Tinnitus.

If you are going to a lot of shows, or find yourself stuck near the PA at a gig, you are likely to damage your ears eventually. I have no idea or understanding on how it works, but it happens and it’s avoidable. A lot of shows I go are really loud, like, so loud I have no idea how people stand near the front without earplugs in. Maybe they are tougher than I am. Maybe they are already suffering hearing loss. I SAID MAYBE THEY ARE SUFFERING HEARING LOSS. The problem with ear plugs is they make everything sound kind of crappy, so it’s hard to enjoy music with them in. It’s even harder to play shows with them in because everything sounds different and it’s hard to connect with your music and the people around you. Well, both of those things are kind of fact, and kind of not. With the right ear plugs, things don’t have to sound crappy and you definitely can get used to playing with ear plugs if you give it a chance. I’ve used a bunch of different styles of ear plugs over the last few years and here is my review of what I have used.

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Foam ear plugs suck. They strip out almost all the guitars and vocals and seem to leave the bass frequencies where they are. For dance music this isn’t a problem as much, but for guitar/vocals, they are the worst, except for, maybe, toilet paper in your ears. I only use these as a last resort, I figure it’s better than tinnitus.

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Docs Pro Plugs aren’t designed so much for music as sports and other noisy environments. Josh really likes these because they don’t bring the volume down too much whilst still leaving the guitars and vocals intact. These have to fit well to work, mine didn’t seem to do much and I didn’t like them because they felt like they might fall out. They fit right inside your ear and that’s a good thing and if they fit, you'll probably like them.
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ER20s sound ok for gigs, but they stick out of your ears quite a bit, which made me uncomfortable to kick off a shows with them in. The string means losing them is less of an issue though. Probably best for band practice and low-impact shows. They do them in smaller sizes too, which seem to fit girls a little better.

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Alpine Music Safe Earplugs are the ones I use now. They are just like ER20s, but they go right inside your ear, so I feel safer when busting out pyramids and yelling “Wolinski” at Calvinball. They sound great for gigs and are pretty cheap and comfortable, easily the best ones I have tried. The only tip I have for anyone using them in a gig situation is to try getting your amp off the floor and more at waist-height. You’ll hear your treble better. They are about £25 and totally worth it. If you can afford custom ear plugs, I hear they are completely worth the £150 or so they will cost, but losing your ear plugs is inevitible, so bear that in mind.

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So, that’s todays blog. Completely unfunny and entirely non-fact based opinionated consumer advice. More of that tomorrow when I shall be discussing the pros and cons of differing gauge strings on your guitar and why Flora Light tastes just as good as regular Flora in your sandwhiches.

Laters

Dan