MY ETD IS MADE BY SIEMENS-- IT'S CALLED A HEARING AID

[Ron Boyd]

Hi Ron and Joe!  After reading your message  I just had to write you and
comment.  I am 62 years old and after working 35 years in a Power Plant
environment, I too have lost some of my hearing. I checked out the hearing
aids that you mentioned and they are just cost prohibitive to me. Over
$4,000.00!  I wound up going to Radio Shack and buying a small transmitter.
It's around 2 inches square and the cost was $30.00. I use a good set of
headphones with it, and like you said about hearing beats I can hear them so
well now where  I couldn't hear them before without the transmitter. I turn
down the volume so it doesn't damage my ears. Has anyone else tried the
transmitters?

Ron Boyd - Milwaukee, Wi.

-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph Garrett [mailto:joegarrett at earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 10:45 PM
To: RPT RON MAY; pianotech
Subject: RE: MY ETD IS MADE BY SIEMENS-- IT'S CALLED A HEARING AID

RON!
Bravo! I couldn't have said it better! As most know, I've had hearing aids
for a really long time and I am constantly pushing what you advocate. The
first thing that every Technician should do is: GET YOUR HEARING CHECKED!
(At least once a year!)
Very Best Regards,

Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)
Captain, Tool Police
Squares R I



----- Original Message -----
From: RON MAY, RPT <mailto:ronmay_rpt at bellsouth.net>
To: joegarrett at earthlink.net <mailto:joegarrett at earthlink.net> ; Pianotech
List <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: 3/17/06 8:23:29 PM
Subject: MY ETD IS MADE BY SIEMENS-- IT'S CALLED A HEARING AID

Hi Techs

Hopefully I can help everyone  or someone a bit.

I received my second hearing aid about 6 months ago. I am a 69 year old
Aural tuner who sees absolutely no benefit in ever owning an Tunlab or
whatever. I am a concert tuner and to this day will put my tuning up against
any of you. Among my customers are 4 phd's in piano performance, one master
in piano performance, a large number of piano teachers etc.etc.etc. Oh
Yeah---I am an rpt.

I can remember my concerns about getting a hearing aid.  I wondered what my
customers would think, "a piano tuner with a hearing aid" sure.  The fact is
that over the past 8 years I have been wearing and aid.  I have never had
one person ever even question it. I have discussed it with people, usually
with customers who also had aids and wanted to know what kind I had and why
I liked them. I, like everyone else that wears an aid never realized what I
was missing until I received my first one. For what it is worth, I can still
do a good job tuning a piano without the aids but they are such a great
assistance I hate to be without them.

There were certain pianos that I always noticed were harder for me to hear
the beats in than others.  The absolute worst for me was a 50s vintage
Acrosonic.

It was my ear nose and throat physician that recommended originally that I
get my hearing checked. The Audiologist worked within the same office as the
physician. The test showed some loss over all but particularly nerve damage
in some of the higher frequencies. The audiologist suggested that I try and
aid.  Most of the Audiologist have a free 30 day+ trial. The very first
piano I happened upon wearing my first aid was a 50s Acrosonic. When I
started to set the first 5th I tweaked up the volume a little and "wow"
those beats jumped out of that piano like I couldn't believe. It didn't take
me long to become a true believer.

I would not recommend any tuner getting the newer digital, automatic volume
control aids.  I have known other tuners that had them and had problems. I
like the ability to adjust the volume as needed for the particular
situation.

There are a lot of hidden benefits to wearing especially two aids. One is
when I go to the movies and the sound system is so loud that everyone that
attends needs new hearing aids when they leave.  I just turn my aids off and
they act as ear plugs. They also come in handy when your wife is upset with
you.

I would bet that over half of the piano technicians have at least some
hearing loss. I would urge all of you to get your hearing checked every year
and don't be afraid to give an aid a try. Believe me, your friends and
especially your customers won't care. If there piano sounds great when you
are ready to leave, they won't care if you wear ear muffs.

A couple of signs for you that are signals that you have a loss:

If you have to raise the volume on the TV and the wife complains about it.
If you don't understand what your wife says from the kitchen while you are
watching TV
If you keep having to ask people to repeat what they said.
and last but not least---If the beats don't jump out of your Acrosonic.

With my aids, I hear things that many tuners don't.
Recently I got called out on a two year old Samick grand. The owner, a sweet
old lady, had been complaining about the piano to the past two ETD tuners as
well as the piano store. They told here that there was nothing wrong with
the piano that what she was hearing was because of her hearing aids. She
also had two aids. The piano had been tuned within two weeks of my arrival
and twice over the month.. The tuning was uneven but my tuning was going
fine until I started into the bass. As I passed into the bass break I
noticed this terrible sound. The strings sounded more like a guitar. When I
checked the bearing on the bass bridge, the first five notes you could stick
paper between the bridge and the strings. There was a minus .020 down
bearing  on the rear and +.005 on about 1/8 inch of the front of the bridge.
The piano was sent back to the factory and the lady is thrilled with her new
piano.

For God Sake---go get your ears checked people.Your ETDs don't hear this
stuff. Half of you can't hear and don't know it. Piano tuners are probably
among the absolutely worst hearing people in the world.


Ron May


----- Original Message -----
From: Joseph Garrett <mailto:joegarrett at earthlink.net>
To: pianotech <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 2:22 PM
Subject: Hearing Exam - was OhOh

"You mentioned being "of a certain age" (it's a big club) and I'm wondering
how your hearing is at that end of the piano. If you don't have an ETD but
do have hearing loss at higher frequencies, you may need to bite the bullet
and buy one. For what it's worth, I like Tunlab on my PocketPC because it is
more affordable than others, has everything I need, and has a built in
spectrum analyzer that REALLY helps you see what's going on in those top
octaves."

Why is it so darned hard to go to the Audiologist and get your ears
checked?!!! We all need to do that, at least, every other year. In our case,
once a year is more logical. Sheesh! (And guys are worse than the ladies.
Must be a "guy thing" or is it just plain ego getting in the way of logic?
Yeah, I'm back.<G> Been taking a sabbatical from youse guys/gals. (I can
take only so much, ya know.<G>)
Regards,

Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon)
Captain, Tool Police
Squares R I


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