May 30, 1925.
WHERE DOUBTS ARE DISPELLED
Under This Head Presto Will Answer Any Question Pertaining to Pianos, or
Other Subjects of Direct Interest to the Trade and Musical Public
Inquiries must bear the signature and address of
writer in order to receive attention. Answers thought
to be of general trade interest will be published. If an
answer is not of general interest it will be mailed pro-
vided stamp is inclosed.
15
PRESTO
to say that we are presenting a copy of the book
without charge to every new -subscriber.
About the two pianos the names of which you
mention; it is true that the house of Baldwin, Cin-
cinnati, controls several well-known pianos. They
operate a number of factories and you will find full
particulars concerning the house, in its various rela-
tions to the industry and trade, on pages 137 and
138 of Presto Buyers' Guide. It is certain that the
big Cincinnati industry makes no concealment con-
cerning the origin of any instruments produced in
any of its factories, and the house is one of the
highest distinction and honor.
* * *
CHURCH ORGANS.
Centerville, Iowa, May 16, 1925.
Editor Presto: Enclosed please find stamps due
on Presto Buyers' Guide. Would you kindly send
me the names of two or three reliable pipe organ
companies as I have a sale for one at a large church.
L. GERTRUDE McCLASKEY.
THE STECK PIANO.
Platteville. Wis., May 20, 1925.
Editor Presto: Can you give me the address of
David Schmidt, manufacturer of piano hammers,
New York?
Is the "Steck" piano on the market?
JAMES C. ARTHUR.
The David Schmidt Co. is located at Poughkeep-
sie, N. Y. A letter addressed to that city will reach
the well-known piano hammer industry.
The Steck piano is still on the market and is one
of the most prominent of the large line produced and
marketed by The Aeolian Co. of New York City.
A letter addressed to The Aeolian Co. on the sub-
ject of the Steck will have attention without doubt.
There are a great many makers of instruments
The Steck is unquestionably a tine instrument.
suitable for churches. Among those whose instru-
* * *
ments seem to be in good demand, are the following:
ELECTRIC PIANOS.
Estey Organ Co., Brattleboro, Vt.; Geo. Kilgen &
Son, St. Louis, Mo.; Lyon & Healy, Chicago; Skin-
Whitewater, Wis., May 18. 1925.
Editor Presto: Please inform us who manufac- ner Organ Co., 667 Fifth avenue, New York;
Schuclke Organ Co., Milwaukee. Wis.; Marr & Col-
tures electric pianos and coin operators.
ton Co , Inc., Warsaw, N. Y.
CUMMINGS & HICKEY.
While, of course, there are a great many more, we
We can heartilj' recommend any or all of the fol- believe if you will write to any of these concerns you
lowing manufacturers of electric pianos, coin oper- will find what you want.
ated:
* * *
Operators Piano Co.. 715-721 North Kedzie ave-
TWO
GOOD
PIANOS.
nue, Chicago; Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co., 1731 Bel-
Rockvale, Colorado. May 16, 1925.
mont avenue, Chicago; J. P. Seeburg Piano Co.. 1510
Dayton street. Chicago; Baldwin Piano Co., Cincin-
Editor Presto: Copy of Presto Buyers' Guide re-
nati; Western Electric Piano Co., 429 West Superior ceived. Please let me know how P. A. Starck, best
street, Chicago.
straight piano, ranks with Baldwin? Salesman in-
There are many more and almost any well estab- forms me that "Starck" piano is with same class as
lished piano industry can quote figures.
"Hamilton" of Baldwin Co. How does Starck rank
* * *
with real Baldwin pianos?
MORE TUNERS NEEDED.
JOHN B. SCAVARDA.
Elkader, Iowa, May 19, 1925.
While it is against the rules of this paper to make
Editor Presto: Have the piano tuners and sales-
between instruments of good standing,
men disappeared from the earth? We don't seem comparisons
we can say to you safely that the Starck piano can
to hear of any one in reply to our call for competent rank with first-class instruments. It is thoroughly
help in that line.
well-made, of artistic design, and the quality of
Why not write up a good article to induce more its tone is above reproach. There can be no question
young men to learn piano tuning, so that the service about the character of the Starck piano, and for any
that music dealers like to give their customers will salesman to set any claim to disparage it is distinctly
unfair.
not die ont and eventually kill the music business?
* * *
HERMAN F. MUELLER.
MORE
CHURCH
ORGANS.
Your suggestion regarding an item to induce more
Beckley, W. Va.. May 16, 1925.
young men to learn tuning is timely, and we will take
Editor Presto: Please give us the names and ad-
advantage of it in an early issue. Why not write
to the Polk College of Piano Tuning, LaPorte, Ind.? dresses of reliable companies which make pipe organs,
for churches and theaters.
* * *
E. A. HALL.
THE "HERBERT" PLAYER.
While
there
are
a
great
many
such industries in
Penn Yan, N. Y., May 25, 1925.
this country, we believe that the following is a rep-
Editor Presto: A few days ago I received a cir- resentative
list:
cular letter and several style and specification leaflets
Estey Organ Co., Brattleboro, Vt.; Kilgen & Son,
from the Herbert Player Piano Manufacturing Co., St. Louis, Mo.: Lyon & Healy, Chicago; Skinner Or-
of Milwaukee, Wis., quoting attractive prices on gan Co., New York; Schuelke Organ Co., Milwau-
straight pianos. The specifications are up-to-date.
kee; Marr & Colton Co., Inc., Warsaw, N. Y.
Now, I have a spot cash lady customer for a player-
For theater organs we believe that any of the fol-
piano, but before offering the Herbert strongly to lowing would be perfectly satisfactory:
Operators Piano Co., 715 North Kedzie avenue,
her attention I desire to learn more about it—have
never seen or examined one. What can you say of Chicago: J. P. Seeburg Piano Co., 1510 Dayton
street, Chicago; Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co., 1731 Bel-
its quality and merit as a musical instrument?
mont avenue, Chicago.
W. E. ADAIR.
* * *
A GOOD DEAL ABOUT PIANOS.
It is safe to say that the Herbert player is a de-
pendable one, and one of much attractiveness, every-
Chicago, May 14, 1925.
thing considered. Its cost is an indication of its
Editor
Presto:
We
are
interested
in obtaining any
popular character, but it is well made and the mate-
rial used is reliable and the manufacturer respon- available information on the selling of pianos. Could
sible. A great many of these instruments have been you refer us to any source or give us the information
sold and we have not heard of any discontent by yourselves on the following:
either the dealers or their customers.
Number of piano manufacturers.
* * *
List of piano manufacturers with price range of
each manufacturer.
THE BALDWIN LINE.
Number of piano dealers.
Bismarck, N. D., May 18, 1925.
Methods of selling pianos. How many manufac-
Editor Presto: Enclosed herewith please find four turers use time payment and premium methods?
bits for which I wish you would mail me your latest
Do many have their own retail stores, and if so,
Piano Buyers' Guide. I used to buy that for 25c which ones?
but was advised that you had raised your price, so
Do many use house-to-house methods?
have enclosed amount accordingly.
Do many try to sell direct to consumer?
T am handling the Kimball line and am meeting the
What is the present sales division of players and
"Baldwin" competition who claim that '"Baldwin" ordinary pianos?
makes twenty different named pianos, and perhaps
If you can help us on any of this or any other
1 may learn, if they do, as I always understood that information on the piano business we will greatly
D. H. Baldwin Co. manufacture the Baldwin piano appreciate it.
in Cincinnati, but the Baldwin Piano Co. is a sub-
AUBREY & MOORE, INC.
sidiary handling the output of several different fac-
We will answer off-hand, adding merely that what
tories.
D ERNEST HALL.
we say may be depended upon as very nearly correct.
If you are not a regular reader of Presto we wish
Number of piano manufacturers: 148, and this in-
cludes all industries possessing factories and actually
producing instruments.
Under separate cover we are sending you copy of
Presto Buyers' Guide, an annual publication, in w T hich
you will find the names of all American pianos and
playerpianos together with descriptive matter con-
cerning a large number of the industries themselves.
You understand, of course, that a very large propor-
tion of the pianos sold at the present time are what
may be called "trademark" or "stencil" pianos; that
is, these instruments are produced in the factories of
the larger industries and the names themselves do
not indicate the existence of factories, controlled by
individuals or companies whose names they bear.
Number of dealers: There are approximately
12,000 piano dealers in the United States, but this
does not include agents or special representatives. A
large number of active salesmen work independently,
selling either from factories or stores.
Methods of Selling: Practically all manufacturers
have a time sales plan to dealers. A few of them still
consign instruments but this is a custom which is
not as popular as formerly. In the retail trade it is
customary to allow time and sometimes dealers per-
mit of very small payments. As the late Mr. W. W.
Kimball put it, it is with them not so much a "time"
business as one of eternity. But things have im-
proved of late in that respect also. There are no
longer any premium methods used in the piano trade
except in the so-called "special sales."
The larger piano manufacturers now conduct their
own stores both in the cities of their factory loca-
tions and elsewhere. Of these the most conspicuous
are:
American Piano Co., New York; Starr Piano Co.,
Richmond, Ind.; Chas. M. StiefT, Inc., Baltimore;
Cable Co., Chicago; Aeolian Co., New York; Stein-
way & Sons, New York; Kohler Industries, New
York; M. Schulz Co., Chicago; Jesse French & Sons
Piano Co., New Castle, Ind.; Story & Clark Piano
Co., Chicago; P. A. Starck Piano Co., Chicago; Bald-
win Piano Co., Cincinnati, Ohio.
It is safe to say that nearly all of the piano manu-
facturers, except the comparatively small ones, con-
duct their own retail warerooms in or near the loca-
tion of their factories. This applies particularly to
New York and Chicago.
House to house methods are not used now, as for-
merly, though in the small cities a good deal of it
is still done. Not many of the piano manufacturers
sell direct to consumers though some of the larger
ones do so and maintain regular mail order sales
departments.
While until recently it was estimated that about
eighty per cent of the pianos manufactured were of
the player type that has been considerably reduced
until today the percentage is probably about sixty
per cent. The small grand just now is the favorite
instrument and its sales increase rapidly.
STORY & CLARK DISPLAYS AT
THE DRAKE AND AT HOME
Rooms 825-827 Will Contain Fine Exhibits and New
Warerooms Are Short Distance Away.
The Story & Clark Piano Co. exhibit at Rooms
825-26-27, Drake Hotel, during convention week. A
complete line will be shown, including the Repro-
ducing Grand, Grand, Repro-Phraso and uprights.
E. M. Love will be in charge, assisted by R. A.
Burke. G. C. Eucker, Stil Harcourt and Mr. Cook.
The Drake Hotel is only a short walk north of
the new Story & Clark building at 173-175 North
Michigan avenue, where the permanent exhibit may
also be examined to even greater advantage. Visiting
dealers are invited to inspect the new warerooms.
The Story & Clark building is on the same side of
the avenue as the Drake and in the center of a part
of the new Chicago retail district, which interests par-
ticularly everyone from out of town.
So that convention week promises to be a very
the Blanton-Walker Music Shop, Little Rock, Ark.,
ers who attend the big gathering will find profit as
well as information in a thorough inspection of the
greater Story & Clark establishment and the instru-
ments there to be seen and heard.
NOMINATIONS.
The nominating committee of the National Piano
Manufacturers' Association of America has named the
following to be voted upon at the annual meeting on
Tuesday, June 9, at the Drake Hotel, Chicago: Harry
Schaaf, for secretary; Charles Jacob, treasurer (re-
nomination); and for the membership committee,
Allan B. Lane, Roger S. Brown (both renomina-
tions). Adam Schneider, Walter Lane and E. B.
Bogart.
FEATURES KRAKAUER LINE.
The line of pianos and players of Krakauer Bros.,
New York, is carried by Louis Frey, Inc., Carlstadt,
N. J., which recently occupied its new building at 410-
412 Hackensack street. The music goods depart-
ments are conducted on the ground floor and base-
ment of the new home, the dimensions of which are
40 by 100 feet. In addition to Krakauer pianos, Vic-
trolas and Q R S music rolls are carried.
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/