Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
things. Xor can the careless or cranky ap-
pearance of the visiting inventor be taken as
a criterion of the worth of his model. Every-
The American Music Trade Weekly
body is familiar with the story of Westing-
Published Every Saturday at 417 South Dearborn house and his air-brake and the humiliating
Street, Chicago, Illinois.
turning down of other men who came to fac-
C. A. DANIELL and FRANK D. ABBOTT
tories with a valuable idea.
- Editor*
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 234
That the success of the radio has stimulated
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), " P R E S T O , " Chicago.
the free lance inventors is a fact that every
Entered as second-class matter Jan. 29. 1896, at the manufacturer knows. The manufacturer also
Post Office. Chicago. Illinois, under Act of March 3, 1879.
knows that it behooves him to be very wary
Subscription, $2 a year; 6 months, $1; Foreign, $4.
of
the unknown visitor with the model. Many
Payable In advance. No extra charge in United States
possessions. Cuba and Mexico. Rates for advertising on
of
the "inventors" are mere pirates whose
application.
genius
consists in concealing their patent
Items of news and other matter are solicited and if
of general interest to the music trade will be paid for piracies. These are often told bv the ease with
at space rates. Usually piano merchants or salesmen which the}' will "let go" with a supposed orig-
in tV>e smaller cities are the best occasional corre-
inal idea.
spondents, and their assistance is invited.
The piano man sees in the radio industry's
Payment is not accepted for matter printed in the
trepidation
an analogy to the circumstances
editorial or news columns of Presto-Times.
Where half-tones are made the actual cost of pro- of the piano manufacturer not so very many
duction will be charged if of commercial character, years ago. The piano business was going
or other than strictly news interest.
When electrotypes are sent for publication it is along as a steady, conservative business, in
requested that their subjects and senders be carefully which inventions were mere improvements in
indicated.
methods of manufacture; contrivances in-
creasing
the output while reducing cost. One
Forms close at noon every Thursday. News mat-
ter should be in not later than eleven o'clock on the day a man invented a time-saving machine.
same day. Advertising copy should be in hand before
Tuesday, five p. m., to insure preferred position. Full The next week or year maybe another im-
page display copy should be in hand by Monday noon proved a piano part. But the efforts of the in-
preceding publication dav. Want advs. for current
ventors resulted in no consternation in the
week, to insure classification, must not be later than
Wednesday noon.
trade. The inventions were mere improve-
Address all comrmjniratlnns for the fflitorial or business
ments, some of them simple enough and others
iepnrtments to PRESTO PUBLISHING CO., 417 South
Oenrborn Street. Chicago. 111.
potent in results. There was readjustment in
other piano factories all along the line and
SATURDAY. AUGUST 27. 1927.
everything went along smoothly.
August 27, 1927.
grocer and keeping up the payments on the
piano. Just the sort of person that about nine
hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hun-
dred and ninety out of every million are and
alwavs have been."
Jt is reported that an inventor in I'rague is
bringing out a musical typewriter, v. sure
enough machine that will practically write
music as it is printed in actual notes on five
lines. It is an electrical apparatus, the main
difficulty that had to be overcome being the
changing of the sign printed according" to its
time value; but this, according to enthusiastic
reports, the inventor has accomplished, and a
composer using this machine, it is claimed,
obtains a readable copy at once of his fantasia,
a really tremendous help to composing. In
the past many attempts have been made to
get a satisfactory recording machine of this
nature, but up to the present most of these in-
ventions have never attempted anything more
ambitious than the production of a sort of
Morse Code record which has to be carefully
written in the form of music as we know it.
* * *
It was estimated by the Detroit police that
the carnival presentation was seen by nearly
100.000 persons. Members of the Detroit
Music Trades association who, with the de-
partment of education, recreation department
and other city officers, sponsored the carnival,
were elated at the fine program and the won-
derful reception given to it by the great crowd,
But lo! one day a piano appeared that dif- and said that the carnival would grow each
The last form of Presto-Times goes to press
at 11 a. m. Thursday. Any news transpiring fered materially from all the pianos that had year and would become an event of national
after that hour cannot be expected in the cur- gone before. The piano was a "sure enough" interest, and one to be copied by many other
rent issue. Nothing received at the office that piano but it was something more. By the aid municipalities throughout the United States.
is not strictly news of importance can have
* * *
attention after 9 a. m. on Thursday. If they of a strip of paper stamped full of hohs, this
The
constantly
increasing
uses of the pipe
concern the interests of manufacturers or piano played itself. It was a revolution.
organ
is
one
of
the
noteworthy
features of
dealers such items will appear the week follow-
the
musical
instrument
business.
Within a
ing. Copy for advertising designed for the
THE PIANO CUSTOMERS
current issue must reach the office not later
comparatively few years we have seen the
than Wednesday noon of each week.
It is interesting how the meaning of words organ change from the restricted instrument
changes with the passing of time. Words that of the early days, used only for classical and
are opprobrious today may be actually compli- church music, to the instrument of today with
HAIL, THE INVENTOR!
mentary tomorrow. The people who buy the its numerous effects and capable of playing
The alert attitude of radio manufacturers bulk of American pianos are considered in the all classes of music for the delight of theatre
in looking' out for new inventions and im- "middle class." That is. they are not verv audiences.
provements in radio sets and parts recalls a rich or too poor to be considered a piano pros-
similar feeling in piano manufacturers follow- pect. "Bourgeois," which came into use some
Although Australia's leadership in the im-
ing the adoption of the player-piano as a regu- years ago. has about the same meaning, but a
portation of American pianos is in no way
lar production. Then it was the unknown in- more scornful sound.
challenged by Mexico, the second most im-
ventors who kept the piano manufacturers
Recently a distinguished young critic alluded portant market from the United States ex-
guessing. Even the player-piano manufac- to a famous old author as "utterly bourgeois."
ports of pianos, that country in turn holds a
turers who were going along steadily making Vigilant city editors dispatched alert young re-
very substantial lead over Canada ; the third
good things that commanded sale on their un- porters to get the author's retort. It was
world market. According to Commerce Re-
deniable merits had an ever ready ear and eye good city editing, but the bevy of bright young
ports, the next three countries, Argentina,
for something that "goes the best one better." men with pencils poised were disappointed.
Cuba and V e n e z u e l a , are rather closely
Today the radio factory mav be considered The reporters read the verbal bomb to the grouped.
well equipped with the latest machinery mak- author, but he didn't vanish in a gasp and a
* * *
ing the most up-to-date sample of receiving puff of smoke like a balloon struck by a
Notable changes are seen in the relative po-
set or accessor}'; orders are good and the twelve-inch shell.
sitions of countries as buyers of American
whole factory is running economically.
Instead he gave a mild little laugh, which playerpianos. Although Australia still leads
Tomorrow an impecunious looking party one of the reporters called a snicker, and an- and is followed by Mexico. Canada, however,
with a gaze of concentration walks into the other called a titter. Venting something small drops to fifth place, being preceded by Argen-
office and unfolds from an old newspaper in the laugh line, he reached for a paper pack- tina and Venezuela in order. Cuba takes sixth
wrapping a model of something that makes age of bourgeois tobacco and filled a bour- place and the other countries remain in their
the manufacturer feel dizzy with dismay. Then geois old corn-cob pipe.
previous order.
again, it may only evoke a smile of pity. The
* * *
"Boys," he said, "there's nothing terrible in
thing in the newspaper may be a valuable im- that word in this country. There was a time
When foreign markets are considered from
provement or even a "sure enough new way." in Europe when the word was a kind of mad the viewpoint of ordinary pianos, Australia
or it ma}' be the worthless dream of some dog or leper of language. Even today it is leads all others but not to the same extent as
mere crank. Anyway, the unknown irrepres- still loaded with the scorn of aristocracy; the it did in playerpianos. Mexico drops to fourth
sible inventing geniuses keep the known in- bitterness of the fashionable idler for the place under this classification. Canada moves
ventors of the radio trade guessing.
chaps who work.
up to second place and Cuba follows in third
Jt does not pay to let even the crank go
'Bourgeois means, of course, a workaday, place.
away without examining his proposition. The ordinary sort of person, mainly concerned
* * *
thing itself may be valueless but it may con- about making a living; running a store or some
Your business is always good if the other
tain the germ of an idea possible of great kind of business ; sweetening the butcher and fellow's is worse.
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