GuardiansGuitar Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 No joke. Ian Hunter is cancelling the upcoming dates of his Mott the Hoople '74 Tour on doctor's orders due to his "severe" tinnitus. ORIGINAL ARTICLE https://ultimateclassicrock.com/mott-the-hoople-tour-canceled/ GUARDIANS OF GUITAR FACEBOOK POST https://www.facebook.com/guardiansofguitar/ Musiciansâand guitarists, especiallyâoften "under value" the need for ear protection. I gig a lot, and I still see countless players in reasonably loud rock bands who never wear earplugs of any kind. It's even crazier when someone shows me their in-ear monitor system, and I don't dare put the earbuds in my ears, because the playback is screaming loud even as I hold them in my hands. I have tinnitus myself, and I'm lucky. I was an idiot in my youth, rocking with Marshall half-stacks and playing at nutso volumes at rehearsals, gigs, and studio sessions. I don't have anywhere near the level of damage I probably should have. The ringing in my ears is reasonably slight, and I hear it most at night before I go to sleep when environmental noises aren't in the picture very much. Today, I wear those earplugs every time I am about to be blasted by volume. I don't want the ringing to get any worse. What are YOU doing to protect your most valuable asset as a musician? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 Like you, I am a guitarist and I used to be LOUD. Mesa IIIc Simul Class head into a Vox 4-12 cab loaded with a pair of EVM 12L and a pair of JBL D120 (in the bottom because BRIGHT!!!). EMG 81, Floyd Rose woo woo bar, you know the drill... As a stereotype, I think drummers tend to do more damage to their hearing than guitarists. They are sitting close to the snare drum with the head aiming at their ears and surrounded by crispy cymbals. I'm sure they had to smack the crap out of them to hear themselves over us guitarists. Meanwhile, my amp was aiming more at my legs than my head. Still, it takes it's toll. Still gigging, volume WAY down. No more stacks, my "big" amp is a Boss Katana set to 1/2 watt and run direct to the PA. We are still louder than I like so I wear earplugs like religion. I also sing, sometimes that sort of works the earplugs out a bit. I've gotten really good at pushing them back in one at a time without missing a beat. I have some ringing too. I wish I'd been smarter when I was young!!!! Still, I did take the 30db yellow foam "industrial work place" earplugs to lots of concerts a long time ago. I'll never forget seeing Ronnie James Dio and with the foam earplugs in it was excruciatingly loud!!!. I slid one out, just a bit to see what they were really doing and it almost pushed my brain out of the opposite nostril so I pushed it back in. Ugh. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I'm hearing impaired due to birth defect so I have always been cautious of volume levels. What am I doing to protect my most valuable asset? Just say no... I've played in some loud bands when I started out in late 70s. After a while I said no more loud bands. Also had regular hearing evaluations and fortunately my hearing has not degraded. Since I play rhythm guitar when I'm not playing keys, I don't want a loud amp. You can get "that tone" without being loud. Since the late 80s I have refused to work with a band with loud volume, there is no reason to do that anymore. Keyboard players are hardly the exception... I know a keyboard player who plays too loud! Most concerts in the 70s/80s I have attended were reasonable, some were really loud. I pretty much stopped attending concerts since the mid 80s not because of loud volume but because of TicketBastard and stupid control of traffic after the concert is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skypuppy123 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 Tinnitus has been more and more noticeable these past few years for me. It used to be where I would notice it more at bed time, but day or night, it is a constant annoyance. Years and years of playing, and I'm paying for it. I saw an exercise where if you message the areas above your ears with the palm of your hands it helps abate the ringing. I do notice though that while doing this, the ringing gets worse. So, there must be something related to the tightness of the area, who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieGuy Posted October 10, 2019 Share Posted October 10, 2019 I have a very mild case and always wear ear plugs. In one of my bands 4 out of 5 people wear ear plugs. In the other band I'm the only one of 4 people who wears ear plugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 I was never in a band that played all that loud. And, nowadays bar owners and waitresses simply won't tolerate a band that makes it hard for them to sell drinks. My go-to set up is a 20 watt tube head a friend made for me, through a 1x10' cab. It's never up very loud, and I never stand near the drummer's cymbals. Nevertheless, a recent hearing test showed I had a significant loss in the 4K-6K range. I think one of the main causes was the time I shot a 30-30 rifle. It was incredibly loud, much more than I ever thought it would be. My ears rang for 3 days afterwards. And, at 66, I am told a certain amount of hearing loss, especially in the high end, is to be expected. I have tje most trouible in definition oif words when people talk, especially in a noisy enviroment. Quote Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I have a mild case of tinnitus but it has not been a real problem for me. It goes back to my Army days back in 1970. If it ever becomes constant or keeps me awake at night, I will contact a hearing specialist. I have never worn IEM's and suspect that I would keep the volume down as though I was using earphones to listen to music (which I seldom do). I always wear ear protection when practicing with firearms and steer clear of loud music concerts, loud venues like race car tracks, etc. I think many kids and adults wreck their hearing by having their volume levels way too high. I can tell when I hear their ear buds a few feet away or when their car pulls up behind me with their windows up and the bass is booming so loud I can't hear my own radio LOL! +1,000 if you want to play an instrument, always protect your hearing! Quote Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirl Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I've always used ear plugs. Now I use Fender for music and Gooq for surfing. Quote Jenny S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I always have a set of foam plugs in my pocket, ready when needed. I never play loud, quite dislike it in fact. I'm an audio engineer for a living, so I can't risk any damage beyond what aging already provides. I travel by air on tour several months per year, & I always have noise cancelling headphones on, over the foam plugs. Quote Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertbluesman Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 I have tinnitus and have had it since my Marshall 100 watt Plexi days. The Plexi was the original one like the pro's used, a pre master volume one from the 1960's, and it screamed like the pros amps did, and it was freakin loud. I really do not pay much attention to the tinnitus, it is just there and once in a while it sneaks into my consciousness, but generally it just sits in the background hissing away unnoticed. However I only play at home usually, and I never play above bedroom levels these days, so it is not getting worse. I do bring ear plugs to live concerts however, and stuff them in my ears if the sound guy does not have a treble mitigation awareness, or no skill in cutting the harsh highs out of the mix. For that ear plugs are mandatory in my go to concert preparations.. Quote dbm If it sounds good, it is good !! http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=143231&content=music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkman Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I saw a lot of great concerts back in the Seventies and Eighties, and before I started wearing ear plugs to concerts, it was normal for my ears to be ringing all day long the day after a concert. As I sit here in my family room writing this message, the ringing in my ears is louder than the heat ducts in the floor less than ten feet away from me. I sure wish I protected my hearing when I was younger. Quote I rock; therefore, I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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