Presto

Issue: 1925 2045

October 3, 1925.
PRESTO
22
Co., the Robert Dollar Co., and the Hammond Lum-
ber Co., all of San Francisco. At the resumption of
the arguments before the commission each company
Sherman, Clay & Co. to Issue Monthly Booklet Pro- will file a separate answer.
The complaint in this case is that the name did not Processes in Making the Gennett Described
viding Necessary Information for Schools.
properly describe the actual character of the lumber
and Details of Laboratory Methods Em-
Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco, is preparing and that the name "Philippine Mahogany" was coined
for the first issue of a new monthly publication to be to convey a wrong impression. The gist of the de-
ployed by Starr Piano Co. at Rich-
called "The School Musician of California," which is fense, it is said, sets forth that the term in question
mond, Ind., Told Succinctly.
to be sent free of charge to California schools. The was not coined by the defendants, but has long been
new publication, which emanates from the musical a trade designation.
merchandise department, will be made of value to
ARRANGING PLAYERS
school heads and music superintendents, in providing
information about the instruments and how to pro-
CONN EXHIBIT AT FAIR
In Making Band Records Every Instrument Must
mote interest in music among the pupils.
Focus on the Horn, Without the Least Inter-
Although the band spirit is well developed in Cali- Extensive Range of Band Instruments Shown in Mil-
fornia schools, E. J. Delano, manager of the musical
waukee Transferred to Decatur, Ind.
ference of Any Sort.
merchandise department of Sherman, Clay & Co.,
L.
B.
Elhardt,
factory
representative
of
the
C.
G.
Richmond,
Ind.,
possesses the only phonograph
believes it can be further stimulated by the encour-
agement that teachers and school heads may give. Conn Company, Ltd., Elkhart, Ind., was in Decatur, recording laboratory in the Central West excepting
The main purpose of the new publication will be to Ind., last week with a large exhibit of instruments Chicago, between New York and San Francisco—
give information how to proceed in the promotion of direct from a display at Milwaukee. The exhibit is that at the Starr Piano Company's manufacturing
bands, what to do to secure the best results and what valued at $20,000 and was the largest ever shown in plant where Gennett records, now sold throughout
that section of the state, and aroused great interest. the world, are made.
the approximate cost may be.
The display was in the Woman's Art Building at the
But few persons are cognizant of the intricate and
fair grounds and Mr. Elhardt issued a special invita- delicate process through which the human voice, or
tion for all fair-goers to visit the Conn display. The music from string and other instruments passes
exhibit was composed of gold instruments.
before it is permanently stamped on records offered
Mr. Elhardt co-operated with the various bands at
National Association of Harpists Announces Prize of the fair and has also called attention to all people in- to the public.
A reporter for the Richmond Evening Item, who
$1,000 for Best Composition Featuring Instrument.
terested in music to his display. He stated that an visited
the Gennett recording laboratory the other
The National Association of Harpists, Inc., which, agent had been selected in Decatur to handle the day made a record and, in less than five minutes,
Conn
musical
instruments.
The
Northern
Indiana
by propaganda of various forms, recitals, encourage-
E. C. A. Wickemeyer, in charge of the laboratory
ment of harp instruction in schools and articles in Fair was selected as one of the few expositions in (who was behind the scenes), played back those
the
state
where
the
big
band
instrument
display
would
magazines and music journals, has done much to pro-
words recited only a moment before.
mote interest in harp music, and incidentally the sale be brought.
But that quick recording can never be passed on
of harps, now offers a prize of $1,000 for a com-
to
the public unless the wax record on which the first
COLUMBIA
"FAMILIAR"
CATALOG.
position for that instrument. The competition will
The Columbia Phonograph Company, 1819 Broad- impressions are made passes through the hands of
be international, and the latest date on which manu-
way, New York City, has just issued a new catalog experts and into the electrotyping department where
scripts will be received is December IS, 1926.
entitled
"Old Familiar Melodies" which lists their lat- the record is molded from a metal electrotype matrix
Five members will constitute the jury, including
est
recordings
in the popular Southern Series. The made from a "mother," which had its origin from a
three composers, a conductor and a harpist. The
"master," an electrotyped reproduction of the original
work must be written for chamber music, including sixteen page booklet, with a two color cover, is now wax disk on which were grooves cut by sound vibra-
being
distributed
to
the
trade.
It
contains
many
old
at least one harp. Nothing which previously has been
tions.
published or performed or has won a prize may be time selections played and sung by such popular
artists
as
Riley
Puckett,
Gid
Tanner,
Vernon
Dalhart,
Studio Work.
submitted. The chief aim of the contest is to encour-
The real music is born in the studio. Every detail
age the production of works of real musical merit Ernest Thompson, Bumgarner and Davis, and other
of the laboratory, music room or lecture room, what-
in which the harp shall have a deserving part. Manu- well known Southern artists.
ever it may be called on to record, is perfect. You
scripts should be sent to the secretary of the asso-
A group of ladies in Monmouth, 111., have organ- just simply talk or sing or play into a little horn.
ciation, 315 West Seventy-ninth street, New York.
ized a stringed orchestra and are practicing regularly. The number of persons recording at one time dictates
MAKING RECORDS
STIMULATES BAND FORMATION
CONTEST TO HELP HARP SALES
"PHILIPPINE MAHOGANY" CASE
Status of Commodity in Lumber Business to Be
Settled at Hearing This Month.
When the mahogany in the piano case is "some-
thing else again," is a question that may be decided
in the resumption of arguments in the so-called
"Philippine mahogany" case before the Federal
Trade Commission, possibly this month. The ad-
journment of the hearing in August was made on
application of counsel representing the Indiana Quar-
tered Oak Co., New York, one of the defendants
cited before the commission.
Other defendants are the Thomas E. Powe Lum-
ber Co., of St. Louis, and the Kirchmann Hardwood
SLINGERLAND
May Bell
Slingerland Banjos
HIGH GRADE
Folding Organs
School Organs
Practice Keyboards
Etoalars' Attention Solicited
A. L. WHITE MFG. CO.
215 Enslewood Ave. f CHICAGO, ILL.
are sold the country over because
they are Highest quality and sold
at a reasonable price.
Over 40 Styles of Banjos, Banjo Mandolins, Tenor Banjoa
and Banjo Ukuleles, to select from.
Write for Catalogue
* *
SLINGERLAND BANJO CO.
1815 Orchard Street
CHICAGO
The Piano Repair Shop
Pianos and Phonographs Rebuilt by
Expert Workmen
Player-actions installed. Instruments
renmshed or remodeled and actions and
keys repaired. Work guaranteed. Prices
reasonable.
Our-of-town dealers' repair work solic-
ited. Write for details and terras.
THE PIANO REPAIR SHOP
C. D. GREENLEAF, Pres.
J. F. BOYER, Sec'y
World's largest manufacturers of High Grade Band and Orchestra Instruments. Employs 1,000
expert workmen.
All of the moit celebrated Artists use and endorse Conn Instruments.
Famous Bandmasters and Orchestra Directors highly endorse and recommend the use of the
Conn Instruments in their organizations.
Conn Instruments are noted for their ease of playing, light and reliable valve or key action;
quick response, rich tonal quality, perfect intonation, tone carrying quality, artisticness of design,
beautiful finish and reliable construction.
Conn Instruments are sent to any point in th U. S. subject to ten days free trial. Branch store
or agencies will be found in all large cities. Write for catalogues, prices, etc.
331 South Wabash Are.
C. G. CONN, Ltd.
Chicage
C. G. CONN, Ltd., Elkhart, Ind.
DEPT. MS.
ELKHART, IND.
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/
23
PRESTO
October 3, 1925.
COINOLAS
FOR
RESTAURANTS, CAFES and
A M U S E M E N T CENTERS
Style C-2
FROM THE BIGGEST
ORCHESTRION
Tiny Coinola
THE SMALLEST
KEYLESS
Manufactured by
The Operators Piano Co.
715-721 N. Kedzie Ave.
CHICAGO
the number of horns used, the average being from
two to four.
The Richmond laboratory expert has seventy-five
or more horns in stock. These are used with the
greatest care in recording. Sometimes a day's time
is necessary for the making of two numbers. Austin
C. Lescarboura wrote as follows some time ago in
the "Scientific American," concerning recording:
"The most bizarre feature of this laboratory scene
is, no doubt, the seating arrangement. In order that
each instrument will 'focus' on the horn without in-
terference of any sort, the musicians are seated on
chairs of various heights, with the lowest ones near-
est the horn and the highest ones—six feet tall, in
some cases—at the rear of the semi-circle. The music
stands in turn are suspended from the ceiling, by an
arrangement of overhead rails and hangers.
burrs and other slight imperfections of electrotyping
are removed with a miniature chisel. All the while,
however, due care must be taken not to remove or
damage the 'music' at the bottom of the groove.
Electrotypes are delicately polished on high-speed
spindles with soft rags and cleaning fluids.
The Ultimate Product.
"The ultimate product of this studio is the sample
record which is molded from the matrix. When this
sample or file record passes a most exacting test, the
matrix is approved of and sent to the factory, where
the records are turned out in large numbers for the
phonographs of the world."
The Starr Piano Co. has a laboratory for Gennett
records in New York City where eastern artists make
recordings. Local recordings are made mostly by
talent from Chicago and cities of the Middle West.
The Difficulties.
F. D. Wiggins, sales manager of the record de-
"Certain instruments, such as horns, must be kept partment, when asked how the company endeavors
in the background, while others, the violin, for in- to feel the pulse of the public regarding their favorite
kind of records, replied that the days of national hits
stance, are placed in the front row. In the case of
brass instruments, where the horn is behind the have passed and that now favorites are local propo-
player, a queer situation arises. The sound must be sitions. Records that are good sellers in some terri-
directed toward the horn yet the musician must fol- tories are spurned in others. A record that sells in
low the orchestra leader. Fortunately, with a large Chicago doesn't sell in San Francisco. "The latest
mirror mounted on an adjustable stand, the musician record craze is the new Charleston dance time.
can sit with his back to the horn and the leader, while Through the South and even in some northern states
the old mountain tunes, played by ignorant moun-
observing both through the mirror in front of him.
"When everything is in readiness, the musicians taineers, are great favorites."
wait for the buzzer signal, which indicates that the
J. O. Prestcott is the chief technician of the record-
recording apparatus has started and that every sound ing department. A record is composed of thirty-
is being recorded. With the sound of the first buz- seven ingredients, the wax disk containing eighteen
zer signal, silence reigns.
different ingredients. All the wax is made at the
"A few seconds later a second buzzer signal indi- local plant under Mr. Prestcott's direction.
cates that the selection can begin, since the requisite
The Richmond laboratory was originally started as
number of blank grooves have been cut at the start a personal recording laboratory where people could
of the record. It is these blank grooves which permit make records and sell them on their own initiative.
the turntable of the home phonograph to come to Five years ago the system was changed. Practically
speed before the selection begins."
one-half of the recordings made by the Starr Piano
A discordant note ruins the wax record, thus neces- Co. now are catalogued by the company.
sitating doing the work again. Everything must be
perfect. The wax must be smooth and flat and free
from any imperfection. Before they are used they
are kept in an electrically heated cabinet which main-
tains a constant temperature.
More About Record Making.
Mr. Lescaboura's description of record making is
so concise that it is further given as follows:
"When a selection is to be recorded, the wax disk,
measuring a half-inch or more in thickness by the
usual diameter of the standard record, is placed on
the turntable. The gravity motor is started and the
producer tool placed the proper distance in from the
edge. The buzzer signal is given to the orchestra
leader at this time, and with the cutting of the re-
quired number of blank grooves the second or 'start'
signal is given.
"The first wax record is a so-called test record and
corresponds to a printer's proof. As it is played, the
director, with the musical score in his hands, follows
the selection, pointing out a loud note which must
be subdued, or the weakness of the accompaniment,
or criticizing the enunciation of a word. He thus
'reads' the record, just as the editor proof reads and
revises a page before the reader sees it.
"After the wax record is completed, the wax is
allowed to set or become hard. The test record is
thrown out after having served its purpose, as the
grooves of soft wax have been more or less ruined
by the steel needle of..the reproducer.
The Wax Master.
"The wax master is carefully covered with fine
powdered graphite which is brushed evenly into every
groove and hollow. It is then suspended in an
electro-plating tank and subjected to a weak electric
current for a period of forty-five to fifty hours. The
weak current necessitates a long immersion in the
plating bath, and the deposit, in consequence, is ex-
tremely fine grained. The thin shell of copper de-
posited on the graphite wax, carrying every groove
and variation of the master, is stripped from its sup-
port and soldered on a heavy brass disk, after which
it is nickelplated to harden its surface. This electro-
type to give it the proper name, is the 'master.'
"A second electrotype operation now follows. The
nickel-plated master is treated with acid to prevent
the next copper plating from sticking, and it is placed
in an electrotyping tank for a period of fifty hours.
The thin copper shell is then removed and mounted
on metal, and the electrotype thus obtained is called
the 'mother.' The mother is nickel-plated, treated
with acid, and placed in the electroplating tank in
order to produce still another electrotype, which is
known as the 'matrix' and from which the commercial
records are molded.
Process Calls for Care.
"Every step in electrotyping must be carefully done,,
for like a chain the finished record is no better than
the poorest work (the weakest link) of any depart-
ment. Expert engravers examine the electrotypes,
starting at one end of a groove and tracing it some
half mile or more to the very end, armed with a pow-
erful magnifying glass and an engraver's tool. Little
P
e e r 1 e s s
Player Actions
Embody Five Cardinal Features;
DURABILITY
SIMPLICITY
ACCESSIBILITY
SOLIDARITY
GUARANTEE
Write for Prices and Territory
We Have Something of Interest for You
Peerless Pneumatic Piano Action
Co., Inc.
TOLBERT F. CHEEK Preeident
469-485 East 133d Street
NEW YORK
A Pneumatic Action bearing the name
STRAUCH BROS.
i« your guide for unfailing quality.
The high quality which has characterized
the Strauch Bros. Piano Actions and Ham-
mers for almost sixty years, distinguishes
our latest product, the
STRAUCH BROS.
PNEUMATIC ACTIONS
Simple wi construction they are
depencUble in every particular.
STRAUCH BROS., INC
327 Wahut Art.
New York City
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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