Acrylic Nails

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:29 pm

I just discovered the joys of acrylic nails for fingerpicking. Anyone else already using them or want to hear about it?

weemac · Post by **weemac** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:11 pm

Amy Humphrey of clatter uses them for her unorthodox (but really cool and unique) bass playing! Acyrilic nails must be able to stand a fair bit of abuse.....
For guitar playing I'm a long fingernail guy. I'm not real good with a plectrum on a guitar.
With a bass however I almost always use one, so go figure......
emac.

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:29 pm

Real fingernails are the best for fingerstyle, but mine don't hold out very long with steel strings. I used to struggle with those plastic or metal things but finally I tried those drugstore glue-on acrylics. You know I never used them for cosmetic reasons (I've always looked and dressed like a first-grader). I think the best kind use a powder-and-binder sculpting technique after gluing to contour and thicken the fakes. I put on a couple extra coats of that stuff and go have at it. They are plenty hard enough that I don't have to hold back my playing at all.
The pitfalls: When it tears it's painful. You can get a fungus under there. You can't go rock climbing in them. When you take them off your real nails are really thin and need a couple of weeks to get back to normal.
The cool things: Repair with super glue. They're cheap and DIY. They won't fall out of your pocket when you drop your pants.
I'm thinking of experimenting with different overlays to try to get different sounds. Plain they sound much like thin plastic picks. I'll try nickel, brass, celluloid, just for kicks. I heard that ping-pong-ball material gives good results. Maybe I'll go carbon fiber & kevlar.
Anyway, so far I'm loving my fakes much better than those tortuous thumbscrew things. Have not used them with bass yet, still using an oversized plectrum.

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:00 pm

This is very interesting...

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:44 pm

kiramdear wrote:I just discovered the joys of acrylic nails for fingerpicking. Anyone else already using them or want to hear about it?

I use metal finger picks for guitar playing.

I tried using the poor man's version of fake fingernails; a laminate of facial tissues and super glue. I went back to using fingernails for banjo playing, however. I have to confess that I'm one of the fortunate ones. Due to some quirk of genetics, I don't have fingernails, I have hooves!

JimK

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 12:50 am

jimk wrote: I use metal finger picks for guitar playing.

You know I tried so hard to use those till someone told me I was wearing them backwards

I turned them around and it was even worse!

Five minutes with those clamps on and I'm ready to confess to criminal things I haven't done.

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 12:44 pm

Well...true confessions, Kira: They did take some getting used to. By and by, I discovered that they come in guages, just like straight picks, and I found a guage that I liked best. And I suspect that I'll do the guage recalibration when my Ric arrives, what with the lighter guage strings compared to my acoustic guitar and all.

If those acrylic fingernails give you more mileage, go for it, buddy.

JimK

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 4:47 pm

jimk wrote: I'll do the guage recalibration when my Ric arrives

Ah, may that blessed day come very soon for you

I found a great thumbpick BTW, a steel Dunlop with the edges rolled up to make a short sharp point of it. Very comfortable (as with all metal picks you can shape them just right) and easy playing and very bright sounding.
I found some "aLaska" over-under plastic picks that I'll try when I give my real nails a rest from the glue and stuff. They seem to be OK for comfort.

Dunno if you checked out the 12-string bass in the preceding utube. I know it's not your thing, Jim, but can you imagine the look on your rhythm player's face when he heard that?

Like Bambi in the headlights!

weemac · Post by **weemac** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:24 pm

kiramdear wrote:Dunno if you checked out the 12-string bass in the preceding utube. I know it's not your thing, Jim, but can you imagine the look on your rhythm player's face when he heard that?

Amy is a real gem! She is also a member of this forum....
The 12 string basses are a challenge to play but very rewarding.

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:38 pm

To quote a phrase, "She sounds like a dinosaur eating cars". Yeah, I'm very impressed.

whojamfan · Post by **whojamfan** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 6:37 pm

Wow, she's really impressive, and really rocks! How cool!

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:51 pm

Yeah, I really have to admire the 12 string bass playing. I think it's quite cool, really.

JimK

kiramdear · Post by **kiramdear** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:56 pm

I think I'll get one and fire my guitar players.

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