Presto

July 15, 1929
GULBRANSEN CO.
IN RADIO ARENA
Enlargement of the Gulbransen Business to
Gigantic Proportions Through Absorp-
tion of a Great Radio Manufac-
turing Concern.
Forecasting a new order in radio manufacturing
and merchandising is the advent among radio mass
producers of the Gulbransen Company, world's largest
individual piano builders, with net resources in excess
of $5,000,000 and 500.0C0 square feet of modern plant
and equipment.
Through absorption of the patents, plant facilities
and personnel of Wells-Gardner & Co, licensees of
Radio Corporation of America and Hazeltine Cor-
poration, the Gulbransen Company steps full-grown
into the radio arena, with an initial production sched-
ule at 100,000 screen grid receivers incorporating
a number of novel and interesting features, were pub-
licly revealed for the first time at the RMA trade
show in June.
A. S. Wells, president of Wells-Gardner, G. M.
Gardner, vice-president, and Frank Dillbahner, sec-
retary-treasurer, become directors of the Gulbransen
Company under this new alignment, which is headed
by A. G. Gulbransen, founder of the institution that
bears his name and one of the outstanding person-
alities in American industry.
PRESTO-TIMES
a radio personnel second to none in proved efficiency.
The offerings of this group of radio experts, joined
to those of the Gulbransen cabinet manufacturing
and metal working organizations, are certain to prove
highly original and vitally interesting both to con-
sumers and the trade.
"Expansion of Gulbransen sales and distributing
facilities, judging by present indications of trade re-
sponse, is scheduled more than to keep pace with
Gulbransen manufacturing. New Gulbransen screen
grid offerings at popular prices were publicly re-
leased for the first time at the RMA show in June.
SEEK SUPPORT OF U. S. A.
FOR CAUSE OF MUSIC
Intensive Work Is Being Done by Fred. P.
Stieff, Mrs. Edgar Stillman Kelley and
Others to Get Some Action.
By FREDERICK P H I L I P STIEFF,
Of Chas. M. Stieff, Inc., Baltimore, Md.
Recently I have been asked, ''How can the music
trade work most effectively in making the future of
the piano a bright one?" Presto-Times gave a good
account of what transpired at the meeting held in the
Presidential Suite of the Congressional Country Club
on Monday evening, April 8, so that I need not
dwell further on this occasion excepting to say that
the sentiment was unanimous that the time was ripe
for the Fine Arts in this country to receive intelli-
Completed Product from the Start.
gent and aggressive cooperation on the part of the
Gulbransen radio manufacturing activity embraces Federal Government. We may as well be frank in
from the start the completed product, including discussions among ourselves. The industry in the
such major constituents as gang condensers, trans- past, so far as I know, has done nothing to improve
formers, filter condensers, speakers and cabinets, thus the trade other than in sales drives with high pres-
assuring every advantage of basic economies in man- sure methods. There are two exceptions to this.
ufacture, together with maintenance of highest quality The first is the work which was started under Presi-
standards in output. Perpetuation of piano tradi- dent Roberts' administration in regard to having the
tions in cabinet construction and finish will give Gul- piano taught in the public school through group in-
bransen radio a unique advantage.
struction. This has been accomplished with the as-
First call upon the new Gulbransen products will sistance and cooperation of the National Bureau for
be given to the fifteen hundred Gulbransen piano the Advancement of Music. This estimable organi-
dealers who have aided during the past twenty-three zation also inaugurated "Music Week," which I re-
years in building the Gulbransen Company to its gret to state has not had the local cooperation that
present proportions. The Gulbransen Company pro- it should in the large cities. The other exception is
poses to serve that army of retailers, in the way of the piano playing contests which where properly pro-
radio, through an organization of wholesale distribu- moted and without puerile antagonism has, I be-
lieve, proven to be of definite advantage to the indus-
tors located in every section of the country.
try. Further benefit, however, will never be derived
Sales and Service Relations.
John S. Gorman, vice-president of the Gulbransen from this particular type of promotion until piano
Company, sees in the creation of a distributor-dealer men in some communities rise above silly, petty jeal-
organization a means of rapid delivery to dealers from ousies.
local distributors' radio stocks and the maintenance
From the standpoint of intensive selling campaigns,
of intimate and effective sales and service relations. I, for one, have yet to see anything new injected into
Second only to the product in interest to distribu- the piano business. The same old story has been
tors and dealers is the Gulbransen merchandising dressed up in new clothes. The disguise has been
plan, modern outgrowth of the unique and aggressive too diaphanous to intrigue my personal imagination.
methods of advertising and dealer co-operation that
Opinions on Government Support.
have made Gulbransen a household name in every
During the past year I made it my business to in-
civilized land.
quire from many sources as to the benefits which
Twenty-three years young, and in the full vigor could be derived from Government support of the
of its notable career, Gulbransen is certain, in the Fine Arts. For discussion at this particular time I
opinion of experienced merchandisers, to wield almost think we can refer to Government support of music.
from the outset an influence in radio as important The opinions which I have heard have thoroughly
as in the piano field, where its leadership continues convinced me that if the cause of music were taken
unchallenged.
up by the United States Government in an intelligent
The newly announced radio mass product : on pro- and aggressive manner that the results would far
gram of the Gulbransen Company, world's largest overshadow any benefit which music and every branch
individual piano manufacturers, is proving a lode- of it, including its industry, has experienced in the
stone for radio executive and sales talent eager to be history of our country.
identified with the anticipated success of this insti-
At the present time it is not practical to say just
tution.
exactly how this support should be asked. It is
Fred Wellman Radio Sales Manager.
quite evident that a Department of Fine Arts at this
Direction of radio sales, for example, has been time is not feasible. Whether a Bureau, an Institute,
taken over by Fred Wellman, former vice-president or an Academy should be requested should also re-
of the Electrical Research Laboratories (Erla), who ceive more thought and research than have been
brings to Gulbransen an intimate knowledge of radio given to it up to the present time. We need not
merchandise gained through experience dating back concern ourselves on how vast a plane this Federal
to the industry's earliest days.
support should be enlisted, but we should very defi-
As one of the founders of radio's leading construc- nitely demonstrate great concern that it be started in
tive organization, the Radio Manufacturers' Associa- the correct manner and in the right direction.
Future Benefits Incalculable.
tion, Mr. Wellman has proved for years an unob-
trusive but effective agency for the betterment of
If this is done the benefits in the future will be in-
radio in all its phases, and a consistent advocate of
calculable. Its growth would be limitless as would
co-operative relations between various branches of
its benefits. Does the American music lover, for in-
the industry designed to promote the welfare and stance, very often stop to realize that we have no
prosperity of each.
national opera, that the government has never done
"In the Gulbranseu Company," states Mr. Well- anything to encourage national opera? Does he ever
man, "there are presented in outstanding measure stop to think that we have no national Symphony?
the real fundamentals essential to permanent indus- The responsibility for the absence of these activities
trial success — magnificent plant facilities, sound does not lie solely with the government but is equally
finances, expert management, and, above all, a repu- shared by a passive public which has never had the
tation for quality, integrity and fair dealing estab- temerity to request such cooperation from a govern-
lished through fifty years of inpeccable business ment, which actually contributes to but one musical
conduct on the part of A G. Gulbransen, founder of
institution worthy of such reference, the United
the institution and its living symbol.
States Marine Band, and that a military organization.
"Through acquiring the executive staff of Wells-
Does the self-admitted music loving citizen realize
Gardner & Co., the Gulbransen Company has gained that we have no national choral organizations, no
governmentally supported singing contests, and that
the United States Government has never contributed
a cent towards the individual musical education of any
one of its citizens, that we have throughout the length
and breadth of this country but two cities which con-
tribute municipally towards music? I refer to Balti-
more, with its municipal orchestra, and to San Fran-
cisco.
Is it realized what musical accomplishments could
be obtained if the States could receive some subsidy
from the Government towards the organization of
an orchestra, a symphony, bands, or choral societies?
It is as Mark Twain observed of the weather, "There
is a great deal of talking but no one ever does any-
thing about it."
Time Propitious for Action.
Now upon the eve of Governmental re-organization
the time is peculiarly propitious for such a movement.
A large temple or institute of fine arts at Washing-
ton, with adequate halls of various sizes, to foster, by
competition, the development of every form of vocal
and instrumental composition should be afforded. Such
competitions up to the present time have devolved
upon civic organizations, such as the National Feder-
ation of Music Clubs, which federation in a few
years has done more towards the development of
musical talent in this country than the national gov-
ernment has ever done during the one hundred and
fifty-three years of its existence.
Other Nations Support Music.
Why should American musical talent be less fa-
vored by their government than that of France, Ger-
many, Italy, Mexico and other nations of supposed
less aesthetic opportunities? Are we less able finan-
cially, less equipped mentally to foster and develop
our own musical genius?
Women Exerting Their Power.
No one who heard Mrs. Edgar Stillman Kelley, of
Oxford, Ohio, the President of the National Federa-
tion of Music Clubs, speak at the Congressional Coun-
try Club on Monday evening, April 8, can dispute her
sincerity and the impressiveness with which she re-
garded the occasion. Her hearty belief in such a
movement should go far towards being a convincing
proof to any one who knows of the work which she
and her organization has accomplished.
Similarly Mrs. John F. Sippel, who is president of
the General Federation of Women's Clubs, composed
of women's clubs from one end of the country to the
other, representing a minimum of three million voices,
told us that on no subject had she received so many
inquiries nor had she seen so much interest demon-
strated or so ardent requests for assistance as in the
direction of the fine arts.
Every Music Merchant Should Help.
This movement should be taken up by every music
merchant in the country if for no other reason than
that of seeing his country, his state, his city, and his
home benefit. The American home today needs some-
thing to bring it closer together, to make its evenings
more intimate, and there is no power on earth more
capable of accomplishing this than that of the influ-
ence of music in the home. It is my personal opinion
that there should not be a home in this country in
which at least one member of the family should not
play with reasonable proficiency and satisfaction
some instrument whether it be a saxophone or a pipe
organ.
Piano Underlies All Music.
And for those who have vision, which reaches no
further than the end of their nose, let me remind and
suggest that beneath every form of musical concep-
tion and composition lies the basic, fundamental, in-
dispensible instrument, the piano.
Eloquence of Mrs. Kelley.
Mrs. Edgar Stillman Kelley also said that she felt
that the country at large would owe a vote of un-
dying gratitude to the music industry—which, as Mr.
Irion stated, was the only industry connected with
the fine arts,—if this industry could be definitely re-
sponsible towards focusing the attention of the Gov-
ernment of the United States on the recognition and
advancement of the fine arts. And the most uni-
versally appreciated of these and the most univer-
sally understood of those is music.
Therefore when I am asked how can the music
trade work most effectively in making the future of
the piano a bright one, I can honestly say to you that
every month and practically every week during this
year I have unconsciously had this question an-
swered for me by the recommendation and sincere
urge that government support of the fine arts be
obtained. This, I believe, can do more for music
and for the music industry in this country than any
other achievement within the ability of the American
citizen.
A copyrighted siory telling about the new receiver
that is being produced at the Gulbransen factory after
the merger with the Wells-Gardner & Co., appeared
in the Chicago Daily News on July 2. It was writ-
ten by K. A. Hathaway.
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/