MUSICAL
TIMES
PRESTO
Established
1884
Established
1881
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
10 Cents
I Year
a
Copy
$1.*5
10 Months. ..$1.00
6 Months. .75 cents
CHICAGO, ILL., DECEMBER, 1930
.Monthly—
Fifteenth of Each Month
head costs had increased, saying: "1 had a long talk
with a prominent manufacturer of grand piano ac-
tions. He called attention to the fact that action
screws are now costing 33J
the}' did a few months ago. Action hardware and
felts are also costing approximately 20 per cent
more. On top of all this the overhead per action is
very much higher than it was two years ago, because
from its position on the seat of popularity. It is at that time these overheads were spread over a great
Following up a subject of the most vital impor-
tance to the piano industry and trade at present, bound to hold its dignified and useful place of prior- many upright and player actions, so that with the-
ity and superiority. In the musical world it is the dropping out of the player action business and the
which was opened in last month's Presto-Times by
the publication in part of an interview with H. Edgar major general, the chief justice of the supreme court, slowing up of the sale of uprights, the overhead now
French, president of Jesse French & Sons Piano Co., the president, the master of the college, the daddy in
had to be distributed over grand actions to the tune
New Castle, Ind., about depletion of pianos in stores, the home, the hero of the winning team in the foot- of approximately $10 each above what the actual
this paper is now enabled to present a much more ball field, the boss in the office, the beauty contest
cost was two years ago.
comprehensive report, for Mr. French has since, in
winner, the editor-in-chief, the right-reverend.
"The situation is not entirely stated when I tell
response to a request, put down on paper compre-
Radio and piano go togther—traveling hand-in- you about the increased cost, because dealers, manu-
hensive additional information which, added to the hand.
facturers and supply men are all running on a hand-
communications received at this office and interviews
From traveling men and others, representatives of
to-mouth basis, leaving no surplus stock anywhere
—some of which have been solicited and others com- this paper have learned that there is a shortage of
Piano factories in distress are about cleaned up.
ing in voluntarily—substantiate in amplified form the new pianos in many stores throughout the country. leaving the second-hand players as the only disturb-
original revelation.
Real Shortage Exists.
ing element. With this being the last remaining
Mr. French's observations touch on the fundamen-
The information from every man approached on
difficulty there is no doubt in our mind that if every
tals that are the basis for the continuance of the the subject was so affirmative of that given by Mr. used player-piano was burned tomorrow, piano busi-
piano business, and his suggestions can be taken as French that Presto-Times extended the inquiry, only ness would be in a healthy condition within 30 days."
a warning to the dealers what to expect and how to to get further affirmation of the situation. The an-
Why Wee-Bit Ordering Raises Prices.
avoid being caught short of instruments in these days swers elicited the information that there exists a
The hand-to-mouth method of ordering makes
of so-called hand-to-mouth production.
shortage not in a few of the stores, but in a large pianos cost more, as Mr. French shows in his letter,
Mr. French has traveled around quite a bit and
percentage of them. A shortage of new pianos, and
visited several dealers, so his information is not from especially of new, modern, up-to-date salable pianos. as building few at a time with practically little reduc-
tion in factory overhead expenses bounces up the
hearsay, but at first hand. His communication to us
In some stores new pianos manufactured as long cost of production per unit.
was as follows:
ago as one, two, three, four and five years had been
Staring at the Outlook.
carried along and were still there for sale, and it took
New Castle, Ind., Nov. 25, 1930.
Thus we have this condition: A few stores suffer-
no discerning eyes to note the absence a: newly-made
Presto Publishing Co.,
ing from a shortage of salable new stock and dealers
salable pianos—both uprights and grands.
417 South Dearborn street,
confronted with the almost certain necessity of pianos
These "old new" pianos clutter up the stores and
Chicago, 111.
by their old style—as against newly-made modern in- costing more. So, what is the dealer going to do.
Gentlemen:
struments—are about as unsalable as the used instru- for, certainly, a lot of them will be unable to get car-
"1 want to talk to you just as though I were in
loads of pianos on rush orders?
ments
carried in stock.
your office, about the present piano situation, but
The buyer today, if he cannot get a new, up-to-date
before we start talking let us go out into a few stores
and see what they have on hand to interest possible piano will very likely declare in favor of a second-
buyers of new upright and grand pianos. I am ask- hand instrument of some reputable make. There is
ing this in all seriousness, because I sincerely believe a decided change in the trend of popularity in favor
that piano dealers as a whole are due for a rude jolt.
A while ago I called on four average small town of the upright piano—the smaller, upright, clean-cut,
chaste and clear. So much so that it is next to im-
piano stores and here's what I saw:
Rudolph Ganz, the noted pianist, conductor and
"First: A goodly lot of stock, but not a single possible to sell the great big pile of wood put up in
educator, said last month to a Presto-Times cor-
the
older
styles
with
their
elaborate
carvings.
new instrument; only two used pianos and several
respondent at Spartanburg, S. C, that "America is
Traveler Defends Hand-to-Mouthers.
used players.
undergoing a symphonic rebirth." He added: "Con-
"Second: One upright and one grand in stock.
A well-known piano traveler was asked to read
Both used and the remainder of the stock—used over the H. Edgar French letter. He did so. and, sider what a marvelous impulse the work of the pub-
lic schools supervisor is giving to symphonic music.
players.
One of the thrills of my life was leading the National
"Third: Had gone into specializing on used play- when asked what he thought of it, said:
"I have been down in the Central South and the
ers at no price at all.
High School orchestra through the 'Meistersinger"
"Fourth: One each new upright, player and grand, Southeast where all those banks have been closing Prelude in one of the rehearsals of the Chicago super-
two used uprights and several used players.
down temporarily to prevent runs upon them due to visors' convention. Almost at once I discovered that
"It is a fact that dealers generally have very few a scare over the financial embarrassment of a young- with these responsive youngsters I could do far more
new pianos and depend on the factories to make im- ish big business man in Tennessee. Down there the than beat time and give cues. They grasped my
mediate shipments if they handle business, but the South was leaping along in a plunging way—it seems
factories have had no encouragement to go ahead and to me there wasn't enough hand-to-mouth business. every intention with amazing quickness and certainty.
"The day is coming when every child will have his
will the dealers be able to get what they need at the
For just now the hand-to-mouth fellows are ordering contact with music. I am convinced that elementary
last minute?
with
the
same
regularity
as
before,
while
the
big
"Nearly every day we receive inquiries for used
work in piano teaching can be taught in classes. Some
uprights,—dealers' stocks must be low, or they would plunger chaps are shading their eyes with their hands cities have abandoned their concert series, it is true;
not be inquiring. We have long since sold all used
and watching for portents of a twister.
on the other hand, there are cities where there are
uprights, likewise all used grands (but not all used
"I am not traveling for Mr. French's house, but I more concerts than ever before.
players, we will admit).
meet his competition here and there and I know lit
"As for the case of the teacher, my work as head
"Our manufacturing has been confined to replace- is correct in his disclosures of the situation and con-
ments in the piano department, the bulk of the pay- dition of the average dealer. My house makes small of a large musical college has shown that the quality
of every good teacher's class is much higher today
roll going to build radios. You can see we have no
oversupply of pianos, or grands and, presuming other grands and very fine uprights, and what surprises me than formerly; just as in the concert field I believe
is
the
way
the
new-style
upright
is
increasing
my
manufacturers to be in the same position, where arc
that the quality of listeners is finer. It is a case of
orders.
dealers' stocks to come from if they all wake up ar
quality versus quantity. For myself I prefer quality.
once and try to get orders filled the day they reach
"The Southern banks will be back to normalcy in
An era of quality is sure to usher in another era of
the factory office? Something is just going to happen
their daily transactions before your paper goes to quantity. It is the eternal circle. It all depends on
and it may not be any too pleasant for buyers who press with its December issue. Rusiness is better
which side of the wheel is up,"
put oft and put off until the last minute.
down South already.
"Anyway, how r can those dealers expect to sell new
pianos have been a curse in the old South
JESSE FRENCH GRANDS GO FAST.
pianos" with none in stock? They can't, they don't, for "Junk
years, but not more so than in New York City.
and they won't. The funny thing is they blame the
The illustration used in the November issue of
public when they are offering the public only dirty, Illiteracy and poverty go together and the junk
Presto-Times on the back cover page in Jesse French
dingy used stock, and wonder why the 'dear public' piano completes the trio. There are many cheap and & Sons Piano Co.'s advertisement, represented a Span-
turns up its nose—when they would do the same addle-headed people living in the nation's metropolis ish show window of the Wilking Music Co. in Indian-
thing.
—to whom any kind of a greasy lay-out is a home—•
"If you went into your well-known furniture store and down South there are many families living in apolis. Mr. Wilking sold the Spanish Renaissance
to select a fine new suite for your dining room or uncomfortable shacks standing on stilts, and to these Jesse French piano illustrated in the window and
bedroom and were shown only second-hand kitchen any sort of a piano is luxury, just as a poll-evil horse took an order for a second one to be made up with
special personally selected veneer, making two sales
furniture, would you leave?
"The public has been shown only used stock in and a wabbly-wheeled light wagon is a coach-and
of Spanish grand Jesse French pianos in the one
four
to
a
shambling
Negro.
the piano stores and has gone out with a bad taste.
week. So. it is no wonder the Jesse French & Sons
"It's not the size of a man's bank account that
"Progressive dealers are doing business here and
Piano Co. is proud of that style.
makes a piano dealer worthy of his order, but his re-
now, not as much as they like, but they are getting
business while others complain. You know, they liability, his readiness to pay for the goods as soon
PIANO SALES GAIN 25 PER CENT.
must have new goods if they are to sell new goods." as he gets the money. Therefore I'm standing up
A ga:n in both wholesale and retail sales of p : anos
Nothing to Supplant the Piano.
for some of my hand-to-mouth customers as among of 25 per cent for October over the same months last
Presto-Times has enough data at hand to prove the most desirable customers on my list."
year was reported by Krakauer Brothers. New York
Parts Are Costing More.
that the demand for radios, phonographs, nor any-
piano makers. A. L. Bretzfelder, president of the
thing else in the musical instrument line, will be able
Continuing, Mr. French spoke of the additional company, said its plant is working full time, with the
to knock out the piano or even cause it to move over
cost of piano production, and gave reasons why over- complement of men increased by 25 per cent.
SHORTAGE OF NEW PIANOS CAUSING
CONCERN TO MANY DEALERS
RUDOLPH GANZ BACKS PIANO
TEACHING IN CLASSES
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