Fingerpicking and Fingernails!!

I like to fingerpick on my acoustic but have stopped and went to the flatpick several times because I just cannot stand trying to keep my fingernails at the length they need to be to get a good sound. I have tried fingerpicks....They were so different that I gave up on them. To curved and they grabbed the strings. Anybody have any suggestions on a good fingerpick? Or how I might better overcome this problem? Anybody else given up on fingerpicking because of this problem?

Given up on fingerpicking...no. But I have given up on growing my nails. Besides the maintenance, it just feels gross to me. And yeah, I've briefly tried thumbpicks without being enthused (however some players use them to great effect like Antoine DuFour). So I'm just using the actual fingertips. Of course I do sacrifice the tone, but oh well, I'm surviving. For classical players who absolutely need nails, but have some issue (brittle nails or whatever) they resort to women's glue-ons that are shaped and trimmed to their needs. I've even heard of a player who makes his own "nails" by cutting up ping pong balls as they are cheap, give good tone, and are semi flexible.

I fingerpick exclusively, acoustic and electric, and I don't grow my nails too long - just a little bit longer than usual (you probably wouldn't notice unless you looked closely), and only on the index finger and middle finger of my right hand (I don't use my thumbnail, just the actual thumb itself). You don't need to go the whole nine yards with growing your nails - just allow them to get a teensy bit of extra length to make picking that little bit easier (and they're easier to keep clean this way).

Check out this guy's fingernails. Besides fingerpicking, he might get a shot in the next Dracula movie!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2BOApUvFpw

I don't play fingerstyle very often any more, but when I played classical I never grew my nails - just used the meat of my fingers / thumb instead. I do the same thing hybrid picking on my acoustic. I sometimes use the faces of my nails for a percusive sound and kinda flick the strings with a downstroke instead of plucking them...

You could always use finger picks for , well, finger picking. I hope this is of any help.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/home/navigation?d=tp&q=finger+picks&src=00630

I finger pick a lot, but on my classical I actually prefer the sound of just using my fingertips :o

Hi, I just use my thumbtip (if it's a word) and my fingernails. it is hard to do the fast notes, but hey! just stick to songs without them.

A7X ROCK ON!!! Beast and the Harlot! :D