Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1925 2037

August 8, 1925.
PRESTO
CLEVELAND TRADE
HAS A MYSTERY
e
Conspicuous Corner Leased for a "Large
Music House," But No One Knows Any-
thing More About It and Local Trade
Is Busily Guessing.
BOOM IN HARMONICAS
ARTISTIC
INEVERTf
DETAIL
HADDORFF PIANO CQ
ROCKFORD,ILL.
Wholesale Offices:
New Tork Cn
I]QW 4Znd «•
Chir.jo
41(1 S. Mwn>j«n A».
S-n f r . . .
) l • .i.Urni* Si
Schaff Bros.
Players § ad Pianos have won their stand-
ing with trade and public by 54 years of
steadfast striving to excel. They repre-
sent the
LARGEST COMPETITIVE VALUE
because of their beauty, reliability, tone
and moderate price. They are profitable
to sell and satisfactory when sold.
Brighten Your Line with the
SCHAFF BROS.
The Schaff Bros. Co.
Established 1868
Huntington, Ind.
The Good Old
SMITH & NIXON
Pianos and Player Pianos
Better than ever, with the same
"Grand Tone In Upright Case/'
Grands and Players that every deal-
er likes to sell, for Satisfaction and
Profit
Smith & Nixon Piano Co.
1229 Miller St., Chicago
Canton Store Is Robbed, Special Sales Are Active,
and Starr Piano Co. Buys Bruck & Sons
Stock Which Failed.
Grossman Music Co., formerly located at West
Sixth street near St. Clair avenue, Cleveland, have
removed to new and larger quarters at 2144 East Sec-
ond street, corner of High avenue. Their new home
is a five story building and is occupied exclusively
by them. The first floor is devoted to a reception
room and offices, all of which are beautifully fur-
nished. The four upper floors are used for stock
rooms and other purposes.
Two more salesmen have been added to their force
and business is reported very good. The firm has
outgrown two other business locations within a few
years, the first being at First and St. Clair avenue"
and the other at West Sixth and St. Clair avenue.
Some "Special" Sales.
Several large "sales" of new and used pianos are
now in progress. The May Co. and the Wurlitzer
Co. are both holding clearance sales. The Starr Piano
Co. has purchased the stock of the former H. B.
Bruck & Sons Co., who went into bankruptcy, from
the Seeburg Piano Co., who had purchased it at the
receiver's sale.
The phonograph trade reports being benefited to a
considerable extent by the cut in Victrola prices,
which has stimulated the demand for records. The
Cleveland Talking Machine Co., Victor distributors,
reports that July business exceeded any December
business.
Canton Store Robbed.
The Axelrod Music Co , Canton, Ohio, were robbed
of three portable phonographs and other small musi-
cal instruments, besides a sum in cash which was
taken from the cash register. Entrance was gained
from the rear.
Harmonicas Have Boom.
The sale of harmonicas has grown to an appre-
ciable extent within the past two weeks since the
Cleveland Press inaugurated a mouth organ contest
among the playgrounds of the city. The boy and
the girl who are judged champions of the city are to
be given a week's contract at the Keith's Palace
Theater at a salary of $50 each. As a result of this
news every youngster's interest has been aroused and
harmonicas are in demand.
Some "Vacationers."
C. C. Lipstreu, well known dealer, of East Fifty-
fifth street and Lexington avenue, is touring the
West with the Shriners and reports that he is having
an excellent time.
M. Glick, sales manager of the Robert L. White
Co., is back from his buying trip to eastern factories
and also a week's vacation. He insists that none of
the eastern cities has the charm for him that Cleve-
land has.
A Music Store Mystery.
Cleveland has a mystery. The ground floor of
Carnegie Hall has been leased to a large music house,
but nobody knows who, and the management of the
building decline to disclose who it is until given per-
mission to do so. Whoever occupies it will have one
of the largest stores in Cleveland.
Peter K. Morrison, Clarence J. Wood, Olin Bell, B.
W. L. Robinson and Charles Houston.
Sullivan & Ries, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., $50,000; to
deal in musical instruments and radio sets; Howard
J. Ries, Francis X. Sullivan and Byron H. Pendry.
Musical Specialties Co., Elkhart, Ind.; $25,000. To
manufacture and sell musical instruments. Harry
Meyers, John H. Brodhead and Catherine Brodhead.
The Standard Radio Corp., Chicago; increase of
capital stock from $50,000 to $75,000 and change of
name to Kromer Company, Inc.
K. L. King Music House, Fort Dodge, capital
stock $25,000.
JULY BUSINESS SMASHES
ALL EARLIER RECORDS
General Manager Clausen, of Henry F. Miller
Stores Co., Reports Business Increases in
Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee.
A. C. Clausen, general sales manager of the Henry
F. Miller Stores Co., Boston, reports an increase of
500 per cent in the sales for the month of July at the
Boston branch of the Henry F. Miller Stores Co.
Mr. Clausen claims that the business done in July
represents the largest amount of business ever done
in the month of July by the Boston branch. He ex-
pects the August record to surpass the July sales
record.
Mr. Clausen also states that June business showed
an increase of 600 per cent over the month of June,
1924. This tremendous increase in business is due to
the fact that instead of reducing the sales force at the
first of June, which is the usual custom, it was en-
larged 20 per cent.
The Detroit branch of the Henry F. Miller Stores
Co. broke all records for the month of July. It rep-
resents the largest amount of business done any
month so far this year. Mr. Clausen says the in-
crease is due to a general pepping up of the sales
force at the Detroit store as well as new improve-
ments in their sales methods.
Mr. Clausen also reports favorable results from
the Chicago branch. Charles R. Newman is local
manager at Chicago and has done the largest amount
of floor business during June and July that has ever
been accomplished by any salesman heretofore con-
nected with the Chicago branch.
The Milwaukee branch of the Henry F. Miller
Stores Co. is another store that showed a substan-
tial increase for July, and the local manager, John
G. Stenger, has increased the sales for the first seven
months of this year approximately 100 per cent over
last year.
PIANO MAN BROADCASTS.
Donald Swengel, a young man who is just geeting
actively into the music business with the house of
Swengel Brothers, Neoga, 111., was a Chicago visitor
last week and incidentally did some interesting broad-
casting from WTAS radio Station, of Elgin, 111. He
played three numbers on the accordion, two of them
his own compositions, "My Pretty Rose," a waltz,
and "Graduation March." He played also "Sharp-
shooters' March." This broadcasting took place
Saturday evening, August 1.
A PORTLAND WEDDING.
Miss Leita Hayes, for the past six years manager
of the record department of the G. F. Johnson Piano
Co., of Portland, Ore., was married to Jack Chis-
holm, salesmanager of the Seattle Music Co. Mr.
Chisholm is well and favorably known to the local
music trade, having been formerly in the music busi-
ness in Portland, and Miss Hayes was one of the
most popular young ladies in trade circles.
JOEL CHILDS MAKES CHANGE.
Joel G. Childs has resigned as traveler for the
Wickham Piano Plate Co. to go into business for
himself, and will visit his friends in another capacity.
Mr. Childs has been associated with the supply
branch of the piano industry for several years, hav-
ing for some time represented the American Felt
New and Old Concerns Secure Charters in Various Company before going to the Wickham industry.
Places.
SCHAEFFER HISTORY IN BOOKLET.
The Paul Specht Music Co., Hartford, Conn.,
The Schaeffer Piano Mfg. Co., 209 South State
$1,000, to engage in the music business. William E.
street, Chicago, has released a handsome brochure
Egan, Leo J. Noonan and Lillian F. Broch.
The Turner Company, Hillsboro, Fla., $330,000. to the trade that contains interesting facts concern-
ing the history of the Schaeffer instrument. That
E. L. Turner and J. A. Turner.
The K. L. King Music House, Fort Dodge, la., for over half a century Schaeffer pianos have been
$25,000; K. L. King, president, and H. B. Fellers, recognized throughout the trade as instruments of
fine quality is told in the booklet.
secretary-treasurer.
The Williamson Co., Inc., Council Bluffs, la.,
PROGRESS IN BELLEVUE, IA.
$25,000; wholesale and retail dealing in phonographs,
The new office building at the piano factory of the
radio, etc. J. T. Thomatz, D. W. Shultz and O. A.
Henry G. Johnson Piano Mfg. Co., Bellevue, la., is
Shultz.
The Delaware Piano Co., Muncie, Ind., $250,000 completed and the ofhee equipment moved there from
preferred stock and 12,500 shares of no par value its old quarters. The former office room will be used
common stock. To manufacture and sell pianos. as part of the baby grand manufacturing section.
NEW INCORPORATIONS
IN MUSIC GOODS TRADE
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/
10
August 8, 1925.
PRESTO
SPENCER
The Intrinsic Qualities of This
Piano Command Attention
A High Grade Instrument at a
Moderate Price
WHY DO PIANOS
GET OUT OF TUNE?
Question Interesting to Makers, Sellers and
Users of the Instruments Asked and An-
swered by Expert Tuner at Annual Con-
vention in Detroit This Week.
First Class Factory and Equipment
Ample Production and Service
TOO MUCH GUESSWORK
SPENCER PIANO COMPANY, Inc.
Enos J. Disler Points Out Fallacies in Statements
of Tuning Requirements Attributed to
Piano Merchants.
FACTORY: Thirty-First St. and First Are.
OFFICES: 338 East 31st Street, New York N. Y.
E. Leins Piano Co.
Makers of Pianos and
Player Pianos That Are
Established L e a d e r s
Correspondence front Reliable
Dealers Invited
Factory and Offices, 304 W. 42nd Si
NEW YORK
"Built on Family Pride"
Doll & Sons
Represent the Artistic
in Piano and Player Piano
Construction
JACOB DOLL & SONS
STODART
WELLSMORE
Jacob Doll & Sons, Inc.
Southern Boulevard, E- 133rd St.
E. 134th St. ami Cypress Ave.
NEW YORK
Why does a comparatively cheap piano in one
home stand in tune well and a high grade piano in
another home next door fail to do so? Why do man-
ufacturers, dealers and many tuners lay stress on ex-
ceptionally well-built pin blocks, bushed pins, capo d'
astro bars, etc.? Do tuning pins slip, even though
they are tight? These are interesting questions asked
by Enos J. Disler, in an instructive address to the
National Association of Piano Tuners in Detroit this
week. According to Mr. Disler the entire piano
trade, including the tuners, has been doing a lot of
crude guessing in connection with the stay-in-tune
qualities of pianos.
"It seems to me that the entire piano trade, includ-
ing tuners, has been guilty of a lot of crude guess-
work in connection with the stay-in-tune qualities of
pianos. Manufacturers, dealers and tuners probably
have been equally guilty and until the piano trade is
able to give a correct answer it will avail us little to
urge 'two to four tunings a year.' Four tunings is
hardly enough in many modern American homes,
while one seems sufficient in other homes, not so
modern," is Mr. Disler's opinion.
Mr. Disler believes that the question, "How and
Why does a piano get out of tune?" is as important
to the manufacturers and dealers as to the tuners.
But the tuners' interest is paramount to judge by his
address, which follows in part:
Fact a Necessity.
It behooves the N. A. of P. T. as an organization,
and each member individually, to understand this
question fully, for as our organization grows in num-
bers and in prestige we shall be expected to furnish
information to the music trades and to the general
public. Let us be ready to furnish information which
is founded on facts and stop guessing. We have
what is practically a monopoly of the "sources of
information," regarding the proper care of a piano.
Let us use this monopoly to enrich our store of
knowledge and to help us forget a lot of unsound
theories handed to us in the past.
I shall endeavor to outline what, in my judgment,
are the reasons for a piano getting out of tune. First,
steel wire, we are told, continues to stretch until it
breaks, which accounts for a continual lowering of
pitch. This stretch, however, is almost negligible
after five years at the proper pitch. Second, a light
back or plate, or both, will bend or bow under the
heavy tension, also lowering the pitch. This, too, is
almost negligible after five years at the proper pitch.
Third, and much the most important, is the changes
in wood in general, and in the sounding board, the
bridges and the sounding board rim in particular,
due to changes in the relative humidity of the atmos-
phere which can and do both lower and raise the
pitch.
When Wood Is Cause.
To return to the third reason: the changes in wood,
particularly that of the sounding board, rim and
bridges, are what make it possible for a tuner to be
a "hero" today and a "hobo" in a month or two. If
traced to their sources most complaints as to the
work of a high class tuner not holding up will be
QUALITY DECKER
in Name and in Fact
TONE, MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION,
WORKMANSHIP, DESIGN—all in ac-
cord with the broadest experience—are
the elements which give character to
Bush & Lane Products.
BUSH & LANE PIANOS
BUSH t LANE CECILIAN PLAYER PIANOS
take high place, therefore, in any com-
parison of high grade pianos because of
the individuality of character which dis-
tinguishes them in all essentials of merit
and value.
BUSH & LANE PIANO CO.
HollaiHl, Mich.
mJ
found in changes in the position of the sounding
board and the bridges because of expansion or con-
traction of these parts after tuning. And allow me
to state here that there is no tuner so high class that
he can avoid or overcome these changes with a tun-
ing hammer.
Let us consider now what these changes mean.
Let us think of the piano as being built of wood and
that the woods employed for the purpose are sub-
ject to expansion and contraction because of the pres-
ence or absence of moisture in the atmosphere. The
hard woods expand and contract much less than the
soft woods.
The Sounding Board.
Sounding boards, ribs and in some cases the rims
which support the sounding board are made of soft
woods and are therefore subject to the greatest
changes. Another thing to think about is the fact
that woods expand and contract only in two of their
three dimensions, namely, breadth and thickness. We
have all seen sounding boards which we knew had
contracted because of visible evidence in the form of
cracks. We have seen sounding boards which had
expanded, but without visible evidence of this fact
except in some cases where the expansion was so
great as to cause the board to buckle, to rise up in a
ridge and pull loose from the ribs. I have repaired a
number of boards where this ridge was almost half
an inch from the ribs. I think we will all agree that
sounding boards do expand and contract. Most of us
have seen cracks in them which open in the late win-
ter and close in the late summer; that should be
sufficient evidence.
Don't Forget the Crown.
Nor should we forget the crown, which is the most
important part of the sounding board construction.
If we are willing to concede that a board expands
and contracts, we must necessarily concede that the
bridges which are mounted on the crown must rise
and fall. As the bridges rise and fall, the tension on
the strings increases and decreases, raising and
lowering the pitch. As a rule the change of pitch is
greatest in the part of the scale nearest the center
of the board, but this varies according to design.
The atmospheric changes which bring about the
above conditions are mainly man-made, in the form
of the modern heating plant, steam and hot-water
plants and most hot-air furnaces. In the old days,
when piano tuners generally were held in higher re-
gard than at present, there were not many of this
dry-kiln type of heating plant in use, and what few
we had were not nearly so efficient (?); that is, it
was impossible to have so high a temperature as we
are now able to enjoy (?). In fact, it took much
longer in those days to wreck a piano with a heating
plant. And we should not overlook the fact that
today a home or apartment, to be modern, must be
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER PIANOS
GRANDS and UPRIGHTS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essentials of strictly
leaders in the trade.
Warning to Infringers
Thla Trad* Mark Is caat
In the plat* and also ap-
peara upon th« fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Pianos, and all lnfrlngers
will be prosecuted. Bbware
of Imitations such as Schu-
mann A Company, Schu-
mann A Son, and also
Shuman, aa all stencil
shops, dealers and users of
pianos bearing; a name in
imitation of the name
Schumann with the Inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of tho law.
New Catalogue on Bequest.
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATRE, President
Rockford, III.
EST. 1856 fit SON
Grand, Upright
and
Welte-Mignon
(Licensee)
Reproducing
(Electric)
Pianos and Players
of Recognized
Artistic Character
Made by a Decker Since 1856
699-703 East 135th Street
WILLIAMS
PIANOS
The policy of the Williams House is and always
has been to depend upon excellence of product
instead of alluring price. Such a policy does not
attract bargain hunters. It does, however, win the
hearty approval and support of a very desirable
•nd substantial patronage.
WIIMAUK Makers of Williams Pianos,
WILLIAM3 E p w o r t h p i a n o , a n d O r g a n ,
New York
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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