On tone, response and durability
Filing your nails is the first step to adjusting tone and response. When you file your nails, make sure to file the fingernail to remove any hooking or downward tendencies of the nail. especially on the thumb side of the nail. By doing so, will allow the finger and nail to glide off the string without the nail catching or prematurely hitting the left (thumb) side of the nail. End result will be better response, playability, and crisper highs. It's best to start filing while the nail is still a bit longer than desired to get the proper flat plane, then file for length. After you experiment along these lines for a while, you can actually adjust your tone a bit by adjusting slightly one way or the other how you file. Another thing to keep in mind is that removing or adding material (glue, wrap, natural nail, etc.) can effect your tone. If you get nail glue under your nail, or have excess natural nail, it can be tapered or removed with a rotary nail file (highly recommended) and an under the nail bit. This reduces bulk and will add highs to your tone. Another thing to keep in mind for proper feel, is that if you get any "tenting", it will dull your tone. It's ok that the nail slopes at the sides, but make sure that when you apply the nail, that you follow the contour of the top of the nail wth no gaps at the tip.
Always file the tip of the nail so that it has a blunt edge when you're done filing. As a last step, use a fine grit file or sandpaper, and blunt the edge at the tip of the nail. Then burnish the nail, again flush at the tip, with the back of our sandpaper or any smooth cardboard.This will make the nail more durable, and less likely to crack or chip.
A major benefit you get from using our nails is that you can adjust the tone and feel after application. You can take a nail that you just applied that doesn't sound so good, or just sounds OK, and make that nail sound great! You can do so by bending the nail into different configurations. Experiment. If you want more highs, try bending down the nail a bit, or just bend down toward the pinky side of the nail. Bend at the base of the nail, or just the tip of the nail. Bend up just the thumb side of the nail so that the middle of the nail will contact the string first, or file just a bit of the "left corner" off. This will add highs to your tone. How you adjust your nail depends a lot on how it was first applied, and how it has "set". You can bend a lot, or just a little bit of the nail. Notice the different feel and tone you get by bending different areas of the nail. Be observant, try different combinations. For more clarity and volume you can also flatten out the nail so that it is straighter. This is because the string will contact the nail fuller with not as much edge first. This can add clarity, fullness and diversity to your tone by compensating for a too steep angle. To do this, you can either use some small needle nose pliers, or the easiest way is by using your teeth. The whole idea is to straighten the nail out a bit, and create a little "step" so that the string hits the nail straighter with less edge first. After that, feel free to adjust the nail as necessary by bending different parts of the nail. It's best to adjust our pre-formed nails right after application, and after 1 layer of silk wrap has beed added. Our n-Butyl cyanoacrylate glue works really well for this. Standard nail glues also work fine, with a bit diffferent result. After just a little experience, you'll have a much better understanding of the anatomy of tone as it relates to the angle and shape of the nail, and will know exactly how to shape it in order to get the sound you want.
If you have too thin of a sound, the first technique you should use to remedy this is by adding glue at the front tip of the nail where the GuitarPlayerNail and the natural nail meet underneath. Fill in any small gap that may be there. To do this, cut a pipette at a bit of an angle, (like a syringe needle), and then backfill at the border under the nail where they meet. Make sure there's glue in the stem of the pipette before application, and only apply a minute amount. If you do apply too much glue, this is a great time to have a rotary nail file with an under the nail bit, as you can remove any excess glue, and clean up under the nail in just a few seconds. You can also use the tip of an emery board file. If your sound is still too thin, you can add some glue and silk wrap (or glue alone) to the top of the nail, and then spray with some nail glue dryer. (You can do this without any nail glue dryer, but it can take a little longer for the glue to dry compared to using the dryer).
Of course the most important aspect of the thumb is to have a good "left corner", as this is the prominent area of the thumbnail that strikes the string. When applying a thumbnail make sure to apply it so that it covers the left side of the nail plate fully. You should also get the best results by applying the thumbnail straight, following the contour of the nail. (No tenting in the middle).Then, with guitar in hand, carefully file the left side until you get that perfect sound and feel.
