The Steel Guitar Forum

Thinking of buying one for personal use.
Anyone recommend any units that's reasonably priced?

Danny,
the only time I use in ears on gigs is when the band is set up for it. I have my own set of molded in ears I keep with me. I use westone labs. They work great and I got a good deal from my audiologist. I don't know how I could use them unless the band was set up for it though. Recently I had a gig where I could control my own monitor mix into my in ears with a free app I put on my iPad. They work with smart phones too. It worked surprisingly well and didn't cost me anything. Things are changing real fast and for the better as far as monitor system go.

I use the Shure PSM 200 system. It has 2 inputs which allows you to run the band mix in one channel and your instrument in the other. You can then adjust the the volume for each to get the mix you like. The belt pack has a volume to control the overall mix. The only thing bad thing about this system is the ears. I bought a better set and it know sounds great. Custom molds are the best way to go

I'm real interested in what in ear pieces are the best, most cost effective. I've seen lots of recommendations for Westone, but what specific model is necessary. I'm sold on the idea of custom molded, but how many drivers, etc., is best for PSG. I want to buy a good set the first time, but I don't want to waste money.

What about 1964 Ears? Their custom molded pieces are considerably cheaper than Westone. Are Westones really worth the premium prices?

What other brands should be considered when looking for custom molded ear pieces?

This year I started playing at my church ocassionally. (A big room with high tech production). The band and singers use Aviom personal monitors and IEM's along with loops on a lot of the modern P&W tunes. I was going to go less expensive for molded IEM's but went with the recommendation of the experienced players who work there and made the investment in some 1964 V6S. I am very pleased.

Danny: Please call me regarding your cases. I sent you a personal message via the forum, and left a voice mail on your answering machine. My cell phone number is in the PM. Thanks. paul

For in-ear systems, Shure and Sennheiser are the top dogs. You can pick up a used Shure psm600 unit on Ebay relatively inexpensive. These were the tour standards not too long ago before the Psm900 and 1000's came out. I run a stereo mix on these and it sounds fantastic. Heavy duty metal also. Avoid ANY of the cheaper Shure lines, you will just be frustrated and disappointed in the end. Also the older Sennheiser G3 units are fantastic, Rascal Flatts used these on tour a few years ago and they sounded awesome. You can also find these on ebay also or go to Sound Image's used gear webpage and look for them there. They sell off alot of gear they don't use anymore and will take offers just to get rid of them. Our fiddle player got a Shure psm600 from them really cheap. As far as earbuds go, for universal fit Westones UM 2 or UM 3 are the way to go. For custom molds, Livewires makes a great dual driver pair very inexpensively. I 've also heard great things about 1964 Ears and would probably get my next set from them. There are only a few balanced armature manufacturers so the only major difference is how they are tuned or ported. I've used in-ears damn near every weekend for the last 11 years and would never go back to not using them, especially if you get a stereo mix, your steel with a stereo effects processor will sound unbelievable in your head , like your playing on a CD.