my brother uses them all the time as he gets bad ears.
There's no exact science about it, any old ear plugs will do and it's easy enough to adjust them to let in as much low/high frequency as you need.

if you are at a folk gig (ie, not a loud rock show) then I don't know if volume is the problem.

Unless the doc said that of course.

Do you stab yourself in the ears whilst asleep?...it could be that.

the er20's from here (look under musicians hearing protection)

http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk

I had terrible troubles with my ears - shooting pains and tinnitus for days after gigs etc. Not had a problem since i started wearing them.

Cost about 15 quid inc delivery direct.

they seem to do the job

of attenuated ones, they're specially designed to let in a wider range of frequencies than the bog standard cheap ones, hence you wont lose the bottom end but you will get reduced volume. I think you can pick them up reasonably cheaply from richer sounds. In fact i need to investigate this myself, i've been meaning to buy a pair for ages myself

I was gonna post about this. Been without a decent pair of ear plugs since december and was worried about Wolf Eyes next week.

Will check out those er20's recommeneded below.

I've been using a generic pair of swimmers ear plugs for a couple of years now, thanks to a combination of a 3-day deafening after a gig and a doomy article about hearing loss. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

It was also behind my decision to stop wearing in-ear phones. I use closed-cup only now.

..There was some Spanish guy who joined Josephine Foster, and did some heavy (and loud) guitar work for a number of songs. I think that's what did it for me.

I read this that someone posted elsewhere, and it made me realise that I should be doing something about it now, rather than just relying on eardrops for days after:

"Coming home after the kick ass Kylesa show I realize it. It is back again, but different this time. For the last year or two I've heard a buzzing in my ears after shows. Sort of like a faint gang of bees just off in the distance. It stays with me till I fall asleep and is usually gone by morning.

That night the bees were gone, replaced by what I can only imagine is sound that people call ringing in the ears. A constant high pitch, just loud enough to notice, that doesn't go away. It sucked. When I laid my head on the pillow I was nervous it might be with me come morning.

For twelve plus years I've been consistently going to shows. It is impossible to come up with a total number, but plenty of 'em. Lots of punk bands playing loud in small spaces and myself jammed as close to them as I could get. And I can count on my hand the times I actually put something in my ears. I have never worn earplugs. I hate the way they muffle everything. Bands just don't sound right through a layer of foam or toilet paper. Plus I don't like the feeling of having something in my ear. Sometimes I would put them in and then take them right out after the first song. I've even had a top notch pair of earplugs given to me - which were promptly lost in my drawer many moons ago.

For this, I am a moron. For this, I now pay the price. I used to think it was just a simple visit by the bees at the end of the night; something easily repaired by a good night's sleep and the ability of youth to bounce back. I've always been pretty healthy. What I see now is the damage done. I used to have really sharp hearing. That sharpness is gone. If there are two sounds going on at the same time I often can't distinguish between them. Listening to music and talking to someone means I have to fill in the gaps of what I think they said, because it all sounds like mumble when you're far enough away. I have messed myself up good.

Wear earplugs while you still can."

messed up my ears last year at the garage supporting forward russia. tinnitus ever since then..
but yeah, earplugs are definitely the way to go: http://www.dontlosethemusic.com/home/areyouatrisk/earplugs/where_to_buy/
Personally i think volume levels at clubs/gigs are getting ridiculous - obviously it should be loud! but there gets a point when it's just stupid and you can't even hear the music properly! Tis pretty irresponsible i think..

ER-20s are very good, and the foam ones from Boots work well too. I slightly damaged the hearing in my right ear when I saw the Bosstones and have worn earplugs at nearly every gig since.

is really crap. i also have that thing where it makes your inner ear sort've flinch and hurt if somebody knocks plates together or drops their fork or whatever. i'd recommend wearing earplugs for sure, especially at 'bad loud' kind of events (i'm sure you all know what i mean).

...I reccomend ER 20s also, I have only recently started using them at band practise, as you can hear better with them in than you can with the foam ones, although I'm pretty sure the foam ones lower more decibels, although they are not so good for gigs and definitely not for singing.

I have only recently started worrying about my hearing after our drummer started telling me that we play a 130db at practise, which lasts about 4 hours which is very very bad.

I have horrible tinnitus already from being an ignornat teen, been going to shows (watching and playing, and a lot of heavy hardcore) since I was 15, so 7 years in total, I really wish I had looked after my ears better.

A lonley night lying in bed is made all the worse when there is a constant ringing.

LOOK AFTER YR EARS KIDZZZZ!!!!!11111ONEONEONE

...spent the afternoon wandering around my city, going from music shop to music shop, to audio specialists... all to no avail.

I came home, and did a search to find if I could locate anywhere in this country that sold what I'm looking for, and not only did I find a place, but I found a place that had the exact ones that everyone is raving about.

They cost me 21 quid delivered, but as I live in the Netherlands I knew that I'd have to pay a bit more.

Thanks for all the pointers all!

My ER20s have arrived, hurrah.

The info is all in Dutch though, and I'm just curious on a couple of things.

How far are they supposed to stick out? They feel fully inserted, but the plastic bit does stick out quite a lot, and is very noticeable. Is that right?

Just tried putting them in and I've put on some music, and it sounds less muffled than I'd have imagined, so very happy right now :)

the vented ones cut out the harmful stuff whilst preserving sound quality, plus they don't make you fall over if you have naff ears like me.

You can pick 'em up at pretty much any music shop that sellls drum equipment for around a tenner. They're comfortable too!

Hope this helps

I found these ones which don't suffer from the muffle effect - you might look like a bit of a tool, but at least (like you say) I won't be using an ear horn in my 40's:

http://www.allearplugs.com/AEP37/High-Fidelity-Hear-Plugs-Earplugs-Large-(x1-pair).htm

there is still some social stigma about wearing plugs

wearing ear plugs is a really easy way of finding out who you want to hang out with.

has reminded me that i need to get some earplugs.

probably these ER20s as they seem to be highly rated around here, but where did you guys get yours from? A shop? online? i can't find them on amazon (except one guy who is selling some but he only has 1 seller rating...)

as I'm at so many gigs and in front of the PA half the time. So I value my hearing far more than being slagged off for wearing earplugs. I find I lose some of the highs but it's a price worth paying imo

hey does anybody know where in sheffield i can find any etymotic er 20 ear plugs in sheffield.

Did a proper lol at the instructions. It says if you can't fit them in your ear then you need to "lubricate the flange".

stops me getting to sleep, innit

get er-20s, the foam or disposable ones are lame. you lose like ALL the trebel and they're no fun!

... think you should check this: http://www.dontlosethemusic.com/home/areyouatrisk/earplugs/

http://www.sensorcom.com/product.asp?P_ID=975&PT_ID=271

i find a lot better than ER20s, they actully fit in my ears and don't have the big sticky-out antennas so are a bit more discreet. also you can adjust them so you lose less treble.

Anyway i have all that stuff mentioned in this thread ^ 'the bees' the permanent ringing. i am a fucking idiot for not wearing them sooner than i did.

Really annoys me when people working in established music venues look at my friends blankly when asking if they have any earplugs to give out.