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VOL. LXXV". No.8. rablisbed Every Satuday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 383 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. Aug. 25, 1923
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Proper Service for Reproducing Pianos
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T
H E qucstion of proper and competent sen 'ice for th e purchase rs and own er s of reprodu cing pianos is a
matter of steadily gr O\\ ing importance to t he trad e. and this fact \va s no more strongly e\idenced than
at the cOl1\'ention of th e Na tional .\ ssocia tion of P ia no TUllers in S t. Louis las t w eek wh ere a liberal
part of th e bu s in ess sess ions and con s idcrable 1 im e between sess ions w e re g·i\-en o\' cr to a t ho rough di s
cussion o f th e subject.
'J'h e necd of w ell-o rganized anc! proper servi ce o ffered by th e local deal er ' in thc handlin g o f reprodu c
ing· pi a nos w as cmphasi zed ill an articl e in Th e Rev iew recentl y which attra cted widespread a tt ention a nd was
st rong ly endorsed , The growth of the reprodu ce r business a nd the perce ntage of the saks of t hose ins trum cnts
in propo rtion t o t he sales tota l have made the probl em of ca rin g f o r th e r eproducing pi a no in the hom e onc of
vital importa nce .
It is indeed fortunat e that th e tun er s, through th eir national o rg anizatio1l. \\'hi ch embrac es ove r on(' tllou
sand m embers t h rough uu t the coun t r y . real i ze th e se ri o usness of th e problem and the necess ity of co oper a ti ng
wi th bot h the manu fac turers and d ealer s in seekin g a soluti on th a t \\·ill pr ()H~ economi call y so und,
During the introducto r y a nd deyelopm ent period of the reprodu cing piano it was but natural t hat thc
ma nufacturers estahli sh and m a intain se r vice d epartm e n ts to as s is t the d ealer in kee ping· thc in st rum ents ill
proper pl ay ing conditi on . Th e averag:e reproducing pian o today. ho\\"e n :' r. has reach ed a point w here it is a s
nearly f ool-proof as it is possible to make such a piece of m ech a ni sm. o\s th e output inc rease::, it is fou nd
steadily mo r e diffi cult fo r the ma nu fa ctl1rer's sen ' ice departm ent to co\·er th e te rritory of a ll dealers an d u L1;:e
ca re of a ll repairs a nd adjustment s, For somc time past some o f the leading reproducin g pi a no and n:proc\uc
ing' action manu fac tl1rers have end eayored. with some success, to hold schools in Yari ol1 s cities und er th e au
s [Jice ~ o[ their local dealers {o r the purpose of inst.ructing th e dealer' s o wn repair staff in th e deta il s of the i:'
mechanism s, so that all bu t e:--.:ception al repa ir prohl elll s could be ha ndl ed prom ptl y, efficientl y a nd economicall y
by th e d ealer 's O W11 d ep a rtm ent.
I n many cases d ealers ha yc realized the im po rtance and wisdom of th e mO\c and ha \'e co opera ted w ith
th e manufacturer to the cxt ent of inviting local inckpend ent tuners to at tend the clas ses in the beli ef that a
th o roug-h kn owl edge o f the deta ils of the ac ti on by th e ind ependent m a n wo uld sc n 'c genera ll y to imprcss
t he own er with the standa rd quality of th e in strument and thereb y ma inta in its reputa t ion, 1t is un f ortunate.
hO\\'eye r. t ha t some f ew dealers hav e ta ken a narrow \·ie,\! and r ef use to have any thing· to do w ith thc ill cil'
pendent man on the wea k plea that he might utili ze the knowl edgc gained f o r the benefit ()f competitors,
The se\'eral scores of tuners \\· ho attended th e St, LOlli s cOI1\'ention d eJl)onstrat ed in 1l U ullcer ta in l11a11
ner that they ar e both w illing· a ncl an :--.: ious to sec ur e all th e kn O\v lcdge possibl e reg'.arding t he latest r c p J"() dll c ill ,~
mediums, Li ke wise, th e s ince rity of th e tun ers' orga ni zation was ey id ell Ced by it s end o rsemcnt of the plan of
the manu fa ctur ers to hold schools ill va ri ous centers, w it h the loca l di visions of t he a ssociati on assuming the
responsibility oi pro\- iding t he att end a nce and in surin g the SllcceSS of th e sess ion s.
Th e time f o r hesitating and for waitin g to see what th c reproducing· pi ano \\'as g·o ing to accompli sh has
passed. jus t as die! th e period of hcs itation reg'arc1ing' thc stra ig·ht player -pi a no come to a n end. '1'hc m a nufac
tur er has cl one his sharc at hea \· y e:--.: pense , hut that sa llIe ll1a nufacturer cann ot be expected to mainta in ind e
pendcnt ser vice departm ent s f o r the bene fi t of those mercha nts wh o arc not willing to a SSllmc repair rcsponsi
bilities th elllseh -es . alth oug h they are me rchandising reproducing pi a nos ill increas in g number s a ne! \\ith in
creasin g p rofits,
A s the r eprodu cing pian o becomes mo re comnwn in th e homes of th e country th e deal er. for th l' protec
ti on of his 0\\, 11 reputati on . cann ot aff o rd to kec p hi s cus tome r \v aitil1g f o r cla ys or \\'ce ks in o rd er to ha\c th e
fa ctory sen'icc man comc to ma ke adju stm ents, That i s self -evid ent.