16
PRESTO
was the announcement this week by the Wm. E.
Steinberg Piano Co., Eau Claire, Wis.
A special sale on seven players was announced
Many grands for Christmas delivery have been
sold by the piano department of Ensenberger f s,
Bloomington. 111.
last week by the Schmidt Music Co., Davenport, la.
Kahl is president and J. J. Donnelly, secretary and
treasurer.
The Q R S music rolls are handled by Malarkey's
Music Store, Pottsville, Pa.
John Martin demonstrated the Gulbransen player-
piano November 18 at the store of the Fred P. Wat-
son Co., Mt. Vernon, 111. The music room of the
company was filled with intersted owners of player-
pianos, in response to the invitation printed in the
newspapers by the Mt. Vernon firm.
PITHY NEWS OF PIANO MEN
RELATED IN BRIEF ITEMS
Trade Members from Various Sections of the Couiw
try Shown "Hard at It"
Playerpianos were specially featured in the Piano
Salons of Wanamaker's, New York, during "Stew-
art Week." which ended November 20.
The M. Schulz Co. piano, made by the M. Schulz
Company, Chicago, was announced as a most desira-
ble Christmas gift this week to prospective customers
of Sallee's Music Store, Litchfield, 111.
"We have the Chickering Ampico in both grand
and upright models. Visit our studios and hear the
claims of these eminent authorities substantiated,"
A PREDICTION THAT CAME TRUE
ly experiencing a temporary lull, the Brambach
plant is operating to its full capacity and conduct-
ing- overtime in all of its departments. It is today
as it was in 1914, "The Lighthouse on the Hudson."
This shows that an idea properly conceived to meet
public favor stands on a foundation that is not af-
An advertisement which the Brambach Piano
Company, New York, inserted in May, 1914, showed
that at that time the Brambach plant was going
full speed, night and day, to supply the demand for
the Brambach small grand. Many people predicted
til*
:::::::«#! SKI
h'f
11 i % 111111 j i » i i f i u 1 1 ; i i I i
THE LIGHTHOUSE
ON THE HUDSON
The illustration tells the story
Our plant is rightly termed the "Light House
on the Hudson" because the tremendous demand
for the wonderful
BRAMBACH BABY
GRAND PIANOS
makes it busy by day and by night.
This is an impressive demonstration of the remarkable,popular-
ity .of our Baby Grands, which are sold with exceptional rapidity
by the most representative Piano Merchants the country over. '
Our Baby Grand Pianos are noted for their artistic value am!
our plant for its immense production and prompt service.
BRAMBACH PLANT DURING CONVENTION TIME
BRAMBACH PIANO COMPANY
largest Producers of Baby Grand Pianos in the World
MARK P. CAMPBELL, » W
STEPHAN BRAMBACH.'Viet-Pfet.
639-643 West 49th Street
at that time, that the baby grand would fail; that
it was a passing fancy—and that the demand for
grands would gradually simmer down to the pro-
portions that had prevailed before the advent of
this small instrument.
However in 1920 the demand for baby grand pi-
anos continues unabated. During the dangerous
times prior to our entering the war; the time in
which we were engaged in conflict and during the
subsequent time just past, the dealer demand and
the consumer preference for the Brambach has been
continuous. Today with the piano industry general-
::
::
New York City
fectcd by temporary trade conditions and fluctuat-
ing general condtions.
Mark P. Campbell, president of the Brambach
Piano Company, is confident that the small grand
will continue to be the popular instrument in the
future and that the demand which has been created
during the past eight years is a prominent factor in
the piano trade and will continue to grow in scope
and popularity. The previous prediction made eight
years ago by Mr. Campbell has been fulfilled and
shows that his views at that time were correctly and
substantially founded.
December 4, 1920.
PIANO TRAVELERS
NUMEROUS IN TEXAS
And the Conditions Arising Therefrom Are
Vividly Described by W. L. Bush in His
Charming and Characteristic Style
of Letter Writing.
W. L. Bush president of the Bush & Gerts Piano
Co., Dallas, Tex., has just returned from a trip to
North Texas and Oklahoma. It was his first ven-
ture on board a train since his accident in September.
"I made it a test trip and came through alive after
about two hundred miles on a road that has a repu-
tation of outclassing any bucking bronco that was
ever raised in this part of the world," writes Mr.
Bush.
"If you have ever ridden over a corduroy road in
a tinlizzie, you have approximated some of the sen-
sations that I experienced on this trip. But unless
you were accompanied with all the noise and din of
a boiler shop and suffering from the after results of
broken bones, you could not hope to fully realize my
experience."
Mr. Bush lived through it and emerged from it in
good condition and with an appetite that enabled
him to do justice to a Thanksgiving turkey and trim-
mings.
The Amazing Change.
"The territory that I covered has changed very
materially in its business aspect the past few
months," continued Mr. Bush. "Last year I went
through the same territory about the same time.
The trains were filled with visitors, home seekers,
oil speculators and prospectors and gentlemen of
leisure visiting Texas for recreation and divertise-
ment. Salesmen and traveling ambassadors were
scarcer than 'hens' teeth' and piano men of the road
were not in evidence but were in hiding, having ex-
hausted every form of a policy, verbal, personal and
written and were mostly in seclusion or dodging the
storm of protest for unfilled orders. On this last
trip I met numerous representatives of factories,
some of whom must have gone on the road to make
room in a factory for another piano or two and re-
ported increases in output and dropping off in de-
mand, a'most in reverse ratio to 1919.
"Some reported good business on special high-
priced styles of players, grands and uprights. But
the dealers I visited were all contemplating putting
in mezzanine floors to relieve the crowded conditions
that have resulted from the filling of back orders or
the placing of exceptionally heavy orders for fall
trade. But I can say, optimistically, that the supply of
instruments now in this territory will take care of the
holiday rush without the tears and disappointments
of a year ago and we expect to satisfy 90 per cent of
our buyers and to appease the other 10 per cent with
promises regarding delivery of a few special grands
and reproducing pianos, representing the only short-
age that we can claim at the present time."
Prices in Texas.
Mr. Bush tells of one Dallas concern which is of-
fering at amazing discounts pianos and players of
well known makes, and the excuse for this is a re-
moval. This he considered a big price to pay for the
saving of cartage and delivery a few doors west.
"We are not able to trim our prices," added the
energetic piano man. "The best we can do is to re-
adjust them on a few pianos of certain lines that we
are closing out and discontinuing and to guarantee
against manufacturers' reduction up to January 1.
On this basis we are going to proceed and upon this
rock we are going to stand and we are aiming at
last year's figures on sales, but it is needless to say
it will take a good many more shots and a great deal
more effort, if we succeed, and of course we will,
for Chicago has no monopoly now on the slogan, 'I
Will.'
"Texas owes her wonderful growth and progress
to the fact that she has purloined and put into execu-
tion all the good slogans in the market, and in spite
of all the gnashing of teeth and maledictions and be-
wailing that has attended the low price of cotton and
the damage wrought by the boll weevil, the Texas
spirit of buoyancy and optimism will drown out al!
this din and return the state to a condition of nor-
malcy (a word recently introduced by President-
elect Harding and which accompanied him on his
trip to Texas). It has been put into immediate com-
mission and is being very freely used."
DEMONSTRATIONS IN WAREROOMS.
Witzmann's, dealers in pianos and "everything in
music," has been in business in Memphis, Tenn., for
forty-eight years. In the fine warerooms at 99 to
103 North Second street this week the Ampico in
the Haines Bros.' piano was specially featured. Con-
tinuous demonstrations were given and the news-
papers carried announcements to that effect.
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