Sept.-Oct., 1936
The report of W. A. .Mennie, executive secretary
National Piano Mfrs. Association, shows that ship-
ments of pianos for the month of July this year were
43 per cent ahead of July, 1935. Mr. Mennie's report
goes on to state that 32 manufacturers made reports;
five did not report. The estimate is made on the
basis that the shipments of these five who did not
report to be the same as what they shipped in July
last year. The appearance of several names of the
manufacturers who reported will be noticed with in-
terest. The name of the P. S. Wick Company, North
St. Paul, and Wissner & Son, Brooklyn, may indicate
headway where it had been thought no particular
activity is manifest today. The only item of negation
in the report is that July shipments this year were
below the shipments of the month preceding, that is
of June, by 810; 449 uprights (verticals and standard
uprights), and 311 grands. These figures are, how-
ever, offset in a way by the table of comparison of
the months of June and July as to unfilled orders on
hand as of July 31, showing nearly 500 more unfilled
orders July 31 than the previous month.
Mr. Mennie's table of percentages in production
since 1931 compared with the first seven months of
1936. is as follows:
1936 was ahead of 1931 41.81 per cent.
1936 was ahead of 1932 193.81 per cent.
1936 was ahead of 1933 208.00 per cent.
1936 was ahead of 1934 79.84 per cent.
1936 was ahead of 1935 38.67 per cent.
Secretary Mennie in his September report names
the following manufacturers as the ones who sent in
reports on their August shipments:
Aeolian-American Corporation: The Baldwin Piano
Company; Bogart Piano Company; Everett Piano
Company; Jesse French Corporation: Grinnell Bros.;
Gulbransen Company; Haddorff Piano Company;
Hardman, Peck & Company; Janssen Piano Com-
pany; Krakauer Bros.; Kranich & Bach; Lauter-
Humana Company; Lester Piano Company; Mathu-
shek Piano Mfg. Company: Ricca & Son; Klein Piano
Company; Estey Piano Company; Sohmer & Com-
pany; I'. A. Starck Piano Co.; Charles Frederick
Stein; Steinway & Sons; Story & Clark Piano Com-
pany; Weaver Piano Company; Weser Bros.; P. S.
Wick Company; Winter & Company; Wurlitzer
Grand Piano Company: Rudolph Wurlitzer Mfg. Com-
pany; Straube Piano Company.
However, according to Secretary Mennie's Septem-
ber report, August shipments exceeded those of July
by 1,337 pianos; 527 uprights and 810 grands; and the
August unfilled orders exceeded those of July by 896
orders; 509 uprights and 387 grands. Mr. Mennie in
his report, therefore, makes this statement: "With an
indicated total of 46,318 pianos shipped the first eight
months of this year and using the year 1935 as a crite-
rion when 51.93 per cent of the shipments for the
year were made during' those first eight months of
that year, it would seem that the prediction of more
than 90,000 pianos for this year should still stand."
PRESTO- T I M E S
Helped Sell a Competitor's
Organ
An Incident in the Life of the Late
Curtis N. Kimball
This episode occurred on the day before Christmas
back in the seventies, a bitter cold day. After a
'selling siege" the night before lasting until long past
the customary bed-time hour the sale of the style "50,"
5-octave, 2 l / 2 sets of reeds, cabinet organ to Farmer
Riley had been closed, although husband and wife did
not sign on the "dotted line" until the next morning.
The organ dealer was going back to his store, 25 miles
away, and his companion, a special traveling man from
Chicago headquarters, who had gone out with him
to help make the sale so he could send in a "swell
report" as the agent was trying to do covering the
last quarter, was to be left off at a railroad station
where he would board a northbound train to Austin.
Minn., to participate in an invite for Christmas eve fes-
tivities that night.
The two were traveling in an organ and piano de-
liver}' bobsled drawn by a pair of spanking bay horses.
After about ten miles the dealer suddenly exclaimed:
"And here we are, right near the home of D. W. Kim-
ball, brother of W. W. Kimball, and who sells the
Kimball organs around in this part of Mitchell county.
We ought to call and pay our respects to a co-dealer.
1 know he would be glad to see us." The dealer re-
lated that the Kimball traveling man, E. S. Conway,
had called on him recently, and he suggested that they
call and meet this brother of W. W. Kimball.
The Kimballs were busy preparing dinner, and what
a dinner was in the making! What a repast it proved
to be! Two visitors were there, a lady and her 15-year-
old daughter. They had driven over to see about buy-
ing an organ and at the same time for a visit and a
pre-Christmas dinner. The "special" and his agent
were invited to "try" the organ which was a new
model Kimball called "Cymbella." They were thanked
and applauded for the demonstration "show off'' of
the instrument. After dinner and another stunt of
organ playing the two travelers continued their jour-
ney. In parting Mr. and Mrs. Kimball expressed
regret that their son Curtis was not home, "for," said
Mrs. Kimball, "he would be delighted and interested
to meet a music man from Chicago and especially one
who knows his uncle, W. W. Kimball." Mr. Kimball
remarked that he hoped he might meet the ''special
agent" sometime again, "maybe in Chicago," he added,
a suggestion that materialized years later when, in
1893, Mr. and Mrs. Kimball came to Chicago to visit
the World's Columbian Exposition. One day, dining
on the grounds of that exposition, Mr. Kimball was
asked about the incident of the organ demonstration
the day before Christmas away back in the 70's.
"I should say I do," he replied. "That sale was easily
made and the instrument delivered the same afternoon
for a Christmas eve party. Since then the young
lady, now married, purchased from me a fine piano."
Curtis Kimball became a great power; he labored
diligently, faithfully; progressed step by step, became
great, famed and now finally passes on, mourned by
those he loved and the ones who loved him—honored,
respected by all who knew him.
A Trio of Jesse French Sellers
Presto-Times shows an illustration herewith of a
Jesse French model that has met with noteworthy
success. It is one of the new models shown in the
Jesse French exhibit during the July music trade con-
vention and it has been one of the group displayed
that has brought repeat orders from the first sample
ordered at the convention. This is certainly making
a good start in getting a new model upright into
the trade, but it took about all the "ready-to-ship"
"Castlegrand" Model of the Jesse French Corporation,
New Castle, Ind., Line of Vertical Pianos.
supply of "Castlegrands" and resulted in running out
of the instrument for a few days at a time. However
this obstacle is being overcome rapidly and if any
dealer has been "kicking" or complaining that his
"Castlegrand'' or his "Weegrand" or his "Elitegrand"
has not arrived on the hour expected, he may take
:ouragf in the statement of Mr. H. Edgar French,
president of Jesse French Corporation, that "delays
in shipments" are about to cease.
AN INTERESTING STATE ASSOCIATION
GATHERING
The Ohio Music Merchants did themselves proud
on the occasion of the silver jubilee convention of
the Music Merchants' Association of Ohio, held at the
At the annual meeting of the National Association of
Statler Hotel Sept. 13, 14 and 15.
Piano Tuners, held at Canton, Ohio, a resolution of
The jubilee feature was the result of the decision
marked distinction for the Gulbransen piano was passed.
made at the meeting last April, when it was decided
The Gulbransen Company had sent a piano to be tested
that a silver jubilee celebration should be held at
out and gone through in every way and Vice-Pres'dent
Cleveland while the Great Lakes Exposition was in
George A. McDermott and Roy Cook, technician of the
progress. Acting on this proposition the Cleveland
Gulbransen factory, went to Canton to assist in this
AN UNEXPECTED GOOD LUCK STORY
"dissection" of the instrument and at the same time to
A music teacher came from her home in Western convention committee, under the chairmanship of
George F. Schulte. set the date for the notable event.
talk to the tuners on Gulbransen piano construction.
Pennsylvania for a two weeks' vacation visiting
The report of the resolutions committee sanl: "The
The officers for the ensuing year are: President,
friends whom she had known before they located in
Gulbransen piano exhibited merited the approval of all
C. D. Anderson of Dayton; vice-president, George F.
Chicago. Arriving at her friend's home this teacher
T
of us and those who had here the first opportunity to
discovered that the entire family had become musicai- Schulte of Cleveland; treasurer, Clyde W . Knapp of
examine the latest product of your factory are gratified
Chillicothe; secretary and executive manager, Rexford
minded and that one of the family was about to start
to know the Gulbransen Co. is maintaining the same
studying music and wanted to begin piano lessons C. Hyre of Cleveland. Dayton was named as the
high standards of piano manufactur'ng that have been
meeting place for the next convention, the time and
right away.
traditional with it from its beginning."
dates to be arranged by the executive committee later
The music teacher's instinct for a piano sale was on.
The N. A. P. T. is really the parent body of the piano
aroused. The teacher's only musical acquaintance in
tuners' fraternity of this country and which during sev-
The following firms exhibited instruments: C. G.
Chicago was a distant relative and who was asso-
eral years cut a wide swath in the piano trade and the
Conn, Ltd., Elkhart, band instruments; Buegeleisen
ciated with music in the public schools. This was ah
public. Internal dissensions arose in the organization and
favorable for her purpose so within twenty-four hours & Jacobson. musical merchandise; Gretsch & Brenner,
competing bodies of tuners were organized, one of these
being the Piano Tuners' Association of Illinois, which L; of the teacher's arrival in the city a
grand musical merchandise; Grossman Music Company;
Sanborn Music Company, and the following piano
probably the most powerful of the seceding group.
piano was installed in her friend's home, the bargain
closed and the first of a dozen lessons of a ten-day manufacturers: Jesse French Piano Corporation, New
Castle, Ind.; Krakauer Bros., Kranich & Bach and
The Fleming Music Store at New Castle, Pa., is course of lessons, one each day, started.
Sohmer, New York.
conducted entirely by ladies. Mrs. E. Fleming is the
general manager and proprietor. Her bookkeeper,
The L. C. Wiswell Company have become distrib-
The music trade press was honored and likewise
head of piano sales and merchandise departments arc utors in the Chicago territory for the Stewart-Warner honored the association by its presence and addresses
young ladies well versed in their avocations and all radios. L. C. Wiswell, the head of the Wiswell Com- by two of its members, Mr. William J. Dougherty of
helping to make a well governed and successful gen- pany which has been in existence for the past twelve The Music Trades, New York, and Roy E. Waite of
eral musical Enhanced
instrument
establishment.
Piano Museum
Trade (www.arcade-museum.com).
Magazine, Chicago.
years,
was
vice-president
of Lyon
& International
Healy. Arcade
content
© 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The
Musical
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Society International
(www.mbsi.org)
and the
THE GULBRANSEN PRAISED BY
TUNERS
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