Music Trade Review

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Dealer Should Help Educate Public
Re Spinet, Says Tuning School Head
John Collins, Cake, head of the
Harmony School of Piano Tuning has
the following to say regarding the
Spinet piano:
"There is an old saying," he says
"about 'giving the devil his due' which,
in looking over the most excellent Re-
view for January, it seems to me F. L.
Alexander has failed to do in his article
Spinet piano:
"As a tuner, I probably have no
more love for the spinet than Mr. Alex-
ander, but the instrument is here to
stay, it has a definite place in many
homes where no other type of instru-
ment is practical and it serves admir-
ably where the sense of harmony is
not offended by a lack of perfect bal-
ance or by the inability to prove up
the bass by sixth for perfect octaves.
"The dealer's position is obvious and
is an important factor to be considered
by the tuner who in many instances
can make or break a sale In the Har-
mony School we are training our boys
to understand and respect their obli-
gation to the dealer—to be fair to
him and to the instrument. To break
down a preconceived prejudice seems
the first step.
40 years' experience
in cooperating with
makers of fine pianos
to the end of . . .
BETTER TONE
STANDARD
Piano Hammer Co.
(Not inc./
820 North Kedzie Ave.
CHICAGO 51, ILLINOIS
23
"To do this succesfully we must have
the support of the dealer and the man-
ufacturer. Is it not a matter of educa-
ting the public to an understanding of
the true situation? In most instances,
the spinet, the tuner, or both are
damned for what is really the fault
of neither. If most spinets are strung
with prestretched wire then the stretch-
ing process is most certainly a miser-
able failure. A spinet job usually
means raising the pitch anywhere from
onehalf to one and one-half tones and
with any substantial raise the tend-
ency is to drop back in a matter of
perhaps weeks. Frequent tunings the
first twelve to eighteen months is,
therefore, the only solution and if the
purchaser s made to understand this,
the reaction would be more favorable
to the dealer, the customer, the instru-
ment and the tuner.
Contracting Officer and AAF Plant
Representative at Pratt Read's Gould
Aeronautical Division where CG-4A
Gliders were manufactured during the
war. Major Good also served as Com-
manding Officer of the Rochester Reg-
ion, Air Technical Service Command
and as Production Executive on Air
Corps procurement in the states of
New York and Connecticut.
Prior to the war Mr. Good was as-
sociated with Bankers Trust Co. in
New York for five and one-half years,
and with the Accounting Machine
Division of National Cash Register
Co. for two and one-half years. He is
37 years old and a graduate of the
University of Pennsylvania. He as-
sumed his new duties on February 1st.
Utterburg Now President
Of Chicago ASPTT
The Chicago Division of the Amer-
ican Society of Piano Tuner-Technic-
"Opposed to this I have in mind a
ians installed its new officers, Alfred H.
recent tuning job of a spinet untuned
Utterberg, President; Henry P. Veatch,
for three years. The dealer, the lady
Viice President; Charles F. Smith,
said, had told her it would not need
Secretary; and Carl J. Moeller, Treas-
tuning for two years. As things now
urer at a meeting on January 19th.
stand, the tuner is on the spot. Frank-
Henry Gearman, National President,
ness sometimes hurts but it never was the installing officer.
harms. The all around application of
Following a dinner, the new Presi-
this principle, applied to the situation
dent stated that he visualized the
may be made to work wonders. We ad-
growth of the American Society and its
mit the spinet will probably never be
advertising program, and he hoped
a musician's instrument, but while we
to see the name and the emblem of the
may abhor the sin (unbalanced scale)
American Society appear all over the
we may let learn to love the sinner
country.
He pointed out that the
(the spinet).
American Society and its principles
"There can be no doubt, in the not
are not different from any other nat-
too distant future, that through the
ionally advertised product whi«h is
fine work «f the schools under the
known to every householder in the
direction of the Manpower Training country.
Committee and other approved schools,
The outgoing officers received a vote
all trying to do a good job, the tuner
of thanks and a great deal of well-
technician shortage will be remedied
deserved praise.
for both manufacturer and dealer and
A movie travelogue in technicolor
eventually even Mr. and Mrs. Spinet
Owner will be able to get a fairly was shown of Beautiful Colorado and
the Rocky Mountain region, accom-
prompt and efficient service."
panied by descriptive dialogue and in-
cidental music.
Vice President Veatch gave a very
fine talk. Mr. Veatch many years ago
'left the service end of the piano busi-
ness to go into the wholesale business
James a Gould, President of Pratt, and spent many years in this capacity
Read & Co., Ivoryton, Conn., has an- travelling for various companies. He
nounced that Donald K. Good has be- has now left the wholesale business
and has gone back to tuning and serv-
come identified with that organization
as head of a New Products Division, icing pianos again.
Mr. Smith, the new Secretary, also
coordinating his efforts with Charles
Frederick Stein who is head of re- made an interesting speech.
The guest speaker was J. M. Kings-
search.
Mr. Good was recently honorably dis- bury of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, past
President of the A.S.P.T.T. His sub-
charged as a Major from the Army
Air Corps where he served four years ject was "Brand Names" and he
in the Procurement Division. His Army stressed that brand names today meant
assignments included 18 months as more than it ever has to th? public.
Donald G. Good Now
With Pratt, Read & Co.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, MARCH, 1946