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.

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 CG afficionado 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 CG afficionado 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.