I have so far found nothing about Perez except that he published a 1843 method in both Spanish and French. Unexpectedly, this method turned out to be one of the most interesting nineteenth-century sources about no-nail playing that I’ve read. First, Perez gives a sense of the debate between the nail and flesh camps, then secondly — and very unusually — Perez gives details about the mechanics of plucking the strings without nails. (He also twice states preference for thicker strings, which is something I also prefer without nails.)
‘There is a big and serious question among guitarists about whether you must play with or without nails, ever since Fernando Sor decided to play with the fingertips. Each alleges his reasons and there are very respectable authorities in both parties. The first to disagree are Sor and Aguado, both considered as the originators of the instruments and extraordinary geniuses each in their own way; both have an infinite number of supporters attached to their opinions.
‘For my part, in agreement with Sor, I am of the opinion that it should be played without nails, using the strings a little thicker than usual. After all, we have the example of the harp that produces such sweet results; the piano for which, the softer the hammers, the better the quality of the tone; and countless others that would take too long to cite.
‘The tone produced by the nail is very weak, resulting in a shrill tone whenever it is played hard, while the tip of the finger, with a slightly thicker string, gives greater energy and sonority, being able to reach the extreme sweetness whenever desired.
[…]
‘The way to pluck the string without nails is to place your finger so that it touches with the fingertip, and then pull with some force in an oblique direction towards the upper part of the guitar and the soundboard, so that the string rotates on the fingertip before it begins to vibrate. The thumb should be struck in a perpendicular direction on the top, and all who adopt this mode of pressing will produce a better tone.’1
- José Jesus Perez, Metodo de guitarra (1843), p. 3. ↩︎
No-Nail Guitar 
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