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Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs

#562
For people asking if foam earplugs (that of course muffle the music beyond belief) will provide similar protection to custom ones, the answer is "yes, as long as the noise-reduction rating is reasonably high, and 'reasonably high' depends on how loud your band plays." If you are really into researching this issue, for a few bucks you can get a dB-meter: It will tell you how loud things are getting. But please get customs, b/c you are bound to tear those foam el-cheapos out of your ears soon enough out of sheer disgust with the low-fi experience you are hating. People don't think that they'll do that, but you'll surprised how many, especially after getting high on the music, some woman/man/whatever. Those custom lil' guys cost ~ $170-200 USD. They last a very long time, as long as you keep them clean (the brochure will tell you how; it's very easy). And they are worth your entire bass collection but--what a deal--they cost about as much as a Rondo w/shipping. DO IT!
 
#564
You need to really push hard and deep to cause problems, but don't force in ear plugs if they don't naturally slip into the ear canal.

Another thing worth mentioning is that it's best to insert the earplugs in good time before going up on stage, I usually put them in one hour earlier. This is for many reasons, if you put them in just in the last minute you are not yet used to the different hearing experience. Also, worth protecting the ears in case the club is noisy, anyway.

And don't take them out/in/out/in all the time -- just keep them in place, after a while it's very natural to even talk to others while keeping the ear plugs in place. --Kent

PS: One more thing... If you have dirty ears and you push in earplugs time after time, you will get more and more ear wax pushed into the canal. Hence it's good to clean the ears as well as the ear plugs from time to time.

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#565
ksdandvik is 100% right. While different ears manufacture cerumen (ear-"wax") @ different rates, in normal, open-ear life, the stuff flakes OUT of your ear canal in the majority of cases. Frequent necessary use of ear-plugs will impact the wax and over time, it will become "audible." So do yourself a favour, and unlike most people (especially men), get yourself a primary-care physician and go in for routine check-ups. S/he will tell you how often "routine" should be in your case. Paranoid or not, don't get on the doc's bad side (it shouldn't be that way in a perfect world, but you're just dealing with a human being) by showing up every day, unless you have daily mini-emergencies that don't qualify for the ER.

Anyways, if your doc somehow forgets, just pleasantly request that s/he check your ears (with an otoscope--painless unless you've got an infection) for wax impaction. You'll usually know ahead of time, b/c things will sound muffled, more or less depending on the degree of impaction. If you've got a "wax-plug" in there, the doc has a nice kit to make your ear/s as clean as a whistle.

DO NOT try cleaning your ears with cotton swabs. Yeah, yeah, everybody knows that, but almost everybody does it anyhow. The last thing you want is a punctured ear-drum. Leave it to the pros; that's what they're there for.
 
#566
I like the etymotics but because of my ear shape, they stick out and are more noticeable than on most people.

I decided to try these Alpines tho they are more expensive, I think they work fine and are smaller and fit better. I use the heaviest filter and still hear a good balanced sound. I think I actually hear better because all the harsh upper mids are cut back.

Anyone else try them?

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#567
A word about my experiences with custom and foam plugs:

I have owned a pair of the custom-made 25db plugs. I didn't feel safe wearing them because they didn't cut enough bass or treble. Yes, they give a more "natural" response, but if you are in a very loud club environment for long periods of time, you can probably stand to do better than 25db. The 29db foam plugs are the only thing I feel safe wearing in that environment. They roll off a lot of bass and a lot of treble, and that feels a lot more comfortable in that environment. For just jamming with my buddies at a moderate rock band volume with no auxiliary amplification, the custom plugs were wonderful.
 
#570
Kimpini said:
I agree I have not been playing for that long but the two guitarists insist on turning it up when one of them is queiter than the other.

What king of earphones are the best?
Click to expand...

To start with, got to the nearest Guitar Center and pick up a set of $15 Hearos, ASAP, and then read the thread about all kinds of other solutions, most of them more expensive. But you need to start protecting your ears like yesterday. --Kent
 
#572
megadan said:
Ok, this is a really stupid question, I know. But I'm the paranoid type.

Is it possible to damage your ear (physically) by using or misusing an earplug? I mean, inserting them too far or improperly; I find with the Hearos that they sometimes 'pop' loose and I have to push them back in.
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Custom made plugs are fitted to your ear canal, and since most peoples ear canal has a slight bend in it you need to (sort of) screw them in. I've never had a problem with mine falling out and it's basically impossible to push them in too far as well. Actually getting them out seems to be the problem sometimes.
 
#576
Ear plugs WHAT lol I would say they are a very good Idea, Along with the OP my band did the same thing, two Marshal full stacks, I had two Svt 8x10's, along with a loud heavy hitting drummer. We played excessively loud once our songs were tight, at practice and at clubs. I wish I used earplugs. I even tried them later down the road, but could not get used to them after going so long with out them. I read earlier somewhere in this thread a guy would put them in a hour before hand to adjust, I wish I would of tried that back then. I might suggest START OUT USING THEM FROM THE GET GO so it is not a big adjustment. Now I have damage to my ears not as bad as the OP no ringing, but pretty bad and I have to crank up my tv to hear it. What is now considered loud to me is over the top to the normal hearing folks.:bawl:
 
#577
I have tinnitus from a surgery on my jaw. An unfortunate and not very common side effect to the surgery. I have ringing 24/7, but from what I hear from others, mine is not as bad as most, I would say I only notice it about half the time. As a result, anything above low levels of noise sets my ears off for days (ie if there are no drums, I'm ok, but even our quiet hitting jazz drummer makes my ears buzz). I use foam plugs now, but luckily I am getting custom plugs from my audiologist, both for music and to keep my ears safe while surfing. I recommend plugs to all, it is the best musical investment you will make.
 
#579
sikblades said:
I have a pair of the custom molded earplugs and use them all of the time. And not just when I'm playing. They are great when you go to see other bands or are in very loud clubs.

The custom formed ones are very small and fit far inside the ear. They are hardly visible from the outside, and are neutral in color so they handle the "don't look cool" problem.

They do take a little getting used to, but are well worth the money and time to protect yourself.
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I have a custom set as well. Instruments and amps come and go, these plugs will be with me for a looooooong time (over 10 years so far). They have removable 15 and 25dB filters. They seem pretty flat to my ears.

I had them fitted by an audiologist. They are from Westone and I highly recommend them (I've tried all the other cheapies... save your money)

http://www.westone.com/index.php?load=content&page=index&page_id=190

I use them for gigs and going to concerts.
 

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