Presto
Issue: 1925 2014 - Page 7
February 28, 1925.
PRESTO
PRODUCTION OF
GRANDS INCREASES
Small Varieties Especially Continue the Most
Interesting Models to Prospects of Music
Merchants in All Sections of the
United States.
FAVORED IN WEST
every dealer
knew what
successful
SEEBURG
dealers know
about conduct-
ing and oper-
ating auto-
matic piano
businesses,
every dealer
would be en-
gaged in the
business!
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
CHICAGO
"Leaders in the
Automatic Line"
General Offices: 1510 Dayton St.
Factory 1508-16 Dayton St.
Pacific Coast States Reputed the Biggest Buyers of
All Grand Piano Models with Demands for
Instruments Growing.
Buyers in piano departments are divided into two
classes by a veteran piano department manager, the
kind who buy because they love to play and the kind
who buy because they hope their children will learn
to play. It is possible to enumerate other varieties of
the piano buyer, but the manager names the most
numerous varieties. But the two varieties may be
further subdivided into grand piano buyers and
playerpiano buyers.
It was at one time predicted by observers in the
trade that eventually there would only be grands and
players to interest the piano store customer—grands
for the people who love to produce piano music with
their own hands and players for the people who hope
their children will learn to play, but who in the mean-
time will enjoy pumping a little music for themselves.
Race for Favor.
The grand has come on in numbers, but the upright
appears to hold its own in production ratios. The
playerpiano has a bright future, but depends for the
intensity of its brightness on the manner in which
the dealers will co-operate with the playerpiano man-
ufacturers and the makers of player rolls.
The growth in the production of grand pianos in
recent years has been amazing. This increase in pro-
duction was a response to actual calls for the instru-
ments, the largest percentage coming from the west.
The Pacific Coast states are given the credit of com-
prising the leading grand piano section. There the
grand piano sales are set down as sixteen per cent of
the sales of pianos of all kinds.
Exclusive Grand Production.
Several manufacturers make grand pianos exclu-
sively and the calls seem to warrant them in increas-
ing their output facilities at frequent intervals. Other
manufacturers devote about three-fourths of their out-
put to grands and the tendency is to increase the
figure.
The baby grand has been a strong number since
1919, in which year the production jumped to close on
18,000. Production has been increasing in volume
since that year, and the instrument was not so much
affected by the uncertainties of 1924 than other piano
factory products. With the growth in baby grand
sales the increase in retail prices is significant. Baby
grand trade is considered highly desirable from the
instalment point of view.
Effect of Methods.
The energetic manner in which the dealers pre-
sented the baby grand has led to a revision of the
belief that the grand was a "high-brow" instrument.
The baby grand is selling today with freedom to
classes of people who heretofore considered them-
selves in the upright class and looked upon grand
piano ownership as the mark of the plutocrat. In a
way it gives the owner a stamp of social prestige and
without snobbishness the piano buyers in well-to-do
circumstances like the baby grand for its distinctive-
ness. It is easily shown by the clever salesman that
the baby grand or the large grand graces an apart-
ment in a different way from the upright.
Other Considerations.
The grand piano has been influenced by the same
conditions that afreet the player and the upright. But
the baby grand shows more lively reaction. The in-
struments are selling readily and the season promises
well for the instrument. And the desire to have a
grand either the manual or reproducing kind is grow-
ing and the manufacturers are giving more and more
attention to that type. One prominent grand manu-
facturer predicts a production of 100,000 grands by
1927, and it does not sound exaggerated when it is
remembered that 58,000 grands were sold in 1923, ac-
cording to the figures of the Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce. The manufacturer based his pre-
diction for 1927 by comparing the figures of 8,500
grand pianos in 1912 and the latest official estimates
for 1923.
OHIO DEALER OPTIMISTIC.
While in Chicago recently, F. Smerda, of the
Smerda Music House, Cleveland, Ohio, visited Lyon
& Healy. Mr. Smerda, in a statement to M. A.
Healy, president of Lyon & Healy, said that 1925
promises a very substantial improvement in business
conditions. An order for Lyon & Healy uprights,
grands and reproducing pianos was placed by Mr.
Smerda.
NEW ART ROOM.
A highly attractive part of the J. B. Bradford Music
Co.'s store in Milwaukee is the new art department
on the fourth floor, where a special display of period
models in grand and reproducing pianos are shown.
An accompanying line of artistic benches and cabinets
is also shown.
ATTRACTIVE DALLAS WINDOW
The accompanying cut
was made from a photo-
graph of a notable show
window display in the
store of the Will A. Wat-
kin Company, D a l l a s ,
Texas, recently. It was
characteristic of the ar-
tistic window dressing
methods of the progres-
sive Dallas house and
proved an attraction that
as usual resulted in many
profitable sales There is
always a plain lesson
conveyed in the show
window displays of the
Will A. Watkin Com-
pany. The artist does not
depend on mere pretti-
ness for effectiveness but
on one main point in
connection with the goods
on display.
In the display pictured
a Gulbransen registering
piano is the central ob-
ject. T h i s
prominent
house is making an in-
tensive drive for Gulbran-
sen sales, in its store win-
dow display, in its news-
papers and in its direct
mail matter. This window
is simple but effective.
Note how music rolls
and Gulbransen B a b y
cut-outs have been used
to good advantage.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
PRESTO
PRODUCTION OF
GRANDS INCREASES
Small Varieties Especially Continue the Most
Interesting Models to Prospects of Music
Merchants in All Sections of the
United States.
FAVORED IN WEST
every dealer
knew what
successful
SEEBURG
dealers know
about conduct-
ing and oper-
ating auto-
matic piano
businesses,
every dealer
would be en-
gaged in the
business!
J. P. SEEBURG
PIANO CO.
CHICAGO
"Leaders in the
Automatic Line"
General Offices: 1510 Dayton St.
Factory 1508-16 Dayton St.
Pacific Coast States Reputed the Biggest Buyers of
All Grand Piano Models with Demands for
Instruments Growing.
Buyers in piano departments are divided into two
classes by a veteran piano department manager, the
kind who buy because they love to play and the kind
who buy because they hope their children will learn
to play. It is possible to enumerate other varieties of
the piano buyer, but the manager names the most
numerous varieties. But the two varieties may be
further subdivided into grand piano buyers and
playerpiano buyers.
It was at one time predicted by observers in the
trade that eventually there would only be grands and
players to interest the piano store customer—grands
for the people who love to produce piano music with
their own hands and players for the people who hope
their children will learn to play, but who in the mean-
time will enjoy pumping a little music for themselves.
Race for Favor.
The grand has come on in numbers, but the upright
appears to hold its own in production ratios. The
playerpiano has a bright future, but depends for the
intensity of its brightness on the manner in which
the dealers will co-operate with the playerpiano man-
ufacturers and the makers of player rolls.
The growth in the production of grand pianos in
recent years has been amazing. This increase in pro-
duction was a response to actual calls for the instru-
ments, the largest percentage coming from the west.
The Pacific Coast states are given the credit of com-
prising the leading grand piano section. There the
grand piano sales are set down as sixteen per cent of
the sales of pianos of all kinds.
Exclusive Grand Production.
Several manufacturers make grand pianos exclu-
sively and the calls seem to warrant them in increas-
ing their output facilities at frequent intervals. Other
manufacturers devote about three-fourths of their out-
put to grands and the tendency is to increase the
figure.
The baby grand has been a strong number since
1919, in which year the production jumped to close on
18,000. Production has been increasing in volume
since that year, and the instrument was not so much
affected by the uncertainties of 1924 than other piano
factory products. With the growth in baby grand
sales the increase in retail prices is significant. Baby
grand trade is considered highly desirable from the
instalment point of view.
Effect of Methods.
The energetic manner in which the dealers pre-
sented the baby grand has led to a revision of the
belief that the grand was a "high-brow" instrument.
The baby grand is selling today with freedom to
classes of people who heretofore considered them-
selves in the upright class and looked upon grand
piano ownership as the mark of the plutocrat. In a
way it gives the owner a stamp of social prestige and
without snobbishness the piano buyers in well-to-do
circumstances like the baby grand for its distinctive-
ness. It is easily shown by the clever salesman that
the baby grand or the large grand graces an apart-
ment in a different way from the upright.
Other Considerations.
The grand piano has been influenced by the same
conditions that afreet the player and the upright. But
the baby grand shows more lively reaction. The in-
struments are selling readily and the season promises
well for the instrument. And the desire to have a
grand either the manual or reproducing kind is grow-
ing and the manufacturers are giving more and more
attention to that type. One prominent grand manu-
facturer predicts a production of 100,000 grands by
1927, and it does not sound exaggerated when it is
remembered that 58,000 grands were sold in 1923, ac-
cording to the figures of the Music Industries Cham-
ber of Commerce. The manufacturer based his pre-
diction for 1927 by comparing the figures of 8,500
grand pianos in 1912 and the latest official estimates
for 1923.
OHIO DEALER OPTIMISTIC.
While in Chicago recently, F. Smerda, of the
Smerda Music House, Cleveland, Ohio, visited Lyon
& Healy. Mr. Smerda, in a statement to M. A.
Healy, president of Lyon & Healy, said that 1925
promises a very substantial improvement in business
conditions. An order for Lyon & Healy uprights,
grands and reproducing pianos was placed by Mr.
Smerda.
NEW ART ROOM.
A highly attractive part of the J. B. Bradford Music
Co.'s store in Milwaukee is the new art department
on the fourth floor, where a special display of period
models in grand and reproducing pianos are shown.
An accompanying line of artistic benches and cabinets
is also shown.
ATTRACTIVE DALLAS WINDOW
The accompanying cut
was made from a photo-
graph of a notable show
window display in the
store of the Will A. Wat-
kin Company, D a l l a s ,
Texas, recently. It was
characteristic of the ar-
tistic window dressing
methods of the progres-
sive Dallas house and
proved an attraction that
as usual resulted in many
profitable sales There is
always a plain lesson
conveyed in the show
window displays of the
Will A. Watkin Com-
pany. The artist does not
depend on mere pretti-
ness for effectiveness but
on one main point in
connection with the goods
on display.
In the display pictured
a Gulbransen registering
piano is the central ob-
ject. T h i s
prominent
house is making an in-
tensive drive for Gulbran-
sen sales, in its store win-
dow display, in its news-
papers and in its direct
mail matter. This window
is simple but effective.
Note how music rolls
and Gulbransen B a b y
cut-outs have been used
to good advantage.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).