Music Trade Review
Issue: 1923 Vol. 76 N. 6 - Page 10
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
NEW CANADIAN DISTRIBUTORS FOR GULBRANSEN PLAYER
Burdick A. Trestrail, President of Mutual Sales Service, Ltd., Toronto, Takes Over Both Dis-
tributing and Manufacturing Rights for Gulbransen-Dickinson Products—Sees Player Future
CHICAGO, I I I . , February 3.—The Gulbransen-
Dickinson Co. has announced that on February 1
Rurdick A. Trestrail, president of the Mutual
Sales Service, Ltd., Toronto, Ont., took over
the distribution of the Gulbransen products in
Canada, succeeding the Musical Merchandise
Sales Co. in that connection.
In making the announcement the company
states that the rapid development of Gulbransen
player-piano sales in Canada during the past
year has necessitated an amount of merchan-
dising effort which will require the undivided
attention of a sales organization devoted ex-
clusively to this work.
Mr. Trestrail is particularly well qualified to
look after the Canadian distribution of the Gul-
bransen products for the reason that, when he
was manager of the piano department of the
R. S. Williams & Sons Co. in this city seven
years ago, he first introduced the Gulbransen
players to the Canadian trade in a retail way.
He was also responsible at a later date for the
taking over of the Canadian distribution of the
Gulbransen by the Musical Merchandise Sales
Co.
Since the general distribution of the Gul-
bransen in Canada was started a year ago suc-
cess has been rapid and steady, with the result
that a very substantial number of the leading
independent music stores from coast to coast
have taken on that line and produced a volume
of business little short of surprising, thus indi-
cating the great possibilities for the player-
piano in the Canadian trade.
Mr. Trestrail has not only acquired the dis-
tributing rights for the Gulbransen in Canada,
Patented Nov. 14, 1922
Remember That the Success of the
Reproducing Piano
depends in no small degree on the efficiency of the piano action
used in conjunction with the reproducing mechanism.
This has been taken into consideration in the perfecting of the
Staib-Abendschein
Reproducing Grand
Piano Action
with
Lost Motion Attachment
1923
but has also secured the manufacturing rights.
In view of the excellent outlook for the com-
ing year it is expected that the opening of a
Gulbransen factory in Canada will be an ac-
complished fact before the twelve months have
passed. The proposed factory will be controlled
absolutely and entirely in Canada and operated
with Canadian capital, but will be granted the
lights to thd Gulbransen trade-mark, good-will
and patents. When the new plant is in opera-
tion it is planned to turn over to it practically
all export business of the house.
Mr. Trestrail has great confidence in the
Canadian player trade, feeling that the market
for that type of instrument in the Dominion has
been barely scratched in view of the results
obtained in other countries. In a recent inter-
view he said: "Our Canadian piano dealers are
just awakening to the vast possibility of profit
in this field. Here we are in a country that
uses more automobiles per capita than any other
British territory, or the United States, and the
same applies to phonographs and pianos, yet
our sales of player-pianos total probably less
than 15 per cent of our piano sales, whereas
in the United States they are running from 55
to 65 per cent player-piano sales and in
Australia and New Zealand the percentage is
also greatly in excess of 25 per cent.
"The Gulbransen Co. sells more player-pianos
in Australia to one firm alone than were made
and sold by any two Canadian manufacturers
last year. The Q R S Music Co. sells three
times as many player rolls in Australia as are
sold in Canada—and this in the face of a pop-
ulation approximately half that of Canada.
"The only conclusion that can be reached
from these facts and figures is that player-
pianos have not been aggressively merchandised
in this country; that prices have been too high,
and that the public has not been properly edu-
cated to the real musical worth of a good
player-piano.
"During the past year several other Canadian
manufacturers have begun to devote a good
deal more attention to the player field and this,
coupled with the efforts that we are going to
put into it, should awaken the trade to the
wonderful possibilities in this direction. If the
dealers will enthusiastically co-operate with the
merchandising plans that are presented by my
company, as well as those presented by other
Canadian companies, I have not the slightest
doubt but that the player business will be
doubled and trebled from year to year for the
next generation.
"One or two Canadian manufacturers have
already told me that since the introduction of
the Gulbransen their player business has in-
creased remarkably and they have nothing but
the best of wishes for this product. While we
met with some opposition at the beginning, we
believe practically all of the manufacturers to-
day realize that we are rendering a real service
through which all will profit if they place them-
selves in a position to take advantage of the
interest created in player-pianos and will con-
scientiously help in educating the dealer to the
problem of merchandising and service in the
player field."
QRINNELL BROS. OPEN NEW STORE
which eliminates all lost motion b e t w e e n the action and
mechanisni, permits soft pedal movement adjustment to the
lightest pneumatic and does away with key shifting and key
dipping entirely.
LAPEK.R, MICH., February 5.—Grinnell Bros.,
Michigan's biggest piano house, have made ar-
rangements with the Chas. F. Bursch Specialty
Shop in this city to use part of its store as a
piano display room. The new display room
will be under charge of Mr. Hewitt.
RITZ SHOP INCORPORATED
Write for further particulars
and illustrated booklet
THE STAIB-ABENDSCHEIN CO.
134th St. and Brook Ave.
FEBRUARY 10,
New York
ALBANY, N. Y., February 5.—The Ritz Music
Shop has been incorporated to deal in musical
instruments in New York with a capital of
$10,000. The incorporators are M. Aronson, A.
Fein and E. Friedman.
Steady collections arc the backbone of a retail
piano business.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
NEW CANADIAN DISTRIBUTORS FOR GULBRANSEN PLAYER
Burdick A. Trestrail, President of Mutual Sales Service, Ltd., Toronto, Takes Over Both Dis-
tributing and Manufacturing Rights for Gulbransen-Dickinson Products—Sees Player Future
CHICAGO, I I I . , February 3.—The Gulbransen-
Dickinson Co. has announced that on February 1
Rurdick A. Trestrail, president of the Mutual
Sales Service, Ltd., Toronto, Ont., took over
the distribution of the Gulbransen products in
Canada, succeeding the Musical Merchandise
Sales Co. in that connection.
In making the announcement the company
states that the rapid development of Gulbransen
player-piano sales in Canada during the past
year has necessitated an amount of merchan-
dising effort which will require the undivided
attention of a sales organization devoted ex-
clusively to this work.
Mr. Trestrail is particularly well qualified to
look after the Canadian distribution of the Gul-
bransen products for the reason that, when he
was manager of the piano department of the
R. S. Williams & Sons Co. in this city seven
years ago, he first introduced the Gulbransen
players to the Canadian trade in a retail way.
He was also responsible at a later date for the
taking over of the Canadian distribution of the
Gulbransen by the Musical Merchandise Sales
Co.
Since the general distribution of the Gul-
bransen in Canada was started a year ago suc-
cess has been rapid and steady, with the result
that a very substantial number of the leading
independent music stores from coast to coast
have taken on that line and produced a volume
of business little short of surprising, thus indi-
cating the great possibilities for the player-
piano in the Canadian trade.
Mr. Trestrail has not only acquired the dis-
tributing rights for the Gulbransen in Canada,
Patented Nov. 14, 1922
Remember That the Success of the
Reproducing Piano
depends in no small degree on the efficiency of the piano action
used in conjunction with the reproducing mechanism.
This has been taken into consideration in the perfecting of the
Staib-Abendschein
Reproducing Grand
Piano Action
with
Lost Motion Attachment
1923
but has also secured the manufacturing rights.
In view of the excellent outlook for the com-
ing year it is expected that the opening of a
Gulbransen factory in Canada will be an ac-
complished fact before the twelve months have
passed. The proposed factory will be controlled
absolutely and entirely in Canada and operated
with Canadian capital, but will be granted the
lights to thd Gulbransen trade-mark, good-will
and patents. When the new plant is in opera-
tion it is planned to turn over to it practically
all export business of the house.
Mr. Trestrail has great confidence in the
Canadian player trade, feeling that the market
for that type of instrument in the Dominion has
been barely scratched in view of the results
obtained in other countries. In a recent inter-
view he said: "Our Canadian piano dealers are
just awakening to the vast possibility of profit
in this field. Here we are in a country that
uses more automobiles per capita than any other
British territory, or the United States, and the
same applies to phonographs and pianos, yet
our sales of player-pianos total probably less
than 15 per cent of our piano sales, whereas
in the United States they are running from 55
to 65 per cent player-piano sales and in
Australia and New Zealand the percentage is
also greatly in excess of 25 per cent.
"The Gulbransen Co. sells more player-pianos
in Australia to one firm alone than were made
and sold by any two Canadian manufacturers
last year. The Q R S Music Co. sells three
times as many player rolls in Australia as are
sold in Canada—and this in the face of a pop-
ulation approximately half that of Canada.
"The only conclusion that can be reached
from these facts and figures is that player-
pianos have not been aggressively merchandised
in this country; that prices have been too high,
and that the public has not been properly edu-
cated to the real musical worth of a good
player-piano.
"During the past year several other Canadian
manufacturers have begun to devote a good
deal more attention to the player field and this,
coupled with the efforts that we are going to
put into it, should awaken the trade to the
wonderful possibilities in this direction. If the
dealers will enthusiastically co-operate with the
merchandising plans that are presented by my
company, as well as those presented by other
Canadian companies, I have not the slightest
doubt but that the player business will be
doubled and trebled from year to year for the
next generation.
"One or two Canadian manufacturers have
already told me that since the introduction of
the Gulbransen their player business has in-
creased remarkably and they have nothing but
the best of wishes for this product. While we
met with some opposition at the beginning, we
believe practically all of the manufacturers to-
day realize that we are rendering a real service
through which all will profit if they place them-
selves in a position to take advantage of the
interest created in player-pianos and will con-
scientiously help in educating the dealer to the
problem of merchandising and service in the
player field."
QRINNELL BROS. OPEN NEW STORE
which eliminates all lost motion b e t w e e n the action and
mechanisni, permits soft pedal movement adjustment to the
lightest pneumatic and does away with key shifting and key
dipping entirely.
LAPEK.R, MICH., February 5.—Grinnell Bros.,
Michigan's biggest piano house, have made ar-
rangements with the Chas. F. Bursch Specialty
Shop in this city to use part of its store as a
piano display room. The new display room
will be under charge of Mr. Hewitt.
RITZ SHOP INCORPORATED
Write for further particulars
and illustrated booklet
THE STAIB-ABENDSCHEIN CO.
134th St. and Brook Ave.
FEBRUARY 10,
New York
ALBANY, N. Y., February 5.—The Ritz Music
Shop has been incorporated to deal in musical
instruments in New York with a capital of
$10,000. The incorporators are M. Aronson, A.
Fein and E. Friedman.
Steady collections arc the backbone of a retail
piano business.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).