Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1923 1920

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American Pianos
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Trade Lists
Three Uniform Book-
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Music
Industries.
/• cn«« UM « i w
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1923
DEPRECIATION SCHEDULE
ON USED INSTRUMENTS
Special Committee of Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce Urges Wide Discussion
of Vital Subject.
The adoption of a depreciation schedule for pianos
and playerpianos will be one of the eagerly expected
results of the forthcoming national trade convention
at the Drake Hotel, Chicago, which opens June 4.
Such a realization is assured, but before the conven-
tion the widest airing of the subject is desirable.
A special committee of the Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce has been organized to foster dis-
cussion of the subject and to focus the attention of
the trade on the vital necessity of definite action dur-
ing the convention. The committee is composed of
C. Alfred Wagner, chairman; W. H. Collins, S. E.
Clark, Chas. S. Norris, C. T. Purdy, G. C. Ramsdell,
E. B. Heyser, and C. L. Dennis, manager Trade
Service Bureau.
To carry out the purposes of the committee the
following letter has been sent to all trade association
officers, city, state and national:
The Music Merchants' Association of Northern
Ohio unanimously approved and endorsed the efforts
to establish and promulgate a depreciation schedule
at a meeting April 16. Other associations are urged
to take up the vital subject of trade-ins and get an
expression of views.
The depreciation schedule promises to be the most
interesting subject for discussion at the Prosperity
Convention in Chicago, June 4-7. The special com-
mittee wants to get all the viewpoints possible, in
order to solve the problem.
In presenting the Northern Ohio Merchants' report
on the schedule, Secretary Rex llyre said:
"Opposition when discussing it is on the ground it
cannot be done. No one is opposed to it on prin-
ciple. My contention is that present conditions were
made by the dealer, and what man has done he can
undo."
Will you undertake to see what your association
can do to bring intelligent thought to bear on this
problem and assist our committee in its solution?
Please have the subject threshed out locally before
convention time.
season. There will be a nominal entrance fee to
cover the cost of ground fees, luncheon, and dinner.
At least ten persons have contributed prizes. They
are: W. C. Heaton, president Auto Pneumatic Ac-
tion Co.; Kenneth W. Curtis, manager Kohler In-
dustries, Chicago Division; Emil T. Wolff, vice-presi-
dent M. Schulz Co.; James T. Bristol, James T. Bris-
tol Co., Inc.; Chas. Meyer, American Varnish Co.;
John C. Wickham, Wickhain Piano Plate Co.; Joe
Reed, Paragon Foundries; E. C. Johnson, Schaff
Piano String Co.; Roy E. W 7 aite, and Roy Hibshman.
The officers of the Chicago Phtno Golf Association
are E. F. Lapham, president; R. E. Davis, vice-presi-
dent; James T. Bristol, secretary-treasurer.
DINNER IS STAGED FOR
LYON & HEALY FOREMEN
New Factory Superintendent Gives Enjoyable Dinner
Party for Heads of Various Departments.
A dinner party was staged recently by E. J. Fish-
baugh, the new superintendent of the Lyon & Healy
piano factory, for the foremost of the various
departments.
. Business discussion was the important purpose
of the dinner, but the program included quite a bit
NEW PIANO STORE
OPENS AT ANSONIA
GOLF TOURNAMENT WILL
BE CONVENTION FEATURE
Chicago Piano Golf Association Invites All Golfers
to Play June 8.
A golf tournament, it is announced, will be one of
the features of the coming Prosperity Convention.
The Chicago Piano Golf Association has scheduled a
special tournament for all golfers at the convention.
The tourney will be held Friday, June 8; the place
has not been definitely decided, but it will be either
at the Olympia Fields Country Club, which is the
largest golf club in the world, or at the Oak Park
Country Club.
It will be an all-day affair. All dealers who intend
to enter should bring their golf clubs with them, and
should send in their entries to the association in ad-
vance, together with information on their club handi-
cap, or if they have none, the five best scores of last
More Workers Are Employed Than Before or
Since the Fall of 1920, Piano Industries
Included.
The New York piano factories are included in a
statement of the great increase in employment at this
time. More persons were employed in the factories
of New York City in March this year than in any
month since October, 1920, according to figures pre-
pared by the Industrial Bureau of the Merchants'
Association from reports of 778 factories. The index
number, based on June, 1914, equal to 106, was 97.7,
which is 2.4 points higher than the index number for
February and 3.1 points higher than the index num-
ber for January this year.
The most notable increases in employment in
March occurred in the following lines: Sawmills and
planing mills; boats and shipbuilding; gold, silver and
precious stones; brass, copper, aluminum; sheet metal
work and hardware; automobiles, carriages and parts;
cars, locomotives and railway repair shops; instru-
ments and appliances; pianos; organs and other musi-
cal instruments; miscellaneous paper goods.
The lines in which there was little change were:
Rubber and gutta percha goods; pearl, horn, bone,
celluloid, hair; drugs and chemicals; paints, dyes and
colors: print paper and paper goods; paper boxes and
tubes; printing and book making; silk and silk goods;
slaughtering, meat packing and dairy products; bev-
erages; water, light and power.
In March 659 building contracts were awarded.
This is the largest number of such contracts that has
been awarded in any single month since March, 1922,
when the number was 718, and it exceeds the num-
ber awarded in February bry 195, approximately 40
per cent. The estimated cost of these projects is
$57,261,900, which is an increase of approximately
60 per cent over the estimated cost of the February
projects.
"This would seem to indicate." says the bureau,
'"that the size of individual operations is also increas-
ing rapidly. In Manhattan, high-class apartment and
commercial structure construction predominates,
while in the other boroughs the building of one and
two family houses leads all other work."
BOND PIANO CHOSEN
FOR CANTON MODEL HOME
Piquette Piano Company of Bridgeport Has Large
Salesroom in Neighboring Connecticut City.
The Piquette Piano Company of Bridgeport. Conn.,
an old and large piano company, has opened a branch
at Ansonia, Conn. The Piquette Piano Company is
a retail division of The Sterling Company. It has
taken over the large salesrooms at the corner of
Howe Avenue and Center Street, and will sell the
Sterling, Huntington and Mendelssohn pianos, all of
which are reputable instruments, and a full line of
music rolls and phonographs.
The Piquette Piano Company at Ansonia will be
managed by W. D. Piquette.
NEW YORK FACTORIES
SHOW GREAT ACTIVITY
E. J. PISHBAUGH.
of fun. Mr. Fishbaugh presided as toastmaster;
Mr. Moissaye Boguslawski gave a short talk on
''Ideals" and rendered a number of piano solos; and
Mr. W. H. Collins, manager of the retail department,
entertained the guests with a reading of several of
the latest stories.
Other important Lyon & Healy men who were
present include M. A. Healy, president of the firm;
C. W. Litsey, treasurer; C. H. Anderson, secretary;
and H. F. Adams, manager of the wholesale piano
sales.
Current problems and expectations for 1923 pro-
duction were the subjects for a detailed round table
discussion after the dinner.
ST. PAUL TUNERS ORGANIZE.
E. Johnson was elected president and Otto Hall-
berg, secretary-treasurer of the new branch of the
National Association of Piano Tuners, Inc., recently
organized in St. Paul, Minn. Twenty charter mem-
bers were enrolled at the meeting which was at-
tended by officials and salesmanagers of the leading
music houses in the city. The latter pledged co-
operation with the tuners in the proposed campaign
of education for piano owners.
Orton Bros., Butte, Mont., recently celebrated the
thirty-seventh anniversary of its founding.
Alford & Fryar Piano Co. Supplies Reliable Instru-
ment for Real Estate Board Purposes.
The Bond piano made by the Packard Piano Co.,
Fort Wayne, Ind., was the choice of the Real Estate
Board of Canton, O., recently for the Model Home
now open to the public. The piano was bought from
the Alford & Fryar Piano Co., of Canton, enthusi-
astic representatives for the Packard and Bond pianos
in that city. The selection of the piano for the
Model Home is an effective bit of publicity for the
instrument. It is an ideal home surrounding and
every day hundreds of visitors hear its fine tone.
The Alford & Fryar Piano Co. has stood squarely
back of the Bond piano since it was introduced, and
its newspaper featuring of the instrument shows its
assurance in the musical merits of the Bond and
satisfaction in representing it in Canton. The com-
pany makes known the fact that the Packard Piano
Co.'s guarantee goes into every Bond piano.
L. C. DUNCAN, MANAGER.
The new manager of the Harrisburg Music Co.,
Harrisburg, 111., is one of the most widely known
piano men in that section of the country. Mr. Dun-
can can make the proud boast that he not only knows
a majority of piano owners in and about Harrisburg,
but also is on an intimate tuning and repairing foot-
ing with the pianos and players there. For many
years he has had charge of the repair department for
the company and in the meantime qualified as a first
class piano salesman.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
PRESTO
The American Music Trade Weekly
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT 407 SOUTH DEAR-
BORN STREET, OLD COLONY BUILDING, CHICAGO, ILL.
Editors
C. A. DAN I ELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234. Private Phones to all De-
partments. Cable Address (Commercial Cable Co.'s Code), "PRESTO," Chicago.
Bntered as second-class matter Jan. 29, 1896, at the Post Office, Chicago, Illinois,
under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4. Payable In advance. No extra
charge in United States possessions, Cuba and Mexico.
Address all communications for the editorial or business departments to PRESTO
PUBLISHING CO., 407 So. Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
Advertising Rates:—Five dollars per Inch (13 ems pica) for single insertions.
Complete schedule of rates for standing cards and special displays will be furnished
on request. The Presto does not sell its editorial space. Payment Is not accepted for
articles of descriptive character or other matter appearing In the news columns. Busi-
ness notices will be Indicated by the word "advertisement" In accordance with the
Act of August 24, 1912.
Photographs of general trade interest are always welcome, and when used, if of
special concern, a charge will be made to cover cost of the engravings.
., -.
Rates for advertising in Presto Year Book Issue and Export Supplements of
Presto will be made known upon application. Presto Year Book and Export issues
have the most extensive circulation of any periodicals devoted to the musical in-
strument trades and industries in all parts of the world, and reach completely and
effectually all the houses handling musical instruments of both the Eastern and West-
ern hemispheres.
Presto Buyers' Guide is the only reliable index to the American Pianos and
Player-Pianos, it analyzes all instruments, classifies them, gives accurate estimates
of their value and contains a directory of their manufacturers.
Items of news and other matter of general interest to the music trades are in-
cited and when accepted will be paid for. All communications should be addressed to
Presto Publishing Co., 407 So. Dearborn Street. Chicago, III.
SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1923
PRESTO CORRESPONDENCE
IT IS NOT CUSTOMARY WITH THIS PAPER TO PUBLISH REGU-
LAR CORRESPONDENCE FROM ANY POINTS. WE, HOWEVER,
HAVE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVES IN NEW YORK, BOSTON,
SAN FRANCISCO, PORTLAND, CINCINNATI, INDIANAPOLIS, MIL-
WAUKEE AND OTHER LEADING MUSIC TRADE CENTERS, WHO
KEEP THIS PAPER INFORMED OF TRADE EVENTS AS THEY HAP-
PEN. AND PRESTO IS ALWAYS GLAD TO RECEIVE REAL NEWS
OF THE TRADE FROM WHATEVER SOURCES ANYWHERE AND
MATTER FROM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS, IF USED, WILL BE
PAID FOR AT SPACE RATES. USUALLY PJANO MERCHANTS OR
SALESMEN IN THE SMALLER CITIES, ARE THE BEST OCCA-
SIONAL CORRESPONDENTS. AND THEIR ASSISTANCE IS INVITED.
ADVERTISING INFORMATION
Forms close promptly at noon every Thursday. News matter for
publication should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the same
day. Advertising copy should be in hand before Tuesday, five p. m.,
to insure preferred position. Full page display copy should be in
hand by Monday noon preceding publication day. Want advs. for cur-
rent week, to insure classification, must be at office of publication not
later than Wednesday noon.
PIANO PROMOTION
The little local piano dealer is the real publicity man of the aver-
age piano that is worth selling. The little local piano man makes
his living by promoting the pianos he represents. This is an item
which not all piano manufacturers seem to understand or fully realize.
Only the man, whether a piano manufacturer, piano editor or
piano salesman, who has been in the field in a small city, or in the
country town, can know just how far the little local piano dealer goes
to advertise the instruments in which he is interested because from
its sale he makes his living, and sometimes a little more.
There are piano manufacturers who will invest $7,000 in a single
page display in a publication of wide circulation, and who will so
treat the little local dealer as to lose his good will on the slightest
pretext. The paper of wide circulation probably has no piano adver-
tising influence to more than one-half-of-one-per cent of its readers.
The little local dealer has direct, and very forceful, influence upon
every possible piano buyer within a radius of fifty miles of his home
town. Figure it out.
If the costly advertising is—as it often certainly is—designed
to start a campaign of broadcast fame for a really exceptional piano,
it is good and a wise investment. If it is designed to sell pianos at
retail, it is an expensive experiment. The little local dealer will sell
more pianos than the costly story paper advertising. The little local
dealer wears out his shoe leather going around among the people of
his vicinity, telling enthusiastically of the matchless merits of the
May 12, 1923
particular piano he is trying to sell. He is never too tired to tell the
story and to explain why. no other instrument has such tone, or. is
constructed upon principles so absolutely perfect. It would require
every page and every line in the great story paper to tell what the
little local dealer knows about that particular piano, and then it
would not be half told, because the personality of the dealer and the
faith his friends have in him and his piano knowledge would still be
lacking.
The little local dealer is more of a power as an advertiser than he
is credited with being. It is because of his work that there are towns
and communities in which some particular piano is prized above all
others, whereas in most other places the same piano may not be
known at all. The piano with the live representatives scattered about
over the country, are the best advertised pianos. And this applies,
with a few notable exceptions, to the piano business the world over.
How can a piano win the kind of promotion to which reference
has been made? In only one way, and that is by liberal use of the
established and well read trade papers. No question about it, as there
are a number of living, thriving examples. And that certain means
to piano success is not expensive. It doesn't cost seven thousand a
page—not quite !
>*••-•
A BETTER DAY
A notable change may be seen in the style of retail piano adver-
tising. It is not often that we find big display lines in the newspapers
telling about cut prices; and even the "dollar down" has seemingly
disappeared. The old-time printed attacks upon local competitors
have entirely disappeared. As a rule, the retail piano advertising is
clean. It would surprise anyone today to be confronted by a strange,
ugly head, urging that the beholder "find the faces." It would be
cause for a police call to find a portrait of Washington, or Lincoln,
with several warts on their noses, designed to depict other faces.
Those things have passed away, with the coupon and the near-check,
the gold watch and the string of imitation pearls, to be given to the
bringer-in of a live "prospect."
In the place of such atrocities, the piano advertising in the news-
papers is of almost inspiring kind. It has a tendency to help the pos-
sible buyer, and to encourage the thought that pianos are really
worth having, and paying fair prices for. The investment side of it is
again presented, and the better pianos are promoted. Such happy
and suggestive ideas as the "instrument of the immortals" as applied
to the Steinway, is often used to give strength to the retailers' ad-
vertisements. And the high-toned Mason & Hamlin publicity is equal-
ly self-sustaining—"just as the connoisseur of precious stones finds
deepest satisfaction in a flawless jewel, so the lover of music finds his
keenest contentment in a Mason & Hamlin."
"No little stuff" there. Only direct and forceful word pictures
of a great instrument. And the Lyon & Healy methods, too, in mak-
ing the Apartment Grand known for just what it is. There is equally
the dignified style of advertising that leaves desire with readers for
fine instruments. No suggestion that other pianos are poorer, and no
least intimation of the desire to build up by pulling down. It is high-
class advertising, perfectly befitting a high-class business.
And even the second-hands are treated right in these better
days. The old "was and now" has faded out. There is a new day
for the piano trade. And it promises to be a big day and a fair one.
A FRENCH MUSIC SHOW
The French National Federation of Music Industries, correspond-
ing to our own Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, has just
closed a great music trade exposition in Paris. The card of invita-
tion which came to Presto says that "all instruments of music, music
publications, talking machines and radiophones" were to be displayed,
and that the exposition was to be confined exclusively to articles
manufactured in France. And this fine stipulation, or arrangement,
is made : Admission by card only, no entrance charge being made, the
cards being supplied only to visitors interested in the things on exhi-
bition, who may inspect them without the annoyance of a rabble of
curiosity seekers, with no special concern beyond being entertained.
It is thus exclusively the enterprise of the Federation, and of direct
interest to the French industries and trades.
The mistake of the American music expositions has been in the
effort to interest the general public. Pianos are no longer objects of
public curiosity. They do not attract the amusement loving public
in great numbers as to justify the thought that admission receipts
may pay any considerable share of the expenses. The music shows
in this country have been devised and promoted by interests outside
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/

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