Using our pre-formed nails
We've experimented with many pre-formed nails. Our pre-formed nails sound and feel great, with good durability. A major advantage to using our pre-formed nails is that they're very easy to work with, with a fast application time. If you have a rotary nail file with a good bit, you can remove an old nail, apply a new one, and be ready to play in less than 5 minutes. It takes a bit longer with a manual nail file. They also repair well. If you do need a repair while playing, you can fix it with a little nail glue and some nail glue dryer in less than a minute. If you have the time, add some fiberglass wrap first. Repairs hold very well. If a pre-formed nail is too wide, simply trim the side with some scissors to fit your natural nail plate. You only need to trim the right side of the nail, (pinky side) and it takes only a few seconds. If your natural nail is a bit too wide for the pre-formed nail, make sure the short side is the right "pinky" side. Make sure the left border (thumb side) of your natural nail is in line with the left edge of the pre-formed nail. If the curve in the pre-formed nail is a bit too much, you can flatten it out a bit to match the curve of your natural nail by holding it between your thumb and index finger, and gradually increasing pressure to flatten the curve. This may discolor the nail a bit, but that will disappear once the nail is applied and finished. You can also increase the curve by using our manicure stick and rolling it back and forth. (See Step 5 of our Instructions page).
The angle with which you apply our nails (and all artificial nails) to your natural nail plate is very important. It will determine your tone and feel. Rule of thumb is to apply our nails as straight as possible, while at the same time making sure you have no gaps at the tip of your natural nail underneath, where the artifical nail meets the natural nail. Also, very important for tone, is to make sure you apply pressure evenly, so that one side is not higher than the other. You want a nice symmetric curve. If the pinky side is too high you won't get that bite that you need at the end of the stroke. So press lightly at the middle of the nail during application so that it doesn't "seesaw" up on either side. If you do need to apply another nail, it only takes a few minutes to remove an old nail and apply a new one. So feel free to experiment if needed. End result should be a wide diversity of tone with crisp highs and warm soft tones. You can use fiberglass wrap with our pre-formed nails for added strength if needed. Please see step 23 of our Instructions Page on how to use our wrap.
Comparisons of the different characteristics of our pre-formed nails.
Over the last 30 years or so we've found some pretty good sounding pre-formed nails that work well for guitar playing.
The nails we currently carry all sound great, and have their own distinctive characteristics.
Here are some general characteristics and differences in our pre-formed nails.
Pre-formed type 1-A nail:
Because of the thinness and flexibility of this nail, it's very easy to apply. This nail can be used with, or without fiberglass wrap. Using wrap will add durability. This nail is very flexible and will match the shape and contour of you natural nail without much effort.
Pre-formed type 1-B nail:
This is a great sounding nail that's very durable, which can be used with or without fiberglass wrap; usually doesn't need it. This nail has really good diversity of tone, with crisp highs, as well as a rich, mellow tone. It's a bit more difficult to apply than our type 1-A nail, but it doesn't take too long to get it down. This is a thicker, and less flexible the nail than our 1-A. It's important that it fits the shape and contour of your natural nail before application. If you need to cut or bend it in order to pre-shape and match your natural nail, then you should do so. It should fit well and match your natural nail's shape when just laying on top of the natural nail (dry fitting) before application.
Pre-formed type 2-A nail:
This is a clear nail with a lot of flexibility. Very easy to apply and sounds great. Can be used with or without fiberglass wrap. Because of the clarity and flexibility of this nail, application goes very quick.
The FX1 and FX2. (The Monster and Monster jr).
These are simply the widest and thickest pre-formed nails we could find. The FX1 makes a great thumbnail, and the FX2 makes an extremely strong nail for the fingers. No wrap needed with these nails. It's suggested that you use the "well" part of this nail to fit over your natural nail, and use the "non-well" part as free nail. (The "well" is the part of the pre-formed nail that is the thinner, curved part at the base of the nail). It's important that it fits the shape and contour of your natural nail before application. If you need to cut or bend it in order to pre-shape and match your natural nail, then you should do so. It should fit well and match your natural nail's shape when just laying on top of the natural nail (dry fiitting) before application.