Musicians and tinnitus. Ear protection

[Razman]

Anyone use Earasers?

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:scowl: Ok, maybe I could have done a search here first, but I just saw this thread so I asked anyway.

Eric

 

[higain617]

I recommend ER20 ear plugs. For the price, they can't be beat. I wish I had discovered them years ago. My hearing would be better now.

 

[Aladinsane1969]

I'm 45 now. I first acquired tinnitus at around age 16 or 17, when I went to see Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon" show in NYC. It was my first concert and I got to leave with a reminder of it for the rest of my life.
I didn't know about tinnitus or wearing earplugs then.

From the age of 19 I became an avid motorcycle rider. I crossed the U.S. 4 times and rode from California to Alaska on 1 (amazing) trip. All of the road noise from going at high speeds aggravated my tinnitus.

Playing in bands, seeing live shows, etc. has further aggravated it to where now I have a VERY loud ringing, especially in my right ear and ringing in my left ear as well..
However, I suffer no hearing loss (according to my hearing tests). I just have the constant ringing in my ears.
To be honest, I just don't think about it. It's rarely an issue. It sucks, and I wish it wasn't so, but on a conscious level, it doesn't bother me.

I've often wondered, however, if it affects me on an subconscious level. Meaning, my world is never silent. When I'm in a quiet room, asleep, meditating etc, my brain and body are constantly subjected to this noise. Does it affect my sleep? Is this why I wake up feeling tired most times?

I wonder.

I'm 44, and I'm the exact same boat you are, for what sounds like a lot of the same reasons. Like you, my hearing tests out fine, but I have the constant ringing, which will occasionally get REALLY bad for a few minutes at a time. Luckily, the other members of the band I'm in now are cool and willing to keep the volume at an acceptable level during practices, as wearing earplugs—even these—makes it really hard for me to hear what I'm playing: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[coronado3]

I have it... It sucks, but trust me a noise machine definitely helps the sleep issue. I have one from sharper image that has a sound called summer night - sounds like crickets chirping. Now when I hear real crickets, I get sleepy.
Protect yourself with plugs in any loud environment. Mowing, shooting, jamming, etc.
Also you'll find that because all of the harsh highs are tamed by your plugs, that everything sounds warmer and better imo

 

[adivin]

I have custom molded ear plugs but I just can't get comfortable singing with the damn things in. My right ear has started feeling strange .

 

[David Jayne]

Uhmm.. I'm 16. Should I be worried about this?

If you stand right next to a drum set in a rock band, yes. Every time you leave a gig or rehearsal with your ears ringing or worse, 'hot' ears you've done permanent damage.
As stated, it's not the gradual hearing loss that gets ya, it's the sudden, unexpected tinnitus. It's brutal. My friend simultaneously developed it in one ear, and a distorted 'buzzing' in his other whenever low frequencies are present. He's a bassist. Yeah, it sucks.

 

[sbass traveller]

Hi everybody,

I'm 26, I've been playing since I was 13 and I started wearing earplugs 6 years ago. Unfortunately we all figure out how ear damage is important after our first big acoustic trauma.

I have tinnutus, not very bad but I think is bad enough.

I advise you to not use in ear monitors, because the presence of a constant noise (like a drum kick) can cause tinnitus as well.

Best thing to do is to have a reasonable volume at stage (let the PA do the Job for the audience) and wear custom earplugs.

Here in Europe the pianissimo -25db are quite popular and I can recommend them to everybody, the sound is actually the same (linear reduction) but 25db quieter.

Best weapon is prevention, wear the earplugs any time you play.

There is no replacement to your ears and there is no best piece of gear than them.

Cheers,

Mauro

I'm only a year older than this dude at the time of that post and my right ear is pretty messed. I've had ear troubles my whole life, so it was easy to dismiss for a while, but now my right ear is definitely noticeably bad compared to my left one... I always stand on the left of the drummer and I've felt the brass of the drums hurt my ear on occasion. Lately, I've realized that all those "meh, whatever, I'll wear plugs next time" or "I forgot my plugs, it's fine..." isn't worth it.

TL/DR: Wear plugs (at least in a small rehearsal room and on the drummer side) and your ears will thank you for it (/your family or gf/bf will instead of you saying "WHAT?!?!?" all the time... 27 and it's happening to me...

Also, as a side note, JMJ, you're an inspiration. Not only as an amazing bass player with your own unique styles and approaches, but as a Justin. These days... it's hard to be a Justin (the Beeb word not being used here...). Thanks for posting here and being awesome.