I know a lot of people use ear plugs, particularly when playing in groups. I thougt I might try it. Is there any specific sort of ear plugs I should get?
i have these: http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx
pretty cheap at 12 bucks a pair, and they’re dern good, too.
Howdy,
Personally, I find the second octave a bit piercing, and like to wear earplugs when I play. I had a pair of musician’s earplugs made for me years ago, and always carry them on me. I find I end up using them more that you would expect - the modern world’s a pretty noisy place, and knocking 15db off the top makes things more pleasant in certain situations.
They didn’t have these ETY plugs back when I got mine, for the price difference, I would have jumped on them.
Best,
Dave
For relatively short periods of time, the non-customized $12 plugs work fine. If you’re going to have them in for extended periods of time (greater than 1 hour) and the additional expense is not a great burden, custom-molded plugs are much more comfortable and easier to place/remove. (I really like to have them out for quieter playing.) Expect to pay >$100 for the custom-molded variety. In any case, plugs which provide an even attenuation over the audible spectrum (such as the Etymotic) are the way to go. (Etymotic are the folks who make the filters for the custom-molded plugs.)