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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
13
Rise in Cost of Various Parts Going Into the Manufacture of Player-pianos
Again Attracts Attention to the Proposals for Standardization of Parts as a
Means of Economy—Important Player Parts That Can be Made Standard
The persistent rise in the cost of all the ma-
terials that enter into the manufacture of
player-pianos, not to mention a host of other
equally practical considerations, has lifted into
the realm of discussion many ideas, which, a
few years ago, would have been considered no
better than dreams. Of these none is more
impressive, and at the same time suggestive,
than the idea of standardization.
So little,
however, is really understood as to the possi-
bilities of economy and efficiency implied in the
idea that we need ask no permission to enter
into a further discussion of it.
The player-piano, in its development and gen-
eral history, may not inaptly be compared with
the automobile. Not only have the two been
virtually contemporary, but their growth has
proceeded in directions almost parallel. Al-
though the argument from analogy is always
dangerous, we think that in the present case the
parallel is close enough to warrant the drawing
of conclusions through comparison of automo-
bile history with that of the instrument with
which we are immediately concerned.
The thesis we,would advance is that the his-
tory of the automobile has been the history of
ever increasing interchangeability, as it were,
of ideas. In the beginning of things, when a
whole new industry was to be developed, and
when the directions of that development could
not be foreseen clearly, it was natural that each
experimenter in the field should follow out his
own ideas strictly, and should be indifferent, if
not actually hostile, to those of his competitors.
It was not until the ideas of some designers
began to appear good and of others inferior,
that attention was paid by individual designers
to their competitors' work.
When contests,
races and shows had shown up the pointedly
good as well as the distinctly bad features of
design, there came about a quite natural draw-
ing together, which has continued until to-day,
when the automobile is seen to be rapidly ap-
proaching the same condition of standardiza-
tion that applies to the straight piano. The
designs in their spirit remain the property of
the individual engineers. One man sticks to
a certain type of valve, another to a special
form of cylinder, another again pins his faith
on a certain theory as to bore and stroker re-
lations. Patented features remain the exclu-
sive property of some and so influence their
designs in individual ways. But the great fact
remains that in all the minutiae, in the me-
chanical details are common to any possible
type of automobile, which must be used by any,
and which therefore are found on all, the wis-
dom of making these as far as possible inter-
changeable has come to be seen. Any stand-
ard spark-plug is now, we believe, applicable to
any standard type of automobile; and there are
many more small parts in the same situation.
Now the point that is to be made is that the
automobile people, who certainly manufacture
individual products, and whose name-values
therefore are just as jealously to be guarded
as those of pianos and player-pianos, have found
out that they lose nothing and gain much in
using as many standard mechanical parts as
they can; that is to say, parts which are iden-
tical for identical functions in all makes of car.
The only and quite sufficient reason for all this
is that all parts which have to be bought out-
side the factory are better bought (at better
prices, that is) if they can be made in the
largest possible quantities by their manufac-
turers. If, therefore, many manufacturers of
any one outside-made part are in existence,
making the largest possible quantity of the same
identical part with standard dimensions, their
costs will be individually reduced, and they
will all be able to give better prices.
All that has been said above is, of course,
applicable to the player business. The general
principle involved will, in fact, be admitted, we
suppose, by almost everyone. The question of
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greater importance is whether there actually ex-
ist at the present time enough features common
to all players to make the idea of standardiza-
tion of parts worthy of attention. We believe
that this question can be answered in the af-
firmative.
The Thesis of This Article
It will be advisable to set forth again the
thesis of this article. Our argument is that it
would be economical and efficient for the manu-
facturers of player-pianos to make concerted
efforts looking towards the standardization of
all parts which can practically be made to com-
mon patterns and common dimensions.
That supply men would welcome such a situa-
tion need not be argued. The necesesity for
carrying in stock huge quantities of parts dif-
fering in pattern, but exactly the same in func-
tion, is neither welcome nor convenient to them.
It simply means higher prices, delays in supply-
ing orders, and loss all 'round, for all of which
the player manufacturer pays. This much will
be admitted without argument.
But to what extent, practically, can standard-
ization be carried? We think that it can be
carried much further than would be supposed
at first thought. The following short list com-
prises some of the more prominent items that
might be subjected to this process with ad-
vantage to all concerned:
Tracker bars.
Spool boxes in one piece made up.
Suction hose from bellows to stack on double valve sys-
tems; smaller for divided actions.
Suction hose from bellows to stack on single valve sys-
tems; smaller for divided actions.
Suction hose from motor to bellows.
Nipples for stack suction hose.
Nipple for motor suction hose.
Tubing for tracker bars.
Tubing from extension blocks, automatic trackers, etc., to
lifter pneumatics, etc.
Bellows castings.
Tempo dials.
Bellows springs.
Governor springs.
This is only a small list of a few parts out of
many. Yet we do not mean to suggest that
without any trouble at all, every one of these
items could be made interchangeable on all
players. We merely wish to point out that on
all, or nearly all, the above items, the differences
at present existing are seldom inherent in the
general instrument design, but are rather the
result of the designer's caprice. For instance,
it is quite certain to-day that in a double-valve
action without pneumatic division of the stack,
suction hose between one and three-eighth and
one and one-half-inch diameter is the best.
There is not the slightest reason why such
hose, with its metal nipples on bellows and ac-
tion, should not be made all of one size for every
player of this type. The result would be uni-
formity, better satisfaction, lower prices and
less trouble in getting supplies. Similar com-
ments may be made about the others, although,
of course, it will be understood that in the case
of some of them no immediate agreement is
to be looked for. In each case, however, the
fact remains that the present existing individual
differences are less the result of inherent re-
quirement than of caprice or chance.
Some Parts to Be Considered
Consider, for instance, the tracker-bar. Is
not the time come, now anyway, for us to get
together on a standard tracker-bar? Even al-
lowing for the very small individual items, such
as an extra marginal perforation here or there,
is it still not perfectly true that we could get
along with a standard type of tracker-bar much
better than we are getting along without one?
Consider only the simplification of the music-
(Continued on page 14)