do you use earplugs during a gig?

[Jefenator]

IME the simple foam plugs are good for shooting or riding a motorcycle, not so great for playing music. (But if a certain drummer is involved and I forgot my good plugs, I'll take that over nothing.)

I opted for the 15dB filters when I got my custom plugs. That seems to work fine, most of the time. Might not be a bad idea to invest in the 25dB filters to pop in when I know things are going to get stoopid loud.

 

[bassbrock]

I like the Etymotic ear plugs, they just lower the volume while letting things sound the same. No dulling of sound like the foam earplugs:

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[treekiller]

I use custom fitted plugs with changeable filters. While the initial cost was about $160.00, it's worth every penny. They are comfortable & I can still hear everything well, although some of the lower freq can be harder to discern at times. I had to play next to a Marshall 1/2 stack and my ears would still be ringing 2 days later. I will never play again without them!!!

 

[mongo2]

Yes, I use earplugs when gigging, and when rehearsing with a full band too. I've done so since the '70s.

 

[MyWifeBoris]

I don't. I'm young, I don't have to worry about deafness setting in for years.

 

[Jim Carr]

I should but I never could get used to the feeling of detachment I got.

Try severe premanent hearing loss for detachment, my friend.

 

[Muaguana]

Get used to them. End of story. Always hated earplugs, wouldn't wear em, when I saw my hearing was starting to get affected I wore ones that I could still hear the music through, and now I lost even more hearing. and the tinnitus is unfreaking believable. Lots of us have tinnitus, I lived with it for years but trust me you have no clue how bad the ringing can get. A mild constant ringing was something I was able to live with. Now if a siren passes me on the street (which happens all the time in NY), or any other loud noise surprises me, I have to live with days of screaming ringing in my ears. A flute and piano concert, in a church, with my ears stuffed w toilet paper was enough to set it off. Music is a completely different thing for me these days, and I had to work hard at getting used to it with what my hearing does to me now. If I'm listening to a mix in a studio now I always have to tell them to lower the volume... :/

Earplugs can be gotten used to. If you don't, you may have no choice in what you have to get used to. And a final note, loss of hearing and bad tinnitus doesn't just mean you can't hear things as well (like if you just turn it up it will be fine). All kinds of crazy stuff goes on and you can't turn it up cuz the ringing gets louder. So you're basically f*** ed.

Wear earplugs.

+a bunch. I started to develop tinnitus in my left ear and have been trying different ear plugs over the years. I'm going to an audiologist in the next couple of weeks to get some custom-molded ones, since none of the Hearos plugs were great at protecting my hearing.

 

[kesslari]

I keep a pair of Etymotics in my gig bag, for rehearsals and gigs.
At gigs I tend to put them in my pocket, and sometimes forget to put them back in the gig bag for a few days.
So I've also got a set of Hearos in my amp gig bag - they're my backups (I'd stick with one brand but bought them at different times).
Plus I keep a container of foam plugs in the glove box in the car, in case I show up at a club spontaneously.

I not only use them, I've got backup...

Losing my hearing, or developing the kind of tinnitus that Joe describes, would simply and truly suck.

Playing music with hearing protection is like using condoms if you're sexually active with multiple partners - sex with a condom may not be *as* great as sex without, but it's still pretty great, and beats heck out of contracting a life-threatening illness from sex without (or abstaining)...

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

two things make me openly weep:
unexplainable hand and wrist pain
ringing/whistling in my ears.

both are signs that my career won't be quite as long and illustrious as i'd like it to be.

stretch before playing, and wear earplugs, dammit!!


as a slight off-topic: stretching works. years of scientific research prove this. for the argument of "lions don't stretch before they take down a gazelle", i tell you that lions and most large beasts have a greater supply of oxygen to their muscles than humans, so they don't need to stretch. so suck on that!

 

[David1234]

I wear Hearos for gigs and have a spare set in my gig bag. Additionally, I usually take them to movies (usually I don't need them after the ads at the beginning, and sometimes I don't need them at all, but some cinemas are way louder than I like) and use either Hearos or foam plugs when mowing my lawn. I've already taken a tiny bit of hearing damage from loud music and don't want to take any more. I want to be able to hear conversations when I'm old!

True, the sound of Hearo's takes getting used to. It's hifi but ... it's like hearing a good stereo system instead of actually being in the room. Still, I'm used to them now and while playing I can pitch backing vocals better with them than without.

 

[duff beer]

Earplugs can be gotten used to. If you don't, you may have no choice in what you have to get used to.

No one is ever sorry that they used ear plugs, but there are a LOT of people sorry they didn't or that they started using them too late.

I have very mild tinnitus and now wear custom fit ones (about $200). Event though my tinnitus is very mild, I would pay 10 times that to be rid of it. I can't imagine having a severe case. My earplugs are with me at all times and are used all the time.

 

[ERIC31]

I ALWAYS wear earplugs when at practice and at gigs!! Protect your hearing or you will lose it completely someday!!!

 

[JohnnyC]

I alway setup stage left and I wear an earplug in my right ear only. I also set my monitor up angled in from the left side so I can hear everything I need to with my left ear.

 

[John Swartz]

I often wear them at practice because the room is small and even when the drummer plays quietly, it's loud. At gigs I can usually do without them since I'm not standing as close to the drums and there's a bit more room for sound dispersement. I have a harder time singing with plugs - can't hear my vocals well enough in the monitors.

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned is to keep your stage volume as low as possible. When you mic your amps, turn them down and let the soundman control the volume out the mains. That's not to say you shouldn't wear plugs, but I think a lot of folks (and I'll pick on guitar players at the main culprits) want their amps turned up to 11 and there's a natural tendency when one guy turns up everyone else turns up.

John

 

[Billnc]

I often wear them at practice because the room is small and even when the drummer plays quietly, it's loud. At gigs I can usually do without them since I'm not standing as close to the drums and there's a bit more room for sound dispersement. I have a harder time singing with plugs - can't hear my vocals well enough in the monitors.

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned is to keep your stage volume as low as possible. When you mic your amps, turn them down and let the soundman control the volume out the mains. That's not to say you shouldn't wear plugs, but I think a lot of folks (and I'll pick on guitar players at the main culprits) want their amps turned up to 11 and there's a natural tendency when one guy turns up everyone else turns up.

John

Seriously if I ever put together a project the guitar player would have to play an arctop or other feed back monster, or better yet no guitar. I'm tired of having to turn up louder than I want to, to hear myself over a musician ACROSS the stage. I've NEVER asked for guitar in the monitor! I've mostly played in trios and the guitar players put the amp up to their ears, whine about tone and still have the drummer and bassplayer begging to get the damn thing (gtr amp) away from them.

 

[lokikallas]

I got a pair of molded, flat frequency earplugs about 15 years ago. They have none of the tone coloration of the foam and are better than the cheaper "flat frequency" ones you can get without a doctor. You can buy various filters that reduce the volume by 15, 20, or 25db. I used to use the 20db, but I recently changed to 15db. They cost about 150$ plus the 30$ copay for the appointment with the audiologist. Its' the same process as the in ear molded monitors. Almost any audiologist can fit you for and even order these for you. Look at it this way, how much have you spent on your bass, your cab, hell even strings! What's 200$ for the ability to hear yourself and the rest of the band without the headaches, ringing, and general deafness. These things paid for themselves years ago. They are molded so you can wear them for hours. They are flesh colored so you don't have neon orange crap in your ears. I wear them at rehearsals, shows, and any concerts I attend. Just call up any local audiologist. Schedule a hearing test while your at it. End of story.

 

[JazznFunk]

Let's see... After my first-ever jam session in high school with some friends who played so loud in a small room that one high bent note on the guitar made it feel like someone stabbed me in the ear, I swore I'd never gig or rehearse in ANY band without earplugs... sometimes even my acoustic jazz trio! I keep earplugs in my car, my lunch box for work, all of my gig bags, and all of my supply bags for gigs. And those are just the foam ones. I use Hearos Hi-Fi plugs for live work and simply cannot gig without them. Sometimes, depending on the band, I have to go to foam plugs to function because the Hearos can only block out so much. I am very sensitive to mid and high frequency sounds, even at lower volumes and must wear plugs even for setting up and sound checking. It's saved my arse a few times too when a sound engineer or guitarist gets crazy with feedback/hot mics. Thankfully my protective nature over my hearing has paid off. I have as close to full-range hearing as one can have at 30 years old and I intend to keep it that way. I have found that as a musician you have to be diligent about protecting your hearing OFF stage as much as on. If there's ever a chance you may find yourself in a situation where your hearing could be damaged, keep a set of plugs on you. I take them to the movies and to shows all the time because, well, they're too dang loud.

 

[Staccato]

You should adopt the following attitude...

If you don't protect them-often, it's not a matter of whether you will experience permanent hearing problems, but when!

 

[SuperFineLin9]

Ive been using Hearos for a few years now. Im about to buy them in bulk because I loose them so often.
Gigging with them was a tad hard at first. Sometimes I couldn't Really hear myself but I could feel the bass I made.
So after some practice I learned to tune against the rest of the group with the bass I feel.
I am not sure if that makes any sense at all

 

[walterw]

impossible for me to sing with ear plugs.

Never

I should but I never could get used to the feeling of detachment I got.

I don't. I'm young, I don't have to worry about deafness setting in for years.

you guys should google "tinnitus + suicide" and get back to us.

the foam thingies were always way too much for me; i even tried cutting one in half, but it still killed way too much. those things are made for running a chainsaw, not playing music.

i always liked cotton for bass playing; it kills more highs along with the volume, allowing me to actually hear my lows and the kick drum better.

in-ear monitors done right are a wonder; they can bring the volume of everything way down, but still let you create a mix of whatever you want, so you can hear perfectly, but with no damage.