There are many ways to strengthen your nails for Finger Style Guitar playing, but most are not reliable, look bad, or fall off too soon. You can go to a nail salon and get acrylic nails, but they ruin your nail bed, the fumes are very toxic, and they are relatively expensive. In this video I show you how to do your own Guitar Players Nails using UV Gel. I will also show how to control the tone, shape, and easily repair a broken nail in minutes on the fly. I will post links to the products I use below. Please comment or ask questions and share with your guitar playing friends!
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Here is my easy process for Do-it-Yourself Nails for Guitar Players
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Be sure to have a clean, well ventilated space.
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When you are starting with natural nails, Clean them with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and lint-free wipes.
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If you already have acrylic or UV nails, clean them with the nail file or emery board until they are a uniform color and any rough areas of new nail growth are clean. Otherwise carefully remove the old nails completely. Although you can add UV gel to acrylic nails while they grow out, there must not be loose remnants which will prevent the new gel from bonding securely.
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Carefully Apply a thin layer of the Bonder to the nail (the applicator brush is in the cap) making sure to wipe the excess from the cuticle and surrounding skin.
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Cure the Bonder under he UV light for 1 minute. (30 seconds for LED lamp) You have to experiment a bit to see how long your curing takes. I just usually do a bit longer for my own peace of mind. But that’s me. This bonder is now ready for Gel.
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Apply the UV Builder Gel using the IBD nail brush. If you are building on a natural nail, the first layer should very be thin. Once you have a cured layer down, you can go as thick as you want. Make sure to use the stick to remove the uncured Gel from the skin and cuticle.
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Now cure the Gel under the UV light for 3 minutes. Don’t stare at any UV light. Continued exposure can cause eye irritation. It is good to understand the possible risks involved.
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Clean the sweat from the nail with the 99% Isopropyl Alcohol.
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File off any excess cured Gel. Shape the nail the way you like it.
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You can add more layers of Gel, curing each for 3 minutes, cleaning, and shaping, until you have the thickness and tone that you want.
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There is a balance between flexibility and stiffness that affects playability and tone of Nails for Guitar Players. Experiment. I find this process feels more natural and sounds better than any other system so far.
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I always bring the small UV light, files, bonder, Gel, and a small bottle of Alcohol on the road and to local gigs as well.
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For more Guitar Tips please visit my website davidfeder.com
My Favorite little power nail file!
This is the size Brush I use. For me this one lasts over a year.
This is the Smaller LED UV light.
This is the good Bonder/Primer
This is the Best Builder UV Gel. It has great TONE and looks good.
Kim Wipes are Dust and lint Free. I use them for nails and optics, etc.
These are the “Orange” Sticks. You may want them for cleaning the goo off the edges.
These type files I use for maintenance and touch ups.
These Files are used for the initial shaping.
99% Isopropyl Alcohol
