I knew my hearing was shot.

[Retired]

But. Tonight I was playing two guitars. First the Riviera with 3 P90's in it. It sounded good plugged in. Then my Casino with 2 P90's in it. It was even louder but both guitars were missing Something? I kept playing with the amp settings but couldn't tell any changes. They both had that acoustic sound. Then it dawned on me. The red light on the amp was off. I forgot to turn it on Lol. Well, I could tell something was missing but I thought it was on? So I turned it on and what a difference. Wife was gone so I turned it up. The Casino sounded great now but that Riviera with the 3 P90's was fabulous. Played till the fingers were sore.  Probably should have posted this on the; YOU KNOW YOUR OLD WHEN? 

[Retired]

Yeah, call me stupid but I seem to struggle with my hearing every day. 

[ksdaddy]

I struggle with voices, particularly female. They can be 10 feet away and it sounds like there’s a wall between us. Just something about that frequency range I guess. 

[Retired]

1 hour ago, ksdaddy said:

I struggle with voices, particularly female. They can be 10 feet away and it sounds like there’s a wall between us. Just something about that frequency range I guess. 

She knows better but always talks to me outside when its windy. Sounds like a Tornado in my hearing aids. I hear nothing except wind. Then I have to have her repeat herself when we get inside a building. If I'm in the house and she yells out something for me, I always have to search and find the room she's in. I can't tell the direction sound comes from. That's why I trained Oliver to "Go Find Mom" He always shows me where she is.

[Murph]

9 hours ago, ksdaddy said:

I struggle with voices, particularly female. 

That's wisdom kicking in.

Your brain knows, whatever they say isn't going to be important, so it automatically mutes them....

[merciful-evans]

I did something like that dialling in a subtle amount of pre-amp on a signal processor, after about 3 minutes of trying to find the perfect sweet spot I noticed that the pre-amp wasn't even engaged. No wonder it was so tricky

[kidblast]

so plugged in, but not turned on... hmm, a bit of a paradox isn't it!

(not sure if this is really a paradox. but I just really wanted to use the word paradox today)

and there it is  THREE times no less.

I'll show myself out.

Edited February 9 by kidblast

[Sgt. Pepper]

Years of standing watch in Engine Rooms, and concerts took a toll on my hearing. 

Edited February 9 by Sgt. Pepper

[Retired]

9 hours ago, Murph said:

That's wisdom kicking in.

Your brain knows, whatever they say isn't going to be important, so it automatically mutes them....

I can do that super easy. Just remove my hearing aides. Like Sergeant Shultz says; "I HEAR NOTHING!" 

[Retired]

4 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

Years of standing watch in Engine Rooms, and concerts took a toll on my hearing. 

My audiologist said I'm a candidate for implants. Guess medicare will pay for one, the worst ear. But she said, music will never sound the same again. It doesn't now? I can't make out who is playing on the radio and it sounds awful. Nothing like what I remember.  I know when Deb is gone I can play my guitars. No one complains but when she comes home she says, "I can hear you out in the street."  I tell her, So people are getting a free concert than huh?"

[tx-ogre]

I’m amazed how easily your hearing can be damaged.  I had a friend from the Left Coast that I hadn’t seen in years visit me a couple of weeks ago.  He showed off his shiny new hearing aids.  He had been a firearms instructor/range officer for many years, including mine for the last 3 years before I retired.  I thought it strange since he had always used both ear plugs and ear muffs at the same time.  But he spent so much time shooting or being around others shooting, it still severely damaged his hearing.  I guess I will have to be more vigilant about monitoring my hearing in the future.

[PrairieDog]

17 hours ago, Retired said:

My audiologist said I'm a candidate for implants. Guess medicare will pay for one, the worst ear. But she said, music will never sound the same again. It doesn't now? I can't make out who is playing on the radio and it sounds awful. Nothing like what I remember.  I know when Deb is gone I can play my guitars. No one complains but when she comes home she says, "I can hear you out in the street."  I tell her, So people are getting a free concert than huh?"

Careful of the implants, talk to folks that have gone through it, and really think it through.  Both my dad and my brother have done it.  My dad’s was early on in the tech before they figured out to do it on the WORST ear first, as a result he lost most of what little hearing he still had in his good ear. (He might be the reason they now start on the bad ear, chuckle.)  My bro had it done just last year, but I understand you can’t use your hearing aids while you are re-training your brain, which takes months.  He just couldn’t deal and kept cheating, especially since he was still trying to hold down a job (at 82!) Lost the window for them to work.  Now he just has bits of useless wires in his skull.  

[Retired]

15 hours ago, tx-ogre said:

I’m amazed how easily your hearing can be damaged.  I had a friend from the Left Coast that I hadn’t seen in years visit me a couple of weeks ago.  He showed off his shiny new hearing aids.  He had been a firearms instructor/range officer for many years, including mine for the last 3 years before I retired.  I thought it strange since he had always used both ear plugs and ear muffs at the same time.  But he spent so much time shooting or being around others shooting, it still severely damaged his hearing.  I guess I will have to be more vigilant about monitoring my hearing in the future.

Yes, Do that. And I'm a gun collector also. Or used to be. Target shooting doesn't help matters. I only went to the target range once to three times a year. But when I bought my Smith and Wesson .500 Magnum, I got hooked on it. I was in bodybuilding at the time and had solid hard rock muscle. My wife told me hugging me felt like hugging a solid rock. even my butt cheeks. So I loved shooting that .500.  It felt like a grenade going off in the hand. Talk about a super accurate gun. Don't think it helped my hearing though even though I wore all the best of hearing protection. 

[Retired]

11 minutes ago, PrairieDog said:

Careful of the implants, talk to folks that have gone through it, and really think it through.  Both my dad and my brother have done it.  My dad’s was early on in the tech before they figured out to do it on the WORST ear first, as a result he lost most of what little hearing he still had in his good ear. (He might be the reason they now start on the bad ear, chuckle.)  My bro had it done just last year, but I understand you can’t use your hearing aids while you are re-training your brain, which takes months.  He just couldn’t deal and kept cheating, especially since he was still trying to hold down a job (at 82!) Lost the window for them to work.  Now he just has bits of useless wires in his skull.  

I did read about it and also read lots of peoples responses from having it done. Sounded like no one liked it. at least for 6 months or better. takes that long to work in your brain. That didn't appeal to me. It's my wife and audiologist who want me to have it. I also saw you have to be like completely deaf to have it done. But what they are telling me, I'm young enough to have it done in the worst ear now and Medicare pays for it all. If I wait to be completely deaf which will happen as I age, Medicare won't offer it then. So its like catch 22.  I'm not looking forward to doing it and know I will hate it. I am told after 6 months or so, most people can hear better or understand conversations.  Were supposed to go in to boys town to listen to a conversation about it.

[DanvillRob]

On 2/8/2024 at 5:53 PM, Retired said:

But. Tonight I was playing two guitars. First the Riviera with 3 P90's in it. It sounded good plugged in. Then my Casino with 2 P90's in it. It was even louder but both guitars were missing Something? I kept playing with the amp settings but couldn't tell any changes. They both had that acoustic sound. Then it dawned on me. The red light on the amp was off. I forgot to turn it on Lol. Well, I could tell something was missing but I thought it was on? So I turned it on and what a difference. Wife was gone so I turned it up. The Casino sounded great now but that Riviera with the 3 P90's was fabulous. Played till the fingers were sore.  Probably should have posted this on the; YOU KNOW YOUR OLD WHEN? 

I think there's more fading on you other than your hearing!

I have tinnitus....24/7.   As a youngster, (starting at about 14), I was playing in a band.... the amps were behind us (so we could hear ourselves), and we played LOUD.

Then I quit music....went to work in a truck factory....was LOUD!

Then I got drafted..... was in the artillerly...... 105MM; 155MM, 8" & 175MM....all were LOUD!

When I got out of the army, went back to the truck factory..... still LOUD!

Worked in the factory until I changed jobs and went to a bus factory....was still LOUD!

Finally was promoted to a job in the front office in 1988....but by then, my hearing was shot!

 

[PrairieDog]

3 minutes ago, Retired said:

I did read about it and also read lots of peoples responses from having it done. Sounded like no one liked it. at least for 6 months or better. takes that long to work in your brain. That didn't appeal to me. It's my wife and audiologist who want me to have it. I also saw you have to be like completely deaf to have it done. But what they are telling me, I'm young enough to have it done in the worst ear now and Medicare pays for it all. If I wait to be completely deaf which will happen as I age, Medicare won't offer it then. So its like catch 22.  I'm not looking forward to doing it and know I will hate it. I am told after 6 months or so, most people can hear better or understand conversations.  Were supposed to go in to boys town to listen to a conversation about it.

Well, maybe having some hearing would help?  My bro is pretty much totally deaf, that was why he couldn’t function going hearing-aid commando.  I don’t know about the medicare thing, they paid for his implants? 

[Retired]

3 minutes ago, DanvillRob said:

I think there's more fading on you other than your hearing!

I have tinnitus....24/7.   As a youngster, (starting at about 14), I was playing in a band.... the amps were behind us (so we could hear ourselves), and we played LOUD.

Then I quit music....went to work in a truck factory....was LOUD!

Then I got drafted..... was in the artillerly...... 105MM; 155MM, 8" & 175MM....all were LOUD!

When I got out of the army, went back to the truck factory..... still LOUD!

Worked in the factory until I changed jobs and went to a bus factory....was still LOUD!

Finally was promoted to a job in the front office in 1988....but by then, my hearing was shot!

 

Yep, My first ringing in the ears was when they stuck me inside an underground tank at Eaten Metals grinding out a bad weld someone else made. He was too fat to fit inside so I had to fix his weld. My ears rang for an entire week. Then my racing career didn't help. Being around loud race cars going down the quarter mile. Top fuel dragsters and funny cars are unbelievable LOUD.  Then all my shooting guns inside buildings with target ranges are LOUD and it echoes. Even with roll up plugs and ear muffs its loud. I worked at loud factories but the two Railroads were the loudest. UPRR and BNSF. BNSF was the one that forced me to get a lower and sue them because they were going to fire me for hearing loss. They made all the employees take hearing booth tests every year. When I hired on, I still had perfect hearing according to the readings I got. I kept all those each year. Over the years, my hearing got worse by the time I retired. Shot Blast was the worst I worked at and they had a guy from Fort Worth come and do sound tests of the noise. He told us we should all be completely deaf and I kept that record and proved to BNSF They didn't help matters either. So they lost that law suit and I retired from there. I finally got out of Shot Blast and worked my final years where it wasn't as bad. 

[Retired]

21 minutes ago, PrairieDog said:

Well, maybe having some hearing would help?  My bro is pretty much totally deaf, that was why he couldn’t function going hearing-aid commando.  I don’t know about the medicare thing, they paid for his implants? 

I probably shouldn't say I'm completely deaf without my aides. I don't actually hear anything or any sound. I sleep great at night, I have no tendinitis ringing. I hear no thunderstorms or my wife snoring next to me. Lol. She can talk to me without my aides in and she talks loud but I hear something but understand nothing she said. It is a faint noise, and I have to put my ear right next to her mouth to hear what she said. So its just a matter of time and I probably will be completely deaf. I'm going on 71 this April.  My hearing is different from right to left. In the booth, I pick up highs and lows differently. Mostly I sit quite till I hear a definite beep. Those are far apart.  Seems a waist of time actually. 

[DanvillRob]

5 minutes ago, Retired said:

I probably shouldn't say I'm completely deaf without my aides. I don't actually hear anything or any sound. I sleep great at night, I have no tendinitis ringing. I hear no thunderstorms or my wife snoring next to me. Lol. She can talk to me without my aides in and she talks loud but I hear something but understand nothing she said. It is a faint noise, and I have to put my ear right next to her mouth to hear what she said. So its just a matter of time and I probably will be completely deaf. I'm going on 71 this April.  My hearing is different from right to left. In the booth, I pick up highs and lows differently. Mostly I sit quite till I hear a definite beep. Those are far apart.  Seems a waist of time actually. 

My dad lost his hearing in WWII.

Near the end of his life, even hearing aids couldn't restore much of his hearing, (there are probably better aids now).

He told me, in a conversation with someone, as long as he could watch their lips, we could understand what they're saying....but in a crowd, he was totally lost.

It actually affected his life near the end.

Other than the ringing, I think my hearing will last me 'till the end....not so sure about my sight.

[Retired]

37 minutes ago, PrairieDog said:

Well, maybe having some hearing would help?  My bro is pretty much totally deaf, that was why he couldn’t function going hearing-aid commando.  I don’t know about the medicare thing, they paid for his implants? 

Niki, my audiologist knows I play guitars. She was worried I might not be able to play anymore if I had the implant. I would still have a hearing aid in the other ear. I'm thinking if I still have one, I can still hear the guitar. Not looking forward to 6 months of this training my brain to hear with one ear.  I can function with the aides now but feel bad to. I'm left out on every conversation as no one wants to back up and repeat what I missed. So I feel like I don't even belong in any conversation. For that reason, I stopped going to the Bible study group we used to go to. Plus, I used to ask something and was told It was already said. So I just sat like a lump on a log hoping it would get over soon. 

[Retired]

12 minutes ago, DanvillRob said:

My dad lost his hearing in WWII.

Near the end of his life, even hearing aids couldn't restore much of his hearing, (there are probably better aids now).

He told me, in a conversation with someone, as long as he could watch their lips, we could understand what they're saying....but in a crowd, he was totally lost.

It actually affected his life near the end.

Other than the ringing, I think my hearing will last me 'till the end....not so sure about my sight.

Seems a long time ago when I had the ringing, Decades back. That just went away one night and never came back. Probably my first sign they just got worst. Funny though, I sort of liked it.  I used to not sleep because my my wife snored. I can't imitate her snores but she sounded just like a hog grunting and that bothered me so much I went downstairs to the couch. One day that ringing disappeared, my hearing went mute and she could snore and grunt all she wanted to and I slept like a baby. 

[Retired]

2 hours ago, DanvillRob said:

My dad lost his hearing in WWII.

Near the end of his life, even hearing aids couldn't restore much of his hearing, (there are probably better aids now).

He told me, in a conversation with someone, as long as he could watch their lips, we could understand what they're saying....but in a crowd, he was totally lost.

It actually affected his life near the end.

Other than the ringing, I think my hearing will last me 'till the end....not so sure about my sight.

Aways wondered about the guys in war hearing all those bombs and such? 

[DanvillRob]

23 minutes ago, Retired said:

Aways wondered about the guys in war hearing all those bombs and such? 

If we were issued hearing protection, I don't recall it.

[Retired]

1 minute ago, DanvillRob said:

If we were issued hearing protection, I don't recall it.

I doubt it very much. Probably didn't expect half of you to live anyway. But at the Railroad, we were given the top grade on the market of hearing protection and we all used it every day. If not you would be written up for violation and everyone had extreme hearing loss before they retired.

[Retired]

You know what irritated me the most with just WAY Too DARN LOUD? Rock and Roll concerts we've been to over all the years. We have been to hundreds of them. Many were pleasant to go to and we enjoyed them very much. I remember some big names we saw, Blues, Rock N Roll, Country, so on.  And they come out and are so darn fricken'  loud That we had to leave. Sometimes I removed my hearing aids and shoved roll up ear plugs down to my ear drums so I could listen. Even then they were way too loud. What does that do to the Audience? Nothing, those go down as terrible bands and many refuse to go to them again.  You don't have to play at the top loudest settings to be heard folks. Plus you ruin your hearing as well.  The Eagles have been pleasant to go to and we seen them I think 4 or 5 times now. We are going to see them again tonight.  One Blues band we saw had a warm up band first. Muddy Waters or something like that. He was fine but not the warm up band. He was an excellent guitarist but way too darn loud.  I hated every minute.