Tiptonic Fingernails - Page 2

Steadfastly · #16 03-20-2018, 01:06 AM

There was a discussion on another forum and some had problems with the adhesive adversely affecting their nails. If you are worried about that, something like Alaska Picks might suit you better.

JayBee1404 · #17 03-20-2018, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

I am so mad at myself for waiting so long to get my acrylics. $12 every 3 weeks and I don’t have to worry about Alaska Piks falling off, Propiks making scratchy noises on the wound strings, etc. I keep my acrylics so short that no one ever notices they are not my own.

Exactly what I used to do, Jim. Worked fine for eight or nine years, until I started to get pain from my nail-beds when playing. My nail-tech soaked the acrylics off and told me my natural nails had thinned and softened to a point where acrylics were no longer suitable or appropriate. That was a couple of years ago, maybe three - I've used Propik Fingertones (the ones with the 'hole' for the finger-pad) ever since, no 'scratchy noises' (those are down to technique, IMHO), nice tone from the ability of the finger-pad to contact the string, tons of volume.

Would I go back to acrylics? You bet, if my natural nails could stand them. But, sadly, I don't believe they will, so my £10 ($14) investment continues to serve me well.

mercy · #18 03-20-2018, 08:07 AM

Ive mentioned Rico nails over the years which is the same concept but cheaper. In fact Ive found a way for them to be even cheaper by buying the nails at a pharmacy instead of from Rico and the glue (glue dots) at a hobby shop instead of from Rico. Different nails will give different sounds but basically the thicker the nail the thicker the sound.
The price, look and sound are what Tiptonic I dont like, the sound is too thick. With pharmacy nails you cant tell from a distance that they arent real and you cant tell from the sound that they arent real. Anyway same idea, put them on when you want to play, just like any finger pick, and take them off when youre done. They will last several weeks before the adhesive wears out.
Different adhesive brands work different for strength and longevity. They need no activator which is suspect is just a heating unit.

JimmerO · #19 06-04-2018, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Exactly what I used to do, Jim. Worked fine for eight or nine years, until I started to get pain from my nail-beds when playing. My nail-tech soaked the acrylics off and told me my natural nails had thinned and softened to a point where acrylics were no longer suitable or appropriate. That was a couple of years ago, maybe three - I've used Propik Fingertones (the ones with the 'hole' for the finger-pad) ever since, no 'scratchy noises' (those are down to technique, IMHO), nice tone from the ability of the finger-pad to contact the string, tons of volume.

Would I go back to acrylics? You bet, if my natural nails could stand them. But, sadly, I don't believe they will, so my £10 ($14) investment continues to serve me well.

These ProPik finger picks look interesting. I was thinking about trying them out and they sell them in Medium and Large sizes but with no explanation or specifications for size.

Has anyone used them who has a feel for the difference in size?

bdsandy · #20 07-11-2018, 02:05 PM

I decided to break down and give the tiptonic fingernail picks a try. The initial cost is kind of scary, but the amount I have spent on guitars, saddles, nuts and fossil ivory pins, what the heck!! I got them a little over two weeks ago and so far I really like them. I have tried jars full of finger picks, acrylics, gel nails, gluing nails on, ping pong ball cut outs under the nail and these seem to have the most potential. I like the acrylics, but get tired of fills and the sound change after I have had to file my nails a few times ( the layer over the end of the nail gets filled down). I also didn't like that my nail beds were shot when I decided to stop using the acrylic or gel nail. Seems I can smooth these nails down more than the acrylic. I really like the bright sound of dunlop plastic pics, but find them a bit cumbersome, and I like the feel and ease of the Alaska picks, but cant get them as bright as I would like. The tiptonics fall more toward the Alaska pick side...a little heavier than I would like, but have been experimenting with thinning them down a little and buffing them. Britt West at the company has been very helpfull in my eperimenting. In most of the videos I have seen on line, the nails don't seem to be the right size. It is critical to get the right size so the natural nail slides into the groove at the playing end, as this helps hold it down. They have different curves as well so the end of the nail fits properly. The glue holds great...no movement and comes off easily. I hope the glue lasts the 2 months or more...so far so good. I think I will order the longer style and thin down more...may find in gets to "clicky" sounding, but I will post a follow up.

jaymarsch · #21 07-11-2018, 02:18 PM

Sounds promising. Thanks for the update. It is nice that the company is working with you. These kinds of things are almost never a right out of the box solution. I hope that you are able to dial it in to your satisfaction.

Best,
Jayne

srick · #22 07-11-2018, 02:39 PM

BD- thanks so much for taking the plunge! I have been tempted for the exact same reasons, but have been hesitant to pull the trigger. You may have helped change my mind.

FWIW, my experiences with fingerpicks have been very similar, but I have never gone the acrylic route for all of the reasons you mention.

best,

Rick

brancher · #23 07-11-2018, 02:57 PM

Thanks, BD

I just read the site. I like that they include 9 nails per finger (if I understand correctly).

bdsandy · #24 07-13-2018, 11:06 AM

they send 3 of different curves or shapes for the size you think it is from the sizing chart and the size larger and smaller to be sure you are getting the best fit. I never thought of how many different possibilities there could be!!

Daddyo · #25 05-27-2020, 07:52 AM

Thread resurrection

Any updates?
I see Tiptonic now sells much cheaper start-up kits and even individual nails.

mercy · #26 05-27-2020, 08:54 AM

I dont care if its down to $100 Im not going to spend that just to try them out. A person would have to be desperate to do that. And as I said above, the Rico system does almost the same thing at a fraction of the cost from local stores or Amazon. They dont work for Rasgueado though I dont use that technique so mute point.

Matt G · #27 05-27-2020, 08:57 AM

Doug Young recently posted a YouTube review of TipTonic nails.

I haven't tried them. Metal fingerpicks work well enough for me. Plus I dabble in Dobro, so I use metal fingerpicks anyhow.

bdsandy · #28 05-28-2020, 10:29 AM

I have now tried the tip tonics for a year. I like the shorter length and see that the web site now has sampler kits starting at $29 to try them out, so you're not out $150 if you don't like them. They also offer replacement glue so you can use the same picks over and over, which is a big plus because I had spent a fair amount of time shaping and sanding to get just what I wanted. I also see you can use them with a one time use glue patch so you don't have to buy the little heating pad to warm the glue. I don't know how well those hold, but the heated ones hold well and last me about a month. I still use my Alaska pics for short play periods, but use the tip tonics if I know I will be playing for longer periods. Now that they have the replacement glue kits, I may use more as I didn't want to use the glue up on 15 minutes of playing and then taking off for re use.