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Music Trade Review

Issue: 1946 Vol. 105 N. 3

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
The (/Husk jf/iade
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Wm.
J. Dougherty
Alexander Hart
Associate Editor
Technical Editor
Betty B. Borin
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 RKO Building, Radio
City, 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephones: Cl rcle 7 - 5842 - 5843 - 5844
Vol. 105
MARCH, 1946
No. 3
Business —As We See It
i O-ONCE again the music industry is on its own. On
March 6th the OPA lifted price controls on all musi-
cal instruments, parts and accessories including pianos
and also on phonograph records and albums. In the same
release it was also stated that price ceilings were lifted on
cocktail shakers. That ought to
please the members of the trade
also. So. immediately thereafter
the National Piano Manufacturers
Association held a meeting in New
York to discuss ways and means of
getting back to manufacturing on
a production basis. The next prob-
lem is going to be that of supplies,
although the situatioin in many
cases has become easier than what
it was a few months ago. All the
piano plate manufacturers who
were serving the industry before the
war are again operating and there
Carleton Chace
are two new ones. In the action
L
field there were three manufacturers of actions and now
there are four. There are also four string makers the same
as before the war. The jobbers of supplies remain about
the same. Labor and raw materials will probably retard
a fast return to normal production. Those piano manu-
facturers who were fortunate enough to start shipping
several months ago may have some edge on those who
didn't, but the latter need not be discouraged because there
10
will be plenty of business to go around. Don't look for
pianos to be cheap. Prices will necesarily be high for
sometime to come until competition becomes rife and pro-
duction begins to climb so that a manufacturer can see his
way clear to lower his prices. The lumber situation seems
to be the most critical at present and as the country goes
into a housing program the situation is liable to grow
worse than better. So at best the progress back to a normal
production will be slow, which in the long run may be
healthier than otherwise.
With lumber still controlled it can be readily seen
that there will be difficulties ahead. It is hoped, however,
that some method of securing enough lumber for the indus-
try, which is a small item in comparison with many other
industries, may be found which will permit a fairly sized
producton before the next holiday season. At any rate
the meeting of the manufacturers which we attended on
March 8th was certainly in direct contrast to the one which
we attended in June 1942, when the WPB informed the
manufacturers that they would have to cease making pianos
by July 31st. And, well it might be. Then they were
facing a red light. Their versatility has pulled them
through and as the green light again shines the entire
industry has much to be congratulated for as well as be
thankful.
Looks Like Another 1938 Production
I
T LOOKS to us that the piano industry in 1946 will
produce about as many new pianos as it did in 1938
within 500 of 90,000 units. All but about 5',' of these
will be spinet pianos. This opinion is based on an investi-
gation we have made of the supply situation and not of
the ability of piano manufacturers to produce more. Thev
can if they can get the supplies. At present, however, there
is a bottleneck in lumber which is critical and lumber
prices are still being controlled, so much so. that we heard
of one outfit with 21 lumber mills, 19 of which have been
shut down. 2 only operating. In addition to this, although
the piano plate situation has eased up somewhat, the pig
iron situation hasn't. The result has been that plate man-
ufacturers, with the exception of those making aluminum
plates, are working from hand to mouth and in some
instances have to shut down some days waiting for mate-
rial. The Department of Commerce has reported that in
December lumber production declined to its lowest level in
ten years and that excess of demand over supply continues
to keep both mill and distributor stocks at an all-time
low. Softwood plywood also continues in short supply
because of log shortages and unfilled orders at the mills
far exceed production which is hampered not only by
shortage of materials but of labor.
Hold Prices in Check and Ration New Pianos
I
T CAN be readily seen, therefore, that the road back to
normal will be a long one and the best method for
dealers to pursue will be to ration their new pianos
and still rely on reconditioned pianos for a large portion
of their business. There is a potential demand in this
country right now for approximately 300.000 pianos so
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW. MARCH, 1946
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
there are 210,000 pianos which must come from some-
where. We doubt that the 300.000 pianos will be sold
this year as the used piano market has been pretty well
depleted. But. it is certain that piano dealers throughout
the country will have a splendid business all through
the year providing they are careful about two things:
rationing of their new pianos and not raising their
prices either on new or used pianos so high that the
public gets stage fright. This latter thought is an impor-
tant one. The OPA has now released all musical instru-
ments from price control. The piano trade is the first
ID receive such a release of any industry which sells com-
modities in the higher price brackets. Perhaps the piano
industry is being used as a "guinea pig" as it was early in
the war by OPA to see what the trade may do in the mat-
ter of increasing prices. So our advice to all dealers is to
hold the line on retail prices as much as possible and don't
let OPA have an opportunity to come back at you. OPA
is still on the job, you know, and it looks as if it will be
for sometime to come.
Used Reconditioned Pianos Will Still Have a
Good Market
V ]f ^S HOSE dealers and others who have been recon-
|l ditioning pianos need have little fear that their
•"*-*- business is going to be forgotten. There will still be a
health) demand for used pianos, particularly Grands. Pro-
duction of new pianos will not meet the spirited demand for
pianos for sometime to come. Prices will also be hisih
for awhile. Piano manufacturers will devote practically
their entire energies to produce spinet pianos. Grand
production will be limited. There is also a new method
of turning trade-ins into additional profits. Before the
war much money was lost on trade-ins. Today they can
be restyled as MirrApianos with which to make additional
profit. The public has been made MirrApiano conscious,
new MirrApianos will be on the market, so this creates
a new method of disposing of trade-ins without loss. The
used piano business will still be good for sometime to come.
What About Piano Servicing?
\f If "S HE tuning problem has been one that has come
II in for much discussion these days. The cost of
-^
tuning a piano has become much higher than in
previous \ears and to repair a piano properly the bill
usually runs fifty per cent higher than it did before the
war. The tuning profession is one that takes special train-
ing and to know how to properly repair a piano, one must
familiarize himself with all phases of piano construction.
Until the National Piano Manufacturers Association re-
cently took cognizance of the seriousness of the situation
and started a campaign to establish tuning schools to be
operated in accordance with courses suggested by it, a man
who wished to learn all phases of piano repair work had
to spend much time In a piano factory. Today these schools
show a student how to tear down and rebuilt a piano and
in about six months time he has a pretty thorough knowi-
rdae of what is necessary. When he is ready to go out and
either work for a dealer or establish his own business he is
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, MARCH, 1946
confronted with a variety of problems most of which
concern his pocketbook. The wage scale for tuners in
factories is now much higher than it used to be and is
somewhat in keeping with comparable positions in other
lines of business. But, when the student starts out for
himself he finds competition in price which in these days
seem ridiculous. For instance, we met a tuner a few
days ago who was doing some work for the Board of
Education in one of the largest cities in the world. He
said all he could get for a tuning was $3.00 and when he
d"d a repair job now the material cost so much that he lost
money on every job. He had evidently had this business for
some time and was afraid to charge the proper price for
fear he might lose the contract. This is the type of tuner
who hurts the whole profession. This is no day and age
when pianos should be tuned for $3.00.
Tuning Charge Should ISot Be Less Than $6.00
T
HE American Society of Tuner Technicians say that
a tuning should not be done for less than $7.50.
Perhaps this is right. But.., would be three times, what was ^'in«t' charged. In the
Metropolitan Areas tunings have been done for $4.00 and
$5.00 neither of which is enough under present conditions.
However, one prominent dealer in New York City has
worked out a schedule where a tuning within the city
limits will now cost $6.00 but in the suburbs an additional
25 cents per mile is charged so that should a tuning be
necessary, out in Suffolk County on Long Island the charge
would run up to $10.00. So far the plan has been working
most satisfactorily both for the dealer and the tuners in
his employ which he pays the wage they should receive in
times like the present.
How About an Associated Tuners
Service?
suggestion has been made that an Associated
Tuners Service, especially in large metropolitan
cities, he formed by the dealers in that territory
through which they would route all their tuning and repair
orders. With the establishing of a central repair depot
the dealers could have all their trade-ins sent there either to
be disposed of if not worth rebuilding or to be rebuilt
and resold either by or for the dealer. The plan would he
to have well reputed tuners who reside in the various areas
surrounding the city be representatives of the Service and
by so doing much time would be saved in travelling and
other expenses. A uniform price could be established which
would provide a good income for the tuner who also would
be able to increase his business by doing more in a day
than he could when travelling long distances. It's going
to take a great many more tuners than are in existence
today to properly care for all the pianos in use and also
those which will be sold within the next few years. Although
there are many now learning the tuning profession it will
take some time before there will be enough to keep all the
pianos up to par. These are only a few reasons why the
above suggestion of an Associated Tuners Service may
have considerable merit. What do you think about it?

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