Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American Pianos
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
Presto Trade Lists
Three Uniform Book-
lets, the Only Complete
Directories of the Music
Industries.
a*»*«tft«
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1923
PRESENTING THE
REPRODUCING PIANO
The Growing Importance of This Type of In-
strument Impresses the Necessity for
Proper Artistic Surroundings in
the Retail Showroom.
The now well-defined thing "the atmosphere" of
the piano wareroom enters into the plans of the am-
bitious dealer with the high-grade reproducing piano
line. The necessity for the proper surroundings for
the reproducing piano involves questions of interior
decoration which, in many cases, the most prominent
decorative artists have been called upon to solve.
To show this instrument properly, to make the
prospective customer visualize the effect of how it
will appear when finally placed in the home requires
a considerable modification of the ordinary commer-
cial appearance of a wareroom. It call for a choice
of a happy medium between overdecoration and the
suggestion of a room in which the average person
would be content to live. The questions arising are
ones for the trained artist to answer.
Understanding this it is strange that dealers would
create a detriment to sales by creating "impossible"
surroundings for the high-grade reproducing piano.
Decorative Errors.
In endeavoring to do something out of the ordi-
nary in wareroom decorations the dealer too often
falls a victim to the lures of the mediocre interior
decorator, who works out a decorative plan for the
reproducing studios that throws the instrument itself
into the background. The sense of harmony and
appropriateness is lost and the refinement is missed.
Detriment to Sales.
A reproducing piano studio, decorated and fur-
nished in such a fashion that the first impression of
the prospect upon entering is the elaborate furnish-
ings, is a positive detriment to the sale, for it dis-
tracts the customer's attention from the main object
and imposes upon the salesman the extra labor of
once more bringing it back. When the possible sales
are for the highest figures obtainable in the piano
business it is worth the dealer's best effort to create
the atmosphere most conducive to sales.
In every decorative scheme for the reproducing
piano, the instrument which is to be sold should
dominate the surroundings. In planning the studio
for its display this fact should always be carried in
mind. The decorative plan should be built around
the instrument and not the instrument fitted to the
decorative plan. .Decorations in a wareroom are es-
sentially selling factores and they should be treated
in this fashion.
The Good Examples.
Examples of fine reproducing piano warerooms
may now be seen in all the large cities. And the
hand of the artist and not the mere mechanical
interior decoration is plain in the results.
The decorative schemes simply serve as a back-
ground, just as the scenic investiture of a play serves
but to accentuate the work of the actors when the
producer knows his business. The home atmosphere
is admirably presented by the real artists. This is
done to as great an extent as is possible in a com-
mercial house. The rooms throughout harmonize
with the period or other styles of the reproducing
piano models shown.
How to Proceed.
A good rule for the dealer planning display rooms
for the high grade reproducing piano is to avoid any
tendency to be over-elaborative. The room must be
in good taste and this is the opposite of gaudiness.
The gaudy showroom for fine pianos has cost the
retail trade a good deal of money in the past on
which there has been no return. For it has aided in
killing sales. A proper background for the display
of the reproducing piano is a profitable investment
for the dealer, for the instrument, especially in its
more expensive models, requires it, and such a back-
ground should always be a matter of careful plan-
ning, for without that it defeats its own purposes.
INTEREST GROWS IN
NEW ADAM SCHAAF GRAND
Character cf Latest Production of the Chicago House
Well Understood in Trade.
Dealers everywhere keen to acquiring representa-
tion for a meritorious instrument are eagerly in-
quiring about the new small grand of Adam Schaaf,
Inc., Chicago. The new instrument was seen by a
great number of dealers during the recent conven-
tion, so its merits are pretty widely known in the
trade.
The advance notice of the purpose of the company
to produce a small grand had prepared the trade for
the addition of something good in that make of in-
strument. Nothing else could be expected from the
Adam Schaaf factory. The company realized the
growing favor for small grands of the higher grade
to fill the requirements of the really appreciative
piano customer.
"Personally, I can see no reason why anybody who
is a prospect for a grand piano at all should not be
sold a good grand as easily or almost as easily as a
cheap one."' said Harry Schaaf, president of the com-
pany at the first presentation of the instrument.
"That is the policw upon which we base our produc-
tion of the new instrument."
Mr. Schaaf's belief has been echoed by a great
number of alert dealers who are making the belief a
part of the policy of their houses.
NEW REPRESENTATIVES
OF UNITED PIANO CORP.
Results of Successful Trip of J. H. Shale in
West Make Fine Showing Among
Houses of Standing.
In his present tour of the west J. H. Shale, of the
United Piano Corporation, New York, closed some
very important deals with prominent firms. The re-
sults are seen in the following items:
The Silver State Music Company, Pueblo, Colo., is
now featuring the entire United lines, consisting of
A. B. Chase, Emerson and Lindeman & Sons, partic-
ularly the Celco Reproducing Medium.
The Darrow Music Company, Denver, Colo., which
for many years has featured the Emerson, will hence-
forth feature the United lines, giving special promo-
OWNER OF OLD STRAUBE
PIANO MAKES INQUIRY
Saturday Evening Post Advertisement of Straube
Piano Co. Prompts Letter.
One of the most unusual letters received to date by
the Straube Piano Company, Hammond, Ind., was
in the nature of a reply to one of the company's
advertisements in the Saturday Evening Post. But
the reply stated frankly that the writer was not in
the market for any sort of musical instrument what-
soever; he simply wanted to know whether the
Straube Piano Company doing the advertising is the
same one that built the instrument which he had
inherited from his father.
When assured that such was the case, the inquirer
wrote back, giving a detailed description of the many
hardships the instrument has undergone. He con-
cluded the letter by stating that tuners and musicians
generally conceded that the old instrument is the
equal yet of any piano being put on the market
today.
J. H. SHALE.
tion to the Celco Reproducing Medium, as Mr. Dar-
row is perhaps one of the most successful and inter-
ested dealers in the player and reproducing instru-
ments.
The Forbes-Huntoon Music Company, of Chey-
enne, Wyoming, has for two years been affiliated with
the A. B. Chase piano, having sold many of the in-
struments in Colorado and Wyoming. This firm will
also feature the Celco. The A. B. Chase and Emer-
son pianos in particular are undoubtedly two of the
JUNE BUSINESS EXCELLENT.
Harry W. Weymann, head of H. A. Weymann & best known pianos in Colorado and Wyoming, as
Son, Philadelphia, reports that the business in every they have been represented in that territory for 40
department has been unusually good during June. years.
Kieselhorst Piano Company, of St. Louis, who rep-
In the Victor wholesale department alone, he states
that during the first four months of the year the resented the A. B. Chase for several years, has been
sales were twenty-five per cent greater than those appointed representative for the Emerson and Linde-
recorded for the same period of last year, and he man & Sons and will feature the Celco stronger than
added that similar increases in business have been ever.
noted in all other departments.
University Music House, Ann Arbor, Mich., re-
cently purchased from Mrs. M. M. Root, by W. W.
Hinshaw, one of the best known musicians and man-
OPENS IN PLEASANTVILLE, N. J.
agers in the musical world, has also been appointed
William Stewart, who recently opened a new music for t-he United lines and plans have already been
store at Pleasantville, N. J., handles a good line of
completed for several concerts this fall, in this musi-
pianos and playerpianos. His store is one of the cal center.
most modern and up-to-date in that vicinity, and it is
expected that he will soon build up an enviable busi-
ness there.
NEW VIRGINIA FIRM.
The Beardsworth-Bond Music Co., Inc., was re-
NEW KANSAS STORE.
cently incorporated in Lynchburg, Va. This house
Helmer Ek recently opened a music store in the sells musical instruments as well as household and
Hamlin building, McPherson, Kans. He handles office furniture. The officers of the corporation are
pianos, phonographs, records and musical merchan- John Beardsworth, president and treasurer; Thomas
dise. The storeroom has been decorated in appro- D. Bond, secretary, and Joseph L. Bailey, vice-presi-
priate fashion and all the modern facilities for doing dent. The company has a maximum capital of $25,-
a music business installed.
000; minimum, $15,000.
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