About a decade ago, I took the fingerstyle plunge and got fake nails on the advice of Kaki King. She told me to get acrylics — the hardest and most durable nail — at a professional salon. She even specifically mentioned going to, and I’ll paraphrase, “a Vietnamese salon where all the ladies in your neighborhood with nice nails go.”
That’s exactly what I did. A few years later I encouraged Sonny Landreth to do the same. The electric slide star was complaining about his real nails not holding up on the road, and he was starting to play more acoustic as well.
What’s it like? Would we do it again? Read on.
it was like opening a door to a fantastical kingdom of finger freedom. A million new plucking approaches were literally at my fingertips.
— Jimmy Leslie
Primary Pros
The main advantage to fake nails is that you essentially have five picks instead of one. Players that were already hybrid pickers, or perhaps full-on fingerpickers, will rejoice at the transformation.
It’s practically a sanctimonious feeling when you finally free your fingers. Your playing changes overnight. It’s like the difference between pedaling and riding an eBike.
Plectrum players will need time to adjust. You’ll feel like Edward Scissorhands at first.
I had to force myself not to play with a pick for about a year before it felt truly comfortable, but then it was like opening a door to a fantastical kingdom of finger freedom. A million new plucking approaches were literally at my fingertips. And of course, I can still pick up a plectrum and play that way anytime I want.
What’s the Biggest Difference?
Now that I’ve become accommodated to picking with my index fingernail, I don’t want to play with a pick most of the time. That’s the weirdest thing, because it’s a sideways brushing motion rather than a vertical attack like a plectrum.
However, you must get the shape of the nail just right, or it’s like playing with an odd pick. When I do use a pick nowadays, I prefer a small one such as a Dunlop Jazz III because it’s more like the size and thickness of an index fingernail.
I’ll still go with a pick when covering other plectrum players, such as when I’m doing Dickey Betts in my tribute to the Allman Brothers Band. It just sounds more appropriate and authentic, but otherwise going freehand feels fabulous, especially on acoustic.
Primary Cons
Of course, it takes time and money to maintain fake nails. The cost of doing so has doubled over the past decade. You also need to find a salon tech you like. Even though I’ve moved about 45 minutes away, I still go back to my girl Ha “Hannah” Nguyen, because she’s the only one that gets it just right!
Maintenance is a constant. The first week or two after getting the nails is the best, and then you must do some filing. You need a big thick file to bring down the overall length. I like mine medium to short. The longer they are, the more they affect the attack and brighten the tone.
You also need a little file for homing in on the shape, and for reducing the ridge that forms a little way up from the base of the fingertip as the real fingernail underneath grows and starts to show. For those final touches, it’s best to use a very fine file.
Ignore that ledge where the real nail meets the fake one at your own peril. When it becomes dramatic, that ridge acts like a little hook. Strings start to get caught under there and it can practically tear the fake nail off if you’re not careful!
It was a nightmare when COVID shut down the salons. Players like Peppino D’Agostino begin calling me asking what to do. James Taylor literally takes matters into his own hands. He’s got his DIY method down and always carries a box of nail stuff around. I don’t, so if something goes terrible wrong with a key nail at an inconvenient time or place, I’m kind of screwed.
That’s when I must grab a plectrum and play hybrid style, which is a whole different universe because all the plucking-hand attack digits change once the thumb and index finger are occupied with the pick.
“I got on the path right after asking you about them years ago and never looked back.”
— Sonny Landreth
Polish or No Polish?
I don’t always get my nails colored, but when I do, I go all in and get sparkling aqua gels! The advantages are mainly that they look cool, or at least lots of people tell me so and the ones who don’t think so keep quiet. And any kind of coating makes the nails last longer without chipping.
The disadvantages are that they cost a bit more and take a bit more time to do at the salon. There’s also a small playability factor. The nails are a little thicker and have a slightly dulled attack. Think of it like coated strings.
And when the colored finish starts chipping off, a tiny little ridge forms up near the top of the nail where the string attack eats away at the coating. It’s never a big deal, but the further that advances, the more you notice. You can file it down a few times but will eventually need a touch up or a new coat of paint.
Would You Do It Again?
Hell yeah. The heaven of having a whole clawed hand is worth the hassle in the end. I play things I never would have dreamed of playing before, without even thinking about it much.
I checked in with Sonny to see if he still has his fake nails as well.“Yes indeed,” he replied. “I got on the path right after asking you about them years ago and never looked back.”
Should You Too?
Only if you’re serious. Otherwise, it’s not worth the trouble. But if you are, then take the plunge. It’s a bona fide improvement and the right tool for the job, especially if you play fingerstyle, and even more so if you play acoustic, because those wound steel strings rip away at real nails relentlessly.
If you gig a lot, or even practice a lot before each gig, fake nails will be there for you when your real nails fail. That’s what made me pull the trigger. I had no nails at all once I got to a very big gig and I missed them so much that I took action. They are a pain in the ass and get in the way of lots of things including typing this column, but when it comes to playing the guitar, especially the acoustic steel-string, fake nails are a godsend.
