Presto

PRESTO-TIMES
October, 1930
YEARS AGO IN THE TRADE
MATHUSHEK REPRESENTATIVE
MAKING GOOD ALLIANCES
that end they located another factory at 500 West Mathushek Piano Is Being Placed as Leader with
(From The Presto of October 11, 1900.)
Many Prominent Houses.
Mr. L. E. Thayer arid Mr. Clarence Gennett are 35th street, occupying three floors of the five-story
still making their headquarters in London. They building at that number, the three floors having a total
Ben Strul). general western representative for the
have been expected in Paris for several days and will floor space there of 12,000 square feet. Mr. Campbell Mathushek Piano Mfg. Co., who has been on the wing
is
in
charge
of
the
35th
street
plant
and
Mr.
Kohler
probably be in Paris next week. They are making
quite actively since taking over this representation
an extensive, though rapid, trip through Great Brit- looks after the place on 14th street. The books of some time ago, came home to Chicago a few days ago
Messrs.
Kohler
&
Campbell
show
that
they
have
been
ain, and will have visited many of the prominent
manufacturing and shipping all through the summer from a trip through the eastern section of his terri-
dealers before their return.
tory and lie says lie found trade good in many
large shipments each week.
localities.
They are above the street level and make no out-
Keeping in line with the prevailing demand for
His calls induced several dealers to take on the
ward show, but they do business. They have not been
in business for themselves very many years but they attractive booklets, Krakauer Bros., manufacturers Mathushek pianos as a splendid line for fall and
have built up a trade of which any old house might cf the reliable, high-grade "Krakauer" pianos, have winter profits.
issued a tastefully printed collection of letters from
be proud. They are a pair of hustlers and in their customers and schools using their instruments.
The dealers who have been added to the list of
merchants handling- the Mathushek arc all leaders in
hustling they push pianos whose characteristics insure
Gus Behning is west selling the beautiful Behning. their respective localities, and are to he congratulated
the lasting gratitude of their customers. We are now
for choosing a line of instruments that lit in elegantly
talking about the new piano house of Grosvenor, Behning fall trade is starting with a rush.
Mr. Hugo Ricca of the Ricca Piano Co. expects wherever quality at a fair price is required.
Lapham & Co., in the Studebaker building.
Triumphs of the "Baldwin" as Summed up by the to start on the road this week or next. Some new
"Five dollars will deliver any piano to your home."
style Ricca pianos are out which will receive notice
Paris Presto.
— Lauter Piano Co., Newark, N. J.
in
The
Presto
later.
As it is everywhere known in the musical world,
E. E. Forbes, Montgomery, Ala., has moved into
and by this time known to practically every music
house of America and Europe, the Baldwin piano was his handsome new building and has a model music
accorded the grand prix at the Paris Exposition, says store. His stock of pianos embraces the Chickering,
MUSIC ROLL MAKERS SINCE 1889
Presto's Paris Supplement of September 6. But the Kranich & Bach, Kingsbury, Pease, Emerson, Krell,
house of Baldwin, by which we would include the McPhail, Hackley, Carlisle, Royal and several others.
Baldwin Piano Co. of Cincinnati, the Hamilton Organ
Steger & Sons started up their electric lighting plant
Co. of Chicago, and D. H. Baldwin & Co.'s exhibits at the factories last week.
at the Paris Exposition, have gained additional honors
It is gratifying to learn of the success the repre-
and distinctions besides the grand prix.
sentatives of American manufacturers at the Paris
To sum up, the recompenses received by the Bald- Exposition are having in the sale of pianos and organs
win interests at the Paris Exposition of 1930 will be there displayed. Two weeks ago the finest piano in
as follows:
the Ludwig & Co. exhibit was sold to an English
artist residing in Nice, France, and other notable sales
Grand prix for Baldwin pianos.
have been made before and since that time. It is
Silver medal for Hamilton pianos and organs.
Silver medal for the model of piano factory, and the certain that the American pianos at the exposition
will not be returned home unless their manufacturers
following medals for collaborators:
J. W. Macy, superintendent of Baldwin piano fac- prefer not to dispose of them to admirers in the old
world.
tory, gold medal.
Mr. William Vaughan Robinson, president of the
Thomas Hall, Clarence E. Kerr, Clement J. Barn-
horn, William H. Fry, Horace Moran of the Baldwin Robinson Piano Co., Ltd., of Hong Kong, with
Piano Co., and A. J. Sorenson of the Hamilton Organ branches in Singapore, Shanghai, Tientsin and half a
dozen other places, left Chicago on his long trip home-
Co., bronze medals.
ward last Saturday night. He goes via San Francisco,
Frank Simshouser, W. C. Howland, Edward Ross, and is accompanied as far as that city by Mr. C. H.
Andrew Gunderson and Joseph Conners of the Ham- Wagener of the Melville Clark Piano Co.
ilton Organ Co., honorable mentions.
The Deutschland from Hamburg, which entered the
Also awards to Charles Dannensfelser and Eisner port of New York Saturday, brought among other
& Anderson, in connection with work and design on distinguished passengers, Mr. Charles H. Steinway,
model of piano factory.
president of Steinway & Sons, who has been abroad
This is a magnificent showing and, primarily speak- something over two months in the interests of the
ing, an American award—an award to American Steinway trade in Europe.
genius and ingenuity, and in this sense to be con-
The Weaver Organ & Piano Co. of York, Pa., had
sidered an award to America, and not merely to the an exhibit at the Pennsylvania State Fair at Lan-
house of Baldwin.
caster, Pa., in charge of the manager of the Lancaster
Mr. W. W. Kimball's return from his foreign trip warerooms, Mr. R. E. Hamme,
was foretold accurately in last week's Presto. And
One never tires of dropping into the Kran'ch &
he gives evidence of great benefits accrued by the Bach factory and warerooms on East 23d street and
sojourn in Europe where the springs of Mannhem resting or, rather, feasting eyes and ears on the mag-
did him great good: "There isn't a thing to say that nificent array of instruments to be seen there. It is
Mr. Abbott doesn't already know and has probably doubtful if there is an instrument in the trade that
printed before this," said Mr. Kimball to a Presto displays with such regularity the artistic case designs
representative.
and the beautifully figured and matched veneers that
The firm of Kohler & Campbell on West 14th street are seen right through the entire line of Kranich &
is doing a remarkable business. The well-known Bach. Mr. Louis P. Bach greeted the Presto rep-
term "hustlers" can nowhere be applied more con- resentative cordially and said trade was in the best
sistently than to the young men comprising this es- possible condition. "We have ten or a dozen coming
tatl'shment. During the past summer their trade through in Luzon mahogany and we expect them to
had increased at such a rate that they were com- be about as handsome as anything we have ever
pelled to secure larger manufacturing facilities. To turned out."
NEW YORK MASS
PRODUCTION DISPATCHES
The daily papers have been handling press dis-
patches lately emanating from New York concerning
what they style "mass production of pianos." Not-
withstanding this bold and rarely complex announce-
ment, it is safe to say that the great American Piano
Corporation will go on, possibly affixing other units,
and will keep the cost of manufacturing down to the
lowest prices commensurate with the quality.
It is true, as mentioned in Presto-Times, that plans
have been talked over by four or five of the greatest
manufacturing piano companies in the East for united
cooperation in piano manufacturing, but this does
mean mass prodcution in the thrilling manner set
forth in the quasi-sensational reports that have been
passing over the wires of the press associations.
The dispatches suggest that pianos will be made
almost entirely by machinery, eliminating much hand-
work, and this new type of piano is said to be the
result of experiments conducted by Dr. C. M. Hick-
man of the Bell Telephone Co.
The first radio program went on the air from Pitts-
burgh in 1920.
CHEERFUL INDIANAPOLIS REPORTS.
Presto-Times' correspondent at Indianapolis writes
under date of October 13 that all reports that have
come to him indicate better and improved business.
The Pearson Piano Co., he says, is anticipating better
business; William Longacre, representing C. Kurtz-
mann & Co. of Buffalo reports "conditions on the
Pacific Coast much improved." Mr. Longacre had
spent much time in the western part of the country
recently where he found business conditions show-
ing marked improvement. Mark Mayer of the Brink-
erhoff Piano Co., who called at the Marion Co.'s music
store, reported that things were looking better in his
territory and Philip Wyman of the Baldwin Piano
Co. said: "Business is quite good and the outlook
encouraging."
SEEBURG ACQUIRES THE STANDARD.
The Standard Reproducing Co., 1756 Austin avenue,
Chicago, of which B. C. Waters is the head, has been
taken over by the J. P. Seeburg Piano Co., and now
becomes one of the units of that big and aggressive
manufacturing concern.
"We will all wake up some morning and discover
that business is good."—Geo. M. Reynolds, Chicago
banker.
Let Us Prove the Superiority of These
"MUSICAL
MONEY-MAKERS"
Music For All Style Automatic Pianos, Etc.
Write For Catalog.
The Clark Orchestra Roll Co,
DeKalb, Illinois
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