RobbieReverb
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2344
San Jose, Ca.
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Posted on Sep 17 2007 11:42 PM
Surfgitar
These are the ones I use. They reduce the volume by about 16db but not the tone. They take some getting used to. I use them at practice but not at a gig.
http://www.hearos.com/earplugs/products-00211.html
I've been using the best Hearos plugs for about 5 years now, and
to me they're a considerable upgrade from the Norton Sonic Ear
Valves that I used to use. I'm thinking about getting the custom
ones. I've been wearing ear plugs since I nearly fried my right
ear at a concert about 35 years ago. I'm convinced that I'd be
stone deaf now If I hadn't had the good sense to protect my
ears. I've got a little tinnitus in my ears, but I'm far better off
than most of my buddies from back in the day.
Bob
— Bob
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ShaunNecro
Joined: Mar 06, 2007
Posts: 524
Bay City (Michigan)
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Posted on Sep 17 2007 11:56 PM
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SurfBandBill
Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Posts: 1487
San Francisco
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Posted on Sep 18 2007 02:59 AM
I use those Sonic IIs that DP posted the picture of. I used to have a great pair of some random industrial ones, but lost one at a show (much to my dismay). I've been wearing earplugs ever since I started playing with Taylor (coincidence? I think NOT) and the last time I had my hearing checked, which was probably five or six years back, I had just a bit of high-frequency loss. I'm pretty religious about wearing plugs - I always do at practice, but will usually forego plugs when we play live, though I put them in for other bands.
~B~
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LHR
Joined: Aug 23, 2006
Posts: 2123
The jungle
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Posted on Sep 18 2007 06:47 AM
Tinnitus here also. Drives me crazy at night. Years of exposure to guns, a sonic dismembrator, a particular X concert, etc. all caused some loss to be certain. But it was attenuation, not so much tinnitus.
Then I fell about 10 feet off a ladder. I got hurt pretty bad and bored I plugged into my Pod with headphones for a few weeks. I noticed my ears ringing like crazy about a month later. Turns out there is a positive correlation in some people of narcotic analgesic use and deafness. And they loaded me up, for sure. I do not know if the ototoxic effects of the drugs or the super-efficient headphones or the generous upper frequency response of the Pod is to blame.
— SSIV
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spy
Joined: Mar 29, 2007
Posts: 815
Athens, Greece
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Posted on Sep 18 2007 09:44 AM
I always wanted to buy earplugs a long time now! And that was a suggestion of a guy in the studio that we are practice. I never bought them but with what I read over here I'll do it asap. I'll try to find some locally, otherwise I'll order the Hearos or the SonicIIs....
— Every word is like an unecessary stain on silence and nothingness.
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MikeG
Joined: Mar 29, 2006
Posts: 309
Springfield, Oregon
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Posted on Sep 18 2007 05:44 PM
I've got a hole in my right eardrum that makes it hard to equalize the pressure in my eustu... eusta... the tubes in my ears. I have to wet my finger and stick it in my right ear, then hold my nose and blow to equalize the pressure, otherwise the air just comes out my right ear and the left tube never gets pressurized...
Other than that I hear pretty well for my age, but I've avoided loud music and noises whenever possible.
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RumorsofsurF
Joined: Mar 10, 2007
Posts: 286
Margaritaville, OR
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Posted on Sep 19 2007 09:47 PM
I have the Hearos, but I just can't get used to them! I love them for listening to other bands, but on stage they take all the tone away. I can't hear dynamics with them in, so I tend to play really hard. It's frustrating. They just suck all the fun right out of the show when I wear them. I feel like the band is in another room. I only wear them when I'm having a rough night, and I know I won't enjoy the sound anyway.
We can get pretty loud, too.
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DannySnyder
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11046
Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 12:23 AM
My bandmates and I purchased custom ear plugs. They are expensive ($150) but worth it. Very comfortable, practically invisible too. Allow much greater range of frequencies to pass through, and at an adjustable db reduction. Highly recommended.
— Danny Snyder
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo
Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta
Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party
Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF
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Spud
Joined: Jul 23, 2007
Posts: 666
Oz
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 03:50 AM
Hey Danny, what are they, where did you get them from and how long do they last?
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DannySnyder
Joined: Mar 02, 2006
Posts: 11046
Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 07:44 AM
They're called 'musician's earplugs' and are available through most hearing aid places, though I got mine from a nonprofit foundation in San Francisco promoting use of hearing protection - called H.E.A.R. There's actually some surf content here. Kathy, the main person running it, is married to the man who produced the first Mermen album. Also, they have a little promo video featuring the Mermen:
http://hearnet.com/audio_video/video/mermen.mov
They have a wealth of information about ear health, check the website:
www.hearnet.com
Kathy used to play bass in old school punk band 'The Contractions'. She's a living example of following through on a good idea.
I believe the ear plugs last for years if taken care of.
— Danny Snyder
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo
Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta
Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party
Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 08:30 AM
Mine are made by this company.
http://www.westone.com/content/8.html
I went to an audiologist who gave me a check-up and made the mold for me. A week later I had custom earplugs. They are much better than any other ear plug but they are not perfect. At the moment there is no such thing as the perfect ear plug so you may not want to play live with them.
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surfer
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 428
South Florida
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 08:36 AM
After resding this, I feel real lucky, I've mixed live sound a good portion of my life, and have always been careful, dial it in and then put in the plugs. As for surfguitar, turn down your amp and answer the phone, no wait, it might be that line 6 ring.
— www.cutbacksurfband.com
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Spud
Joined: Jul 23, 2007
Posts: 666
Oz
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 08:42 AM
deleted
Last edited: Sep 20, 2007 08:51:34
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Spud
Joined: Jul 23, 2007
Posts: 666
Oz
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 08:50 AM
DannySnyder
They're called 'musician's earplugs' and are available through most hearing aid places, though I got mine from a nonprofit foundation in San Francisco promoting use of hearing protection - called H.E.A.R. There's actually some surf content here. Kathy, the main person running it, is married to the man who produced the first Mermen album. Also, they have a little promo video featuring the Mermen:
http://hearnet.com/audio_video/video/mermen.mov
They have a wealth of information about ear health, check the website:
www.hearnet.com
Kathy used to play bass in old school punk band 'The Contractions'. She's a living example of following through on a good idea.
I believe the ear plugs last for years if taken care of.
Thanks 
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tonybologna
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 796
Oakland
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Posted on Sep 20 2007 12:16 PM
I have the same earplugs as Danny. They are amazing.
I can go to huge festival shows and the vocals are actually audible, clear, and consise. I've already gotten enough use out of them to make up for their expense. Seeing Leftover Crack and actually hearing the vocals and each individual instrument was unbelievable.
There are also perfect for playing in a practice studio with all the amps and drums facing each other. Live, I tend not to use them.
— Science friction burns my fingers.
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JoshHeartless
Joined: Jun 17, 2006
Posts: 1010
Bay City, Michigan
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Posted on Jan 02 2008 12:16 PM
as for me, i'm starting to get a bit of ringing in my ears at 20, so that's not a great start, but i just bought those hear-os high fidelity series; now to see tonight at practice if they actually work well! i also have a bit worse hearing than an average musicians'-i get really bad ear infections really easily, and had my first set of eardrum tubes surgically put in when i was 1, and i believe i've had that done 2 more times somewhere down the road in my childhood. i still get a really bad ear infection at least once every 2 years, and mild ones that i don't even notice until they are almost gone every couple months.
— The Tremblors on Facebook!
The Tremblors on MySpace!
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WR
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 3832
netherlands
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Posted on Jan 02 2008 01:45 PM
wow, Josh, be careful with those ears. my stepfather had to have his enire inner ear removed because of a neglected and grown wild ear-infection. obviously his hearing is now zero in that ear, his other ear is down to 40%. take care bro.
— Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."
https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/
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Tuck
Joined: Sep 02, 2006
Posts: 3166
Denver, CO
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Posted on Jan 03 2008 01:35 PM
I have some loss, especially on the right, and I don't even play, and haven't frequented lound concerts much, either, or worked with noisy hardware, etc. Just life and heredity, I guess. In tests, at high frequencies the right ear just produces a rattling sound. I don't know, maybe that helps ... stuff still sounds good. I've started carrying generic earplugs to concerts, though.
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Mrgreen
Joined: Jun 20, 2007
Posts: 351
Toronto, ON
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Posted on Jan 03 2008 02:04 PM
I have a pretty good hearing sense, not to brag but I can hear stuff from longer distances than some people, after a show usually my ears ring a bit but in the morning it's gone, I think I'm gonna get myself some earplugs, it's not a bad idea.
— Augusto Vite
www.facebook.com/carne.y.cosas
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SURFmole
Joined: Nov 22, 2007
Posts: 901
Portland, OR
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Posted on Jan 12 2008 08:01 PM
I've used nearly every earplug in existence.
In my opinion stay away from those Sonic II earplugs...they provide little protection (my ears still occasionally rang after using them) and distort the sound in a bad way (you can actually hear the little whizzer spinning inside the plug).
The Etymotic musician plugs are pretty good if/when they work but they're really expensive and unless they've changed the plastic used for the plug they work great for about a year then the plastic shrinks and doesn't provide a good fit in your ear anymore (planned obsolescence) and you have to spend big bucks again for a new mold.
Instead of buying a new mold...AGAIN...I opted for these and FWIW I think they work nearly as well as the expensive ones and they're MUCH less money:
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx
— www.apollo4.com
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