natural nail so that the fibreglass/silk wrap sticks over it on the sides as well as the top part of the nail?
Thanks for the video Joseph at what point should a guitarist consider false nails?
I am 40 now and my 'i' fingernail badly hooks and the 'a' fingernail has developed a very rough surface (called nail beading) with the 'm' and now 'i' fingernails developing this too.
As a result my tone isn't quite as good as it used to be. Not sure what my work would think of false nails so if I did go down that road they would need to at least look normal/ as close to normal as possible.
I'd recommend applying a layer of silk wrap and an extra layer of resin to the tips of your nails and see how that works. At worst your nail tips would be slightly weaker for a few weeks after removing the wrap but you might not notice any difference. That might give you a bit more flexibility with filing and shaping to work around your nail hook and beading.
The problem with fake nails is they take months to get used to and to optimise your tone. Most people try them once, get bad tone and think that's it. For the system to work at its best, it pretty much becomes a point of no return as the multiple applications make the natural nail so weak for so long.
@@josephwarwick4604 thank you! Would I only need to apply at the nail tip? Would this look noticeably different from a normal nail tip? I only ask because I work in a hospital. I could experiment with my worst nail!
@@sammcconkey8768 try it on your little finger. I'd apply a layer of wrap to the top 1/4 or 1/3. When filed in and buffed for a matte finish, they look very inconspicuous
The wrap alone might not completely solve your overhanging nail but give it a go. Plastic tips are a little less inconspicuous but the clear plastic on short nails don't stick out too much
@@josephwarwick4604where do you buy the materials for building silk wraps and where would you get the clear plastic tips? Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for this superb and thorough video, and badly needed by me. Can I just ask you, does the use of these nails cause you any problems playing Ponticello?
Glad you liked it. This might need to be answered in a video response as it needs quite an in depth explanation. False nails by themselves shouldn't cause a problem with pont. I have my nails longer than average and that causes complications with ponticello as its hard to achieve a square angle of attack on the strings (I favour a diagonal trajectory over the strings for a warmer sound). That's more of a problem with my nail shape and length rather than the false nails themselves.
Have a listen to this for a few pont passages I play: ua-cam.com/video/J0b2DhACo4s/v-deo.html
I need to do a follow up to this video anyway as I've gone back to using natural nail reinforced with layers of silk wrap rather than using the plastic tips and I actually think its a better system overall (providing your natural nail shape gets you a good sound to begin with and don't overhang etc)
@@josephwarwick4604 Thank you for the replies Joseph. My own nails have horrible curved contour. They have an extreme downward hook. I've struggled with them for 4 years and tried so many different ways to shape them. I tried false nails and was happy with the tone. They felt a bity unnatural but listening to your explanation in the video makes me think that I would probably adjust to the odd feel if I persevere with it. But I did find it impossible to play Ponti cello, the nails feel much too thick.
It would be great to see your follow up video. Though for myself, my nail curve is so extreme I think false nails are the only option I have.
Hi Joseph just a quick follow-up. Could you just use the silk wraps and resin or would you definitely need the plastic nail too? Alternatively could you just use the plastic nail and resin if the plastic nail is needed? Thanks Sam
You can use either system on their own and many do. Silk wraps and resin are what I use at the moment. I've never used just plastic and resin but have seen it done, you can just keep adding layers of resin. I'd recommend wrap and resin for you as it looks more natural than a plastic tip in my opinion.
@@josephwarwick4604 Brilliant thanks so much. Do you just apply 1 silk wrap per nail or do you layer this with the resin too?
I apply 2-4 layers of silk wrap at the moment and finish off with a few layers of resin. The more I pile on, the longer the nails tend to last but I'm quite liking having them thinner at the moment and replacing more often. I'd recommend just 1 or two layers for you for now so there's not a big difference to your natural nail.
@@josephwarwick4604 Brilliant thanks again. This advice is extremely helpful!
Thanks a lot for this. Will the system work for me as when I go to the salon I get them to lay the acrylic gel on really thick ?
Do you mean replacing your gel nails with this system? Yes you can make these nails super thick with enough layers of silk and resin. Mine tend to average out about 2-3mm thick
@@josephwarwick4604 ok great. Yes i have them insanely thick. I dont play the clasical way i alternate between a thumb pick and index and middle fingers like mark knopfler. But to get a consistent tone the attack of my 2 fingers needs to be the same as my thumb pick attack hence why i have them so thick
@@guitarreilly that sounds great. Yes this system would work for that. It'd save you money over going to the salon and you have a little more control over the process but it takes a number of applications to learn how to do it well and to get them super thick takes a good hour for two fingers. Give it a go and see if it's worth the trade off
@@josephwarwick4604 thanks a lot Joseph ill definitely try. Obviously its been forced upon me now due to lockdown! Btw love your videos and super helpful for the trinity grades. Take care
Dont you find this ruins your natural nails? I have bought and used two USA firms that sell these. Rico nails that use glue spots (not good) and another using Super Glue!!! This destroyed my nail that went as thin as paper and took over six months to recover. Are your natural nails suffering under the artificial nails.
Now listened to whole tutorial and realize you address the problem. Thanks. V responsible.
I think any system involving glue/resin will weaken the natural nail over time. It's a real shame but if I had the choice between natural and artificial again, I'd still go down the artificial road.
Nails should be flexible. I just can’t understand why you put on so much stuff. I stick a nail on and put nothing on top of it. Also it’s much quicker to use a powder dip. 20 times faster than silk/ fibreglass.
I put on so much for a couple of reasons:
1 - I play a fair amount of flamenco, fingerstyle on steel-string and electric guitar and thinner nails break or wear down far too quickly for me. I also can't get good strong golpe with thinner nails, or thick tone on steel strings.
2 - The nails last longer for me, the process takes a couple of hours and with more layers the nails last up to 4-6 weeks.
3 - I don't like the tone I get with pure plastic tips and no wrap. I can't get the volume and roundness of tone that I like.
I don't think nails have to be flexible, though I do agree that for the vast majority of players, thinner nails will suit them more. Many players will get the best results with just a couple of layers of wrap. I'm sure you get the best results for you with your solution but there's no 'one size fits all' solution.
You're right that powder/acrylic is faster but I preferred the tone for my nails with wrap. I will try them again in the future.
I really like my tone and think its very good. There are big drawbacks with the length and thickness of my nails in terms of playing very fast. There are also tone colours that I struggle to get that would be easier with thinner nails but I'm happy with my tradeoff for now!
@@josephwarwick4604 was taught one on one by Juan Martin have several of his guitars he’s used in concert.I only play flamenco tinny bit of classical. As my false nails break split a lot, I will explore using a thicker build up on top. I’m also going to try sticking the nail on half way up as I get loads of what i call dry joints with the glue where they don’t stick kind of large air bubbles. Some days I stick on 5 nails before they stick properly. Then I have to start over again and again. By the way resin is actually superglue CA. Resin is just a marketing thing so they can charge more. I have a very bad superglue allergy. Usually buy medical super glue or vet glue. But have found it’s like water and does not stick its £17 for 2 mil. So I now use a base coat designed for this first before the nail glue goes on to isolate from the glue. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PL2W1BN/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_TKBGW2KSBS1NQXV37YRV?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Can’t get my head around why silk and glue would sound any different to glue and dip. Thickness yes is different it’s basically just thick glue. I don’t think the silk/fibreglass does anything at all. So I choose the fastest option where it cures almost instantly.