i like tictacs
10-25-2004, 04:39 PM
It has come to my realization...that there are just too many people playing too loud for too long and not knowing what they are doing to themselves. I was born with lousy ears to begin with. I have tinnitus now due to exposure to loud sounds over a short period of time. I went trap shooting with a 22 and didn't wear earplugs. What is tinnitus you ask? A high pitched riging in my ears 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. it never goes away. Well you are probably asking...that was a shotgun! I play guitar for god sakes. Well if any of you are in a band, you probably are with a drummer, not too far away. The snare drum and similar impulse noises are extremely damaging to your hearing after long exposure. The same goes for concert environments and distorted high frequency electric guitars. I have to wear ear plugs at concerts, band rehearsals...etc. Sure it may not be cool. But once you have tinnitus/hearing loss, you can't go back and fix it. There is no treatment or cure for either one.
And since a musicians most valuable tool are his ears and hearing, why not take the effort to protect them? I've even been in a damn guitar center with people playing so loud that the employees and others were walking around with their fingers in their ears. turn down! you don't need to play so loud to have a good time. Wearing earplugs may not be "so cool" or nerdy, but whatever, you should protect your ears at all costs. One concert a month probably won't do anything. But gigging with a drummer (IMO drummers should wear them all the time while playing at full strength/loudness), full PA and stage monitors behind you once a week is going to do some damage.
so moral of the post: turn it down or wear earplugs. Your head and ears will thank you, your audience will appreciate it and you'll just have a better time when you are 60 years old and you can hear.
I wear these at gigs/shows and they have helped me too many times to count...only 15 dollars and you will be in good shape. you can get them at guitar center or any music store most likeley. the hi-fi plugs are the way to go. only a 9-15dB cut depending on what you want, it makes it loud enough to hear the nuances but not enough so that it muds it up.
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.asp
the 15 dollar ones are packaged as hearos at GC. you can also get $100 plus ones custom fitted that have amazing sound reproduction. or just get IEM's and save yourself all the trouble.
And since a musicians most valuable tool are his ears and hearing, why not take the effort to protect them? I've even been in a damn guitar center with people playing so loud that the employees and others were walking around with their fingers in their ears. turn down! you don't need to play so loud to have a good time. Wearing earplugs may not be "so cool" or nerdy, but whatever, you should protect your ears at all costs. One concert a month probably won't do anything. But gigging with a drummer (IMO drummers should wear them all the time while playing at full strength/loudness), full PA and stage monitors behind you once a week is going to do some damage.
so moral of the post: turn it down or wear earplugs. Your head and ears will thank you, your audience will appreciate it and you'll just have a better time when you are 60 years old and you can hear.
I wear these at gigs/shows and they have helped me too many times to count...only 15 dollars and you will be in good shape. you can get them at guitar center or any music store most likeley. the hi-fi plugs are the way to go. only a 9-15dB cut depending on what you want, it makes it loud enough to hear the nuances but not enough so that it muds it up.
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.asp
the 15 dollar ones are packaged as hearos at GC. you can also get $100 plus ones custom fitted that have amazing sound reproduction. or just get IEM's and save yourself all the trouble.