Presto

PRESTO
June 28, 1924.
WHERE DOUBTS ARE DISPELLED
CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT
OF CHICAGO STARR STORE
Under This Head Presto Will Answer Any Question Pertaining to Pianos, or
Other Subjects o! Direct Interest to the Trade and Musical Public
F. S. Wiggins Goes to Headquarters in Richmond,
and C. B. Hunt Supersedes Him.
Inquiries must bear the signature and address of
writer in order to receive attention. Answers thought
to be of general trade interest will be published. If an
answer is not of general interest it will be mailed pro-
vided stamp is inclosed.
STANDARD PIANO GUIDES.
Wellington, Texas, June 17, 1924.
Editor Presto: Find enclosed $1.00, for which
please send me Presto Buyers' Guides. Please send
me the address of some New York concern's buyers'
guide, something that is standard as well as yours.
In other words I want something that will give me
the address of piano companies that are standard
and also the address of those stenciled. In other
words something for genuine reference.
BYRON B. PARRISH.
We do not know of any other publication than
Presto Buyers' Guide that gives complete record of
all the pianos manufactured together with the names
of the so-called "stencils"" and "trade marks." There
is a "Guide" put forth by Music Trades Co., New
York, but it does not have any record of names ex-
cept those of actual manufacturers.
* * *
PIANOS ON CONSIGNMENT.
Lamoni, Iowa, June 12, 1924.
Editor Presto: Is there any other piano company
that puts out pianos on consignment like the * * *
Piano Co., and if there is, who?
B. D. FLEET, JR.
There are not many piano industries consigning
pianos at this time. Some of them, however, have
special plans which seem to be working well. We
send you names of a few by mail. We suggest that
you write advertisers in Presto stating your wants
and so try them out.
* * *
MUSIC TRADE LISTS.
Cambridge, Mass., June 17, 1924.
Editor Presto: Do you not publish a list of the
names and addresses of all dealers, jobbers and dis-
tributors of talking machines? If so what is its
price? Also do you publish any other list that might
be of interest to us in the compilation of a mailing
list covering the entire trade of the United States.
DARBY BROWN.
We are not now publishing a live list of talking
machine jobbers or dealers. A few years ago we put
forth a booklet of the kind, copy of which we are
sending you with our compliments.
Of course it is out of date and may not be of any
great use to you. We have in contemplation the
compilation of an entirely new edition of this
pamphlet next fall.
* * *
ORGAN MANUFACTURERS.
Zumbrota, Minn., June 21, 1924.
Editor Presto: Please let me know the address of
a good organ company that is making organs at
present. I know all about the Estey. Let me know
of any other makes.
JOHN A. BORAAS.
While there' are a great many good organ indus-
tries in this country, we believe any of the following
would meet your requirements—we assume that you
mean pipe organs:
Coburn Organ Co., 220 N. Washtenaw avenue, Chi-
cago; Hillgreen, Lane & Co., Alliance, Ohio; Geo.
Kilgen & Son, 3817 Laclede avenue, St. Louis, Mo.;
W. W. Kimball Co., 300 S. Wabash avenue, Chicago;
Schuelke Organ Co., 522 16th street, Milwaukee,
Wis.; Skinner Organ Co., Boston, Mass.
If you have reference to reed organs, there are, as
you probably know, very few such industries now in
existence. S. N. Swan & Sons, Freeport, 111., are
still making some good ones, and the Shipman Organ
Co., High Point, N. C, produces a great many of
them. A very good small reed organ is made by the
A. L. White Mfg. Co., 215 Englewood avenue,
Chicago.
* * *
PIANO REBUILDERS.
Salina, Kansas, June 23, 1924.
Editor Presto: I am in need of a new plate for a
Tryber piano, and notice in Presto Buyers' Guide
that the name belongs to a factory superintendent of
a famous Boston industry. I would thank you very
much for this gentleman's name and address or any
other information you might give me regarding a
new plate for a Tryber piano.
Please give me also the names of any. piano re-
builders in or out of Chicago.
JNO. B. ODEN.
The old Tryber name and patterns are owned by
John C. Gossman, superintendent of Hallet & Davis
Piano Co. factories at Boston, Mass. No doubt Mr.
Gossman will be glad to help you in the matter about
which you write.
Among the reliable piano rebuilders is E. Leins, 304
W. 42nd street, New York City. Mr. Leins has made
a business of repairing and rebuilding fine old in-
struments for a good many years, besides building,
in his own factory, a -very good line of instruments.
The Newman Bros. Co., Dix and Chicago avenue,
Chicago, also have a rebuilding department. That
reliable old industry would suit your wants if they can
find the time to take on special rebuilding work at
this time.
* * *
PIANO PRICE TAGS.
Milwaukee, June 20, 1924.
Editor Presto: Would appreciate very much if
you would send us a list of tag companies who fur-
nish tags to piano dealers.
JNO. J. STENGER.
Price tags may probably be found in many places
in your city. In Chicago the trades buy them of a
number of concerns, among which are the following:
Dennison Mfg. Co., 62 E. Randolph street; Acme
Tag Co., 190 N. State street; American Tag Co.,
6133 S. State street; International Tag Co., 319 N.
Whipple street.
We believe you can get what you want nearer
home, but if not any of the concerns named will be
glad no doubt to supply you.
* * *
THE PERPLEXED PIANO BUYER.
Aberdeen, S. D., June 16, 1924.
Editor Presto: I am writing to you for informa-
tion in regard to pianos. We are in the market for
a new piano, and one dealer here features the Cable-
Nelson, but also has a Schumann, which we like
very much. It is the model C, and I think the tone
of this piano is wonderful, but in another store the
salesman tried to tell me the Schumann is not a very
good piano, and that the warranty of the Schumann
people was nothing like as good as some others.
We have an uncle in the piano business in the east,
and we wrote to him for advice. He recommended
Baldwin, Ludwig, and Schumann, as three of his best
sellers, and the Needham as his popular-priced instru-
ment.
Also tell me if the Fayette S. Cable is a good buy.
We are not looking for a cheap piano, but want the
best for our money and want a high grade. Also
tell me if there is anything to this man's story about
the Schumann's warranty. Of course I want a piano
that the manufacturers will stand behind, is the
model C the cheapest piano the Schumann people
make, or do they make only one grade of piano?
MRS. S. L. WINN.
It is not customary to make discriminating com-
parisons of reputable pianos in these columns. But
it is fair to say that there is no truth in the state-
ment which seems to have been made to you detri-
mental to the warrauty of the Schumann Piano Co.,
of Rockford, 111. The Schumann warranty is a per-
fectly good one and the Schumann piano is an artistic
instrument.
It is never necessary to "knock" one good piano in
order to sell another good piano. The fact that the
Schumann is a good one does not in any way detract
from the qualities of the several other instruments
named by you, and we can say confidently that the
Baldwin piano is also a fine one. The Fayette S.
Cable is a much less expensive piano and is not in-
tended to compete with the others. The Ludwig
is a good instrument, and the others named by you
are in the class of what are called "commercial"
pianos.
CHARLESTON ASSN. TO EXPAND.
The Music Dealers' Association of Charleston,
S. C, which was organized about a month ago, is
making plans to make the organization of state-wide
interests in which case the name would be changed.
R. W. McKee, the energetic president, has taken
action to that effect and in his ambitious scheme is
ably backed by A. T. Sims, vice-president, and S. H.
Galperin, the secretary-treasurer.
BRANCH STORE BUSY.
The new branch of the Davis-Burnham-Tyler Co.,
in the Kistler Building, Newcomerstown, O., is oper-
rated by the Cambridge, O., store of the company.
It is the largest music store in the city and carries
a general line of music goods and sheet music. The
store, which is well located on main street, has been
successful in making piano sales since it was opened
a few months ago.
A change has been made in the management of the
Chicago branch of the Starr Piano Co., at 423 South
Wabash avenue. F. B. Wiggins has been transferred
to the home offices, in Richmond, Ind., where he will
have charge of the Gennett record department and
will also be manager of manufacturing and sales de-
partment.
Mr. Wiggins has been with Starr Company, at the
Chicago store, for two years and six months, and with
the company for twenty-five years, except for a
brief time when he was with another Urge Chicago
piano industry. He is a native of Richmond and is
happy to return to that beautiful little city.
C. R. Hunt, formerly of the Kansas City Starr
Store, will take charge of the Chicago store July 1.
He also is an experienced piano man, whose capacity
has been tried, and he will without doubt continue to
do as good work for the Starr in Chicago as he did
in Kansas City.
AN ACTIVE SALES MANAGER.
G. D. Giles, the new manager of the retail depart-
ment of the Schiller Piano Co., Oregon, 111., reports
excellent results "in sales of Schiller pianos during
June. Mr. Giles is known as a successful sales cam-
paign manager, a reputation he earned on the Pacific
Coast, where he was associated with one of the
branch stores of Sherman, Clay & Co., San Francisco.
CABLE LINE IN OMAHA.
The fine line of The Cable Company, Chicago, is
ably handled and effectively featured by the Ed.
Patton Music Co., Omaha, Neb. By able advertising
and clever wareroom demonstrations the merits of
the Kingsbury, Wellington and Cable Midget pianos
arc made known to prospective buyers.
The J. H. Huffine Piano Co., Guthrie, Okla.', was
recently purchased by Chestnut Bros., whose plan
is to consolidate the two stores as part of the scheme
of expansion.
The ^Hardman £ine
is a complete line
It comprises a range of artisti-
cally worthy instruments to
please practically every purse:
The Hardman, official piano of
the Metropolitan Opera House;
the Harrington and the Hensel
Pianos in which is found that in-
builtdurabilitythatcharacterizes
all Hardman-made instruments;
the wonderful Hardman Repro-
ducing Piano; the Hardman
Autotone (the perfect player-
piano); and the popular Playo-
tone.
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