Earplugs

[Rhino]

I am currently playing lead guitar for the rock musical Hedwig and The Angry Inch. Due to the stage logistics, my amp is on a platform right next to my ear. Keeping stage volume low while hearing myself over the drums etc. has been difficult. I have been experimenting with different earplugs (foam) because I have not had the time to get custom ones made. Last night I used a new set of foam earplugs and could not hear a thing! What should I do? I have 7 more shows to go.

Thanks,

Rhino

[Silverfish]

I love that show... I saw the movie at sundance film festival. So my solution to you problem is how about turning the amp around, mike it up and use the monitors? I've done that before. I've done it with closed back cabs and open combos. Or how about just turning down and letting the soundman do the work? Not an option if you use a non master vol amp I suppose.

[spigotsaol.com]

I find that tissue works better than plugs. I don't know why. When I play with plugs in (from the $0.99 MARS specials to custom molded ones I purchased from an audiologist), all I get is low end. But when I ball up some tissue and use it, I hear enough high end that I still feel a part of the band. But the harshness of the cymbals and the piercing from the amp is gone.

[Silverfish]

I've tried to use ear plugs but I just feel like I've got carrots in my ears. None of them really work well... by that I mean - yes they protect your ears but you can't hear what you need to. It's the transients and white high end that does more severe damage because it happens very quickly. Low end is less of a problem although ultimately pressure level in general is to blame for hearing disorders. Try shooting a 12 guage all day without protection and it's all over... pressure levels baby that's what does it. One thing I've often resorted to is "playing blind." In a club where the amp is perhaps on the floor behind your legs/lower half there's a tendency to crank it in order to hear when in fact the amp is throwing perfectly well and just five or ten feet in front (small clubs) the amp is clear and loud. Spend time with you amp at home so that in club land you know what it's doing even though you might not be hearing it as well as you'd like to... I'm talking mainly about the nuances and gems that a great amp comes up with which we all love... the touch and richness that you know you amp can produce. I often use a Marshall 2 x 12 closed back cab pointed flat backwards which basically generates resonance and then a messa 1 x 12 open cab pointed back at me like a stage monitor... nothing pointing off the stage into the house... that way you can get the amp to behave like you need it to - by cranking it and no one gets hurt.

[Rim]

There's a similar thread at the SSS forum about ear plugs here .

 

From the thread the ER20 ear plugs may work for you and is available at Musician\'s Friend for $10. Maybe a local music store will have it, too.

[SoundWrangler]

Custom-fitted plugs from an audiologist are the only solution that doesn't radically compromise your listening experience (totally nuking your high-end & making nearly impossible to sing, or talk normally between songs).

Expensive, though - with fitting etc. $125-$150. Worth every penny, IMHO.

 

Besides, Rhino, if your thoughts are on this subject it's time to get your hearing checked by an audiologist working w/an Ear, Nose Throat guy (a.k.a. otorrinolaringolist, or OTR) anyway. (They use some pretty high-tech gadgets now, that pump up air pressure to measure resilience of your eardrums, etc., as well as the std. "raise your hand" headphone routine. They also know all about "musician's earplugs", & can show you a little frequency spectrum chart of your ears' response - which in my case was pretty alarming!)