Music Trade Review

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The Music Trade Review
Capehart Phonograph Co. Plans to
Occupy New Factory About April 15
MARCH 16, 1929
Fun Method Plan Sells
$7,000 Worth of Pianos
Bob Allen Tells of Practical Results of Kohler
& Chase Venture—Adopting New Three Oc-
tave Piano for Class Work
Architectural D r a w i n g
Model
New
Capehart
Plant
Phono
for
Co.,
of
the
Now
*T* HE announcement that the new and model
factory of the Capehart Automatic. Phono-
graph Corp., on East l'ontiac street., in Ft.
Wayne, Ind., will be ready for occupancy on
April 15 calls attention to the remarkable
growth of the industry under the management
of its virile vice-president, founder and gen-
era,l Manager, H. E. Capehart, The removal
from the present plant in Huntingdon, Ind.,
to the new and much greater plant in Ft. Wayne
marks another step forward in the company's
progress. The Ft. Wayne plant will also per-
mit the addition to the Capehart factory force
of more men than the two hundred now em-
ployed in Huntington.
The first floor of the new building includes
the engineering and experimental research de-
partments and the other finishing divisions of
the Capehart Automatic Orchestrope. There
will also be a cafeteria, a clubroom, a school-
room for the training of company and dealers'
salesmen, and a. display room with the second
floor occupied by the general and executive
offices of the company, which has already built
up a dealer organization of over four hundred
of the United States' most progressive dealers
in less than one year from the start of the
company in the building of the first Orches-
trope. Most of these houses are representative
members of the piano industry itself in their
respective communities, showing the apprecia-
tion of this industry of the sales and profit
possibilities of the Capehart Orchestrope, which
can continuously play twenty-eight double-faced
records or fifty-six selections automatically,
changing and turning the records without at-
tention.
The Capehart Orchestrope utilizes the latest
design of three-stage amplification and a dy-
namic speaker to achieve life-like rendition of
the world's best music. Six models are made,
including the Style 28 F, which is an auditorium
model for large halls, requiring great volume
of tone. Others meet demands for hotels, clubs,
and small audiences, with a park model for
outdoor use. These Capehart Orchestropes are
already familiar to the Ft. Wayne, Ind., people
through their use in the Keenan and Anthony
Hotels, and their exploitation of the Packard
Music House of Ft. Wayne, which is one of
their large dealers in this industry. As before
stated, the company already has national dis-
tribution through over four hundred enthusias-
tic and aggressive dealers in widely spread ter-
ritory, and its instruments are used in many
hotels, clubs, restaurants, confectioneries, soda
Being Completed.
(Inset)
H. E. Capehart, Gen. Mgr.
of the Company.
fountains, drug stores, theatres, recreation halls,
amusement parks, etc.
Mr. Capehart generously gives credit for the
company's success to the Capehart organiza-
tion which he has built up, but his own ability
as a business man, and vision as an executive,
is shown in a little talk on the value of good
will, which he published in their house organ,
making among other points the following out-
lines:
"The good will of our dealers is something
we prize very highly. The dealer has the right
to expect and demand that his interest be
guarded and that he be given all cooperation
within the scope of our plan and policy. And
the good will of all Capehart owners is some-
thing that not only we hold in high regard, but
that the Capehart dealers should consider in-
valuable. To build and maintain constantly this
good will on the part of the user requires that
we all pay close attention to his needs—his
whims—his reasonable demands; that we main-
tain a constant contact with him, considering
his problems our problems. The greatest thing
in all business is to have the confidence of the
people with whom you are doing business. The
most pitiful is to have the confidence of none.
Good will is something money cannot buy nor
can money replace its loss. We are building
for good will."
Other executives of the organization include:
J. E. Boyles, secretary and office manager; W.
R. Deaton, general sales manager, E. D. Lash-
brook, advertising manager; H. L. Stark, serv-
ice manager; R. E. Girton, credit manager; J.
F. Ratliff, assistant sales manager; W. H. Bell,
auditor, and E. E. Collison, factory manager
and chief engineer.
'
Clark Music Go. Banquet
SYRACUSE, N. Y., March 11.—The annual com-
pany banquet of the Clark Music Co., this city,
was held recently. Members of the sales and
office staff of the main store and also the two
branches in Watertown and Eastwood were
entertained by bridge and dancing, following
the dinner. G. L. Chesbro, vice-president and
treasurer, officiated as toastmaster and Roland
Chesley, of Utica, was guest speaker, talking
on the subject of "Music." After the banquet
an "all store" entertainment was staged which
included a splendid band, organized entirely
from members of the Clark staff and other
musical features.
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., March 9.—On the eve of
leaving for Los Angeles on a business trip, Bob
Allen, director of Kohler & Chase's Fun
Method School, said that during the month of
February the school in this city had sold
slightly better than seven thousand dollars'
worth of pianos, irrespective of those sold by
the sales force of the store. He also stated
that they are installing in the school a 3-octave
piano, the only kind manufactured, he believed,
that can be played upon. The new instrument
will serve as a regular piano within its octave
capacity. The tone qualities are practically the
same and the action is very easy.
The Fun Method Piano Division of Kohler
& Chase is the originator of this instrutnent,
which weighs about twenty pounds, and in
class lessons occupies very little space, as fifty
of these pianos can be placed on the standard
school desks in an ordinarily-arranged class-
room. The Mission High School of San Fran-
cisco has purchased twenty of these instru-
ments in the promotion of their piano forte
work. The school has a very large attendance.
George Ingraham is the musical director. The
piano is manufactured by the Kline Manufac-
turing Co., of Los Angeles. Kohler & Chase
are the sole distributors for California.
Alden B. Smith Go. Buys
A. B. Smith Go. Stock
AKRON, O., March 11.—The entire stock, assets,
real estate, fixtures and equipment of the A.
B. Smith Piano Co.-,--as sold by court order
February 21, has been purchased by the Alden
1$. Smith Co., and has been moved to the main
store of the concern at 73 East Mill street,
where it is now being disposed of at a special
sale.
The Alden B. Smith Co. is now operating
three stores in the Akron district.
New Q R S Acquisition
CHICAGO, III., March 9.—Another big business
stroke by T. M. Fletcher and his associates in
the QRS Co. developed when it was announced
to-day that the company had signed contracts
for the acquisition of one of the oldest con-
cerns in the country engaged in the manufac-
ture of movie cameras and projecting machines.
This means that there will be an increase in
the capital stock of the QRS Co. to pay for
the new organization, plus some cash, and the
QRS stockholders will be called together in a
few days to formally approve the deal. Talk-
ing with a representative of The Review,
President T. M. Fletcher, this morning, said:
"We can't give out the details for publica-
tion at present, but the outline of procedure is
in the main correct. We will then have a com-
plete line of cameras and projectors retailing
at from $37.50 to $1,()(K) per unit, and will
shortly announce a talking movie camera and
projector for home use to retail at $185.00.
Our earnings this year continue to make very
gratifying increase over anything we have ever
had in the past."
Cyril Farny in New Orleans
NKW ORLEANS, LA., March 9.—Cyril Farny, of
the Wurlitzer Grand Piano Corp., was a recent
visitor in this city and called on Philip Wer-
l"in, Ltd., 605 Canal street. Mr. Farny said
hat he could see an exceedingly bright future
for New Orleans not only in the piano business
alone but in the entire music trade.