Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
DECEMBER 3. 1927
The Music Trade Review
The Technical and Supply Department — (Continued from page 25)
prices of China wood oil to be advancing. New
should expect to be able to get a longest bass Cleveland Tuners Working
Vork is quoting at 16 to 20 cents per pound, ac-
string up to 44 inches, with any sort of judicious
placement. And with such a length, the. 185
for National Convention cording to quality. Buyers seem to be well
pounds tension mentioned can be had if the
size of the core wire does not exceed No. 23 Preliminary Publicity for Twenty-fifth Anniver-
and the outer of the two coverings is not
sary Gathering in That City Is Already Under
heavier than No. 16 copper. And that loading
Way
should be considered as high.
CLKVKI.AN'D, O., November 2S.— It will not
Again, let me say, these points should be
worked out both, by test and mathematically, the be the fault of the Cleveland Division of
the National Association of I'iano Tuners,
one method checking the other. There is really
Inc., if the national convention of the asso-
no need for guesswork of any kind and in fart
ciation which is to be hold in Cleveland on
no excuse for it.
August 13 to 16, 1928, is not a big success. Pres-
If I could be sure that the last sentence of the
paragraph above would be really taken to heart, ident J. B. Wurstner, of the local association,
familiarly known as "Velvet Jot" in the trade,
I should be more than satisfied.
has appointed a committee of go-getters to look
Board Area
After string comes soundboard. I have re- after details and is actively taking part in their
activities to see that nothing is overlooked that
marked that the available area in a small up
will make the affair a big success. One of the
right of the type under consideration should be
about 1,600 square inches, but the most im- first steps of the committee was the issuing of
portant point to be considered is that, in order several thousand copies of a handsomely illus-
trated four-page folder describing the city of
to obtain anything like reasonable length of
strings in the bass and at the lower end of the Cleveland and giving some pertinent reasons
understrung treble, we must bring the bridges why tuners and the trade in general should at-
very far towards the edges of the board. Here tend the convention. Mr. Wurstner plans on
the question of string flexibility becomes im- extending an invitation to every music teacher
portant. The stiffer the string when so placed, in Cleveland and surrounding territory to attend
the more it will have a knocking effect upon the the convention and the dealers and salesmen as
board, producing a sound quality very hollow, well as the trade are to be urged to hi present.
short and disagreeable. That fact furnishes Non-members of the association are to be ex
1 ended a cordial invitation to be present so that
one more reason for care in the management of
string tensions, along the lines I have de- they can see for themselves just what the asso-
ciation is doing. The convention will mark the
scribed.
All this should show that the very small up- silver or twenty-fifth anniversary of the found-
right piano has many possibilities and is capable ing of the association and this in itself is of
special significance. The Hotel Statler, Cleve-
of a very high degree of artistic development.
land's most centrally located hotel, is to be the
The Question of Plates Breaking
headquarters
for the meeting.
In confirmation of what I said the other day
in answer to the tuner who has had trouble
over a plate breaking, the following comment
from a veteran is decidedly interesting:
"Being interested in the subject of your re-
cent article, broken piano plates, I have thought
it would not be amiss to relate my experiences Name May Only Be Used With 100 Per Cent
along this line.
Shellac Cut in Alcohol, Says Latest State-
"I have been tuning pianos for over forty
ment
years. Taking as a basis one piano a day,
(which is very low) for only forty years, makes
WASHINGTON, D. C, November 26.—The word
a total of 12,480 pianos. At the very least, 20 "shellac" by itself shall not be used as a
per cent of these have been pulled to 435-A, 10 designation for material containing less than
per cent to 440-A, and 1 per cent to 450-A, and
100 per cent shellac gum cut in alcohol, the
to date I have failed to find a cracked plate. Federal Trade Commission stated here recently
This I consider a distinct feather in the plate in announcing settlement by stipulation of cases
manufacturer's hat.
against three chemical firms.
"While an opportunity affords, permit me to
Each concern agreed to discontinue use of
thank you very heartily for your most excel- the word "shellac" on labels or other advertis-
lent articles in The Review, which are read and ing matter unless the product offered for sale
re-read many times and from each and everv is 100 per cent shellac gum cut in alcohol. If
one I have improved my little knowledge.
the material contains less than 100 per cent
H. G. BROWNE,
shellac gum it shall be labeled "shellac com-
Savannah, Ga.
pound," the word "compound" to be printed
in type as large as that in which "shellac" is
This merely confirms my own experience. I published. If no shellac is present in the sub-
have seen one or two broken plates in my time stance offered for sale then the word "shellac"
but I am quite certain that I have never seen a shall not appear in advertising matter.
plate, save once in an old square, of which one
Names of respondents arc • not disclosed,
could say that in all probability it had broken which is the Commission's policy in all cases
while the piano was being tuned. As I said settled by stipulation.
in the article in which I discussed the question,
when plates break it is usually fair to blame
either the scale or the foundry, or both; but
scarcely ever fair to blame the tuner. But does
Price changes in wood-finishing materials
Mr. Browne mean to imply that 69 per cent of
his 12,480 pianos were tuned below A-435? 1 during the past few months have not been strik-
ing and turnover in no particular item has been
hope not.
large, according to recent trade reports. There
have been some declines in the price of shellac,
which is believed to be only temporary, as the
foreign markets are passing through one of the
is solicited and should be addressed to William greatest speculative movements in recent years.
I'raid White, 5149 Agatite avenue, Chicago.
As soon as domestic stocks are used, a general
rising market will doubtless he reflected.
Sharp advances are reported for the wax in-
dustry in foreign markets. Only a fair demand
Our new illustrated catalogue ef Piano and
Player Hardware Kelts and Tools it now
was noted for turpentine with purchases for
ready.
If you haven't received your copy
pleaie let us know.
immediate requirements only, Prices range
OTTO R. TREFZ, JR.
from 58 to 62 cents per gallon in drum lots
1305-7-9 No. 27th St.
Phil a., Pa.
Due to conditions in China, one would expect
Trade Commission Makes
New Shellac Ruling
The Finishing Markets
Correspondence
Tuners and Repairers
covered for immediate wants in such items as
lacquer materials, glues and varnish gums, with
practically no oscillation in the market.
Paul H. Taylor to
Address Chicago Tuners
Boston Acoustician to Talk on the "Functions
of the Normal Ear 1 ' Before Chicago Division
of Association
The Chicago Division of the National Asso-
ciation of Piano Tuners, Inc., will hold a dinner
meeting at the Hotel Stevens, December 15, at
6.30 p. m. f in the South ballroom.
An interesting program has been arranged
which will be of particular importance to mem-
bers of the industry for Paul H. Taylor, of ilu-
Mason & Hamlin Co., acoustical engineer and
piano technician, will deliver a lecture illus-
trated with motion pictures on "Functions of
the Normal Ear." The subject will include how
the ear is trained and in what particulars, by
virtue of his occupation, the tuner is a better
judge of musical tone than many musicians and
critics and teachers.
Col. Taylor, graduate of Harvard and a post-
graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, is especially fitted to speak on this
subject as he has devoted many years of study
and research on this particular branch of
science.
It is announced that the ladies are invited and
tickets are $3.00 apiece. Reservations are to be
sent to the Chicago office of the association,
room 804, 22 Quincy street.
W. J. Gaffney Married
William J. (iaffney, advertising manager and
Eastern sales representative of the Standard
Pneumatic Action Co., New York, was married
on Wednesday, November 23, to Miss Marion
Louise Doody, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Following
the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Gaffney started o"
un automobile trip through the South with
White Sulphur Springs as their destination.
Returning they will take up residence in their
newly completed home in Roselle, N. J. Mr.
Gaffney has been connected with the Standard
Pneumatic Action Co. for a number of years
and is highly esteemed by all members of the
organization and very popular with the trade.
The Review joins the trade in extending to
both bride and groom its best wishes.
Atlanta Tuners Meet
ATLANTA, GA.. November 26.—-The Atlanta divi-
sion of the National Association of Piano
Tuners held its regular monthly meeting re-
centlv in the rooms of the Atlanta Chamber
of Commerce on the occasion of the birthday
of W. E. Tillison, secretary of the division.
Local members regretted the resignation of T.
A. London from the division, in view of his
moving to Nashville, Tenn., to take a position
with the Claude P. Street Music House there.
Kor the past three years Mr. London has been
connected with the piano tuning department
of the Phillips & Crews Piano Co., this city,
and has been an active member of the division.
Following a short business session, the meet-
ing adjourned for the purpose of celebrating
Mr. Tillison's birthday.
First Wool Auctions Held
The first wool auctions of the new season in
New Zealand started on November 14, with an
offering of 9,000 bales, all of which were sold at
prices well above the parity of the opening a
year ago