Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
E«abiuh*d IM4.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
10 cent. t $2.00 <. r ~ ,
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, APRIL 4, 1925
MANHATTAN AND
OTHER POINTS EAST
What the Men of Music Are Doing and Saying
at Headquarters of World's Big Busi-
ness in the Piano and Kindred
Lines.
UNIQUE BOSTON WAREROOMS
The Aeolian Display and New Quarters; Herrburger
Departs; A Real Organ Man; the Radio Condi-
tion; New Store and Other Items.
In Boston there is a salesroom, unique and rare
in the music business of this country today, but the
like of which not so very many years ago was the
commonest of music stores and display rooms. The
location of this show-room is at the north end of t'he
Park Square Building, on the fourth floor of that
great structure, just off Boylston, at Berkley street.
It is the establishment of the Estey Organ Co., of
Brattleboro, Vermont—the Boston branch of that
fine old concern, and the show room referred to is a
rccd organ sales room set apart for the Estey cabinet
organs, as the ordinary reed organ used to be called.
Here are shown samples of Estey organs, ranging
in prices from fifty dollars for the folding organ
model, on through two, three and more sets of reeds,
to as high as a thousand and more dollars. Aside
from the displays of this company's organs in other
cities, probably one will not find another display any
where in the country of an industry which a few years
ago rivalled that of piano manufacturing and ex-
ceeded the output of its rival and follower, the up-
right piano.
In other rooms of the Estey establishment in Bos-
ton are shown their larger instruments; their pipe
organs for churches, lodges, libraries and homes;
and their combined pneumatic and self-playing or-
gans, running away up in prices to twenty thousand
dollars and more.
Real Reed Organ Man.
Speaking of reed organs and men who believe in
them as merchantable goods, and love them as musi-
cal instruments, comes the name of Charles E. Brock-
ington, of the Mason & Hamlin Co.'s New York
house, who for years was active in the reed organ
end of that company's business and continued to ex-
tend that branch of the company's business up to the
time they stopped making organs.
Mr. Brockington was largely instrumental in get-
ting the Mason & Hamlin "Liszt" organ into various
orchestras, as a regular unit of their equipment, as
well as in the many sales that were made to the big
hotels, clubs, restaurants and other public places in
New York, and other cities, and where they are to
this day regularly used with the music furnished at
these places. Being an enthusiastic admirer of high
grade reed organs and engaged in the music business
in which trade he earns a living, and a good one,
he continues to traffic in these instruments of by-
gone glory.
!ri fact for years past he has bought in and resold
fine old reed organs, and as for the Mason & Ham-
lin "Liszt" organs, he is in the market for all he can
secure of them. He has bought and resold many of
these instruments, paying oftentimes much more than
the instrument had sold for when new. To one who
has ever been identified with the old-time reed organ
business, a visit to Mr. Brockington's studio, at 393
Fifth avenue, New York, is an event of interest and
inspiration.
Great Aeolian Display.
A display at the Aeolian window on Forty-second
street last week attracted great numbers of passers-
by. It was an immense diagram of the steamer
Leviathan, and was an interesting piece of work,
showing in detail all parts and locations of the mam-
moth steamship. It was the first public exhibition of
the drawing which was designed for the Shipping
Board at a cost of about $12,000. To appreciate the
great vessel one must understand that as he looks at
the great ship, with the side removed, he is enabled
to see, without obstruction, the entire layout of the
boat. The rooms are reproduced in pastels, with
their natural coloring showing even the details of the
decorations.
Under a heading. "Ships that sail the Seven Seas,"
arc photographs of the great passenger carrying
steamers most familiar to Americans, and many
United States ships on which are Steinway and other
leading Duo-Art pianos, while an enlarged photo-
graph shows the social hall of the Leviathan with a
Steinway Duo-Art piano installed on that liner last
fall.
Speaking of the immense Aeolian Forty-second
street window,. it may be interesting to know that
this is probably the largest single window in this
country. It is said that the plate of glass in this
window could not be replaced by any stock on hand
here. Consequently insurance cannot be obtained.
The length of the Leviathan sectional drawing is
twenty-two feet and'six inches.
The story is released of the new Aeolian location,
at Fifth avenue and Fifty-fourth street, former home
of the late William Rockefeller, and adjoining prop-
erty, all to be torn down for the new Aeolian build-
ing which is to be ready for occupancy late next year,
although the present Aeolian building will be kept for
four years more. [A complete story appears else-
where in this issue of Presto. 1
Radio in the Trade.
The subject of radio in the piano and music trade
lias stirred a good deal of concern of late. It is in-
teresting to note what some of the big radio con-
cerns think of the regular music business as distribu-
tors of their goods.
The Federal Co., at Buffalo, are catering mainly
to the music dealers. They consider the radio more
in the music field than in any other, and prefer
music men. Mr. Gurney, the advertising manager,
says this is the policy of the house, and the officers
and directors of this great concern, in public speeches,
and articles in their oWn electric journals, preach the
radio for music and music for the radio.
The Brunswick Co., so far as its phono and radio
business is concerned, is straight-line music busi-
ness. Mr. Yorke, of the New York Brunswick house,
and a great institution it is, too, speaks of the pres-
tige a line of Radiolas gives to a music store. The
Brunswick concern is making great advances in the
music trade. And so of other large radio industries.
Phonograph Not Dead.
A story told of the phonograph business seems to
deny any such thought as that the phonograph is
going to pieces. A party v^ent to a music store in
Boston to buy a lot of records. The dealer was in-
terested to know what had brought his customer, and
found that he has been listening to pieces played
over his radio. He liked them, got the names of the
pieces as given by the announcer and, as he wanted
to hear them often, and was not certain that he would
ever hear them by radio again, he went to purchase
the records and a phonograph on which to reproduce
them.
A spread of that kind of impulse will keep the pho-
nograph trade busy and extend rather than re-
press it.
_
Our Export Trade.
Concerning the increasing export trade of a consid-
erable number of piano manufacturers, of which
Presto has taken especial notice, and how export
trade has grown of late and is developing, observa-
tions in New York are impressive.
There is such a thing, and strictly within the possi-
bilities, of making up our so-called "shortage" of out-
put in the increase and development of our export
trade. England, Germany, and France are watching
us rather jealously in this line of manufacture, and
while the American manufacturers are keeping rather
quiet as to the amount of their export trade, it is
certain that they are not indifferent or idle. The one
who has an export is not talking about it but keeps
it to himself.
Our export trade is certainly growing and many
are now extending direct credit to dealers abroad.
South America, Australia and elsewhere, to which
some years ago manufacturers would send instru-
(Continued on page 4)
STANWOOD MILLER TAKES
OVER BIG ST. LOUIS STORE
Widely Known Boston Piano Man Becomes
President and Treasurer of the Smith-
Reis Piano Company.
Stanwood Miller has taken over the store of the
Smith-Reis Piano Company, at 1005 Olive street, St.
Louis, Mo., and has been made president and treas-
urer of this company. Mr. Miller, who has long been
known to the piano trade, is a grandson of Henry
F. Miller, master pianist and piano builder, who
founded the house of Henry F. Miller & Sons Piano
Co., in 1863 and was until his death the active head
of that business.
The Smith-Reis Piano Company has been granted
the exclusive agency for Henry F. Miller pianos in
St. Louis and St. Louis County, and this famous
piano will lead their line. Mr. Miller, having been
brought up with the business, is especially well quali-
fied to bring the merits of the Henry F. Miller line
before the people of that district.
Mr. Miller has announced that there will be only
minor changes in the personnel of the organization.
The store will carry a complete line of Henry F.
Miller pianos and will have a concert grand on hand
for concert purposes. Other lines of The Continental
Piano Company will also be featured at this store.
Mr. Miller, who has been at the Boston offices of
The Continental Piano Company during the past
week, said that he would not move his family to St.
Louis until later in the Spring as he has a daughter
in school in the former city. After school closes he
plans to take his family to St. Louis by auto.
SETTERGREN GRANDS
IN CAR-LOAD REPEATS
Head of Industry at Bluffton, Ind., Asks a
Pertinent and Suggestive
Question.
The general talk is not up to expectation. But
there are piano manufacturers who refuse to "tune
in" to such stuff, and B. K. Settergren, of Bluffton,
Ind., is one of them.
Mr. Settergren said, on
Wednesday:
'This morning we received a telegram, not a letter,
.mind you, asking us to ship another car of twenty-
four grands to Kohler & Chase, San Francisco. When
you consider the fact that we shipped them a car
of twenty-four just seventeen days ago, I, for one,
will say that business is 'darn good.' Even during
war times this would be a good story to tell; what
do you say ?"
VISITOR FROM COLORADO.
Following a vacation trip to Havana, and a num-
ber of points in Florida, E. L. Stong of the Stong
Music Co., Grand Junction, Colo., was in Chicago
Monday, calling at the big Gulbransen factory, and
thereby having an opportunity to see how pianos
are made on a big scale. Mr. Strong was greatly
impressed not only with the output of Gulbransens,
but with the quality of the materials that go into
them. He is back on the job at Grand Junction,
Colo., planning renewed campaigns for the promotion
of the Gulbransen line, which his house has handled
for vears.
MASON & HAMLIN FOR NEW SCHOOL.
A Mason & Hamlin grand has been installed in
the new Theodore Roosevelt High School, St. Louis,
by the Kieselhorst Piano Co., representing the in-
strument there. The school is an object of pride to
the city, not alone from its cost of nearly two million
dollars, but for the facilities and equipment. It con-
tains, in addition to the necessary classrooms, a gym-
nasium, swimming pool, cafeteria and kitchen and
every modern device for heating, ventilating, lighting,
etc. One of its important features is a magnificent
auditorium with a seating capacity of two thousand,.
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