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Hearing Loss and Ear Plugs
- Thread starter Boplicity
- Start date
I used to go along with that advice but due to having many ear infections (up to eight in one year) and plugged ears on a regular basis, I change my mind on following it.
After visiting my Dr. many times over many years for the same old treatment (and boy, was I in pain), I started using cotton swabs after showering (and only after showering) to take care of my cerumen problem. The warm water moistens the wax, making it easy to remove. I clean the my ears first and then very gently and slowly insert the cotton swab as far as it will go w/o putting any pressure on my ear drum, twirling it along the way. I do this several times with the same cotton swab. If you attempt this w/o showering the wax maybe be too hard and you may cause it to become impacted.
I started doing this after an ear flushing by my Dr. so I knew there wouldn't be any wax in my ear that would become impacted. It's been over 12 years since I've started this and I have not had one ear infection during this period. Now my ear plugs fit better and are more comfortable.
Proceed at your own risk.
guys,
I already use commercial ER-20s but still got tinnitus anyway, so I'm thinking about getting fitted ear plugs.
The company I've been to has 3 noise reduction sizes (-15dB, -20dB, -25dB), each at the same price (£180)
Do you think that's expensive? And any advice on which size to get?
We play pop/rock so we're loud but not "metal" loud
I already use commercial ER-20s but still got tinnitus anyway, so I'm thinking about getting fitted ear plugs.
The company I've been to has 3 noise reduction sizes (-15dB, -20dB, -25dB), each at the same price (£180)
Do you think that's expensive? And any advice on which size to get?
We play pop/rock so we're loud but not "metal" loud
I've found that when I've worn plugs before I miss out on some of the intensity of a gig, the sound can seem distant. The music I like - whether it be jazz, hip/hop, rock etc tends to be quite intense and, to me, just sounds better louder.
Are their sets of plugs that offer good protection without lowering the intensity of the sound?
Hope you guys understand what I mean...
Are their sets of plugs that offer good protection without lowering the intensity of the sound?
Hope you guys understand what I mean...
Sometimes I played drums and I ALWAYS wore huge sound mufflers - the type used by construction workers... so I was VERY SHOCKED to get a nasty Tinnitus attack that lasted a few weeks - I searched the internet for the best ear specialist in my area and got an appointment - it was the best $500 I ever spent.
First thing they do is give you an extensive audio test. Then they found I had "swimmers ear" - where the ear is infected and always leaking and feeling "wet" - I was embarrassed to say I had it for maybe 2 years and was always trying to "fix" it myself - so they delicately SUCKED out all the gook and puss out of my ear with a mini vacuum cleaner with a video camera on it - so you see everything on video - then they vacuum tested both ear drums to make sure they're not damaged - (both were fine) - then they gave me antibiotic drops to clean up the infection which I took for 2 weeks...
Low and behold my ears were totally restored to perfection again!!!
MORAL OF THE STORY: Tinnitus is not always permanent - it can sometimes be healed - if you move quickly and "listen" to what your ears are telling you.
MY THEORY: The ears ring like an alarm - that's them trying to fix themselves - this happens even when you have healthy ears and you spend time in a loud club - then you step out into the street - your ears are ringing - that's them telling you something is wrong and maybe trying to repair themselves... take it as a serious warning and give your ears some TLC - don't ignore the warning signs or suddenly you could lose it all.
P.S. NEVER allow a "doctor" to "flush" your ears... That's pure incompetence.
FINALLY - NEVER STICK THINGS IN YOUR EARS... YOU CAN'T FIX IT YOURSELF...
GO SEE A SPECIALIST... NOT A REGULAR DOCTOR...
You wouldn't take your Mercedes to a Ford guy to fix it... right?
First thing they do is give you an extensive audio test. Then they found I had "swimmers ear" - where the ear is infected and always leaking and feeling "wet" - I was embarrassed to say I had it for maybe 2 years and was always trying to "fix" it myself - so they delicately SUCKED out all the gook and puss out of my ear with a mini vacuum cleaner with a video camera on it - so you see everything on video - then they vacuum tested both ear drums to make sure they're not damaged - (both were fine) - then they gave me antibiotic drops to clean up the infection which I took for 2 weeks...
Low and behold my ears were totally restored to perfection again!!!
MORAL OF THE STORY: Tinnitus is not always permanent - it can sometimes be healed - if you move quickly and "listen" to what your ears are telling you.
MY THEORY: The ears ring like an alarm - that's them trying to fix themselves - this happens even when you have healthy ears and you spend time in a loud club - then you step out into the street - your ears are ringing - that's them telling you something is wrong and maybe trying to repair themselves... take it as a serious warning and give your ears some TLC - don't ignore the warning signs or suddenly you could lose it all.
P.S. NEVER allow a "doctor" to "flush" your ears... That's pure incompetence.
FINALLY - NEVER STICK THINGS IN YOUR EARS... YOU CAN'T FIX IT YOURSELF...
GO SEE A SPECIALIST... NOT A REGULAR DOCTOR...
You wouldn't take your Mercedes to a Ford guy to fix it... right?
I've had tinnitus since before I was physically capable of remembering otherwise... I am only 16 and only been playing 3 years, had it before I was even INTO music.
I have my thoughts that it may have been caused by an excessivly loud school disco when I was around 6 years old or something but I can't seem to remember being tinnitus free :s
I can say.. IT SUCKS. I can't sleep unless I have some sort of less-annoying sound to mask it
I have my thoughts that it may have been caused by an excessivly loud school disco when I was around 6 years old or something but I can't seem to remember being tinnitus free :s
I can say.. IT SUCKS. I can't sleep unless I have some sort of less-annoying sound to mask it
guys,
I already use commercial ER-20s but still got tinnitus anyway, so I'm thinking about getting fitted ear plugs.
The company I've been to has 3 noise reduction sizes (-15dB, -20dB, -25dB), each at the same price (£180)
Do you think that's expensive? And any advice on which size to get?
We play pop/rock so we're loud but not "metal" loud
The protection of your hearing is worth any amount of money in my opinion.
I am absolutely in love with my custom musician's ear plugs. They are one of the best investments I've ever made and I only wish that I had done so earlier. Not only does it make loud rehearsals tolerable, but I also think that they greatly improve the sconic quality of live shows. They not only take everything down in dB (relatively evenly), but they also take out all of the nasty room noise, reverberations, and painful high-end that seems to be so prevalent at rock concerts.
I bought custom i earplugs (25's) and they are GREAT!!! I bouth them at Sears (they had have a hearing aid center there) I should have done this years ago ... like a lot of others in this thread I have Tinitus and it sucks.... Your ears are IMPORTANT!!!! I'm the only one in my band who wears them ... It took less than a couple of hours to get used to them. I wear them when going to concerts or even when I use the leaf blower. They are very comfortable. I can't believe the others don't wear them. but in their mind they are jsut glorified deci-damps ... which I do admit muffles the sound quite a bit.
To those who think these are nothing more than glorified deci-damps you are WRONG!! The best way to describe them is like turning down the volume on your stereo. You still hear everything crystal clear .... just quieter.
If I lost mine, I would get another immediately ...even if they cost ten times the price. By the way, I only paid $225 Canadian for mine and my extended health covered it. So I got them for free in the end.
DO NOT BALK AT THE PRICE.... It is the single most important piece of gear you will ever own!!!!
To those who think these are nothing more than glorified deci-damps you are WRONG!! The best way to describe them is like turning down the volume on your stereo. You still hear everything crystal clear .... just quieter.
If I lost mine, I would get another immediately ...even if they cost ten times the price. By the way, I only paid $225 Canadian for mine and my extended health covered it. So I got them for free in the end.
DO NOT BALK AT THE PRICE.... It is the single most important piece of gear you will ever own!!!!
- Jan 11, 2008
- 1,373
- 155
- 45
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Aguilar, D'Addario
i always wear plugs, lately just the simple foam ones, after my last pair of the Etymotic Research ones died...
this thread reminds me that i need to get the custom ones... but, since i was about 16 i have always worn plugs, except for acoustic jazz gigs where i am playing at a level where i don't need an amp. as a recording engineer, i need to keep my ears healthy.
i second the q-tip right after the hot shower thing... that is what i do, and my ears are super clean, no wax build up, and no problems. just be CAREFUL... nothing bad will happen unless you are jabbing away at your sound hole.
john
this thread reminds me that i need to get the custom ones... but, since i was about 16 i have always worn plugs, except for acoustic jazz gigs where i am playing at a level where i don't need an amp. as a recording engineer, i need to keep my ears healthy.
i second the q-tip right after the hot shower thing... that is what i do, and my ears are super clean, no wax build up, and no problems. just be CAREFUL... nothing bad will happen unless you are jabbing away at your sound hole.
john
Great info guys,
My current band is blessed/cursed with a great guitar player..problem is he's deaf as a post and yet wears plugs during gigs !!??? problem is I stand next to him on stage and his onstage guitar volume is unbelievable..on top of that he does a lot of singing/backing vocals and being half deaf his monitor is cranked way up add in our female vocalist who has a voice that'd shatter glass and now I have a problem.
During some gigs the onstage volume between the two of em would be so loud to me it was physically painful (imagine sticking a knitting needle in your ear..) not good at all, so I picked up a set of "vater" plugs for myself and the difference is incredible..apparently they're designed for drummers/percussionist but they work very well for bassists
http://www.vater.com/newproducts/product.cfm?M=287
having said that though I've noticed on the last few gigs that near the end of the night my right ear is getting a wee bit sore (the side thats closest to our guitard..surprise surprise) so I'm definitely investing in a pair of custom plugs from an audiologist.
(on a side note..a lot of the time in my experience its not that the volume is particularly loud its more that certain frequencies are "painful"..in our guitards case he's not extremely loud its just his eq settings on his backline are all over the place so his "sound" has particular frequencies boosted which are bloody painful to my ears)
My current band is blessed/cursed with a great guitar player..problem is he's deaf as a post and yet wears plugs during gigs !!??? problem is I stand next to him on stage and his onstage guitar volume is unbelievable..on top of that he does a lot of singing/backing vocals and being half deaf his monitor is cranked way up add in our female vocalist who has a voice that'd shatter glass and now I have a problem.
During some gigs the onstage volume between the two of em would be so loud to me it was physically painful (imagine sticking a knitting needle in your ear..) not good at all, so I picked up a set of "vater" plugs for myself and the difference is incredible..apparently they're designed for drummers/percussionist but they work very well for bassists
http://www.vater.com/newproducts/product.cfm?M=287
having said that though I've noticed on the last few gigs that near the end of the night my right ear is getting a wee bit sore (the side thats closest to our guitard..surprise surprise) so I'm definitely investing in a pair of custom plugs from an audiologist.
(on a side note..a lot of the time in my experience its not that the volume is particularly loud its more that certain frequencies are "painful"..in our guitards case he's not extremely loud its just his eq settings on his backline are all over the place so his "sound" has particular frequencies boosted which are bloody painful to my ears)
Um, what Q-tip?!?
Awww Q-tips are the BEST! I like to put one in a cordless drill and really go to town.
I love my custom molded etymotic earplugs (I have several filters for varying attenuation). My dad and grandfather both started losing their hearing when they were around 60. No rock, just genes. Okay, they both worked in the family sawmill when they were young, but not later as their hearing went away.
I used to work the mills too, as well as a bunch of carpentry, plus the bass guitar, and I was pretty sure I'd be deaf earlier than they, so I bought the best plugs I could get.
They were worth every penny. I wouldn't use any other kind now.
It was mentioned about 4 times on the thread, but I'm gonna mention it again:
These earplugs help you hear your singing a LOT!!! I never ask for more of my vocals, but my bandmates have to have me turned up to hear it. Plus the bass response improves
These are the same phenomenon, which works fairly simply. The earplugs attenuate the volume at your ear, but you also hear a lot through your body's skeletal system. They conduct soundwaves. Because your ear turns soundwaves into nerve impulses via a set of bones, they pick up not just what's outside being transmitted through the ear drum, but what's inside too. Your voice is produced internally, so it vibrates bones on its way out, and the louder low frequencies observed with earplugs are the low vibrations that are passing through your flesh (whereas the higher frequencies are absorbed or reflected) and vibrating your bones, not related to your outer ear at all.
Can you tell I'm a biologist?
Worth every penny. Been using them for years ever since I had an "acoustic shift" one night in a very tiny club.
I have 40% loss in my left ear and 20% loss in my right with a huge loss at 6K. That's 35 years of standing near cymbals.
Get custom fitted earplugs before you buy another piece of gear.
Please.
I'm new to the forum but as an engineer on ships I work in some loud rooms. On engineroom was measured at 116 db. I have worn ear plug and headsets all the time for the past 20 years. I spend 8-12 hours a day in these conditions for six months a year. Then come home a play bass in a 6 piece band. We practice at low levels and most of us use in ear moniters when we can. Here is the good news. I have not suffered hearing loss. The use of ear plugs and playing smart has payed off. Anyone starting in bands should consider the suggestions offered here. It will save your hearing. I've said my piece to all who can still hear.
Hi, this is my first post on the forum and this is a topic that has concerned me over the last few months.
Im 16 and I've been playing in a band since I was 13 and now after practices I get ringing in my ears for about 3-4 days on the 4th day it is very very faint but still noticable. I've started wearing foam plugs which I prefer because i hate the high pitch frequency from the cymbals at full wack in my ears.
But my question is this are foam plugs advisable as I can say now I will not be getting custom ear plugs as I just can't afford it
Thanks
Dave
Im 16 and I've been playing in a band since I was 13 and now after practices I get ringing in my ears for about 3-4 days on the 4th day it is very very faint but still noticable. I've started wearing foam plugs which I prefer because i hate the high pitch frequency from the cymbals at full wack in my ears.
But my question is this are foam plugs advisable as I can say now I will not be getting custom ear plugs as I just can't afford it
Thanks
Dave
