Finger Nails

**Goofsus4** · 04-07-2009, 02:40 PM

When I was a kid, my aunt used to drink gelatine powder dissolved in hot water to help with brittle, cracking nails. She swore by it. You might want to do a bit of web research on it.

**derek** · 04-07-2009, 03:37 PM

I had a tough time keeping my nails up when I studied classical for a couple of years. Going to fingerstyle for solo jazz was a deal breaker for my nails. I didn't like just finger tips, so I went to acrylic overlays about 3 years ago. No fake nails, just a layer of resin over mine. Works great. I keep em pretty short, just peeking out past my finger tips.

**Bill_J** · 04-07-2009, 07:34 PM

Yes, I didn't put false nails on. I did the same as Derek and had them apply the acrylic over mine. Like I said earlier, 2 years and they work like a charm.

Bill

**rio** · 04-07-2009, 08:49 PM

Anyone have good nail file suggestions? I find that most files create too much of a "sharp" edge whereas good files in the past let me get a more rounded edge be better tone.

**Sailor** · 04-07-2009, 09:16 PM

I keep L/H very short. R/H P-I-M-A just long enough and shaped so no edge will catch string accidentally. I use a regular Revlon file -shaping side first, finishing side second. If your obsessive you can completely smooth the playing edge with a small piece of 600 grit sandpaper.

perfect nails.

sailor

**mrbeantheconqueror** · 04-23-2009, 01:35 AM

Do a search on this nail fortifier called 'Onymyrrhe'. It is a highly recommended product on delcamp.net, which is a popular classical guitar forum.

Are your nails obnoxiously long, that's why they break easily? You should keep your nails long enough just that it can produce the tone but short enough so that it is not brittle. A good gauge will be taking a nail filer and making sure that at the moment when your nail and the flesh of the finger are touching the nail filer at the same time, the nail filer remains vertically straight.

File off the sharp edge. Make it round at the sharp edges. I am using a 'ramp style' of finger nails and I file my sharp edges off and make them round.

**guicho** · 04-24-2009, 04:17 PM

There are many products you can use to make your nails stronger, from vitamins to nail polishers that fortify the nails.

That has always worked for me.

**wordsmith** · 04-24-2009, 05:55 PM

What I do is to file the nails with the file at 90 degrees to the end of the nail. That way I am keeping the nail at full thickness right to the end, not tapering towards the end. Then, as Sailor said, a piece of 'wet and dry' sandpaper, as used by car painters, to smooth the tip. He mentioned 600 grade, but you can get totally fine polishing grades up to 2000!
Even a stiff wooden fingernail brush has a polishing effect, and clawing into fine sand at the beach. The trick is to get maximum smoothness without loss of material. Just running nails along the denim of a pair of jeans will polish them.

**FatJeff** · 04-29-2009, 10:35 PM

I've been keeping my classical nails for the past several years, and have experimented with various things.

My personal opinion is that strong, natural nails are the way to go. Length is a matter of personal taste (I keep mine longer than most, but this is primarily because they need to be long to get past the end of my fingers - my nail beds are very far receded due to years of nail biting as a kid). I would stay away from acrylics - the adhesive trashes the nails.

I shape the nails with an emery board and then polish them successively with a product called "Micro-Mesh" (scientific cloth-backed polishing patches). I use 3200, 4000, 6000 then 12,000 (yes, you read that right) grit. When I am done those babies are glass-smooth and sound beautiful on the classical. I think I got them from Strings By Mail.

This is more than likely overkill for steel-stringed jazz guitars, though.

If your nails break, I would recommend the Emergency Nail Kit from RicoNails, which is comprised of several sizes of artificial "nails" that you file to your own personal length and shape, and apply with an easily removable adhesive (it doesn't trash the nail and can be applied daily with the included handy "dots"). I recall that I also got these from Strings By Mail.

Hope this helps out,

Jeff

**fast1** · 04-29-2009, 10:37 PM

interesting, i will check it out.

**The Korux** · 05-01-2009, 07:35 AM

Most fingerpicking and chord melody phrases could picked with a pick too and if that doesn't help (I think you knew that before), try to pick with the tip of your finger. I do every 'fingerpicked' thing like that (cause my nails are always cracked,..). First its harder than doing such phrases with the nails, but for its also easier because its safer - nails can crack anytime. Hope I helped you.

kind regards, Tobias

**gazda** · 05-01-2009, 09:25 AM

Short nails are a blessing for me, changing between nylon and steel all the time. Just enough for flesh-and-nail attack on strings. Nail-only attack is not eactly how I like to feel the contact with strings, especially steel, and the sound is thin and brittle for what I like to hear. But of course, we all have an individual idea of what the right sound is.

**m78w** · 05-01-2009, 10:13 AM

I started using Micro-Mesh a few months back and it's done wonders for my nails. It's basically an industrial polisher, but it really helps to smooth out my nails and prevents them from nicking and scratching, which causes problems when playing.

Anyway, it's a decent product, cheap, and lasts forever.

Product Review: Micro-Mesh Nail and Pick Care Kits | Micromesh, Nails, Have, Grades, Nail

MW

**FatJeff** · 05-05-2009, 10:28 AM

And as if on cue, classical guitarist Douglas Niedt weighs in on the Rico artificial nails:

TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH; Douglas Niedt, guitarist

**derek** · 05-05-2009, 11:13 AM

Doug is a very nice guy, and wonderful player. I have seen him a couple of times since he is local.

No amount of care, suppliments, etc, I used in the past that worked for classical would work for steel strings. My nails just aren't strong enough. I have to either do some sort of artificial thing (like the resin) or go without.

**FatJeff** · 05-06-2009, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by derek

Doug is a very nice guy, and wonderful player. I have seen him a couple of times since he is local.

No amount of care, suppliments, etc, I used in the past that worked for classical would work for steel strings. My nails just aren't strong enough. I have to either do some sort of artificial thing (like the resin) or go without.

Derek,

Did you check out the tip? He is advocating the Rico Nails. I've used these myself (on classical and jazz guitars) and they are very workable for steel strings. The beauty is that the nails come on and off quickly and use a non-stringent adhesive. You just put them on before you need them to play, and take them off afterwards.

Don't get me wrong, I prefer real nails, but if you have a broken nail or weak nails, these are a good alternative.

best regards,

Jeff

**tonedeaf** · 06-10-2010, 11:58 PM

For about the last year I have been using a cream that I get from Walmart. It is called "Hard as Hoof", and while that may be a bit of an overstatement, it has definetly made my nails more resilient. I believe that they are healthier and they grow faster.

It is not very expensive and certainly worth a try.

BTW, I live in a very dry climate and have always had ugly cuticle/hangnail problems. This is the only thing I have ever tried that really helps.

**Alder Statesman** · 06-13-2010, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by rio

Anyone have good nail file suggestions? I find that most files create too much of a "sharp" edge whereas good files in the past let me get a more rounded edge be better tone.

Any decent diamond powder nail file from the drug store should suit your needs. On the the finish side, take some wet or dry sand paper and smooth that side out a bit. The shaping side will be good for what is is designed for and the smoothed finish side will work wonders.

Guitar Salon International has a nice and pricey glass nail file, but drop it once and it is all over.

GSP (Guitar Solo Publications) in San Francisco has some very pricey silk nail wraps and glue kits that are far to superior to anything you will likely find locally. I really relied on them for awhile.

**eh6794** · 08-22-2014, 09:04 PM

I tossed my pic away last year and now play exclusively with my fingers. I don't like my nails real long. I guess they are the length of an E strings width. Anyways, I can't keep them consistent. Little chips or hang nails keep messing them up.

Any suggestions?

TH · 08-22-2014, 09:09 PM

Do you like Jello? Keep a fine nail file with you and keep the edges smooth always, little edges grow into tears.
It also seems that the more I play, the thicker my nails grow in; I don't know if there's a causal effect, but it seems that way at least.
David

**JoshGuitar** · 08-22-2014, 09:42 PM

Take good care of your health, I've been reading The Acoustic Guitar Bible by Eric Roche, RIP, and he mentions, I think, that if your health slips then your fingernails show signs of bad health pretty quickly, so he recommends good diet with calcium to help fingernail strength. Check out the acoustic and classical forums as well.

**eh6794** · 08-22-2014, 10:13 PM

Jello? An ingredient will help?

**eh6794** · 08-22-2014, 10:15 PM

My nails look clear with no white spots and I do about 15 hours of serious cardio a week, but I eat junk. Ill look for that book

**docbop** · 08-22-2014, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by eh6794

Jello? An ingredient will help?

gelatin is what is suppose to be good for nails.

When I was doing a lot of finger picking I just used Sally Hansen's nail hardener. It's basicly a clear nail polish that toughens up nails. Also kept some super glue to stop a chip from turning into a split nail.