Presto

Issue: 1925 2053

November 28, 1925.
PRESTO
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OBSERVANT EDITOR SEES
BOOMING PIANO TRADE
Streator, 111., Free Press Proud to Record
Activity in Factories of E. P. Johnson
Piano Co. in Elgin.
It comprises a range of artisti-
cally worthy instruments to
please practically every purse:
The Hardman, official piano of
the Metropolitan Opera House;
the Harrington and the Hensel
Pianos in which is found that in-
builtdurabilitythatcharacterizes
all Hardman-made instruments;
the wonderful Hardman Repro-
ducing Piano; the Hardman
Autotone (the perfect player-
piano); and the popular Playo-
tone.
The Streator, 111., Free Press is an observer of
music conditions and the interest of the paper is not
merely of a local character. The appeal generally of
the piano is commented upon and the pleasant con-
ditions in a piano industry with factories in other
Illinois towns in that section, were set forth in an
article in the paper last week:
If anybody had the idea that the radio would hurt
the piano business, a talk with William Scales will
change his belief.
Mr. Scales is superintendent of the Ottawa fac-
tory of the E. P. Johnson Piano Company, Elgin,
with factories in Elgin and Ottawa, and this morn-
ing he said the factories were working overtime in
an effort to keep up with orders. Thirty-three men
are employed, and the tremendous demand for the
company's product that has been made manifest
within the past month and has come as a surprise
to those unfamiliar with the business.
Piano dealers in many parts of the country were
not buying. They feared a slump in the demand,
believing, no doubt, that the radio would affect the
business materially. Now comes the demand and
dealers are short of instruments.
The Ottawa factory of the company is making
only upright players, while the grands are made by
the company in Elgin.
For a time the piano business slumped to such an
extent that in order to keep the organization intact
the Johnson company turned its Ottawa factory over
to the manufacture of phonographs. This morning
Mr. Scale said the making of phonographs had been
eliminated, all of the time of the factory being de-
voted to the manufacture of playerpianos.
"We are putting in every hour possible at this
time,' said Mr. Scales, "working day and night, and
we are having a difficult time keeping the urgent
orders shipped on time."
•ffardmanfpeck &Co,
MASON & HAMLIN GRAND
WITH AMPICO IN CONCERT
THE
£Jiardman
The Yardman Jzine
is a complete line
NEW YORK.
BRINKERHOFF
Grands
-
Reproducing Grands
Player-Pianos
and Pianos
The Line That Sells Easily
and Satisfies Always
BRINKERHOFF PIANO CO.
OFFICES, REPUBLIC BLDG.
209 State Street
CHICAGO
E. R. Kroeger, St. Louis Pianist, Gives Program at
Alton, 111., Under Woman's Council Auspices.
E. R. Kroeger, pianist, St. Louis, presented a pro-
gram recently in the Unitarian Church at Alton, 111.,
an important city situated across the Mississippi
river above St. Louis. The program was given under
the auspices of the Alton Woman's Council. Mr.
Kroeger's numbers were from Chopin, Mendelssohn
and Liszt with two of his own compositions, "March
of the Indian Phantom" and "Egeria," the two latter
being reproduced from Mr. Kroeger's recordings for
the Ampico.
The Mason & Hamlin grand Ampico was sup-
plied by the Kieselhorst Piano Co. of St. Louis,
who received an enthusiastic letter of thanks for
their co-operation from the officers of the Woman's
Council.
GRATUITOUS TEACHING OF MUSIC.
In succeeding days the state may possibly step in
to secure a systematic course of musical instruction
for her children, and thus increase their interest in
that branch of culture. In many of the larger cities
of the United States music is taught gratuitously;
but how much better it would be were music made
part of the regular curriculum of every school in the
land.
The Only
Completely
Equipped
School in the
United States
In Successful Operation for 24 Years
In its own new building especially designed and
equipped for its purposes.
lite Heppe, Marcellua and Edouard Jules Ptaoo
manufactured by the
HEPPE PIANO COMPANY
are the Qnly pianos In the world with
Three Sounding Boards.
Scented In the United States, Great Britain,
France, Germany and Canada.
Liberal arrangements to responsible agents only*
Main Office, 1U7 Chestnut St.
PHILADELPHIA FA.
Every branch taught, including Repairing,
Regulating and Voicing—All Player Actions,
with Demonstrating Specimens to work with.
Diplomas awarded and positions secured. Pri-
vate and class instructions. Both sexes.
School all year. Catalogs on request.
POLK'S COLLEGE OF PIANO TUNING
WILLAKD K. POWELL, President
LA PORTE, IND.
Grand and
Reproducing
Grand Pianos
are the last word in
musical perfection.
Lester Piano Co.
1806 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia
For a
Bigger and Better
Business
There is nothing to compare
with the complete line of
M. SCHULZ CO.
The Players are RIGHT in
everything t h a t means
money to the dealers and
satisfaction to the public
You will never do anything better
than when you get in touch with
M. SCHULZ CO.
711 Milwaukee Avenue
CHICAGO
OVTHEMN BRANOk TOO (hndlw Hd*. ATLANTA. GA
Newman Bros.
Grands and Uprights
Guarantee
Quality, Profit and
Satisfaction
Newman Bros. Co.
816 Dix St.
Est. 1879
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/
CHICAGO
November 28, 1925:
NEW STRAUBE BOOKLET
IMPRESSES PROSPECTS
Straube Piano Company, Hammond, Ind.,
Issues Artistic Catalog, Which Assures
Help to Dealers in Making Sales.
Straube grands, players and uprights are described
and pictured in a handsome booklet just issued by
the Straube Piano Co., Hammond, Ind. It is de-
signed for distribution by dealers and is filled with
facts that impress the reader and evoke the buying
desire. This paragraph in the foreword is addressed
to the prospective customer:
"Straube instruments are sold at uniform national
prices, the only variation being the freight charge
from the factory to the dealer's store. The prices
quoted in this catalog and advertised nationally are
'value received' when you invest in a Straube."
Since the Straube Piano Co. was founded in 1878
by William Straube it has unswervingly held to the
policy of producing instruments of outstanding and
enduring quality, is a bit of history and a statement
of policy in the booklet. Today the company is
owned, controlled, and actively managed by experi-
enced piano men, assuring a continuance of the policy
and ideals which have prevailed from the very
beginning.
The enduring quality which is such a matter of
pride to the company is in part due to the heavy plate
of the Straube piano. It is an evidence of skill and
thoroughness clearly pointed out to readers. The
luminal construction of the piano back is also shown
in a picture and its merits briefly described.
The description of the Straube player is the tell-
ing of alluring facts about the mechanism and what
technical equipment it provides. The remarkable
ease of pedalling is impressed and the delightful vari-
ation of tone color assured by the Melo-Harp device
is an assurance of pleasure well set forth in the type.
"The qualities we have suggested are the qualities
of no ordinary playerpiano, you readily recognize,"
says the booklet. "The secret lies in the exclusive
Artronome action, a player mechanism designed and
built complete in the Straube factories, and installed
only in Straube-made instruments.
"Here, again, the skill, the care, the expertness and
the ideals which have created the Straube piano, are
evidenced in the creation of a playing mechanism
which should be worthy of the musical instrument.
"Chief among the features of the Artronome action
is the Patented Pendulum Valve. There are 88 such
valves in every Straube player, one for each note.
The distinctive construction of the Pendulum Valve
The Best Yet
Graceful lines, rugged construc-
tion, moderately priced. It's the
very best commercial piano from
every standpoint.
17
PRESTO
makes it non-corrosive and frictionless, thereby assur-
ing dependable service year in and year out to the
owner of a Straube player."
The following nationally priced Straube upright
pianos and players are shown in artistic half-tones
and fully described for the benefit of the prospective
buyer: Players—Arcadian, Imperial, Colonial, Puri-
tan and Dominion. Pianos—Style F, Style G, and
Style H.
The Straube grands and reproducing pianos, being
commodities of pride to the company, are described
and pictured in interesting detail. A halftone shows
the laminal construction of the keyboard and the
braces employed exclusively in the Straube grand.
This is said:
"Certain individual features of construction are to
be found only in the Straube grand. Chief among
these is the laminal construction of the key-bed and
the posts, or braces. This exclusive type of construc-
tion upon which patents are pending, is illustrated on
the following page.
"This great construction feature represents a
marked advance in grand piano building. The lam-
inal construction imparts a staunchness which adds
materially to the quality and the life of the instru-
ment.
It prevents the slightest variation in the
sounding board and is a vital factor in the preserva-
tion of the exquisite tone of the instrument."
The Conservatory model piano, Artist model grand
and Model C reproducing piano are pictured. Of the
latter this is said:
"An instrument which recreates with absolute
fidelity the playing of the world's master pianists, a
combination of the superb Straube Conservatory
model grand with the famous Welte Mignon
(Licensee) reproducing action. Its amazing range of
expression imparts a realism which makes it impos-
sible to distinguish the reproduction from the per-
sonal playing of the artist. A library of more than
4,000 rolls puts the world's greatest music at the
disposal of the owner of a Straube Model C. R."
The great modern plant of the Straube Piano Co.
at Hammond, Ind., is shown in a reproduction from
a photograph.
NEW STORE FOR AMBITIOUS
TACOMA MUSIC DEALER
Eyer Piano Company Leases Salesrooms in New
Building on Thirty-eighth Street.
The Eyer Piano Company, Tacoma, Wash., J. B.
Eyer, manager, moved last week to the modern brick
business property just completed at 765 South 38th
street. The American School of Music, directed by
L. C. Potter, will be associated with the piano com-
pany in the new building. Mr. Potter is also music
director of the public schools.
The piano concern had been located at 756 South
38th street since July, 1924. The need for expansion
into larger quarters on account of rapidly growing
business was responsible for the removal to the new
location, according to Mr. Eyer.
The proprietor has been in the piano tuning busi-
ness for twenty-six years, fifteen of which have
been spent in Tacoma. The new building is one of
the most modern of community structures in the
city. The interior is finished in gray and white.
Special attention has been paid to demonstration
rooms in enclosed panel glass. The size of the
building is twenty-six by fifty feet.
TEACHING TINY TOTS
TO PLAY THE PIANO
Denver Music Teachers Apply the "Melody
System" to the Very Young Pupils with
Astonishingly Good Results.
By J. W. DILLON.
How good to my ears
Is the grand old piano,
The sweet toned piano
I've loved all these years.
You would have said that, or something better, if
you had seen the class of tiny tots, boys and girls,
fifty or more, at the Knight-Campbell Music Com-
pany auditorium, Denver, Colorado. The little musi-
cians are members of Miss Cora Myers Dumbauld's
and Miss Edna Jones' class of the Cheltenham
School, and they are being tought "The Melody
Way."
Some who have been practicing longer than the
others, played on an instrument, while others had
before them just a keyboard so that they might learn
the keys ere they used the instruments. It is some-
thing like teaching the touch system of typewriting.
And they were all so earnest and desirous of sitting-
in at the real keyboard and playing for Mama and
Papa their old-time favorite. They will be able to
do so ere long.
Yet some folks are so unwise as to think that the
radio will put a "crimp" into the desire of folks to be-
come musicians! Might as well say that the air-
planes will cause the young eagles to fail to learn
to fly. Explaining the occasion, Miss Dumbauld
said:
"What we are doing is to teach the piano to chil-
dren in classes rather than individually. The general
use of the class system would mean that music will
be made more democratic. Pupils who do not even
have a piano in their homes, but use a soundless key-
board, are able to take lessons and to learn to play
by our system. It means that children who cannot
afford to study under a private teacher, at $1 or more
a lesson, can have the same advantage at a fourth
or less cost."
Miss Dumbauld believes that time alone will de-
velop technique, and "we teach that real technique
comes from relaxation."
Exactly! Everybody cannot be a Paderewski, nor
is that necessary to get much joy out of the instru-
ment, that will last as long as the world lasts. And
that instrument is a piano.
BUYS ILLINOIS BUSINESS.
D. A. Holmes, of Stillwater, Okla., has purchased
the entire stock of the A. C. Landis music store, in
Paris, 111., and took possession this week, naming the
concern the Holmes Music Shop. Mr. Holmes has
owned a music shop in Stillwater for 20 years. Mr.
and Mrs. Holmes will conduct the store until spring,
when they will go back to the old shop in Oklahoma,
and their son will take charge of the Paris
establishment.
QUALITY FIRST and FIRST QUALITY
FROM PIANOS TO REAL ESTATE.
Style 32—4 ft. 4 in.
WESER
Pianos and Players
Sell Readily—Stay Sold
Send to-day for catalogue, prices and
details of our liberal financing plan
Weser Bros., Inc.
520 to 528 W. 43rd St., New York
James T. Ennis, who for many years was a piano
retail man in Chicago and also in California, is now
selling real estate for W. Koch & Son, suite 414, No.
105 North Clark street, Chicago. His employers
are builders who have erected some apartment houses
in Chicago's north side, with from four to eight
apartments in each building. Mr. Ennis is remem-
bered in the trade also as a champion roque player.
He was with F. S. Spofford in the Republic Build-
ing for a time, but his last connection with the piano
trade was with the William Schultz Piano Company
on West Madison Street, Chicago. Another man who
recently left the piano business to sell real estate is
Fred Firestone, who is reported to be doing well at
his new line in western Florida.
COMMISSION PLAN OF SELLING.
Men who can sell pianos at wholesale, if they read
Presto's want ads., can hear of an opportunity to sell
good ones in some of the best piano states in the
Union. The plan of the manufacturing concern re-
ferred to is on a straight commission basis. The men
will have territorial rights, exclusive of a few of the
largest cities, and orders taken in by the company in
their territory will also be credited to their commis-
sions the same as though they had written the orders.
It's a good time of year to start, and the men who go
out ought to make money the very first week.
JESSE FRENCH & SONS
JESSE
FRENCH
AND
SONS
PIANO
CO.
NEWCASTLE
INDIANA
"A name well known since 1875'
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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