Presto

August 11, 1923
PRESTO
P.ANO PUBLICITY 1NJHE NOT-LONO PAST FINEOLD
(Continued from'page 3.)
cates to musical discrimination," was a good intro- gestion, too, "We will advise you of nearest dealer."
The review of ambitious piano promotion by means
duction to fine printed publicity in the great
magazines. The half-forgotten "Isotonic" was fea- of the most expensive mediums has been brought
down to ten years ago. It embraces the most active
tured, and also the "65-88 combinations."
The Aeolian Co. this year adopted the line, "The period the musical instrument has known. The war
piano that means music—the Pianola piano," and clouds began to gather soon after, and magazine
ran retail prices of $550 to $1,150. This year the advertising dropped off to a large extent. It has
Estey Piano Co. broke out with half-page displays never been resumed to anything like the same ex-
with the heading, "Think right about a piano," and tent. But an interesting consideration, with respect
"Spend a penny for the pocket Estey," and ending to the piano publicity of the first decade of the new
with "Think right about the Estey." The Presto century, seems to touch upon the fates of the instru-
ments thus promoted.
Company, by a coincidence, occupied the lower half
of. the Estey page in one month's issue of Every-
Notwithstanding the broadcast advertising, in
body's Magazine.
which the manufacturers invested more money than
some of them paid for all of their trade papers com-
Splendid Steger Publicity.
bined, at least a half-dozen of them have since passed
"The Man Behind the Steger Factories" headed from the scene, either by total extinction or by reason
well-displayed full pages in the leading magazines of
of financial stress which necessitated seeking refuge
1911.
The advertisement became one of the best in some consolidation of industries.
known to millions of readers. The page carried a
And usually those manufacturers belonged to the
combination border in which appeared a portrait
of the late J. V. Steger; the "largest piano factory minority whose ambition was to sell direct to the
"consumer" rather than to afford a fair opportunity
in the world"; the "19-story Steger building," and
two Steger pianos, upright and grand. Many in the for the dealers to win profit by promoting the in-
trade will remember the Steger page, which was one strument advertised. In this respect the steady and
of the most notice-compelling and attractive of its persistent trade-paper advertising of such industries
as the Steinway, Steger, Vose and others seems to
time.
"Vose Pianos," an artistically illustrated page, also set an example, and carry a priceless message to
had place in the magazines of 1911. It was the Vose others whose pianos are worth promoting.
grand that made the magazine appeal to the world of
The Lesson of It.
music, and no more forceful publicity shared in the
Advertising
is
a deeper problem than many piano
printer's-ink promotion of that time.
manufacturers seem to realize. It is the greatest of
The Melville Clark Piano Co. also persisted, and
it was then that the famous line, "The Apollo all means to the end most naturally desired. But it
touches down on the keys; Paderewski touches down is also the most costly of all experiments in business
unless it is done not only intelligently but with a
on the keys," appeared, with the conclusion that "if
larger vision than that which comprehends a single
Paderewski is right, the Apollo is right."
In 1912 the Farrand Co. was prominent in the big sale now and then at a retail price.
The dealers in the piano business, as almost no
magazines. Its "Cecilian Night's Entertainment"
added to the beauty of the advertising displays and, others, are the real advertisers, as they are also the
rather strangly, the "Sohmer Cecilian" was in- distributers. And clearly then the trade paper is
corporated with the promotion of the Detroit indus- the logical medium and most potent influence.
try. "You are Schumann, you are Beethoven, Men-
And this is the lesson of the review of piano
delssohn, MacDowell, or Mozkowski," ran the quite advertising and some of its results, as suggested by
original advertising literature. And this wise sug- what has been said in this article.
HUNT PIANO COMPANY
OF PORTLAND, CHANGES
Officers Remain as Heretofore and All But One of
Piano Line Is Continued.
On August 1st, 1923, the corporate name of Miller
& Hunt Company, Portland, Maine, was legally
changed to Hunt Piano Company. There has been
no change of any kind in officers, personnel or or-
ganization, of which Ralph W. E. Hunt is the presi-
dent and Burton R. Miller treasurer.
The company will continue to sell Chickering,
FTaines Bros., Janssen, Marshall & Wendell, Brews-
ter and other pianos and player-pianos; Ampico Re-
producing pianos, and Victor talking machines and
Victor records, but has discontinued selling Henry
F. Miller pianos and player-pianos and has no con-
nection of any kind with Henry F. Miller & Sons
Piano Company, the old Boston industry.
The Hunt Piano Company store is one of the
handsomest in Maine and it is located at 21 and 23
Forest avenue, Portland.
CLARENCE LUCORE GOES
TO GOOD BUFFALO HOUSE
Favorite Salesman, Widely Known in the Mid-West,
Will Join Neal, Clark & Neal.
Few men in the piano trade, especially in the
middle-west, are better known, or more generally
liked, than Clarence Lucore. On or about Septem-
ber 1st Mr. Lucore goes to Buffalo for Neal, Clark
& Neal, of that city. He will also have charge of
their store in Rochester.
Mr. Lucore has been with W. F. Frederick, at
Pittsburgh, during the last year. Prior to that time
he was with the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, at
Detroit and Cleveland, for several years.
. The Neal, Clark & Neal company is making many
changes in its building in Buffalo, and in the future
will handle all kinds of musical instruments, being
known as a general music house. At the present
time they have in the Rochester store pianos and
musical instruments, but these departments will also
be enlarged, and the enlarged Buffalo store, of which
the second and third floors are being remodelled, will
Boardman & Gray Factory Makes Handsome
Appearance and the Local Retail Trade
Is Good, Especially in "Straight"
Pianos.
enable them to handle pianos and small musical in-
struments—in short, a "full line."
Just the date of Mr. Lucore's change has not been
definitely decided, as a satisfactory successor for
W. F. Frederick at Pittsburgh must be secured. For
when Mr. Lucore resigned he agreed to stay until
E. B. Heyser, vice-president, could secure the right
kind of a man, and until he could take his vacation
trip, which was much needed by Mr. Heyser, who,
in addition to the music trade, has charge of the
Frederick Investment Company. As yet the com-
petent and satisfactory successor to Mr. Lucore has
not been secured, although several applications have
been received.
It is certain that the progressive Buffalo house has
made a wise addition to its working forces in adding
Clarence Lucore to its staff, and that gentleman's
friends will wish him continued success, and still
greater opportunities, in his new position.
CEMBALO IN CONCERTS.
Notwithstanding improvements in piano construc-
tion a fresh interest has been awakened in the Cem-
balo—a modest instrument of old times, says the
London Music Trades Review. It is coming more
and more into use for historical concerts. A Munich
piano maker is making an instrument possessing all
the characteristic sounds of the Cembalo, and ap-
proaching the piano for differentation of impression.
This Cembalo with its possibilities of tone modula-
tion, the fruit of long years of search and experi-
ment, is called the "Bach-Klavier." It makes the
realization of the old creations more possible. An-
other adaptation is an invention by Hans Ludke of an
instrument that combines the suppleness of the piano
with the sonorousness of the organ.
EXPANDS IN LEXINGTON, KY.
Spengler's, the art, gift and music store at 139 West
Main street, Lexington, Ky., last week opened a nine-
room music department devoted to pianos, Edison
and Brunswick phonographs and Edison and Bruns-
wick records.
CHAS. GRUNDY'S TRIP.
Chas. Grundy, mid-western traveler for the United
Piano Corporation, New York, who has enjoyed a
vacation principally passed in Chicago, started out on
a trip on Monday of this week.
Piano dealers who, when New York bound, will
find satisfaction in stopping off at Albany to visit the
new factory of Boardman & Gray. It's only a short
distance from the railroad station, and it's one of
the most orderly and attractive plants devoted to
high-grade piano manufacture. The old Albany in-
dustry is consistently sticking to principle of produc-
ing the best instruments they know how to make,
and that is a sufficient guarantee that the Boardman
& Gray pianos are fine ones.
The active members of the Boardman & Gray in-
dustry include Wm. J. Gray, James S. Gray and
three sons of the latter. The elder of the two Gray
brothers, Wm. J., has no sons, his children consisting
of three charming daughters, while his brother has
three sons, all energetic young men, hard at work in
the factory and ambitious along correct piano lines.
Two of the young men are in Europe this summer,
spending their vacation and studying methods em-
ployed in piano manufacturing over there.
When a Presto representative called at the Albany
factory, on Monday of this week, he found the show
room well filled with pianos, both uprights and
grands, in art finish. That is the favorite style with
Boardman & Gray dealers, and, equally satisfactory,
the Boardman & Gray representatives are calling for
regular pianos—the hand-played as well as hand-
made and hand-picked kind.
The firm of Boardman & Gray bought the new
factory outright. The retail house is now on Broad-
way, near State—a fine location. And during the
absence of the younger members of the Albany house,
the store is looked after by a young lady who can
outsell and—may we risk it?—out-manage nine
tenths of the music store conductors in the country.
It is always a satisfaction to know that such an in-
dustry as that of Boardman & Gray is flourishing—
can't fill all the orders.
A WEEK OF MOURNING
FOR PRESIDENT HARDING
Sixth of Nation's Chiefs to Pass Away While Head
of Our Great Country.
The week has been one of distress to the nation.
President Harding's death was even more sudden
than those of the three martyrs, in the same high
station, who preceeded him as sacrifices to loyalty
and duty. Harding now takes a place with Lincoln,
Garfield and McKinley.
The newspapers have told the sad story completely,
from the first illness of President Harding to his
death in San Francisco.
The reason for such
tragedies to a great people is as inscrutable as ever.
All that we actually do know is that—
"The thunderbolt on highest mountain lights,
It never strikes the lower plains."
And now we have a new President and one in
whom Mr. Harding had faith.
The President is
dead; long live the President! Xn a memorial ex-
tended to Mrs. Harding, the Western Travelers' As-
sociation embraced this fine sentiment and tribute:
May the poignancy of your bereavement be soft-
ened and illumined by the glorifying memory of his
life of devoted service to his country. While his
earthly voice is still, his words and deeds shall live
on the the minds and hearts of a hundred million and
more of Americans.
Speaking for our group of men who travel in the
Far Western territory, we join in acknowledging our
share of the everlasting debt of love and thanks to
you for your generous and unselfish sacrifice.
NEW BEDFORD HOUSE GROWS.
An admirable example of continuous growth is the
Dupuis Piano Co., New Bedford, Mass., which has
recently enlarged its floor space at 238-240 Union
street, and now is presented as one of the largest
houses in New England. William M. Dupuis heads
the concern and under his careful direction it has
prospered from a very small retail store in 1916 to its
now impressive home.
REMODELING SALE ANNOUNCED.
Abbey's Music House, 131 S. Main street, Adrian,
Mich., announces a remodeling sale to begin this
week. The firm has taken over the balance of the
building in which it is located, and according to the
announcement, "is going to remodel and make one
of the finest music stores in southern Michigan."
The firm handles pianos and phonographs.
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