Gel Nails for Classical Guitarists - The best fake nail solution?

[@cloudhop]

Simple and precise ! Well done . Very informative and most welcome

[@PM-lk9ph]

I logged in just to tell you what a great video that was. Just ordered those same products last night and then found this.

[@evantaucher]

I appreciate it!

[@kuratr]

I just broke my thumb nail and found your video and quickly ordered everything and did everything as you've suggested. Worked like a charm! I think this is indeed the best method! The gel is thick and sturdy exactly as my original nail and looks very similar in appearance too (apart from the very tiny air bubbles it ended up with, which I will try to avoid in the future). Thank you so much!

[@DylanGuitar525]

I used to take tissues, peel of one layer and then super glue it to my split nail, then filed it and sanded it down, worked perfectly and is cheap.

[@richardvale214]

I just learned that method from a guy here on YT. I was thrilled. After I started fingerpicking on an electric, it wore my nails to the nub and thought I might have to go acoustic- only. This method is simple and cheap, but not too healthy. I could feel some intense heat when the dryers in the super glue kicked in, and they looked pretty bad, so I did some research and got a kit for about $30. It doesnt require a UV or LED light, so I'm curious to see how it works.

[@stevewhite3753]

Thanks I have played for 45 years and now having a problem with weak nails I will give this a try

[@robertmac7833]

Never even knew this was possible! Thanks!

[@chuchukiki]

How do you remove it? Does it harm the Nail? Thank you😇

[@johnbarbuto5387]

Thank You! Very helpful. Many of us may come to this just looking for one topic - nail "building" or reinforcement for finger picking. To get more subscribers consider putting something in your video to "hook" viewers to see other videos you might want to make. Thanks again.

[@TimothyOBrien1958]

Just got the kit today. Can't wait to try it.

[@markharding6582]

Being a guy I knew nothing about how to do this. Everything I was watching was so complicated. You did well.

[@newgunguy4176]

Yamandú Costa has a video showing his way. It's a bit different and worth watching both. Beatrix has one, too.

[@jayklales4469]

Hi Evan, Nice video, you can use alcohol preps (available in drugstores) and be able to take on planes etc. They are little pieces of cloth saturated with alcohol and sealed in a foil packet. You could fit dozens in your kit.

[@evantaucher]

Thanks!! I do that now.

[@Danschumac]

This is awesome. I have thin nails. Tried ping pong balls for a couple years before going acrylic. With the salons closed, I'm excited to try this.

[@evantaucher]

Awesome! Let me know how it worked out!

[@treehugger3971]

Thanks. I just placed my order

[@markkroos]

Evan, thanks for the fantastic demo - purchasing this through your affiliate link!

[@qmento]

I want to thank you for the tutorial. My nails are getting thinner as I get older but I didn't realize how much it was inhibiting my playing. Once I started using the builder gel, I found I could play more freely and aggressively. There is a BIG but however, I purchased all the supplies from your Amazon web page and the recommended gel wouldn't harden very well with the recommended light. I purchased the IBD LED/UV Builder Gel and that hardened fine under the portable light. A little wipe with an alcohol swab and I was good to go.

[@louiscyfer6944]

i have been using acrylics and now hard gel for 25 years. why do it yourself? just go to a nail salon. much easier and they are professional of putting this stuff on. i go once a month and it works awesome. i can even play bass and steel string acoustic with my nails, they don't wear down.

[@lyreparadox]

​@@louiscyfer6944Those comments mostly seem to be from the Pandemic when salons were closed.

[@louiscyfer6944]

@@lyreparadox the salons were open during the pandemic too, just no officially. usually one customer at a time. by 2021 they were all open though.

[@rowbocaster]

I love the new additions, the lamp is great!

[@dogbone277]

Thanks - exactly what I was looking for as I was struggling when I broke a nail. I don't like the feel of finger picks.

[@glennhenshaw7474]

Excellent tutorial.

[@euhdink4501]

I do about the same thing, but with superglue in thick viscosity. Works great for me, easy and cheap. You can also use it to repair small areas. Before I went to a beauty parlour, but the gel nails don't last as long as the superglue.

[@louiscyfer6944]

gel nails last more than a month for me. i go to the nail salon.

[@Sanddesert]

Thankyou so much! Worked perfectly here! years of broken nail problems suddenly solved.

[@ignaciobarcia1549]

Thanks for the video. I bought the whole kit but the thing won't cure on my led lamp. Can I ask the specs of your lamp? Led/uv and wattage?

[@deanbowlus1658]

Great presentation

[@kimboslice9724]

This is kinda crazy, I’ve talked to you a few times on ig back in the day and I do nails now and was looking up some info for a guitarist I know lol

[@evantaucher]

@@sheri4673 Probably just lotion, or olive oil

[@barts.3366]

Hi Evan, Great video! I have a few questions.... 1) if you need to remove the nail do you have to file it off or will the material eventually separate from the nail bed? 2) Does this do any harm to the nail bed like super glue? If using these will the nail continue to grow naturally under the material without air it would normally get? I have a similar problem as you in that the left side of my nail is hooked at point of contact. The questions above are intended to give me some guidance as to if this is a good permanent solution or if it is best reserved for emergency situations when a nail is broken? Thanks!

[@Littlethumbtip]

This is just an excellent tutorial! My thumbnail has an unfortunate tendency to split longitudinally down to base, and I've tried countless artifical fingerpicks (I don't want to retrain right hand for using thumbpicks) to compensate...all to no avail. Thank you so much for your gift of making classical guitar music more accessible to me!

[@evantaucher]

Awesome! how did it work for you?

[@mike42441]

Hi Evan, excellent tutorial, thank you! One question, though, do you build out your other nails too, or just the thumbnail only? I was thinking I need to build them all out. I noticed your other nails are short so not sure if you play like that or build out all of your other nails to get the best sound and performance. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

[@patrickbrennan2864]

The nail file Will last longer if it’s brushed off frequently with a stiff toothbrush, only use clean areas of the file (careful not to breathe in the dust !) Is there a way to build a dam on the foil, in the shape of the nail tip ? An adhesive foam rubber perhaps ? That way the gel would have something to stop against, allowing a thicker tip, and less waste of gel Thanks for a great video ! have you seen James Taylor’s video ? He has Great success with fiberglass nails (I think)

[@haileyparlette8083]

If you want better longevity from the gel nails you need to add more product to the center of the nail bed. You want to see a slight curve from your cuticle up through the main portion of the nail and then a sight curve down towards the tip. You will see this when looking at the thumb sideways. Your tips will crack or snap off with wear if you don't thicken and strengthen the whole stucture of the nail. Take it from a nail tech. If your not sure what I mean, watch some gel nail application tutorials from professional nail techs. It will help if you are looking for more than a quick patch.

[@evantaucher]

That's definitely true, but it doesn't work well for guitar because you need the tips to be a bit thinner (but yes, there is a fine line between TOO thin where it chips, and too thick where it sounds terrible))!

[@durstlaw]

So I did this, it worked fine, but the gel was applied too thick at the tip. It’s hard, and I can’t seem to file it thinner. How do you remove the nail to start over? It is wonderfully hard and permanent which will be great once it’s shaped right.

[@nicknolan]

Thanks so much for this video and your help! This is an issue I have been fighting for years. I just ordered everything.

[@evantaucher]

Glad you enjoyed! How did it go?

[@newgunguy4176]

There's a finisher you can get to get rid of the stickiness.

[@Kari-4BLUE]

Can you give me link to your nail kit? Ty for sharing.

[@GrahamAndersonis]

Have you tried acrylic press on nails? Mine last about 2 weeks. Do these ‘gel’ nails sound better, and do you recommend a specific acrylic nail shape-to start with.

[@weedwormschlag]

Thanks for the video Evan. I have been struggling to find the right option. One question; does the gel continue to stick at the tip of the nail once your nail grows out? I mean when your real nail underneath gets to be the same length as the gel on top.

[@MikeAsHimself]

Thanks for the video man. I am in a master's program now and my hooked to hell nails have always been a problem for me. I used ping pong for a while but it was never a thing I could figure out for my thumb nail. This will probably work better. I'm gonna try it out tomorrow when the package comes in!

[@richardvale214]

Thanks for the excellent tutorial. What kind of guitar are you playing? It's a beauty. The colors of the Rosetta remind me of a Cervantes, though the shape is somewhat different. It sounds very good.

[@evantaucher]

It's made by Steven Walter! Thanks! I love it

[@treehugger3971]

Just did my first one. I've had someone use those foil forms on my nails. She pulled the corners on each side of the black rectangle together so that they stuck and formed a cone that I pushed the tip of my finger into. It creates a more stable and nicely rounded form for the nail. I did that and it worked pretty well. Now I just have to see how it stands up to the wear and tear. I use steel strings. I've been using the powder system and it's OK but a bit complicated - 4 different bottles. This is much simpler

[@LivingInTheGarage]

This was a very good and informative video. Thank you for making it. Like johnolivermusic I am also interested in future maintenance, touch up and/or removal of the gel. I noticed you only put gel part way up the nail. As the built up portion grows forward d you just file and add more gel or do you completely remove it first?

[@evantaucher]

You can use acetone. I just chip it off once it's loose, honestly. I know thats bad!

[@robertleger4986]

Nice work. So you have to file down each day as your natural nail grows from underneath ...and take off once a week?

[@ReBible180]

Cool…Thanks 👊🏽😉 Great Info!

[@bernardmurphy4762]

Does the gel make the real nail underneath soft when you return to it?

[@robinterkzer8128]

Wonderful !

[@LolliMolly09]

If you don't want to carry a bottle of rubbing alcohol, you could buy the little foil packs of alcohol wipes. They're marketed to diabetic people a lot to sanitize before they have to give themselves insulin. You could throw a handful of them in your kit. Btw I'm not a guitar player, I just do nails and I somehow stumbled onto this. I had no clue guitarists did things like this. So cool.

[@evantaucher]

thats perfect!

[@FrumPilot]

Can this be used for the other nails as well? Is there a different technique to use it for the other nails?

[@tedscott1478]

Does this artificial nail affect the strength of your real nail when the artificial one has worn down. Is your natural nail still as strong as it was before you applied the gel? I used glued on artificial nails occasionally when I'd broken a nail before performing. They worked ok but when I removed them the real nail had become really soft and weak.

[@venrakkhita]

my problem has been at the cuticle. Where the fake nail catches on the guitar string. I had to put tape to cover the gap.. Tried other fillers but no good yet

[@robertcronin6603]

Interesting...I've been losing my mind trying to cut, file and super glue acrylic homemade nails only to have them break off or crack immediately after due to the type of work I do - it's been a neverending problem for me...my real nails are thin and easily broken...this is a possibility, especially once I figure out what's involved with removing it and starting over if it breaks...thanks for the idea!💡

[@petterhouting7484]

I have a problem with them breaking off and then taking a bit of the nail with them . Is that a problem in this product as well? I heard you say you keep them on for 3 weeks at least. My nail products start to peel after just a bit morr than half a week. Is this problem also with this product? Hope i am conveying my question properly, english isnt my first language.

[@evantaucher]

a bit over a week. Hmm, it's tough. If you're really careful with your nails it should last longer. Also you have to experiment with the thickness a lot. If it's too thin, especially at the edge, it will break quickly, as you mentioned

[@jameshenkel6878]

That was well done and to the point. I’ve never tried this but may for future use. Little scary. I have poor nails that get chewed up when I play. I see James Taylor’s and was thinking about doing this.

[@evantaucher]

Thanks James! Good luck. There's a learning curve but it generally works

[@ironlungs33]

what about the pouch at 1:43, can you post the link to that size? looks like a perfect fit

[@evantaucher]

It's from Delta Airlines. I'll have to look

[@MontagueLord]

Can you please post the link to the box that you use to store the various Gel Nails components?

[@franciscochavez1709]

Can you post the nail file you used, and does this work for metal string too (such as an electric guitar)?

[@franciscochavez1709]

And how do you usually polish the top of the nail?

[@keithpoulos8641]

As a gardener and maintenance worker this will not work. I use cheap glue on nails so that when(not if, but WHEN) my nail catches on something it doesn't rip my skin at all it just pops the nail off. Then I can reuse the same nail or nake a new one. Using something too permanent can be quite painful and means when an accident happens I can recover quickly without damaging my practicing ability.

[@austntexan]

What brand of glue on nails do you use? Do they stand up to Flamenco style strumming?

[@menolopes6479]

Thank you for this good video. I clicked the links but they are not working. Any way you can help? Thanks.

[@ExAequo]

They work for us. Try again in another browser maybe"?

[@jayanolik1947]

I’ve been screwing with broken nails during my 50 yrs of playing , I came up with a way of putting fake nails on . I went to the store and bought my fake nails in the cosmetics department. Form fit the nail you want to use and rough up the bottom of it with sand paper. Do the same to your finger nail Mix a small amount of quick dry JB weld 2 part epoxy apply on your nail and the fake one and then press them together, it looks messy but in 5 minutes it will come off . Now these nail are soft so in order to harden them I coat the nail with super glue trying to put it on as even as possible then I coat the glue with baking soda , this will instantly turn it rock hard, then file it down to make it look better This will stay on until your nail grows it out . The negatives are that you will have black fingernails and They will turn a pretty blue in the sunlight.

[@PotBotorg]

BRILLIANT!!!!

[@TimothyOBrien1958]

I have two nails that are down almost to the quick.

[@Aalii6]

Thank you for sharing this method! What is the armrest called that you can see at 12:40? Would you recommend it?

[@evantaucher]

Abel armrest. You can get it on Strings By Mail. I've been using mine for about 3.5 years. It hasn't failed me yet! It's ok - the little rubber pads fall off after a while but you can order more of those, probably. It's pretty durable, too.

[@Aalii6]

Alright, thank you for your extensive answer!

[@johnolivermusic]

Does this process harm the nail bed? Once the fake nail is no good any more, how do you remove it? Thanks for a great video!

[@petterhouting7484]

Remove it with acetone. It dissolves the fake nail.

[@johnolivermusic]

@@petterhouting7484 Thanks Peter. It's a timely response because the fake nail I managed to make is now grown out - well the nail underneath is now the usual size of nail I need. Also, I should just mention that the video is a little too quick. I followed the instructions to the letter and the fake nail fell off. So I advise anyone watching this video to make 2 applications of the gel, drying under the LED lamp for 3 minutes on the second coat.

[@evantaucher]

It probably does. It's definitely not good for it. I rip mine off like a savage, and that's not good either.

[@johnolivermusic]

@@evantaucher I only put it on one nail, the m finger which has been causing problems for some time. I last used fake nails over 10 years ago and it took a year to recover. This time, I had a couple of video concerts to record with my plucked quartet group, and at the second recording session, the fake nail was already almost gone. Luckily, I made it through the sessions and the resulting videos are great! So after removing the fake nail completely, carefully, with nail polish remover, the nail is very slow to grow back and was initially quite soft. Now, four months late, it's finally coming out strong again.

[@judyhoomalamalama]

thank u exactly what I am need. My thumb nail keeps breaking. However, I thought it came in a kit. All Im seeing is ala carte so to this comes to about 52 $ which is expensive. I dont even c the nail file u were using. If this only lasts 3 weeks this gets expensive. Hmm there must b a more economical way to do this. Unless the products last for a long time. Thank u anyway

[@evantaucher]

The kit (which is expensive, yes) has lasted me over 3 years now

[@patrickbrennan2864]

@@evantaucher But you only do one nail correct?

[@evantaucher]

@@patrickbrennan2864 correct!

[@196-h8q]

Oye, y como se quita la uña ?

[@Levon_Lellore]

Doesn’t the gel glue to your skin?

[@evantaucher]

nah not too bad

[@sonofromel]

I have short nails. Almost none. Like 2/32 of an inch, that's how I roll. And I don't know why I watched the whole video haha. And I also can't imagine playing with a nail that long. Great discorvery tho.

[@joshk2181]

Mine keep breaking

[@TimothyOBrien1958]

You can use alcohol sanitizing gel.

[@danielemilazzo432]

Oh look, that's how Apple should have added the charging port to the Apple Mouse.

[@lawrencetrinkaus8130]

Warning! Warning! Thanks for this great video but you might want to also pass on this warning. While this works very very well for a temporary nail that sounds and works great, there is a danger in using it for a longer time. When my nail broke, I was so happy with the nail I created I thought I would leave it on while the nail grew back. During that time I had to replace it every now and then. I also broke a second nail and decided to do the same for it. I became very good at creating and replacing gel nails. But over time I noticed that my real nail underneath, instead of getting longer kept splitting and seem to be thinner. My playing never sounded better with the perfect shaped Gel nails I created but I found out after doing some research that the gel nail, UV light and the acetone used was actually damaging my real nails. It became apparent that my nail would not grow back correctly if I kept the Gel nail on. I removed the Gel Nails and I am now in the process of letting my natural nails grow back. It is taking longer because the leading edge of the nail is thin and separates and breaks off. It has been a over a month with using Biotin and moisturizers and my nails are just starting to come back to normal. It looks like it will still be a few more weeks before I will be able to play with nails again. Playing classical guitar without nails is not as much fun. Perfect temporary nail for Classical Guitar but be careful and don't leave them on to long. That was my experience. Good luck everyone.

[@evantaucher]

In the short term, when you stop using gel nails and you want your real nail to come back strong, it takes a very long time (2-3 months) for that to happen, because the ENTIRE length of your nail needs to grow back. That means from bottom to the top. This takes longer than people imagine. Of course, the chemicals can’t be good for you - and I believed I mentioned that in the video. But I have to believe it’s simply untrue that your nails are forever weaker because you used gel/acrylic nails for some time. My own mother stopped using acrylic nails after many years of wearing them and now after some time, her natural nails are stronger than ever. And I’ve heard this example over and over again. But if you have scientific studies, I’d love to see! I just tend to notice that when people try fake nails, then they decide to revert, they figure that it should only be a couple of weeks till their nails are back to normal. This is just impossible - as I mentioned before, your entire length of your nail needs to grow back out and that takes such a long time!

[@quenar]

do they really have to be so long ? ...

[@evantaucher]

not really

[@TimothyOBrien1958]

I don't know how you have your thumb nail so long.

[@michaelenns8872]

Or you just get yourself fake nails specifically for guitarists. Strip of glue on your natural nails, put the fake nails on top and voila ... you have better sounding nails than your natural nails.

[@michaelenns8872]

*Strip on glue strips ...

[@David-iz5sc]

Could you let me know where to find some fake nails specifically for guitarists please? A link maybe because I am having a hard time find ones specifically for guitarists. Thanks in advance

[@lars7334]

@@David-iz5sc guitarplayernails.com/