Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1924 2002

Page 4 Text:

PRESTO
HARPENOLA AND RADIO
COMBINATION IS MADE
December 6, 1924.
MAKING BALDWIN TONE TEST
Instrument Devised by C. C. Russell Has Per-
sisted and Is Now Made at Celina, Ohio,
with Radio Attachment.
Nearly ten years ago it was announced that C. C.
Russell, at one time a prominent Chicago piano man-
ufacturer, had invented a new musical instrument. It
was of the self-playing reed-wind-orchestra type—a
pneumatic instrument in which several sets of reeds
were used. Tts musical effects were peculiarly pow-
erful, considering its small size. The instrument was
christened the "Harpenola" and a company was or-
ganized for the purpose of making and marketing it.
The first office and wareroom was in the Auditorium
building, Chicago. A very live gentleman, named
Murphy, was made president of the company and
effort was made to interest capital.
Later Mr. Russell retired, taking a good-sized
block of stock for his invention. The Harpenola
was exploited in several cities, particularly in Indian-
apolis, but until recently it did not seen to attract
the desired substance with which to make progress.
But now comes word that the radio eruption has
been the means of making the Harpenola popular,
and is is hoped that the instrument will now not only
help along the trade, but make hard-working Mr.
Russell as rich as he deserves.
The Harpenola is now made at Celina, Ohio, and
a local paper gives some particulars of its combina-
tion with the Federal Radio industry, as follows:
The experimental stage passed with, the radio
and its permanency assured, the Celina manufac-
turers decided that it should be made an adjunct
to the Harpenola. To this end a most harmonious
and successful combination has been effected at
the Harpenola works, whose output now consists
of a combined Federal Radio and the Harpenola.
The one amplifier answers both the purpose of the
radio and the Harpenola.
With the new combined Federal Radic and Har-
penola the possessor is afforded infinite variety
and entertainment. The cases for the Harpenola
are the skilled workmanship of the Celina Specialty
Co. Thence these are transferred to the Harpenola
works, the former Miami Tractor building, where
they are assembled, the radio features added, and
then made ready for the market. H. A. Beam is
the manager of the Harpenola works and he reports
a good business outlook for the new combination.
The building now occupied by the company has
been extensively remodeled. A new power plant
has been installed and a new office has been built,
together with other changes and innovations that
make the enterprise a model factory in all its work-
ing details.
EFFECT OF REMOVAL OF
McKENNA DUTIES NOTED
In Musical Instrument Imports Into England a
Heavy Increase Is Reported.
The effect of the removal of the McKenna rates of
duty on the imports of musical instruments in'.o Eng-
land is clearly apparent in the official trade returns.
In all classes of musical instruments there has oc-
curred a heavy increase since July.
During the last two months of the third quarter of
1924 the imports of organs, pianos, and other musical
instruments were considerably more numerous than
during the first half year, and the value of parts
and accessories was nearly equal thereto.
The numbers of musical instruments exported in
September; 1924, were in each instance above the
average for the nine months in 1923 or the current
year, while the value of accessories and parts was
somewhat lower than the monthly average of this
year but considerably higher than a year ago.
ADVERTISES SEATTLE "PIANO
SALE WITH A REASON"
Montelius Music House Prints Alluring Inducements
for the Thrifty Christmas Buyer.
The Montelius Music House, Seattle, Wash., is
holding a "piano removal sale," which the company
alludes to in its advertising as "A Sale With a Rea-
son." The store of the company at Third avenue
and University avenue has been "leased over our
heads," as the company phrases it so the stock must
be sold to prepare for vacating it. This is printed in
the newspapers:
"Our plan is to dispose of these pianos in the most
direct manner—that is to say—by applying the most
direct means known—and that is to give prospective
customers an incentive to buy by offering them lower
prices than prevailing and by giving them easier
This interesting cut commemorates an important
event for the Baldwin Piano Co., Cincinnati. It was
made from a photograph taken recently when twelve
•Baldwin concert grand pianos were selected from the
Baldwin factories at random and installed on the
stage of the Emery Auditorium, the leading recital
hall in Cincinnati, for a tone test. Each of these in-
struments was played separately by an experienced
musician and the tone judged by a group of twenty-
five experts in tone production from the Baldwin
factories. This was done in order that the pianos
might be heard under the same identical condition
as under which they will be played—an excellent
illustration of the extreme care which the Baldwin
factories take to insure that every instrument con-
forms to the highest standards and reaches artistic
perfection."
terms than prevailing terms. This is simple, direct
and forceful. The way to get someone to buy some-
thing before one is really ready to buy, or before one
is in a receptive mood to buy, is to make an incen-
tive for one to buy—to offer an inducement, and it is
this known principle that is back of this sale, for we
are compelled to dispose of our entire stock of pianos
as quickly as possible. So give us twenty minutes of
jour time and we will convince yoa that we are offer-
ing real bargains—for we have a real reason for so
doing. Don't put fhis off—get your piano for Christ-
mas."
The new location of the company is not stated.
OLD NEW YORK HOUSE OF
WING & SON IS INCORPORATED
THOS. GOGGAN & BROS.
TO MOVE IN SAN ANTONIO
Progressive Texas Firm to Occupy New Three-Story
Building When Completed.
Thomas Goggan & Bros., San Antonio, Tex., will
soon move to a building recently constructed and
which is being made ready for the aggressive music
firm. The location of the new building is the inter-
section of Broadway and Travis streets, considered
the most desirable for music retailing purposes in the
city. The removal will be made at the conclusion of
a special sale now going on in the old quarters on
Houston street.
The new building is three stories high and of an
architectural type that will add to the attractiveness
of that portion of the business section. The pianos
and other music goods will be displayed in large
and artistically furnished and decorated warerooms
and convenient demonstration rooms will also be pro-
vided.
W. W. SMITH SERIOUSLY INJURED.
W. W. Smith, general manager of the J. W. Greene
Co., Toledo, Ohio, and president of the Music Mer-
chants' National Association, who was severely in-
jured in a collision between his automobile and a
heavy truck, on the Woodville road, near Toledo,
Thanksgiving Day morning, is still in the hospital,
where it is feared he may have to remain for some
time. Mr. Smith sustained a fracture of his left arm
and Mrs. Smith was badly shaken up and bruised.
WITH HOBART M. CABLE CO.
P. L Hanson, formerly manager of the piano busi-
ness at South Bend, Ind., known as Dependable
Music Stores, Inc., is now traveling in the territory
of Illinois and Missouri for the Hobart M. Cable Co.,
of La Porte, Ind. Mr. Hanson has moved his resi-
dence to Danville, III.
Instruments Which Have Borne a Good Name Will
Be Continued with Renewed Vigor.
Among this week's incorporations in New York
City is that of Wing & Son, to make pianos, with
capital of $151,200. R. D. and L. S. and T. D.
Wing, incorporators. (Attorneys, Spencer, Ordway
& Wierum, 27 William St.)
It will be recalled that Frank L. Wing, son of the
founder of the old industry of Wing & Son, died
suddenly on October 6. He was the last survivor of
the original firm and there has been interest in the
trade as to what the future of Wing & Son might
be. It is a satisfaction to know that the industry
will continue.
The instruments of Wing & Son have been good
ones from the start. The business has been largely
of the mail order and retail order, but there are a
number of good dealers who handle the instruments,
nevertheless. No doubt from this time forward the
Wing pianos will have a wider sale than ever before,
for the future of the piano trade looks promising.
GULBRANSEN COMPANY'S
ART CALENDAR FOR 1925
Three Handsome Designs Issued and Plans Already
Made for Issue of 1926.
The Gulbransen Co., Chicago, has issued three Gul-
bransen calendars for 1925. One is entitled "'Neath
Holland Skies," and two other designs, "Love's
Golden treasure," and "The Silvery Divide," make
up a trio of calendars which represent the Gulbran-
sen Company's first year's endeavor in a dealers'
art calendar service.
The reception by the trade has been so favorable
that plans are being laid to launch a very extensive
campaign for the use of Gulbransen art calendars
for the year 1926. A special Gulbransen design, fea-
turing the product iself in a multi-colored art calen-
dar, will be one of the novelties to be presented in
the trade.
SERVICE FOR PIANO OWNERS.
The Bergman Piano Store, Fort Madison, Iowa,
has added a service department where pianos and
players of all makes may be repaired. It is another
mark of the progressiveness of the store at 813 Sec-
ond street.
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/

Page 5 Text:

December 6, 1924.
PRESTO
CHRISTMAN
"The First Touch Tells 9 f
COMPLAINTS TO
THE MUSIC DEALER
Sweetening the Kickers and Placating the
Complaining Ones Generally Important
Job That Calls for Special Appointee
in the Big Music Houses.
MOLLIFYING IRATE ONES
One Disgruntled Customer Can Spoil More Sales in
a Given Time Than Two Good Salesmen
Can Make.
(only 5 ft. long)
In All the List of Fine, Small Grands
There Is None That Stands
Higher Than
The Famous
Studio Grand
This dainty little instrument is pre-
ferred by many of the foremost piano
houses and by its remarkable beauty
of design and tone quality it remains
the favorite w i t h discriminating
customers.
CHRISTMAN
Reproducing Grand
the most satisfactory both in imme-
diate profits and in building more
business.
Many More Dealers Have
Arranged to Start the New
Year with the Entire Line of
CHRISTMAN
Players and Pianos
"The First Touch Tells"
Reg. U S. Pat Off
Christ man Piano Co.
597 East 137th St.
New York
The element of good will in the minds of a com-
munity for a music house built up by years of care-
ful management may be dissipated in a very short
time by an opposite line of customer treatment. In
the retail business the call for suavity in dealing
with customers, with a real or imaginary grievance, is
continuous and urgent. Handling complaints, either
justified ones or those of the too exacting customer is
one of the important problems of every business and
one upon the manner in which they are attended to
in a large measure depends the future of the business
Tactless methods of handling complaints have
brought many a promising business to a customerless
condition.
Owing to the importance of the suave and patient
treatment of complaining customers, many music
houses have a regularly appointed trouble-shooter
whose interesting duty it is to take the sting out of
kicks and turn the rampant complainant into a mollified
and satisfied man or woman. It is a necessity because
the handling of the kicker by the salesmen or others
mixed up in the complaints, takes up too much time
for the regular duties. The trouble-shooter tries the
case, as it were, hears the complainant's story and by
interviewing the salesmen, shipping men, bookkeep-
ers or others involved, collects the facts necessary to
a proper investigation. If the fault is on the part
of any employe of the house he is quick to rectify
it and in his pleasant way placates the customer.
The Imaginary Complaint.
If, however, the complaint of the customer is im-
aginary and without a just basis of complaint, his
work is harder and therein is required his genius for
appeasing. He knows that the complaining person
may be hard to convince of the truth of the circum-
stances. But his business is to convince and to do it
deftly and patiently. For he knows that a single
dissatisfied customer can kill more sales in a given
time than could be made by a couple of active sales-
men.
Kicks on Pianos.
No piano or other musical instrument is immune
from a minor or grave breakdown from causes often
not understood by the customer. Few sales are made
where a complaint is not registered by the customer
at some time after the date of purchase. So the wise
dealer prepares to meet such trouble as he does the
other obligations of his business. Sometimes the
occasion of the customer's complaint is a ticklish
one and the dealer guards against a possible "break"
by some impatient or hot-headed employe. He takes
care of such incidents himself, or, better still, leaves
the settlement of such affairs to the specially
appointed trouble shooter.
Adjourning such questions does not help in the
promotion of good feeling. It is better to face the
issue and settle the complaint when it is made and
see a mollified customer leave the store with the
assurance of a continuation-of his or her friendship.
Need of Inquiry.
Remember there is never a complete assurance
that a piano or player, even the best of instruments,
will not develop some fault in delivery or even in
the store, through the fault or oversight of some
workman. The fine playerpianos and reproducing
pianos are particularly likely to get out of adjust-
ment, maybe in some minor way. It may cause a
feeling of dissatisfaction in the customer and his fam-
ily, but an intelligent repairman can explain the
reason and instruct the new owners to guard against
a recurrence of the fault.
That kind of complaints are the easiest to settle.
The task of settling them involves a lecture on the
possible ills of the instruments and the ways to avoid
them and makes for a better understanding of them
on the part of the owners. In fact it is a good rule
to forestall any hard feelings in the customers by
encouraging them to immediately make known any'
dissatisfaction with the instruments so that the
causes may be removed.
The average complaining customer is sensible and
amenable to the reasoning of the trouble shooter.
The 'exception is the fussy individual who has a
changeable mind which is the bane of the hard work-
ing salesman. It is not enough that he changes his
mind half a dozen times before the contract is signed,
but tries to do so when his name is affixed to the
dotted line. Sometimes this kind of fussy person is
downright dishonest and invents a complaint in order
to evade living up to his obligations. It is surpris-
ing how many complaints such a person can think
up to try the patience of the unhappy trouble-shooter.
It occasionally happens that the suavity rule must
be broken and the trouble-shooter, with gloves re-
moved, metaphorically speaking, treats the fussy
one rough.
Diplomacy Wins.
The kickers are not all as bad as that but as a rule
it takes a man with more diplomacy than the ordin-"
ary salesman possesses to handle the usual run of
complaints. The duty of the house is to investigate
the facts. Justice to the house and to the customer is
required in the settlement of the question. But to
effect a settlement just to the house it often takes
the diplomacy of the specially appointed trouble-
shooter who in large houses more than saves the
amount of his salary for the house.
But even the ordinary salesman can make prof-
itable friends for the house by the proper handling of
complaints. The salesmen know that the word of
disgruntled customers of their houses are potent
for spoiling sales only waiting to be closed. Suaviter
in modo is a good motto for the dealer.
ILLINOIS DEALER SCHOOLS
PUBLIC ON CHRISTMAS DUTY
Francis Piano Co., Galesburg, Thereby Increases
Sales of Gulbransen Pianos.
One of the busiest places in Galesburg, 111., is the
Arcade and the firm which contributes more than
any other to the lively condition is the Francis Piano
Co. The proprietor, Mr. Francis, is one of the ener-
getic kind who sees the opportunities in every season
before it approaches.
For a month or more the Francis Piano Co. has
been schooling the people of Galesburg and vicinity
in the duty of "buying Christmas pianos and other
musical instruments early." In describing the Ar-
cade this week the Illinois Democrat of Galesburg
says:
"One of the most interesting and inviting shops
in the ais!es is the Francis Piano Company. The
place is just full of comfortable furniture to rest in
while waiting, and there is always music, classical
and popular, both being played for you. Pianos,
players and many other musical instruments are dis-
played—they are beautiful to look at and to hear
and if you are looking for real Christmas presents,
the kind that are for the whole family and go a
long way toward making the home a place of com-
fort and real happiness, just listen to the new Gul-
bransen Registering Piano Mr. Francis, you will
find very courteous and ready and willing to help
you in any way he ca:i. The next time you are near
the Wcinberg Arcade, drop in this store. You cer-
tainly will enjoy it."
FEATURES CABLE-NELSON GRANDS.
Frank H. Brown's Dependable Music Store, 118
North Main street, South Bend, Ind., is ably featur-
ing the Cable-Nelson small grands in an effective
way to interest the Christmas buyer.. "These beau-
tiful instruments carry an air of elegance, richness
and refinement. Their tone qualities are notable for
their great volume of brilliancy, depth and power.
There is a rich, pure, sympathetic and lasting musi-
cal quality about them which makes them a source of
constant delight," is the impressive way the Brown
advertising alludes to the instruments.
MANAGER GIVES STAG PARTY.
C. J. Morgan, Dayton, O , district manager of the
Wurlitzer Co., recently gave a banquet and stag
party staged at the Mires-Beech Inn near Sidney,
to twenty-seven employes of the district.
Mr.
Morgan's talk was followed by a few words by
every one of the employes attending the banquet,
and when the affair broke up every man was unani-
mous in declaring the affair one of the most enjoy-
able of its kind they had ever attended, as well as
one of the most genuinely profitable.
TO CONCLUDE PARIS PLANS.
Charles Stanley of Grand Rapids, Mich., grand
piano expert with the Story & Clark Piano Co., will
be in Chicago next Monday and Tuesday to complete
arrangements for his departure to France to be absent
about six months. The engagement of Mr. Stanley
to reorganize the grand piano department of the
famous Paris industry of Gaveau has already been
told in Presto.
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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