Presto

Issue: 1925 2025

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Fheir Makers.
PRESTO
E«abu.h*d 1*4.
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
/» c. n t, : tt.oo « i w
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, MAY 16, 1925
LATEST PLANS FOR
THE CONVENTION
Monday's Meeting of Executive Committee
Reported Arrangements for Accommoda-
tion of Visitors in Chicago June 8-11,
and Discussed Events of Week.
BANQUET AND "PEP" PARTY
Everything Ready for Reception of the Crowds of
Music Men Who Will Attend the Silver Anniver-
sary Convention at Drake Hotel.
An important and interesting meeting of the Exec-
utive Committee of the Music Trade Convention
took place at the Drake Hotel Monday evening this
Hotel. Cars may be left in care of the doorman at
the Drake, and the other hotels, and the dispatch
man from the garage will take cars to the garage
and deliver on call by 'phone. A rate of $1.00 per
day or $6.00 per week has been secured for storage
and service charge.
Mr. Hewitt also calls attention to excellent accom-
modations offered for parking throughout the city.
There is a splendid outdoor parking space across the
street, facing the main entrance to the Drake Hotel,
where cars may be taken in and out as often as
desired.
Reception Committees Ready.
The numerous motor drives in and about Chicago
for miles and miles should be an added incentive
to visitors to the convention by auto. For hotel
reservations and all information on garage accom-
modations it is well for intending visitors to write
the Hotel Committee chairman, Harry D. Hewitt,
711 Milwaukee avenue, Chicago, as early as possible.
Word was received from Albert Behning in New
York that sleeping accommodations on the special
train arranged to leave that city over the New York
Central had all been taken and that additional cars
.MAIN lUXlXG ROOM, DHAKIO HOTHL,.
week. The session was a snappy affair, full of pep
and enthusiasm.
All the committees reported, and every report
brought rounds of applause in appreciation of the
splendid way in which the arrangements for Chi-
cago's biggest Music Trades convention is moving on.
Headquarters Hotel Fills Up.
H. D. Hewitt, chairman Hotel Committee, re-
ported that the Drake is "filling up" rapidly for con-
vention week, but that several big hotels in the
vicinity of the Drake will be able to take good care of
the throng.
Notable among these hotels is the Lake Shore
Drive Hotel, closely adjoining the Drake; the Pear-
son Hotel and the Hotel Ambassador, both con-
veniently located, and within short walking dis-
.tance from the Drake. The rates at these hotels have
been made very liberal.
Mr. Hewitt urges that reservations be made early
as by so doing superior accommodations are assured.
Accommodations for Autos.
Arrangements have also been made for first-class
automobile garage accommodations in close prox-
imity to the Drake, and other hotels, for those who
motor to the convention, and indications point to
a great pilgrimage by this mode of travel.
A special rate is arranged for at the Tower Garage,
215 Chicago avenue, three blocks from the Drake
were being secured. The Chicago Piano Club Recep-
tion Committee will meet the Xew York and Boston
train at Gary, Monday morning and on arrival at
the Van Ruren street station they will be met by
the "Automobile Committee" with their hundred cars,
from whence the caravan will move to convention
headquarter? at the Drake Hotel. At Gary the keys
to their rooms will be handed to guests who have
already engaged accommodations at hotels.
Chairman J. G. Childs reported that the arrange-
ments for the noonday luncheons—Monday, Tues-
day, Wednesday and Thursday—had been com-
pleted and that books good for the four noonday
meals will be ready this week. The price for a book
is $6.00; the rate for a single meal is $2.00. Mr.
Childs" address is 532 Republic Building, Chicago,
from whom the books may be secured.
Wednesday's Big Banquet.
Chairman Bristol said that all preliminary arrange-
ments for the banquet Wednesday night, Jane 10,
had been made and that already many reservations
had been spoken for. Seven dollars per plate has
been agreed upon, which is a dollar below the price
of two years ago at Chicago. Reservations of tables
seating seven or eight persons, and reservations for
one or more persons, can now be secured by address-
ing Tas. T. Bristol, 1408 Kimball Building, Chicago.
A great treat is in store in the way of entertain-
ment on this occasion, The names of the principal
WILL EXHIBIT AT THE
FOREIGN CONVENTION
Miss M. Boyd, Export Manager of Jesse
French & Sons Piano Co., Will Leave
June 1 for Seattle, Wash.
Miss M. Boyd, manager of the Export Department
of the Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., will leave New
Castle, Ind., the first of June to attend the Twelfth
Annual National Foreign Trade Convention, to be
held at the Olympic Hotel, Seattle, Wash., June 24
to 27 inclusive, where she will have a display of
Jesse French & Sons playerpianos.
At the convention named the New Castle piano
industry will have one of its new models, style 302,
in burl walnut, and also other models in choice ma-
hogany. An invitation is extended to all who antici-
pate attending the convention to look over the dis-
play. Miss Boyd will visit San Francisco, Los An-
geles, and other western cities on her return to New
Castle.
The Jesse French & Sons Piano Co. enjoyed the
best export business in April of any month this year,
and, from reports received daily, the Jesse French &
Sons line is meeting with great favor. One day's
shipment last month covered the following coun-
tries; Venezuela, Japan, Portugal, Italy, Argentina,
South Africa, Cuba, Chile, Porto Rico, and Mexico.
The display at the Foreign Trade Convention will
include instruments equipped with special actions,
which are used in all our export shipments, and
which requirements in every particular, give the
least trouble of any action on the market.
speakers cannot be announced at this writing, but
men of national reputation will be among the guests,
and to miss the night of June 10 will be regrettable
to any one who is so unfortunate. The entertain-
ment committee has several surprises in store along
this line of possible guests, so it will be well for
every music man to keep close tab on the committee's
announcements. An interesting feature of the eve-
ning's musical entertainment will be the piano play-
ing of George Liebling.
Pre-Convention Event.
The night of Tuesday, June 2, was chosen for a
gala occasion. This is the Pre-Convention Pep Party.
The last big affair of the Piano Club prior to the
convention the week following. The slogan of this
"Eat-and-Be-Merry-Fest" is, "if you miss this meet-
ing you'll regret it." It promises to be the greatest
club affair of the season. The place is the Great
Northern Hotel, Tuesday night, June 2. Two dol-
lars per plate. It is dubbed "Athletic Night." Sur-
prise after surprise is promised.
Frolic night, Thursday, June 11, is well provided
for. Visitors will have all they can comfortably
digest and assimilate convention week and they will
return home satisfied that they have seen the "great-
est ever'' in music conventions and convention enter-
taining.
Local Associations and Press.
The matter of state and local association head-
quarters during the convention was brought up, and
it was arranged that rooms would be set apart at
the Drake Hotel for all state and local music trades
associations.
After this had been decided upon Matt Kennedy
said there should be a similar arrangement made for
the music trade press. This was acquiesced in by
the entire committee present and a music trade press
room has also been set aside.
The boom is on and Chicago—all of Chicago, all
the great commercial and industrial organizations—
are ready with open arms to welcome the piano trade.
The Reception Committee.
The honorary Reception Committee of the conven-
tion has been selected and it will assist in lining
up members and stimulating attendance at the con-
vention. The committee consists of the following
active workers in the cause:
Alabama, B. B. Burton, Birmingham; Arizona, Eu-
gene Redewill, Phoenix; Arkansas, Col. F. B. T.
Hollenberg, Little Rock; California, E. A. Geissler,
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
Los Angeles, H. L. Nolder, Los Angeles, Shirley
Walker, San Francisco, O. Hockett, Fresno, and
J. H. Cooley, San Diego; Colorado, C. G. Campbell,
Denver; Connecticut, A. W. Johnston, Bridgeport;
Delaware, Geo. Gewehr, Wilmington; District of
Columbia, E. H. Droop, Washington; Florida, J. A.
Turner, Tampa; Georgia, J. E. Humes, Columbus;
Idaho, C. B. Sampson, Boise; Illinois, J. P. Lacey,
Peoria, and Joseph F. Reed, Oregon; Indiana, J. E.
Butler, Marion, and C. D. Greenleaf, Elkhart; Iowa,
C. O. Hiltbrunner, Cedar Rapids; Kansas, Merle
Bennett, Wichita; Kentucky, O. D. McLaughlin,
Paducah; Louisiana, Parham Werlein, New Orleans;
Maine, R. W. E. Hunt, Portland; Maryland, C. J.
Roberts, Baltimore; Massachusetts, Roger Brown,
Boston; Michigan, S. E. Overtoil, South Haven;
Minnesota, R. O. Foster, Minneapolis; Mississippi,
J. B. Gressett, Meridian; Missouri, Phil Lehman, St.
Louis; Montana, A. P. Curtin, Helena; Nebraska,
Ross P. Curtice, Lincoln; Nevada, J. D. Mariner,
Reno; New Hampshire, W. H. Avery, Concord;
New Jersey, P. O. Griffith, Newark; New Mexico,
A. I. Riedling, Albuquerque.
New York, Geo. W. Allen, New York; C. J. Cun-
ningham, East Rochester; W. J. Haussler, New York;
A. K. Gutsohn, New York; George Fischer, New
York; Gene Buck, New York; C. T. Purdy, New
York; Albert Behning, New York; Irwin Kurtz, New
York; George M. Bundy, New York.
North Carolina, R. J. Bowen, W'inston-Salem;
North Dakota, Guy Stanton, Fargo; Ohio, Otto Grau,
Cincinnati, Henry Dreher, Cleveland, and D. E. Bam-
baugh, Cleveland; Oklahoma, Thos. J. Edgar, Tulsa;
Oregon, E. B. Hyatt; Pennsylvania, A. O. Lechner,
Pittsburgh; Rhode Island, R. W. Parkinson, Jr.,
Providence; South Carolina, Rudolph Siegling,
Charleston; South Dakota, Geo. Harms, Aberdeen;
Tennessee, Will T. Sullivan, Memphis; Texas, J. R.
Reed, Austin, R. N. Watkin, Dallas, B. A. Grimes,
Fort Worth; Utah, A. A. Beesley, Salt Lake; Ver-
mont, A. L. Bailey, St. Johnsbury; Virginia, J. G.
Corley, Richmond; Washington, W. H. Graham,
Seattle; West Virginia, Alfred Wiley, Huntington;
Wisconsin, A. Wangerin, Milwaukee; Wyoming, L. I.
Gulich, Casper.
JOLIET PIANO TUNER
WINS SLOGAN PRIZE
F. C. Hayward, Victor in Hartman Contest,
Credits Old Square and His Subconscious
Mind for the Winning Phrase.
Every day brings some event that proves the use-
fulness of the subconscious mind. It solves cross-
word puzzles for the fans, recovers mislaid objects
for cross-eyed people and persistently attends to
neglected business for people whose main mind is
temporarily interested in other folks' affairs. The
subconscious mind is a faithful mental servant which
does not always get the credit for its services.
But F. C. Hayward, the busy piano tuner of Joliet,
111., figuratively takes off his hat to his subconscious
mind and voices his warm estimation of that psycho-
logical faculty that is always on the job in emerg-
encies.
One day Mr. Hayward read in the newspaper the
offer of a prize for a slogan by the Hartman Furni-
ture Co., Chicago, which was about to occupy its
new building on Wabash avenue. Like thousands of
others he began to think of slogans, most of the
slogan gems looking and sounding like slogan dross
when put down on paper. The furniture company's
prize of $2,500 was a stimulation that kept him
sloganizing all the time.
One time he thought he had a winner in a gem
written with his finger on a grand piano covered
with dust. But that was discarded for one he pen-
ciled on his apron next day while doctoring a player.
Again he mailed a crackerjack of a slogan to a cus-
tomer when he should have enclosed the items of a
tuning and repair account. That's the way it went.
Every day was considered workless that didn't result
in a whole raft of slogans. But somehow the great
thought didn't come.
Then one day he was requisitioned by a customer
to "do his best" on an old square for which the family
had the reverence and affection that properly belongs
to the honored heirloom. The owners were moving
into a beautiful new home calling for a lot of new
furniture but it was agreed the old square should go
along; not disguised as a writing desk, but in its
honorable character of piano. It was a joyful job
for Mr. Hayward to whom no piano is beyond its use.
The bonfire of old squares during the piano dealers'
convention some years ago in Atlantic City, he likens
to the Slaughter of the Innocents of biblical history
and to other great massacres.
"An old square piano for a fine new home. Why
not?" was the thought he voiced as he labored lov-
ingly to get the old instrument into fair working
condition. There was a sentimental flavor to the
May 16, 1925.
USING WINDOW DISPLAY AIDS
The R. C. Bollinger Music Co., of Fort Smith, Ark.,
has not forgotten very much in the way of Gulbran-
sen display material which they could place in their
window. The accompanying cut shows use of the
plaster baby, the cardboard baby cut-out, the ad en-
largement, the miniature babies, the window flasher,
the monthly raised letter window card, four instruc-
tion rolls, opened up and three special window cards
prepared by themselves.
words that kept recurring at intervals during the
day. The rhythm kept time with the motion of his
hands as he worked and the steps of his feet as he
returned home. The phrase was the final thought as
he dropped oft to sleep.
But it was a paraphrase that he found himself
wording the first thing in the morning: "An Old
Square House in a New Loop Home." His faithful
.subconscious mind had evolved the Hartman slogan
that last week won him the prize of $2,500.
ONE OF THE FEATURES
OF CONVENTION WEEK
POPULAR PIANO EXPERT
OPENS CHICAGO OFFICE
Henry L. Peltier, Well Known as Tuner and
Writer, Is Now Established and Keeping
More Than Busy.
Henry F. Peltier, the expert "harmonizer" who
some time ago contributed to Presto an instructive
series of articles on piano tuning, has gone into busi-
ness "on his own hook," with offices at 6232 South
Halsted street, Chicago. Mr. Peltier is a recognized
expert in all branches of piano manufacture and regu-
lation. He is one of the most rapid and accurate of
tuners and, as a matter of general trade interest, the
following is reproduced from his latest card. It is
headed "28th year—A Little History" :
Seven years with The Steger Piano Co., Steger, 111.
One year with The Hobert M. Cable Piano Co.,
l.aPorte, Ind. Fine tuner.
One year M. Schulz Co.
Three years foreman of the Tuning and Voicing
Department for the Brinkerhoff Piano Co., Jackson,
Mich.
Three years foreman and Chief Inspector of Tun-
ing, Voicing and Player Action installing department
for the Lindenberg Piano Co , Columbus, Ohio.
Three years as Traveling Instructor and trouble
man for The Amphion Pneumatic Action Co., Syra-
cuse, N. Y.
Four years shop superintendent for Vose and Sons,
Chicago, 111.
Three years independent work.
Two years with Rud. H. Schoeppe Piano Co.
Your piano when new had a tension pull on the
frame of approximately 16-tons—32,000 pounds—in
order to maintain this tension, it is necessary to have
your instrument tuned and harmonized with itself
several times a year.
Atmospheric changes is what puts your piano out
of harmony and tune, not playing on it. You can
not hear REAL MUSIC when your instrument is not
in proper condition. You liked your instrument
when new, you will like it again if you let me do
the work on it.
I can install a player in your good old piano and
on easy terms if you like.
The music store conducted by M. Berry at Spring-
field, 111., has been remodeled.
Daily Sessions of Music Industries Chamber
of Commerce to Discuss Various
Subjects.
The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce has
announced the brief business program each day dur-
ing the convention in connection with the noonday
luncheons under the auspices of the Chicago Piano
Club. These business sessions will conform to the
famous slogan of the club—"short and snappy."
On Monday, June 8, President Richard W. Law-
rence will give a brief oral report upon the work
and accomplishments during the past year.
On Tuesday the awards for the 1923 Retail Ad-
vertising Exhibits will be presented to the successful
advertisers. It is probable that some advertising
man will present the awards with a few remarks with
respect to advertising problems in the music business.
Wednesday will be a special day for the various
associations, when the presidents will "be on ex-
hibition," and in a few minute talks the trade will be
told of the size, importance and chief interest of each
association and the importance of the branch of the
industry which it represents.
On Thursday will take place the installation of the
president and other officers of the Chamber of the
coming year.
The luncheons will be Piano Club affairs and the
entertainment features will be under the auspices of
that club, as has been the case in the previous two
Chicago conventions. The committee in charge of
the entertainment is headed by Harry Bibb, of the
Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company.
PREMIER GRAND APPOINTS
MID=WEST DISTRIBUTORS
Blackman Sales Co. Will Serve Dealers in Three
States, with Headquarters in Kansas City.
The Premier Grand Piano Corporation, of New
York, announces that they have made an arrange-
ment with the Blackman Sales Co., 17 East 14th
street, Kansas City, to act as selling factors in west-
ern Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
The Blackman Sales Company is especially fitted to
co-operate with the Premier trade, and this arrange-
ment is the latest indication of the desire on the part
ol the manufacturers to render service to distributors
in the sections outlined.
The Kay Seeley Music Co. recently opened a store
at 207 East Madison street, Arkansas City, Kan.
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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