Your favorite kind of ear plugs

Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

Mine's called a volume control. No need to blast the audience in a small bar so that can't carry on conversations without screaming in each other's ears. That's pretty indulgent on the band's part & basically pointless. Audience's can't be expected to sit in a trance listening to a band for hours and not socialize. If the crowd leaves with their ears ringing, the band's too loud.

If you have to damage people's hearing, mic your guitar into the PA & stand behind the PA speakers.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

My best guitar buddy has a set of Hearos, and he swears up and down on em --- he carries them everywhere he goes.

He plays bass in a band that gigs every weekend, and he's always got them in.

They are washable and easy to keep clean.

We even named a song that we wrote after them, because he was so amazed at how his hearing stood up from recording all day, and was not fatigued when we went into mixing.
 
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Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

I've got the generic version of those, they work pretty well. It's strange at first, it seems like they aren't doing anything, but pull them out half way through and you notice the difference. I think with those you really need to jam them in your ear to be effective though. Now maybe those ARE different than the $6 ones I found but they look the same and the performance is how the Hearos are described.

I recently found some foam ones that aren't the max attenuation (33dbs maybe?) that work well for me at shows. They still shelf the high end, but less so than the max attenuation ones.

Ultimately I'd like some custom formed ones with multiple filters, although going into a show I guess you really never know how loud a band will be.

Blueman, I know where you're coming from, but in punk and metal circles, people go to the show to hear the band, not to socialize at the bar with the band filling the role of a live DJ. They expect loud, concert level sound.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

blueman335 said:
Mine's called a volume control. No need to blast the audience in a small bar so that can't carry on conversations without screaming in each other's ears. That's pretty indulgent on the band's part & basically pointless. Audience's can't be expected to sit in a trance listening to a band for hours and not socialize. If the crowd leaves with their ears ringing, the band's too loud.

If you have to damage people's hearing, mic your guitar into the PA & stand behind the PA speakers.
Click to expand...

You are too old! Please put the guitar down and step away!

The Hearo's are pretty decent for the money, I've used them a few times.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

I agree with Blueman. I don't like to play that loud where you need plugs. I find the plugs hinder my ability to hear the rest of the band well. Good volume, but not absurd!
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

I've never used them. I've owned a set of Sonics, which were kind of a jelly type plug that had a filter inside them that was supposed to cut down on "damaging" frequencies, but all that they really did was filter out the high end. I've found that if I can get away from the source slightly, it doesn't really bother my hearing. And I was LOUD, but no louder than anyone else in my band at the time.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

These are what I wear when I work.

350689.jpg
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

I use nothing other than the finest "Gibson Custom Pick Up Potting Wax" in my ears.
n.b. each tin of Gibson custom pup potting wax comes with a little "Gibson Wax" stick pin that you can wear so that everyone knows your using something expensive. :headbang:
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

blueman335 said:
Mine's called a volume control. No need to blast the audience in a small bar so that can't carry on conversations without screaming in each other's ears. That's pretty indulgent on the band's part & basically pointless. Audience's can't be expected to sit in a trance listening to a band for hours and not socialize. If the crowd leaves with their ears ringing, the band's too loud.

If you have to damage people's hearing, mic your guitar into the PA & stand behind the PA speakers.
Click to expand...

I wish this where an option, but very few places we play have a PA or a decent one at least. If they do have a PA, usually just vocals and drums get miked. These are more for practice right now anyways. We're crammed into a small basement and im standing right next to the drummers china and crash, and those things leave my ears ringing for a couple days after, so it's not so much about turning my amp up as loud as i can, i'd just like to keep the ringing after practice to a minimum. Thanks to everyone else for their input.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

Rich_T said:
You are too old! Please put the guitar down and step away!




You have the right to remain silent on this topic.
I don't know if I agree with your sentiment however let me compliment you on the way you phrased it.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

I find that I generally have an easier time hearing what the other people are doing when I have earplugs in . . . my brain doesn't respond well to very loud noises I guess. Anyway, I use cheap yellow 3M earplugs that look kinda like this (without the cord):
28908506-177x150-0-0_.jpg


I used to do a lot of temp factory work to pay my way through university, so I'd grab a couple extra pairs of earplugs at each place that I worked . . . eventually I discovered that these 3m ones seem to block sound the most evenly.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

Stop Press !!!!!
Gibson today announced that they will be releasing a range of ear plugs for the professional and amateur musician alike.
They are a simple disposable foam press into the ear type plug available in three colors.
Recommended selling price is from $268.00 a pair ( depending on color )with the limited edition pairs being due for release in September. RSP on the limited editions start at $337.00 a pair.
Talk of a Zak Wylde pair for release next year is yet to be confirmed though Gibson execs. said they were confident a deal could be stitched up.
Gibson speculates a starting price of around $400.00.
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

wanmei1 said:
Stop Press !!!!!
Gibson today announced that they will be releasing a range of ear plugs for the professional and amateur musician alike.
They are a simple disposable foam press into the ear type plug available in three colors.
Recommended selling price is from $268.00 a pair ( depending on color )with the limited edition pairs being due for release in September. RSP on the limited editions start at $337.00 a pair.
Talk of a Zak Wylde pair for release next year is yet to be confirmed though Gibson execs. said they were confident a deal could be stitched up.
Gibson speculates a starting price of around $400.00.
Click to expand...

:laugh2:
 
Re: Your favorite kind of ear plugs

I basically use some simple ones, they look like the 3M ear plugs posted above, and with a chord too, so it looks a bit dorky, but they do the job and certainly have helped me keep my hearing, plus they are completely re usable and washable (and I've been using them 2-3 days a week for a few months now).
But I would recommend the Hearos re usable ones. They aren't cheap, but they are very very good and last ages, and one of my mates has sworn by them for ages and the only reason I don't yet have them is because I don't have the money right now.
 
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