Guitar amps: hearing risk?

[do you know george?]

(Pardon me I am obviously very new to the electric guitar)

Can you do any damage to your hearing if you put your gain/distortion up too high (without putting actual volume that loud)?

For example what if you put your amp's Gain level = 10, Drive volume = 2, then turn your Guitar volume = 7 or something.

The reason I ask is because I saw the following on a website and I guess I had a poor understanding of what it was talking about (wondering if distortion/gain effects on a guitar amp have anything to do with what the website is talking about):

The simple decibel level used does not take into consideration the frequency BANDs in which the sound energy is concentrated (and certain of these, from 1 to 4 kHz, present greater hearing danger), INFRASONIC vibrations, AMPLITUDE MODULATION effects, time variation in sound levels, IMPACT SOUNDs, etc. All of these factors may cause annoyance and create a potential health hazard. See also: EQUIVALENT ENERGY LEVEL.

Recent investigation has shown that average sound levels are not an adequate indicator of hearing risk. Instead, the impulsive character of the sound, in addition to its average intensity level, must be considered. This has been ignored in the past because, first of all, most SOUND LEVEL METERs, even with fast response modes, have an averaging time of about 125 ms, whereas impulse peaks in many sounds occur within 25-50 microseconds. Therefore these meters are unable to measure the true intensity level of such sounds. Moreover, the averaging time of the brain is about 35 ms, and therefore these impulses are actually more intensive than they appear to be based on LOUDNESS. This may be verified by noting that short impulses sound less loud than longer ones of the same intensity. See: CLICK.

Br*el concludes that "we must not only determine the sound level with a normal sound level meter, but must furthermore determine the impulsive content of the noise with a sound level meter that can be charged up very quickly." Such a meter has a 'peak hold' circuit with an averaging time of 30 microseconds. When various sounds are measured with such a meter, it is found that certain ones have very high peak levels compared with fast dBA or dBA impulse hold levels, and therefore these pose a greater hearing risk than those without such impulses.

The worst cases are all impact sounds, metalworking machines (punch presses, nailing machines) and bottling machines. More common domestic sounds that fall into this category are lawnmowers, typewriters, electric shavers, interior car noise and clicks in telephone circuitry. Amplified music, on the other hand, does not contain harmful peaks because of dynamic COMPRESSION. Therefore, hearing loss from exposure to loud music, although significant, is not as extensive as the high levels would normally lead one to predict on the basis of levels alone. The damage-risk criteria that have been suggested to take impulsive content into consideration are shown below.

Ref.: P.V. Br*el, "Do We Measure Damaging Noise Correctly?", B&K Technical Review, no. 1, 1976, pp. 3-32.

http://www.sfu.ca/sonic-studio/handbook/Damage-Risk_Criteria.html

 

[AndSmithMustScore]

Yes they can, you can get Tinnitus.

Pete Townshend - "I have severe hearing damage. It's manifested itself as tinnitus, ringing in the ears at frequencies that I play guitar. It hurts, it's painful, and it's frustrating." Townshend is completely deaf in one ear from an explosion when Keith Moon blew up his drum set live on stage in the early 1960's and loud amps. He has tinnitus, resulting partly from the band's live gigs but mainly the deafening volume in which he and Entwistle used to listen to playbacks over the studio "cans." There are reports saying that he is unable even to hear his phone ring. The Sun newspaper reported Townshend said his hearing got worse after the band's recent US tour. Quote from Pete: "The recent return to touring and to me playing electric guitar - albeit more quietly than in the 1970s - led to further deterioration of my hearing," the 57-year-old said. "My right ear, which encounters my own edgy guitar and the machine gun strokes of the drums, has suffered badly. Luckily for me, I still have my left ear, which seems to be less @#%$ up. When I've worked solo in the past five years I've not used drums. This has meant I could play more quietly I think. With The Who, there is of course no way to play the old songs without drums. I've no idea what I can do about this. I am unable to perform with in-ear monitors. In fact, they increase the often unbearable tinnitus I suffer after shows."

Jeff Beck - band Yardbirds (loud music), From an interview with rock guitarist Jeff Beck: "Yes, it's in my left ear. It's excruciating... I mean, it's the worst thing 'cause it's not... It never... It does go away - it's not true to say that it doesn't but, uhh... It doesn't... The doctors say it won't... It isn't actually going away - you've just gotta suppress... They try to come to terms with what it actually... Why some people fear it - that's the psychology behind it. They know it's there but why is it such a horrible sound? Well, you can say why is a guy scratching at a window with his nails such a horrible sound - I couldn't put up with that! This is worse!"
As Jeff told MTV - June 1993, He was asked to do a special guest spot with Guns 'n' Roses but had to cancel out. Jeff was going to play "Locomotive" with the band, but during the rehearsals, he used Slash's amp rig which aggravated his tinnitus forcing him to drop out of the gig.

Eric Johnson - has developed T (loud music/amps); source from Guitar Player Magazine interview: "I'd run two Marshall stacks onstage and crank the monitors. I started using Fender Deluxe Reverb amps and 50-watt Marshalls around '97, after I started having some problems with tinnitus. It was my own doing -- being irresponsible and thinking I was invincible...Yes, though it has been better lately. Take care and wear plugs. Don't think it can't happen to you. When I had a speaker reconed at the been here for years reconing shop in Austin the owner said, "I've reconed speakers for every guitarist in Austin for years and as far as I know there aren't any rock 'n roll lead guitarists here who don't have tinnitus to some degree or another. Many have it so bad they have trouble sleeping."

 

[oxx]

nothing for nothing kid.

Maybe u should play the flute