Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
1O
myth—that is to say, the piano that is
spoken of as being sold regularly at the
fixed price of $75. Certain trade papers
with more brains than honesty and d
little of either, started in sometime since to
injure, ruin, if possible, the business of
certain cheap manufacturers, knowing that
the pianos made by these concerns could
not be built for anything like $75; they
deliberately put the lie before the public
that the pianos of these makers were
actually being sold at a regular stated price
of $75. Many ignorant dealers, and I re-
gret to say in some cases, men from whom
you would expect better, swallowed the
bait, and accordingly came to the conclu-
sion that they had been paying too much
for their goods. If those dealers had only
stopped to consider they would have seen
that a paper advertising a firm as a maker
of a $75 box, simply wishes to ruin that
maker's business by placing a figure on his
pianos, impossible to meet. While I am
on the subject, I want to say that I never
saw in the columns of your paper a discus-
sion concerning a manufacturer's price.
But the ruinous figures at which pianos
in the past have been sold is, in my opinion,
due to the policy followed by a certain New
York trade paper. Stop to consider a mo-
ment—most of the supply men find prob-
ably three-fourths of the volume of their
trade among the cheap makers.
Their
chances of selling this class of trade at a
profit, is dependent upon the ability of the
cheap trade to sell their trade at a profit.
Let a few more of these trade papers keep
on with their dissemination of false state-
ments, and no one will make any profit.
Friend Bill, muzzle the mouths of some
of these rampant, blatant, unprincipled
editors, make them learn in some way that
the trade which puts bread in their mouths
is fully competent to run its business with-
out assistance, and you won't have any
grounds in future for asking questions
about the $75 piano. A trade paper that
gives the buying public any information
whatever about the cost of making pianos,
not only hurts the business of the cheap
manufacturer, but that of the high-priced
maker as well, as it puts in the head of the
buyer a startling idea, to wit: if this piano
can be built for $100, why should I pay
$300 for this?
REVIEW—Do you consider that there are
more than three firms in America who
manufacture the "$75 box,"and do you be-
lieve that such a box will be manufactured
at all six months hence?
MR. BOOTHE—There is no one in America
making a piano for $75, but you will find the
tendency in the next six months towards
an increase in price, rather than a reduction.
REVIEW—Will not, as time rolls on, the
lines become more sharply defined between
the medium and the high price piano, and
will not the cheap piano of to-day be
merged into the first named class?
MR. BOOTHE—The lines are already close-
ly drawn. Certain high-priced makers
will always depend on prestige; the com-
mercial piano manufacturer advertises the
firm name rather than the pianos he makes.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
One will become known as the mere maker
of pianos, the other as the manufacturer of
the Jones, or Smith, or whatever the name
of his piano may be.
REVIEW—It has been said that you be-
lieve that the real future of the piano busi-
ness lies in the establishment of branches.
Is this rumor correct? If so, on what
grounds do you maintain the belief?
MR. BOOTHE—The successful piano man
of the future will be the one who absorbs
gradually all the profits, from the first stick
of wood that goes into the piano, until it
is finally landed in the home of the retail
purchaser.
I base this belief on the
knowledge that it is a fact that the two big
pushing houses in the trade are gradually
extending what are nothing more nor less
than branch houses, into every part of the
United States.
REVIEW—A word about the stencil; what
percentage, in your estimation, of the
cheap pianos made to-day are instruments
of stencil make, that is to say, pianos hav-
ing no definite origin?
MR. BOOTHE—That is a difficult matter
to estimate. Should say fully two-fifths of
the pianos made in the United States are
pianos that do not bear the name of the
maker. Just a word about the stencil
pianos. It makes no difference what name
is on a piano if it is good. Dealers do not
order stenciled pianos because they are
afraid to expose the name of the maker,
but simply because the demand of the deal-
ers has exceeded the capacity of the cheap
manufacturers to supply goods and guaran-
tee protection. Therefore, several dealers
in the same locality may handle the goods
of the same firm. They, therefore, do not
stencil in order to alone deceive the cus-
tomer as to the origin of the piano, but
rather to protect themselves from other
dealers who, failing to sell some customer,
adopt the "dog in the manger" policy of
exposing bills in order that his competitor
cannot possibly sell. It's the dealer, not the
manufacturer, who is responsible for the
growth of the stencil trade. As a matter of
fact, any manufacturer would prefer to sell
his goods under his own name, and when a
trade paper attacks a stencil manufacturer,
it attacks the very vitals of the trade from
which it derives its support.
REVIEW—What part of the country to-day
do you consider the best for piano trade
development?
MR. BOOTHE—As we sell mostly in the
United States, we should consider Europe
and other foreign countries a first-class
field for our competitors to develop. We
don't want the earth anyway, but seriously
the West and the South is, in my opinion,
ripe for development.
The Trade Directory, which is a feature
of The Rcviczv each month, is complete. In
it appears the names and addresses of all
firms engaged in the manufacture of musical
instruments and the allied trades. The Re-
view noiv is sent to the United States Con-
sulates throughout the world, and is on file
in the reading rooms of the principal hotels
in America.
The "Capen" Piano.
THE BROCKPORT
PIANO MANUFACTURING CO.
ISSUE A CATALOGUE OF THEIR LATEST
STYLES WHICH SHOULD PROVE OF
INTEREST TO THE DEALER.
' T H E supplementary catalogue which has
1
just been issued by the Brockport
Piano Manufacturing Co., of Brockport, N.
Y., affords eloquent testimony of the pro-
gressiveness of this firm and their success-
ful efforts in producing a number of new
styles for the fall trade.
It is a great pleasure for us to commend
most highly the four new designs which are
shown in this publication. They are artis-
tic products; ornate without being loud or
"showy," well proportioned and neatly con-
ceived in all architectural details. They
show a distinct advance, and cannot fail to
make a marked impression on the trade.
Styles H and M, cabinet grand uprights,
which are made in all the fancy woods with
handsome automatic extension desk, hand
carved panels, trusses and pilasters, are
really beautiful instruments. Styles F and
S, although not quite as elaborate as the
other two designs, are neat specimens of
up-to-date piano making.
The manufacturers of the "Capen''
pianos are quite modest in their claims,
but the following paragraph is significant:
"We shall, however, hold ourselves free to
make any changes or improvements that,
in the future, may seem desirable." This
indicates the progressive policy of the house
which has been so effectively displayed in
the quartette of instruments illustrated in
this catalogue.
Beauty of case, however, is not alone
sufficient to sell a piano and it is onl} 7 cor-
rect to state that dealers, and, in fact, all
who have examined the "Capen" pianos,
state that for tone, touch, finish and general
appearance, they are among the best instru-
ments for the money on the market to-day.
They are carefully and conscientiously
made, and cannot fail to win a large con-
stituency of admirers.
It will be to the interest of dealers to look
up these instruments and carefully examine
them. They will find that the manufactur-
ers are placing an excellent piano on the
market, an article which it will pay them to
handle.
We hope, in the near future, to present
illustrations of some of the latest style
"Capen" pianos; in the meantime we
should advise dealers not receiving a copy
of this well-printed supplementary cata-
logue to at once write the publishers.
Norris & Hyde.
I
N the West and South, as well as the
East, the Norris & Hyde transposing
keyboard seems to be making hosts of
friends. A number of new agents and im-
portant orders have recently been added to
the roster by this enterprising Boston firm,
who are certain to experience a still greater
activity after the election excitement has
subsided.