Music Trade Review

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May 5th, 1882.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
309
Now, if all manufacturers would adopt the
CHECKING.
plan of veneering with walnut or cherry, and
S this important subject in the manufacture graining nicely in imitation «f rosewood, they
of pianos has been engaging serious atten- would avoid one of the most troublesome things
tion in the trade, and as many superficial reme- n the business.
-dies have been proposed, and consequently care-
It would cost the manufacturer a little more
lessly cast aside, THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE ;han when the case is wholly veneered with rose-
EEVIEW decided to get the views of some of the wood, on account of the work of nice graining;
most experienced and practical piano manufactu- but a good artisan can do the work so perfectly
rers of the country and print them in its columns that a critic would have to look long and sharp to
for the benefit of the trade at large.
see the difference.
Wo append the first communication, from one
In fact, it can be done so as to imitate the hand-
of the oldest and most experienced piano manu- somest rosewood in the market, and, in my opin-
facturers, whose views are valuable and whose 011, a piano made in this way is far more valuable
communication will therefore be of great interest ban a rosewood-veneered piano, which is bound
to all manufacturers, agents, and dealers, as well to check, sooner or later, every time.
THE MECHANICAL ORCJUINETTE IN THE SOUTH.
s.s to artisans:
I think agents knowing these facts would prefer
Mr. William B. Tremaine has been traveling
BOSTON, May 1, 1882.
by all means a piano made in this way, and the hrongh the Sonth as far as Texas in the interest
J&litor of THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW: public mind could soon be disabused of the idea of the Mechanical Orguinette Company. A re-
porter of THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW
SIR—I take this early opportunity to comply that a piano veneered with walnut was cheap.
This idea comes from the fact of pianos being asked him how he found the music trades in the
"with your request of the 21st ult., and give you
my experience in regard to what is known among made of soft white wood without being veneered. South.
This is indeed cheap work, and only belongs to
"The music business," replied Mr. Tremaine,
piano manufacturers as "checking" or checking
of work veneered with rosewood, and for which, up the lowest grades of cheap pianos, while a. piano 'is looking up considerably; still the people theio
nicely
veneered
with
cherry,
walnut,
or
some
are poverty-stricken this year. You see they only
to the present time, there seems to be no remedy,
*nd from which not one of the manufacturers in kindred wood, and nicely finished in imitation of raise cotton, and when that fails they have noth-
rosewood
or
ebony
finish,
hits
no
superior,
and
its
ing. This year the crop has been poor. The
the United States or Europe stands exempt, no
general adoption would save an immense amount organ trade, however, is going to be very largr.
matter what grade of pianos he is making.
to both manufacturer and dealer and The Smith American Organ Company has openel
I have been in the piano business for more than of trouble
to the public a really beautiful and first- a branch in Atlanta, and is doing remarkably well.
thirty years, and during that time have tried a furnish
The Estey
very large number of experiments to prevent class piano that would stand the test of summer They are doing a cash business.
house there is also running a first-rate business.
•checking, but all to no purpose, and it has come and winter, heat and cold.
To bring about this reform, its adoption would Most of their goods are out on sale. Atlanta is
to be one of the most serious difficulties that
have to be somewhat general among the manufac- he most important city South for the organ trade,
jnanufacturers have to deal with.
I think I may safely say that ninety-nine out of turers, since unprincipled agents would often and most resembles a Northern city."
"What do yoti tiiink of the tax levied on drum-
-every one hundred rosewood pianos check sooner take advantage, and when sharp competition ex-
or later, and that it does not come within the range isted would undertake to show a customer that mers in the Southern States?"
"It is simply infernal. The tax is levied in the
of possibility for any manufacturer to prevent it, the piano veneered with any other than rosewood
no matter how he treats the wood or how thor- was a second or third-class instrument, and, as iarolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and
oughly his work is done. So long as it is veneered they would express it, "only a cheap imitation Texas. In North Carolina it is $100 a year, and
rosewood piano."
$200 fine if you are caught selling goods in the
with rosewood, it will check.
I think I may safely say, that if dealers would State without a license. The tax is about the
The checking takes place almost wholly during
unite
and
ask
the
Manufacturers
to
give
up
the
same in the neighboring States. Then there are
•cold weather; but why this is BO yet remains a
use of rosewood entirely, and use other woods, as ounty licenses and city taxes imposed on the
.mystery.
I remember, some fifteen years ago I had in I have described, they would soon see an end to ommercial traveler. 'Spotters' lie around the
-my factory a splendid lot of full grand cases this most serious trouble, and find pianos in their hotels to catch those who violate the law. The
that were veneered with thick, sawed rosewood salesrooms surpassing in beauty, or figure, and spotters' get half the fines. There is a bill now
finish anything they have yet seen, and would before Congress, introduced by a member from
veneer.
not so constantly be called upon to labor with
These casea all had several coats of scraping and explain to the public the mysteries of this New Jersey, I believe, to do away with these
taxes. And they ought to be abolished, for their
^varnish, and twelve of them were in my factory unsatisfactory and troublesome business.
effect is simply to drive away commercial travel-
over two years before I was ready to finish them
I. of course, give you this only as my own ex- ers from the State."
*ip.
"What is the condition of the inundated dis-
The varnish was then scraped off and the cases perience and opinions, and would be pleased
{properly varnished and finished up during the through your valuable journal to get the opinion trict?"
"Very bad, indeed. The overflow extends from
winter months, and as soon as they were rubbed of manufacturers and dealers as to the desirable-
Vicksburg to the mouth of the Mississippi. The
ifchey all checked badly, and I found it simply im- ness of a change in this direction.
Very truly yours,
MANUFACTURER .
district is in a terrible state. Ruin and desolation
possible to get them out perfect until warm
weather.
[We would be pleased to receive additional face you on every hand. Water covers the ground
Some of them were finished up three or four communications on this important subject from for miles on both sides of the river."
"How many agencies has the Mechanical Or-
times, and even then two or three came back to manufacturers and artisans.—ED. MUSICAL CRITIC
guinette Company in the South?"
the factory to be scraped and revarnished, after AND TRADE REVIEW]
"Eighteen. In Galveston, Texas, Gogging
having been out about two years; and so it is
Bros, are among the most enterprising men that I
and so it has been for the past fifty years with
EXPORTS AND IMPOSTS.
met in the South. They are rapidly becoming a
rosewood veneers.
wealthy firm. They keep five men on the road
I have tried all kinds of varnish, and every con-
PORT OF N E W YORK.
throughout Texas. Our own biggest trade is in
ceivable way of applying the same. I have con-
the South, so far as this country is concerned.
Week ending April 18, 1882.
sulted chemists and tried their plans. I have put
Southerners are asking for a better class of goods
the cases in a dry-house for weeks after the veneers
Exports.
in the mechanical instrument line, and are willing
-were laid. I have veneered on to green stock with
$ 80 to pay for them. The Mechanical Orguinette is
grain running with outside veneer, thinking that U. S. Colombia, 1 1 Orguinette
Piano
576 meeting with great favor in saloons, for instance.
it would Bhrink the outside wood, and thus remedy British Poss. in Australasia, 40 Organs
1,674 An orchestrion is an expensive article. Every
the evil. I have put the veneers into an oven at Mexico, 1 Organ
6
new tune costs $100, while with an orguinette you
160 degrees heat for five days before laying them. Liverpool, 15 Organs
1,190
I have used veneei'S prepared in chemicals, and, New Zealand, 3 Organs
...
200 can have the latest music for a small sum, and, be-
in fact, tried almost everything which could be British West Indies, 1 Piano
14C sides, a child can play the instrument. The Ma-
thought of, but all to no purpose, and it has come Hamburg, 2 Organs
170 sonic and Odd Fellows Lodges, Knights of Pytli-
4 Piano Materials
200 ias, etc., are buying our orguinettes. We pub-
to be a question with me why manufacturers per-
"
1 Musical Instrument
30 lish all their lodge music."
sist in using a veneer which is certain to become
800
so unsightly and give such serious trouble to both Bremen, 5 Piano Materials
"Do you find pianos and organs very formida-
Amsterdam, 6 Organs
350 ble rivals of the mechanical orguinette?"
manufacturer and dealer.
Antwerp, 1 Piano
450
"I think this instrument will develop a new
I do not find the same true of many other kinds London, 42 Organs
2,619
line of business. People who have pianos and
-of wood—say cherry or walnut—and in my expe-
rience I have found that a piano veneered with
Total
$8,544 organs also want the mechanical orguinette for
the benefit of members of the family who cannot
^cherry or walnut, if properly treated, very seldom
Imports.
play the former instruments. With our new or-
•checks.
$15,886 guinettes that are now being introduced, a man of
I discovered this fact in the manufacture of a 146 Miscellaneous Musical Instruments
ordinary intelligence can manipulate the stops
fancy style of piano which I patented some ten
Week ending April 22, 1882.
with the same effect as a skillful player on the
jears ago.
organ."
Exports.
The body of this piano was always veneered
"Do the darkies take kindly to the mechanical
•with walnut, and during the past ten years we Hamburg, 3 cases Piano Materials
$60(
orguinette?"
have made a large number of this style, none of
PORT OF BOSTON .
"Yes, indeed. They go wild over it. Many of
which have ever checked to any serious extent—
them can only raise a couple of dollars, with which
not more than one out of a hundred, in summer
Week Ending April 14.
they buy an accordeon. When they can scrape
.or winter.
Exports.
together eight dollars, they do not rest until they
Wh«n we first began to make them we put on a
$9,756 get an orguinette."
rosewood band two inches wide, and in the winter England, Organs
'
Orguinettes
2,215
ihis band would always check badly, and had to
50
be scraped and revarnished, while the walnut re- Scotland, Organ
Mr. N. J. Haines, Sr., and Mr. Fred. Haines
mained perfect; and this has been my experience
sailed on the steamship Alaska for Europe Thurs-
Total
$12,02
•during all the years of my manufacturing and
day last. This leaves the important business in-
jnany years of observation and experience in other
Imports.
terests of the firm in the hands of Mr. N. J.
large factories previous to 1860.
England, Miscellaneous Musical Instrument* $1,68' Haines, Jr.
A