Presto

Presto Buyers' Guide
Analyzes and Classifies
All American P i a n o s
and in Detail Tells of
Their Makers.
PRESTO
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE WEEKLY
Presto Year Book
The Only Complete
Annual Review of the
American Music In-
dustries and Trades.
to c.nt. : ti.oo « i w
CHICAGO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1925
bility though. The energy of E. J. Radle and every
worker in the factory and offices made the realization
of the possibility an impossibility. But every day
since the fire it has meant hard work to supply the
current demands and fill the filed orders. The house
has proved its progressiveness by living up to its
promises to dealers to ship on.time. The factory of Powerful Combination of Great Pianos Has
Music in the Air, Sales in the Stores, Orders in F. Radle, Inc., is an unusually busy place, but
Had the Most Prosperous Eleven Months'
although orders may be urgent there is nothing
the Mails, Cheerful Anticipations and
Period of Its Existence.
frantic in the activities in the well ordered plant.
Profitable Realizations Enlivening In-
When the great piano industries approach the close
Stultz & Bauer Busy.
cidents in Manhattan.
Perhaps no greater tribute to high character of the of a year crowded with business, and filled with the
pianos, playerpianos and reproducing pianos of Stultz stimulation of the best year of their careers, there is
& Bauer, New York, than the increased turn-over of nothing lacking by which to inspire all the others
1925 compared with that of the previous year and with ambition and confidence. The American Piano
other recent years. The cheering effects of the activ- Co., of New York, is drawing to the year's end with
eleven mouths of the greatest activity behind it. This
Some Are Unusually Active in Normal Way, Others ity of Stultz & Bauer dealers is seen in every depart- year has been an avalanche of prosperity to the great
ment
of
the
factory
at
338-340
East
Thirty-first
Show Seasonal Stimulation and a Few Are
street, and notably in the finishing and shipping de- aggregation of famous instruments controlled by the
American Piano Company. Every department of the
Admittedly Sluggish.
partments.
business has prospered. Managing Director William
But a delightful smoothness marks the methods of
In talking with the men of the music trade in New
B. Armstrong this week said—in a casual way, how-
York these days one hears nothing to dim the spirit that modern structure where efficient processes con- ever, and not in an "interview"—that October had
of cheer that the pre-holiday weeks evoke. And tribute to the success of the Stultz & Bauer instru- been surprisingly active, and named figures as the
apart from association with piano men and music ments. The experts in the various departments work year's aggregate thus far, which are almost stagger-
supply men, the thought of music is constantly sug- with speed but with the sureness that gives the proud ing.
gested. If one fails to be impressed with the con- character of dependability to every instrument with
It has been the biggest year in the history of the
viction that New York is musical one must be both the Stultz & Bauer name on its fallboard. William American Piano Co., and every one of the dealers
Golden,
the
general
traveler
for
Stultz
&
Bauer,
is
deaf and blind. Music is as much a part of life as
who have secured their supplies there have prospered
eating, and dining to music may be said to be the rule. now on the road and will not return until Christmas. proportionately.
His fine sheaf of orders in every mail are pleasantly
To make music an even greater part of life and to stimulative to activity in the factory.
assure its continuance as a vital factor in life, is an
The business of Jacob Bros, is active and gets more
effort of the forces inspiring and governing the pub-
lic and private schools of Greater New York. "For active as Christmas approaches. The retail business
Real Enjoyment Study Music" is a school sign of a of the company has the desired holiday activity, a
highly suggestive character that shows co-operation fact reported from the warerooms in various parts
of the city.
of the school heads with the music movement.
Some Fake Advertising Is Investigated, But
£ . Leins' Grands Sell.
It Influences Trade.
Aside from That Everything Looks Good
The fine sales of the new Leins parlor grand is nat-
All this of course is having an influence in the
music stores and music goods factories. The band urally a source of pride to E. Leins, president of the
for the Piano Dealers.
instrument departments are places of great activity E. Leins Piano Co., Inc. The demand for the new
The Euclid Music Co. is putting a number of Bald-
and the business is provided both by new band and instrument gives a cheerful character of activity to
orchestra organizations and by individual buyers. A the grand department of the factory at 304-306 West win grands in Cleveland's public places. The Clare-
big and welcome factor in the band and orchestra Forty-second street, where a specially trained corps mont Inn, a restaurant that has a large patronage, is
instrument business is the amateur performer who of artisans work steadily to keep up with orders. the latest to install one of these instruments.
The Starr Piano brought Finley's Melody Band, of
has grown vastly in numbers within recent years. The business in the small grands of the company also
The professional is welcomed to the stores and if he is a notable feature in the trade of the company at Salem, to play for the Community Fund Drive. They
broadcasted a concert over WTAM and were guests
is prominent, his name is used to good purpose for the present time.
Outside of the wholesale business of the E. Leins of R. E. Taylor, manager at the store.
advertising purposes. But the amateur is thrice wel-
Business shows a decided tendency to improve dur-
comed and he too is recognized as some little adver- Piano Co., Inc., the retail trade for grands in the
Leins warerooms in advantageous locations in and ing the past week. Radio sets are moving along.
tiser in an effective way among his friends.
about New York, is a most important consideration. The Better Business Commission is investigating
The Piano Departments.
complaints made by buyers of pianos advertised at a
In addition to being a distinguished piano maker of
The piano departments in the retail stores are real- the old school, with a knowledge of every branch of cheap price with a number of free gifts and who can-
izing the seasonable expectations. Everywhere the the piano manufacturing industry, Mr. Leins is a pro- not get delivery.
unusual holiday efforts are being rewarded and pianos gressive business man whose striking abilities are
The widow of Dan Thomas, well-known Barber-
largely figure in the holiday purchases. But sales proved in his successful retail stores, where his orig- ton music merchant, who was killed several months
managers in several houses credit the greater portion inal idea of the "general music store" is realized. ago through his car burning, will continue the busi-
of their holiday orders to advertising efforts formu- But while making musical merchandise profitably ness under the name of the Thomas Jewelry & Music
lated six months ago, and persistently and consis- big in sales, Mr. Leins believes "the piano is still the Co. Mrs. Thomas' son will assist her, and she has
tently carried out. "We've got too many distractions standard musical instrument of America and always a ten-year lease of the store building.
to counteract today to trust too much to the spon- will be."
taneous piano prompting at Christmas," said one sales
Action Makers Busy.
manager this w r eek. . Never before have the efforts of
Perhaps the most assured anticipation of a good
the piano sales departments been so systematic and
so forceful. Newspaper advertising, follow-up letters season is presented by the numerous and continuous
and the old reliable personal canvass all have a part orders for piano actions reported by Wessell, Nickel
& Gross. The factory is very busy with orders W. T. Brinkerhoff Says Company Has Been Very
in the pre-holiday triumphs of the piano stores.
ahead, which will keep the plant active far into the
Busy for the Last Four Months.
In Piano Factories.
new year.
"Business has improved very much during the last
There are piano factories in New York which at
At the plant of the Peerless Pneumatic Piano four months," said Will T. Brinkerhoff, president of
this time are unusually active, some admittedly nor-
mal in production to fill orders and a few where the Action Co., 469-485 East 133rd street, Tolbert F. the Brinkerhoff Piano Company, Chicago, on Thurs-
condition is rankly described as "sluggish." But all Cheek, president, pointed to the pleasant and con- day of this week. "Our trade is now very active."
consider the conditions generally are good and the vincing proofs of the activities of the piano manu-
Mr. Brinkerhoff, as president of the Chicago Piano
spirit of the piano manufacturers is excellent. All are facturers and of the piano dealers. The increase in & Organ Association, is putting speed into that old
in shape for the big boom which is an assurance the number of accounts Mr. Cheek takes as the most and honorable association. He believes that co-oper-
eloquent tribute to the excellent qualities of the ation comes by giving it; that the man who isn't loyal
with the factory heads.
actions of his company.
is a liability, not an asset, no matter what his produc-
Steinway Business Active.
tion. And he believes in putting in as much "pep"
The factory of Steinway & Sons, in every depart-
in working for an association as he would if he were
ment, reflects the normal character of activity in
HONORABLE LIFE MEMBERS.
working for himself.
Steinway business. Seasonal influences of course
I effect production and stimulate shipments at the big It is an honor to belong to the Piano Club of Chi-
Steinway plant, but Steinway orders are normally cago, but a more distinguished honor to be an honor- CLOSING OUT JOHN CHURCH STOCK.
ary life member of the organization. We know of
Lem Kline is closing out the stock of the John
I even and continuous.
three piano men who hold that honor; a man must Church Company, at 421 South Wabash avenue, Chi-
Radle Triumphs.
win his spurs to get it. These three are Adam cago. He says the goods, many of them slightly
When a fire in the factory of F. Radle, Inc., a few Schneider, treasurer of Julius Bauer & Company, used instruments, are going well, and he expects to
I months ago crippled production, there was a possibil- Chicago; William Lincoln Bush, of 328 North Michi- have the pianos all sold during December. The stock
i t y that the company would be unable to respond to gan avenue, Chicago, and A. Hospe, the veteran piano is displayed over the first and second floors of the
Ithe holiday orders from dealers. It was only a possi- dealer of Omaha, Nebraska,
building.
NEW YORK TRADE IN
PRE=HOLIDAY TIME
AMERICAN PIANO CO.
WILL CLOSE BIG YEAR
BUSY PIANO FACTORIES
CLEVELAND TRADE
MUCH IMPROVED
BRINKERHOFF TRADE
GROWS LIVELIER
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/