Mrs C does much the same - except she puts her fingers in her ears, not mine. Good for her, bad for me. But I don't blame her.

Cheers - C

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Ha! I have very similar ones, though I must admit when I bought them a couple of years ago, I was a fool and bought them for many gold nuggets at the musik shop. Schall not happen again! (Little teutonic wordplay there... Muhahahaha!)



I use the strongest filter tip (gold) all the time. Especially when someone in the building sets off the fire alarm. It's head-splitting. I don't know why.....

the only gig i've been to i wore free ear protection, went through about 5 pairs in half an hour from jumping around, but for the short time i wasn't wearing ear protection it was painfully loud for my ears, so i'm definetley gonna get some proper ones next time i go to a gig/concert

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former user radio_friendly_unit_shifter

I had ear infections when I was child, and one later on in life that literally shut down my right ear -- 1 day before a final in World Music, aced it, of course, w/ one ear -- munched the honor students too (one of them sabotaged a tape that was given to me for the final...but...I figured it out, they were astonished, jealousy I guess )!

Hearing came back slowly in my right ear and then one day the pressure just went away and it's fine now...unless I wear ear plugs or in-ear monitors.

That sounds very unpleasant. Painful too, perhaps?

Pain in the ear can sometimes be the very worst pain that exists. Somehow it's right in the middle of you, pain in your soul almost. Not nice.

Cheers - C

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Lower volumes.

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You dig?

If you ever slipped with a q-tip and dug in too far, that's the pain, but constant until the pain relief kicks in. The pain I could deal with. But, when my hearing went bye-bye completely in one ear...that was weird and frightening and disorientating all at the same time, my right ear is my good ear!



Sad but true, but it don't sound good unless it's loud enough to feel it, which is loud!

I think that the rock concerts back in the 70's and 80's are what did the most damage to my ears. When I came out of a concert...my ears were ringing, bad. Back then, we thought it was cool! Then, all the info came out about how loud effects hearing, but by then...for me...it was too late!

On a local TV show where I live they set up a mobile hearing test center and offered check-ups to those guys who drive around with the giant car stereos you can hear a block away. They'd show them a printout of the spectrum showing which frequencies they'd already damaged with their volume levels. The idea, obviously, was to get them to turn it down.

Except there was one guy who, when he saw the printout, thanked them warmly, saying now he knew which frequencies to turn UP on his graphic equaliser to improve his listening pleasure. He was completely serious.

Some people: ya just can't tell 'em...

Cheers - C

PS: back in the '70s I spent a Who show pressed against the front of the stage about 12 feet in front of Pete's wall of HiWatts. My ears are still ringing...

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lucky dog!

A couple of years ago I went to an E.N.T. doctor because I had developed something like tinnitis but instead of constant ringing in my ears they becme so sensitive that anything like a sudden outburst of high pitched laughter would cause an immediate stabbing pain in both ears.The condition got so bad that even with my ear plugs even playing with my amp down low could trigger the pain.The doctor sent me to an audiologist to get a hearing test. When the doctor got the results he was kind of blown away with the fact that I scored 100% in each ear,that meant that my hearing was way above normal for any age group and consequently my ears were ultra sensitive. That was what was causing the pain but he couldn't say why it was only developing then but tried to console me by saying that I should be able to hear grass grow.

Part of the reason the doctor and I too were surprised was that I told him that for years I gigged using 2 130W amps and sometmes drove them close to top volume and would come away with ringing in my ears that lasted for over an hour at times.After all that my hearing was still incredibly sensitive.I didn't wear any hearing protection back then and only started using it when the pain condition started but it went away as quickly as it developed.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I have been very lucky indeed not to have damaged my hearing. As a teenager who loved classic rock my ears certainly took a pounding. Like Ceri, I took some crazy chances watching live shows. I recall crashing the Odeon Birmingham stage (I really, really miss that venue ) and in my joy to be there, I watched the whole of a set by Paice Ashton & Lord with my head pressed into a PA bass bin. It was a week before that ear miraculously recovered..

And in a few bands I have played in I've been exposed to more than a few Marshall and Mesa Boogie rigs in my time. The guitarist wouldn't dream of turning them down.. "Whats the point in not turning up my gear? It was made to be loud.." he used to say. I always countered with "Whats the point in buying it in the first place" Only the venue's sound man was more annoyed about it than me. The mighty Marshall 100watt head was not designed for the 8'x6' stage at your local pub. The drummer I always played with now has quite severe tinnitus. But it could have been worse, he could have been a musician

I had some tests done a few years ago and got a double thumbs up. So I'll never risk them again. I do have a problem now though with sensitivity to high frequency sounds - sirens, shop security alarms etc. If I hear those, I'm out of there with fingers in ears..

I'm glad that we are now so better informed about the dangers of loud music. But imagine being single and taking a lady friend to a gig these days? Don't ask her if she's bought protection unless you want your face slapped..

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

these work pretty good:
Hearos
http://www.hearos.com/ear-plug-hearos

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.