So I play a lot of acoustic. A LOT. I also play pretty aggresively and 95% of this is with my fingers and for the past few years I've battled with the absolute terror this habit has upon my nails. Luckily I have pretty strong nails to begin with (rarely split) and I use a nail strengthener on top of that but regardless of that my nails are constantly being shredded at the tip so I'm seriously thinking about getting acrylics.

While I could give a shit what it'll make my right hand look like I have heard that they're are expensive and have to be "filled" every 2-3 weeks (which also costs some cash) but I also know them to be practically indestructable (they'd have to be with Kaki King sporting them). I'm wondering if anyone has any kind of experience with them? Or is there a kind of "snap on" alternative that works well?

ANYONE?!

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Wait, so you play classical acoustic you mean? And you are trying to maintain a certain length of nail in order to keep a good tone?

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Do you really need to quote the damn thing? I'm pretty sure we can figure out what you're replying to.

Anyway, I don't really have experience with them but I'll offer what I can. Snap-on nails do exist but there are none that I know of that are specifically for guitar playing and even if there were, I'm not sure how well they'd hold up (or on, for that matter) to your aggressive playing. Trying them out wouldn't hurt though. A friend of mine recently got acrylics for finger picking and they've worked out well. I'll ask him if he knows more about it and post anything that I find out that could help you out. What do you mean they "have to be "filled" every 2-3 weeks"?

I'm sure there are things you can eat or drink that can strengthen your finger nails other than the obvious milk.

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So I just talked with that friend. I learned getting them "filled" just means getting them redone when the glue evaporates after a while or the nails get too long. They cost around $10-$15 varying from salon to salon, but you can easily avoid having to fork out cash to get them filled every few weeks by simply getting the glue and doing it all yourself when needed.

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Superglue + plectrums + fingers = unfailable gimmick

Fuck the manicure

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Plectrums?

No Joe, I don't play classical. If I where playing on Nylons this wouldn't be so much of a problem but the steel strings I use just ravage my nails.

Thanks a lot Me Himself! I'll look into buying the glue so save money/time. I'll let you guys know how they work out once I get them.

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a pick

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So I woke up this morning and said "Fuck it". When to a nail place a friend recommended and got my pointer, middle, and index finger done. It only cost me 8$! I was under the impression it was going to be around 30$. They're not too long and they look like regular finger nails only a lot thicker (i asked her to make it as thick as she could). Being the only guy in there all the women started to talk to me and while I was being finished up the entire place was all telling me how no one will notice and bla bla bla.

Two seconds into playing with them on I realized it might have been one of the smartest things I've done for music in awhile! Its like having a thick pick attached to my fingers! Everything sounds a lot more prominent and I even have more control over the dynamics. I recommend everyone doing it if they're serious about finger pickin'.

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i know a guy who plays classical style acoustic on a steel string. He cuts up pingpong balls into the shapes of his nails, and superglues them to the underside of his nails, and then polishes the top overhanging area with superglue to keep them form chipping. How are the new nails holding up though? hahah

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That sounds just great. I'm glad everything worked out so well.

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That sounds pretty similar to the process of acryllics.

The new nails are holding up fine! A bit sore.. but fine. They're thick as shit!

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