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36
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
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In tne Musical Merchandise Domain
BUYING STILL QUITE ACTIVE.
Travelers Are Still on the Road and Picking
Up Some Good Orders—Importers Speak of
the Outlook in Optimistia Vein—Opera-
tions of Leading Houses Being Enlarged —
The Situation in Review.
horns. He spent fifteen minutes looking at three
horns. Then, pointing to a big one, he asked its
Should be Advanced Say Some—Buegeleisen & price.
"Seventy dollars," replied the clerk.
Jacobson Assume a Paradoxical Attitude—
"And that one?" he asked, pointing to another.
An Interesting Chat.
"Sixty."
"How 'bout the other?"
The talk of the trade, say those competent to
"That's a $50 horn."
speak, is that the price of violins should be ad-
"Wai," drawled the countryman, pitching a
vanced rather than reduced. Buegeleisen & Ja-
cobson, New York, are adopting the latter course, dime onto the glass case, "gimme a good 10-cent
and in explanation thereof said to The Review: Jew's harp."
"We are taking our best selling violins and re-
INCORPORATED IN BOSTON.
ducing the price in order to induce new custom-
ers to handle them. You should remember this
The Talking Machine Supply Mfg. Co., of Bos-
class of goods ought to go up, but to get dealers
ton,
was incorporated with the secretary of the
in line we are pursuing what may seem to be a
paradoxical policy. Our Victoria mandolins and State of Massachusetts this week with a capital
guitars are making a great hit, and our Crown of $2,000, for the purpose of manufacturing talk-
cornets are selling beyond all precedent. In ing machines. The incorporators are: Chas. J.
other words, business with us is surprisingly Andrews, J. M. Linscott, and Geo. A. Patten.
strong right through all our lines. It keeps us
KNOWN THE WORLD OVER.
busy until 9 o'clock every night getting out the
shipments, for we clear the docket every day, no
The business of the C. G. Conn Co., Elkhart,
matter how late it keeps our force at work."
Ind., continues to make tremendous strides, not
alone in the United States, but in all parts of the
CHEERY REPORT FROM GRATZ IMPORT world. The Conn band and orchestral instru-
CO.
ments have now won a prestige which is now
acknowledged by leading authorities on band in-
At the headquarters of the W. R. Gratz Import
struments in England, Prance, Germany and
Co., at 11 East 22d street, New York, The Review
Russia. Old-time prejudices have been dissipated
was told on Tuesday that the prophesied dull
and the correctness of intonation, the ease of
season for small goods had not yet put in an
blowing, the finish, and the all-round excellences
appearance at their office, and that their orders,
of the Conn instruments have won golden opin-
particularly for harmonicas, was far in excess
ions from experts.
of the same time in previous years, and that the
import orders were almost equal to their best
VIOLINS RE-APPRAISED.
season. The demand for band instruments has
also kept up remarkably well and good-sized
Among the list of reappraisements of merchan-
shipments are being made daily. Import orders dise made by the Board of General Appraisers on
are also coming in freely, and many inquiries Monday last was that of a shipment of violins
concerning new stock for fall trade are being from L. Lowenthal, Berlin; exported March 1,
received. As already announced in The Review, 1905; entered at Chicago. File No. 35516. Find-
Mr. Gratz will depart from his usual custom this ings of Hay, G. A.; 14 pcs. No. 360, ent a t 70
year, and will remain at his desk in this city in- marks each. Discount 2 per cent. Add case and
stead of going abroad.
packing. Reappraised at same prices, net.
THE PRICE OF VIOLINS
Small goods merchants are not drawing their
travelers from the road, for the buying at the
tail-end of the season is far from slow. The
inquiry for goods of every description is keep-
ing up remarkably well, and dealers are moving
their stocks easily and profitably. In fact, com-
plaints of slowing up, though about due, still
hold off, and therefore the importing wholesalers
and stock houses speak of current business in an
optimistic vein. The wide-awake firms are con-
stantly studying the situation with care and
watchfulness, looking out for the first indica-
tions of an altered tone in the foreign producing
centers. As a result there is less immediate buy-
ing abroad for distant needs, and a conservative
disposition dominates purchases, pending further
advices. At the same time the requirements of
business are calling for the placing of a good
many orders, and what is needed for the replen-
ishment of stocks and the keeping of them well
assorted and ample is bought without hesita-
tion.
In the matter of prices, especially for domestic
goods, the figures will be more or less influenced
by the action of the manufacturers from now on.
They are apparently desirous of securing busi-
ness, not because their order books are cleared up,
but for the reason that they prefer to have their
output on guaranteed sale rather than face the
prospect of making up stock, though the latter
course would be in some respects beneficial to the
trade at large, as well as themselves. At such
periods as the present, prices vary; and the
product, one is bound to believe from experience,
suffers in point of quality.
"The enlargement of the general jobbing inter-
ests," said a prominent wholesaler and importer
to The Review, "is calling for special treatment
these days. In fact, it is worthy of special atten-
WHAT HE PURCHASED.
The new telephone microphone of M. Scheer, of
tion to note the diverging lines on which jobbers
Brussels, is to be known as the "isophone," and it
are developing. On the one hand there is an evi-
A tall, lean man from the country went into a claimed to give a much softer and more accurate
dent tendency on the part of the leading houses, Kansas City music store the other day, and, step- reproduction of the voice, music, etc., than the
which are overtopping their competitors and ping up to a clerk, asked to be shown some bass ordinary transmitter.
who buy in all the markets of the world at first
hand, to enlarge their operations still further
THE STANDARD OF THE WORLD
and to attain a position of more commanding
leadership in completeness of stock equipment
S. S. STEWART BANJO
and diversity of lines, quality of service and vol-
and the B A U E R . Mandolins and Guitars
ume of business. On the other hand jobbing
MANUFACTURED BY
houses comparatively small in size, but sound
Pacific Coast Agents, SHERMAN, CLAY 6 CO., San Francisco, Cal.
THE BAUER CO
financially and by no means lacking enterprise
14.10-12 N. BTH ST., PHILADELPHIA, PA.
Canadian Headquarters, N0RDHEIMER PIANO 6 MUSIC CO., Toronto, Ontario.
and acumen, who are working up a profitable
business with dealers in their respective locali-
ties, and whom the larger wholesalers cannot
afford to ignore. On the contrary, their efforts
are being encouraged, for they carry many small
accounts that the greater firms do not care to
bother with, but prefer the certainty of prompt
The Holidays Are
A w a r d e d t h e C. G.
collections from the jobber in question to the
Almost Here, which
Conn Band, Or-
dealer in this particular classification. This is
suggests that a gift to
chestra and Solo
y o u r f r i e n d of a
an interesting development, and later we will
Instruments, is
"GRAND PRIZE" In-
merely a new acknowl-
take the matter up with The Review more in
strument would make a
edgment of what was
detail."
p r e s e n t t h a t would
lone ago c o n c e d e d ,
THE GRAND PRIZE
"Wonders'* are un-
charm and delight :: ::
^<
paralleled in any excel-
lence or quality that goes
to make up a P e r f e c t
and I d e a l instrument.
Send for large ILLUS-
TRATED
CATA-
L O G U E t e l l i n g all
about them :: :: :: ::
namely, that the
$4,500 FOR A VIOLIN.
The highest price ever paid for a violin sold at
auction was recorded a t Messrs. Glendining's
rooms, Argyll' street, West London, a few weeks
ago. This was £900 ($4,500) for an instrument
by Joseph Guarnerius and made at Cremona in
the same period as was the well-known Paganini
Guarneri. The highest price so far at auction
was £860 (?4,300).
Address c . G. COIVM CO., Elkhapt,
Indiana
P. S.—The Wonder Instruments are sent on trial and FULLY GUARANTEED