Presto
Issue: 1925 2037 - Page 10
10
August 8, 1925.
PRESTO
SPENCER
The Intrinsic Qualities of This
Piano Command Attention
A High Grade Instrument at a
Moderate Price
WHY DO PIANOS
GET OUT OF TUNE?
Question Interesting to Makers, Sellers and
Users of the Instruments Asked and An-
swered by Expert Tuner at Annual Con-
vention in Detroit This Week.
First Class Factory and Equipment
Ample Production and Service
TOO MUCH GUESSWORK
SPENCER PIANO COMPANY, Inc.
Enos J. Disler Points Out Fallacies in Statements
of Tuning Requirements Attributed to
Piano Merchants.
FACTORY: Thirty-First St. and First Are.
OFFICES: 338 East 31st Street, New York N. Y.
E. Leins Piano Co.
Makers of Pianos and
Player Pianos That Are
Established L e a d e r s
Correspondence front Reliable
Dealers Invited
Factory and Offices, 304 W. 42nd Si
NEW YORK
"Built on Family Pride"
Doll & Sons
Represent the Artistic
in Piano and Player Piano
Construction
JACOB DOLL & SONS
STODART
WELLSMORE
Jacob Doll & Sons, Inc.
Southern Boulevard, E- 133rd St.
E. 134th St. ami Cypress Ave.
NEW YORK
Why does a comparatively cheap piano in one
home stand in tune well and a high grade piano in
another home next door fail to do so? Why do man-
ufacturers, dealers and many tuners lay stress on ex-
ceptionally well-built pin blocks, bushed pins, capo d'
astro bars, etc.? Do tuning pins slip, even though
they are tight? These are interesting questions asked
by Enos J. Disler, in an instructive address to the
National Association of Piano Tuners in Detroit this
week. According to Mr. Disler the entire piano
trade, including the tuners, has been doing a lot of
crude guessing in connection with the stay-in-tune
qualities of pianos.
"It seems to me that the entire piano trade, includ-
ing tuners, has been guilty of a lot of crude guess-
work in connection with the stay-in-tune qualities of
pianos. Manufacturers, dealers and tuners probably
have been equally guilty and until the piano trade is
able to give a correct answer it will avail us little to
urge 'two to four tunings a year.' Four tunings is
hardly enough in many modern American homes,
while one seems sufficient in other homes, not so
modern," is Mr. Disler's opinion.
Mr. Disler believes that the question, "How and
Why does a piano get out of tune?" is as important
to the manufacturers and dealers as to the tuners.
But the tuners' interest is paramount to judge by his
address, which follows in part:
Fact a Necessity.
It behooves the N. A. of P. T. as an organization,
and each member individually, to understand this
question fully, for as our organization grows in num-
bers and in prestige we shall be expected to furnish
information to the music trades and to the general
public. Let us be ready to furnish information which
is founded on facts and stop guessing. We have
what is practically a monopoly of the "sources of
information," regarding the proper care of a piano.
Let us use this monopoly to enrich our store of
knowledge and to help us forget a lot of unsound
theories handed to us in the past.
I shall endeavor to outline what, in my judgment,
are the reasons for a piano getting out of tune. First,
steel wire, we are told, continues to stretch until it
breaks, which accounts for a continual lowering of
pitch. This stretch, however, is almost negligible
after five years at the proper pitch. Second, a light
back or plate, or both, will bend or bow under the
heavy tension, also lowering the pitch. This, too, is
almost negligible after five years at the proper pitch.
Third, and much the most important, is the changes
in wood in general, and in the sounding board, the
bridges and the sounding board rim in particular,
due to changes in the relative humidity of the atmos-
phere which can and do both lower and raise the
pitch.
When Wood Is Cause.
To return to the third reason: the changes in wood,
particularly that of the sounding board, rim and
bridges, are what make it possible for a tuner to be
a "hero" today and a "hobo" in a month or two. If
traced to their sources most complaints as to the
work of a high class tuner not holding up will be
QUALITY DECKER
in Name and in Fact
TONE, MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION,
WORKMANSHIP, DESIGN—all in ac-
cord with the broadest experience—are
the elements which give character to
Bush & Lane Products.
BUSH & LANE PIANOS
BUSH t LANE CECILIAN PLAYER PIANOS
take high place, therefore, in any com-
parison of high grade pianos because of
the individuality of character which dis-
tinguishes them in all essentials of merit
and value.
BUSH & LANE PIANO CO.
HollaiHl, Mich.
mJ
found in changes in the position of the sounding
board and the bridges because of expansion or con-
traction of these parts after tuning. And allow me
to state here that there is no tuner so high class that
he can avoid or overcome these changes with a tun-
ing hammer.
Let us consider now what these changes mean.
Let us think of the piano as being built of wood and
that the woods employed for the purpose are sub-
ject to expansion and contraction because of the pres-
ence or absence of moisture in the atmosphere. The
hard woods expand and contract much less than the
soft woods.
The Sounding Board.
Sounding boards, ribs and in some cases the rims
which support the sounding board are made of soft
woods and are therefore subject to the greatest
changes. Another thing to think about is the fact
that woods expand and contract only in two of their
three dimensions, namely, breadth and thickness. We
have all seen sounding boards which we knew had
contracted because of visible evidence in the form of
cracks. We have seen sounding boards which had
expanded, but without visible evidence of this fact
except in some cases where the expansion was so
great as to cause the board to buckle, to rise up in a
ridge and pull loose from the ribs. I have repaired a
number of boards where this ridge was almost half
an inch from the ribs. I think we will all agree that
sounding boards do expand and contract. Most of us
have seen cracks in them which open in the late win-
ter and close in the late summer; that should be
sufficient evidence.
Don't Forget the Crown.
Nor should we forget the crown, which is the most
important part of the sounding board construction.
If we are willing to concede that a board expands
and contracts, we must necessarily concede that the
bridges which are mounted on the crown must rise
and fall. As the bridges rise and fall, the tension on
the strings increases and decreases, raising and
lowering the pitch. As a rule the change of pitch is
greatest in the part of the scale nearest the center
of the board, but this varies according to design.
The atmospheric changes which bring about the
above conditions are mainly man-made, in the form
of the modern heating plant, steam and hot-water
plants and most hot-air furnaces. In the old days,
when piano tuners generally were held in higher re-
gard than at present, there were not many of this
dry-kiln type of heating plant in use, and what few
we had were not nearly so efficient (?); that is, it
was impossible to have so high a temperature as we
are now able to enjoy (?). In fact, it took much
longer in those days to wreck a piano with a heating
plant. And we should not overlook the fact that
today a home or apartment, to be modern, must be
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER PIANOS
GRANDS and UPRIGHTS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essentials of strictly
leaders in the trade.
Warning to Infringers
Thla Trad* Mark Is caat
In the plat* and also ap-
peara upon th« fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Pianos, and all lnfrlngers
will be prosecuted. Bbware
of Imitations such as Schu-
mann A Company, Schu-
mann A Son, and also
Shuman, aa all stencil
shops, dealers and users of
pianos bearing; a name in
imitation of the name
Schumann with the Inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of tho law.
New Catalogue on Bequest.
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATRE, President
Rockford, III.
EST. 1856 fit SON
Grand, Upright
and
Welte-Mignon
(Licensee)
Reproducing
(Electric)
Pianos and Players
of Recognized
Artistic Character
Made by a Decker Since 1856
699-703 East 135th Street
WILLIAMS
PIANOS
The policy of the Williams House is and always
has been to depend upon excellence of product
instead of alluring price. Such a policy does not
attract bargain hunters. It does, however, win the
hearty approval and support of a very desirable
•nd substantial patronage.
WIIMAUK Makers of Williams Pianos,
WILLIAM3 E p w o r t h p i a n o , a n d O r g a n ,
New York
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/
August 8, 1925.
PRESTO
SPENCER
The Intrinsic Qualities of This
Piano Command Attention
A High Grade Instrument at a
Moderate Price
WHY DO PIANOS
GET OUT OF TUNE?
Question Interesting to Makers, Sellers and
Users of the Instruments Asked and An-
swered by Expert Tuner at Annual Con-
vention in Detroit This Week.
First Class Factory and Equipment
Ample Production and Service
TOO MUCH GUESSWORK
SPENCER PIANO COMPANY, Inc.
Enos J. Disler Points Out Fallacies in Statements
of Tuning Requirements Attributed to
Piano Merchants.
FACTORY: Thirty-First St. and First Are.
OFFICES: 338 East 31st Street, New York N. Y.
E. Leins Piano Co.
Makers of Pianos and
Player Pianos That Are
Established L e a d e r s
Correspondence front Reliable
Dealers Invited
Factory and Offices, 304 W. 42nd Si
NEW YORK
"Built on Family Pride"
Doll & Sons
Represent the Artistic
in Piano and Player Piano
Construction
JACOB DOLL & SONS
STODART
WELLSMORE
Jacob Doll & Sons, Inc.
Southern Boulevard, E- 133rd St.
E. 134th St. ami Cypress Ave.
NEW YORK
Why does a comparatively cheap piano in one
home stand in tune well and a high grade piano in
another home next door fail to do so? Why do man-
ufacturers, dealers and many tuners lay stress on ex-
ceptionally well-built pin blocks, bushed pins, capo d'
astro bars, etc.? Do tuning pins slip, even though
they are tight? These are interesting questions asked
by Enos J. Disler, in an instructive address to the
National Association of Piano Tuners in Detroit this
week. According to Mr. Disler the entire piano
trade, including the tuners, has been doing a lot of
crude guessing in connection with the stay-in-tune
qualities of pianos.
"It seems to me that the entire piano trade, includ-
ing tuners, has been guilty of a lot of crude guess-
work in connection with the stay-in-tune qualities of
pianos. Manufacturers, dealers and tuners probably
have been equally guilty and until the piano trade is
able to give a correct answer it will avail us little to
urge 'two to four tunings a year.' Four tunings is
hardly enough in many modern American homes,
while one seems sufficient in other homes, not so
modern," is Mr. Disler's opinion.
Mr. Disler believes that the question, "How and
Why does a piano get out of tune?" is as important
to the manufacturers and dealers as to the tuners.
But the tuners' interest is paramount to judge by his
address, which follows in part:
Fact a Necessity.
It behooves the N. A. of P. T. as an organization,
and each member individually, to understand this
question fully, for as our organization grows in num-
bers and in prestige we shall be expected to furnish
information to the music trades and to the general
public. Let us be ready to furnish information which
is founded on facts and stop guessing. We have
what is practically a monopoly of the "sources of
information," regarding the proper care of a piano.
Let us use this monopoly to enrich our store of
knowledge and to help us forget a lot of unsound
theories handed to us in the past.
I shall endeavor to outline what, in my judgment,
are the reasons for a piano getting out of tune. First,
steel wire, we are told, continues to stretch until it
breaks, which accounts for a continual lowering of
pitch. This stretch, however, is almost negligible
after five years at the proper pitch. Second, a light
back or plate, or both, will bend or bow under the
heavy tension, also lowering the pitch. This, too, is
almost negligible after five years at the proper pitch.
Third, and much the most important, is the changes
in wood in general, and in the sounding board, the
bridges and the sounding board rim in particular,
due to changes in the relative humidity of the atmos-
phere which can and do both lower and raise the
pitch.
When Wood Is Cause.
To return to the third reason: the changes in wood,
particularly that of the sounding board, rim and
bridges, are what make it possible for a tuner to be
a "hero" today and a "hobo" in a month or two. If
traced to their sources most complaints as to the
work of a high class tuner not holding up will be
QUALITY DECKER
in Name and in Fact
TONE, MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION,
WORKMANSHIP, DESIGN—all in ac-
cord with the broadest experience—are
the elements which give character to
Bush & Lane Products.
BUSH & LANE PIANOS
BUSH t LANE CECILIAN PLAYER PIANOS
take high place, therefore, in any com-
parison of high grade pianos because of
the individuality of character which dis-
tinguishes them in all essentials of merit
and value.
BUSH & LANE PIANO CO.
HollaiHl, Mich.
mJ
found in changes in the position of the sounding
board and the bridges because of expansion or con-
traction of these parts after tuning. And allow me
to state here that there is no tuner so high class that
he can avoid or overcome these changes with a tun-
ing hammer.
Let us consider now what these changes mean.
Let us think of the piano as being built of wood and
that the woods employed for the purpose are sub-
ject to expansion and contraction because of the pres-
ence or absence of moisture in the atmosphere. The
hard woods expand and contract much less than the
soft woods.
The Sounding Board.
Sounding boards, ribs and in some cases the rims
which support the sounding board are made of soft
woods and are therefore subject to the greatest
changes. Another thing to think about is the fact
that woods expand and contract only in two of their
three dimensions, namely, breadth and thickness. We
have all seen sounding boards which we knew had
contracted because of visible evidence in the form of
cracks. We have seen sounding boards which had
expanded, but without visible evidence of this fact
except in some cases where the expansion was so
great as to cause the board to buckle, to rise up in a
ridge and pull loose from the ribs. I have repaired a
number of boards where this ridge was almost half
an inch from the ribs. I think we will all agree that
sounding boards do expand and contract. Most of us
have seen cracks in them which open in the late win-
ter and close in the late summer; that should be
sufficient evidence.
Don't Forget the Crown.
Nor should we forget the crown, which is the most
important part of the sounding board construction.
If we are willing to concede that a board expands
and contracts, we must necessarily concede that the
bridges which are mounted on the crown must rise
and fall. As the bridges rise and fall, the tension on
the strings increases and decreases, raising and
lowering the pitch. As a rule the change of pitch is
greatest in the part of the scale nearest the center
of the board, but this varies according to design.
The atmospheric changes which bring about the
above conditions are mainly man-made, in the form
of the modern heating plant, steam and hot-water
plants and most hot-air furnaces. In the old days,
when piano tuners generally were held in higher re-
gard than at present, there were not many of this
dry-kiln type of heating plant in use, and what few
we had were not nearly so efficient (?); that is, it
was impossible to have so high a temperature as we
are now able to enjoy (?). In fact, it took much
longer in those days to wreck a piano with a heating
plant. And we should not overlook the fact that
today a home or apartment, to be modern, must be
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER PIANOS
GRANDS and UPRIGHTS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essentials of strictly
leaders in the trade.
Warning to Infringers
Thla Trad* Mark Is caat
In the plat* and also ap-
peara upon th« fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Pianos, and all lnfrlngers
will be prosecuted. Bbware
of Imitations such as Schu-
mann A Company, Schu-
mann A Son, and also
Shuman, aa all stencil
shops, dealers and users of
pianos bearing; a name in
imitation of the name
Schumann with the Inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of tho law.
New Catalogue on Bequest.
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATRE, President
Rockford, III.
EST. 1856 fit SON
Grand, Upright
and
Welte-Mignon
(Licensee)
Reproducing
(Electric)
Pianos and Players
of Recognized
Artistic Character
Made by a Decker Since 1856
699-703 East 135th Street
WILLIAMS
PIANOS
The policy of the Williams House is and always
has been to depend upon excellence of product
instead of alluring price. Such a policy does not
attract bargain hunters. It does, however, win the
hearty approval and support of a very desirable
•nd substantial patronage.
WIIMAUK Makers of Williams Pianos,
WILLIAM3 E p w o r t h p i a n o , a n d O r g a n ,
New York
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).