Presto
Issue: 1929 2238 - Page 10
10
November 1, 1929
P R E S T O-T I M E S
MAKE A BONFIRE OF OLD PIANOS
Suggestion of Annual Elaborate Ceremonial at Chicago Made by R. J. Cook
of The Cable Company
A gesture on the part of the piano trade of Chicago
to rid the minds of the public of the illusion that a
piano never wears out, and to replace that thought
with the realization that the actual value of an old
piano is not very great, has been suggested by R. J.
Cook of The Cable Company, Chicago.
He suggests that the piano trade of Chicago should
take advantage of the general interest in the annual
celebration of Fire Prevention Day and the great
interest generally manifested in Chicago Day cele-
brations and rig up a float of old pianos to be taken
to some pre-selected spot and burned with appro-
priate ceremonies.
Atmosphere would be lent to the float by the addi-
tion of a cow-and-lantern scene, suggestive of the
manner in which the historic Chicago fire of 1871 is
supposed to have started.
"This would be a most dramatic spectacle," Mr.
Cook says in support of his suggestion, "and would
result in an unbelievable amount of publicity for the
piano trade.
"There would be newspaper and magazine write-
ups of the event. Photographs of the float and of
the lire would be broadcast to the newspapers of the
country. Millions would see the ceremony re-enacted
on the screen at our movie shows in and about
Chicago."
Mr. Cook originally made the proposition to a com-
mittee over which he presided at the convention of
the music trades at the Drake hotel, Chicago. Some
opposition to the plan developed at that time, on the
grounds that it involved the waste of old instruments
which still retained some slight actual value and was
not a good example of economy. As a result, the
proposition was not carried in committee, and the
matter was dropped. However, Mr. Cook has given
considerable thought to the idea since that time, and
as he now sees it, the publicity to be gained by such
a demonstration would far outweigh the small actual
value of the instruments that would be sacrificed.
A REQUIREMENT FILLED
BY THE SELECTRAPHONE
profit-making when trained men were employed and
quoted the old maxim, "He profits most who serves
best." He advised speeding up ten per cent in effort
by the average man who was now doing only 20 per
cent, and that would double his producing power.
Henry C. Kendall, of the same school, was a visitor
at the club luncheon.
Combination Radio-Phonograph Instruments Meet
the Demands of the Public, Dealers Find.
Dealers and representatives of music houses gen-
erally are becoming more and more interested in the
Selectraphone, manufactured by the Western Electric
Piano Company, 832-850 Blackhawk street, Chicago.
They are finding that instruments such as the Selec-
taphone and the Orchestrope made by the Capehart
Corporation of Fort Wayne, Ind., are good sellers
and so are putting forth a good deal of vim in selling
them.
These combination phonograph-radio instruments
have many advantages which many dealers are point-
ing out the advantages of. C. M. Wilson of the C. M.
Wilson store, Salem, Ohio, says: "Ever since we first
started to sell electric radios we have been concerned
with the development of an instrument that would
combine the advantages of both the radio and the
phonograph. There is a great demand for the com-
bined machine from the public, which recognizes in
the instrument one of the finest advancements in the
musical line."
WILL LANG, NOT J. LYONS.
In an item about the Piano Club dinner of October
7th at the Medinah Athletic Club, Chicago, a printer's
error said that Gordon Laughead of Wurlitzer's pres-
ented "Joe Lyons, a dealer of Escanaba. Mich.'' It
should have read, Will Lang, of Lang & Hess, Esca-
naba, Mich., who were in Chicago as guests of the
Piano Club and w r ho were also attending the World
Series. Both Mr. Lang and Mr. Hess have several
times presented the Piano Club with deer for several
Piano Club banquets, and they were especially wel-
comed on this last occasion as it w r as the first oppor-
tunity the club had to pay tribute to both these gentle-
men.
SALES TALK AT PIANO CLUB.
Henry P. Veatch, of Lyon & Healy, Chicago, was
a new member reported as having joined the Piano
Club of Chicago at its noon luncheon on Monday of
this week. A very interesting talk with blackboard
illustrations was given by Arthur G. Taylor, of the
Sheldon School staff. Mr. Taylor is known as the
mayor of Beverly Hills. He dwelt on the executive,
financial, production and sales ends of a business as
STRAUBE TRADE TRENDS UPWARD.
Commenting to a Presto-Times representative on
contitions generally in the piano trade, E. R. Jacob-
son, president of the Straube Piano Company, Ham-
mond, Ind., one day last week said: "The trend in
piano sales still continues upward. Renewed activity
is reported from almost all sections of the country,
indicating that the efforts of the trade as a whole in
stressing the piano as a home necessity and one of
the greatest factors in social and cultural life are
bearing fruit. Straube September orders w r ere larger
than for any previous month this year and October
continued the pace. We ask Straube dealers to co-
operate in sending us their orders as far in advance
as possible to enable us to make prompt shipments
when pianos are needed."
STEIN PLANT WORKING OVERTIME.
Operations in the piano factory of Charles Freder-
ick Stein, 3047 Carroll avenue, Chicago, are so active
that it is running overtime regularly. This had
become necessary on account of the obligation to
keep up with orders. The company has just sold a
6-foot grand to the Central Y. M. C. A. in Chicago,
19 South La Salle street, where it will become well-
known in such a famous center. When a Presto-
Times representative called at the factory a few days
ago he saw 7 the 6-foot grand that was on exhibition
at the recent tuners' national convention where it was
played by the celebrated artist, M. Ziolkowski. It had
been soid and bore its sale tag.
PIANO TO PLEASE CRANKS.
A piano to please neighbor cranks who do not like
to hear piano practice has been invented in Vienna,
Austria. The player wears special headphones which
are connected to the instrument. When he pounds
the keys he can hear himself, but no one else can hear
him.
WALTHAM STORE AT GREENFIELD, O.
The Waltham Piano Company of Milwaukee,
has opened a piano store at Greenfield, Ohio.
Wilson, of Portsmouth, Ohio, is in charge.
Waltham Piano Company operates 20 stores in
STARR PIANOS
^ —
^™
Wis.,
L. D.
The
Ohio.
Dayton, Ohio, House of Wurlitzer Led Other
Stores of the Company in Septem-
ber Radio Sales.
One of the first floodlights on a business building
in Dayton, Ohio, was that installed to illuminate the
front of the Wurlitzer Music House, 122 S. Ludlow
street. This gave an idea several years ago of how
far illumination had progressed from the days of the
first incandescent lamp with its feeble light.
The progressive spirit of the Wurlitzer organization
in installing a floodlight when floodlights were new.
is indicative of that music store toward everything in
the business field.
During September the Dayton store led all other
cities where Wurlitzer houses are established, in sale
of radio. This is an important lead, because the Wur-
litzer organization spreads all over the United States.
Atwater Kent, Victor, Lyric and Wurlitzer radios are
handled, and represent superlative excellence in radio.
A carload of Victrolas was received by the Dayton
Wurlitzer house recently. These include many of
the new model combination sets, with the Victrola
on one side and the Victor radio on the other.
The Dayton store has also received a shipment of
grand pianos that makes their showing of period
design cases with Wurlitzer tone units, complete.
The Wurlitzer piano has beautiful tone and is a fin-
ished product in every way, and the purchaser has a
choice of Spanish, Heppelwhite, English or Italian
design in the case, with the advantage of paying a.
small sum for so fine an instrument, and the addi-
tional advantage of the Wurlitzer plan of payment out
of income.
A saxophone band is being organized by the Wur-
litzer store. Ernest Shellhouse, who has been play-
ing with Michael Hauer in his broadcasts is the
leader.
A FEW NOTES.
The High School Band at Kankakee, 111., now
numbers 65 performers and the Chamber of Com-
merce of that city has decided to purchase and donate
uniforms for them.
Exie Hardy and Ethel Murry announce the open-
ing of a music studio and melody shop at 112 West
King street, Garrett, Ind.
A recent issue of Music Art and Trade Journal,
London, England, reprints an article from a re-
cent issue of Presto-Times entitled "How Shellac
Ts Produced."
Inventors are seeking to perfect *he third dimension
in movies, but many film fans are perfectly satisfied
with the Mack Sennett bathing beauties' dimensions
as they are.—Alleged funny item in a Chicago daily.
G. A. Wallace, who has been an electrical specialist
at 5866 Broadway, Chicago, is now interested in tak-
ing up the sale of Gulbransen radio.
Marian Nugent, a young violinist from St. Louis,
Mo., who has studied with Leonard Auer and Victor
Kuzdo, made her New York debut on the night of
Oct. 19 before a large audience in Town Hall.
Emil Wolff, orchestra leader at the Nixon Theater,
Pittsburgh, Pa., for nearly 35 years, died on October
11. He was 71 years old.
Capt. Henri Berger, composer of Hawaiian songs,
died on October 14 at Honolulu. He was 86 years
old.
BUSY MUSIC PRINTING FIRM.
Rayner, Dalheim & Company, music printers at
2054-60 West Lake street, Chicago, are at their
busiest season now getting out all sorts of music.
Their great re-enforced concrete fireproof building
was especially constructed to meet all requirements
of the music printing business. Here copy and un-
finished work can be taken care of in the safest
manner and all processes are confidentially guarded.
The meritorious manner in which contract work is
carried out attracts a constantly increasing clientele.
STARR PHONOGRAPHS
GENNETT RECORDS
^Represent the Hiqhert oAuainmint in cMusical
2£e STARR PIANO COMPANY
Established 1872
\
(Worth
Richmond. Indiana
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/
November 1, 1929
P R E S T O-T I M E S
MAKE A BONFIRE OF OLD PIANOS
Suggestion of Annual Elaborate Ceremonial at Chicago Made by R. J. Cook
of The Cable Company
A gesture on the part of the piano trade of Chicago
to rid the minds of the public of the illusion that a
piano never wears out, and to replace that thought
with the realization that the actual value of an old
piano is not very great, has been suggested by R. J.
Cook of The Cable Company, Chicago.
He suggests that the piano trade of Chicago should
take advantage of the general interest in the annual
celebration of Fire Prevention Day and the great
interest generally manifested in Chicago Day cele-
brations and rig up a float of old pianos to be taken
to some pre-selected spot and burned with appro-
priate ceremonies.
Atmosphere would be lent to the float by the addi-
tion of a cow-and-lantern scene, suggestive of the
manner in which the historic Chicago fire of 1871 is
supposed to have started.
"This would be a most dramatic spectacle," Mr.
Cook says in support of his suggestion, "and would
result in an unbelievable amount of publicity for the
piano trade.
"There would be newspaper and magazine write-
ups of the event. Photographs of the float and of
the lire would be broadcast to the newspapers of the
country. Millions would see the ceremony re-enacted
on the screen at our movie shows in and about
Chicago."
Mr. Cook originally made the proposition to a com-
mittee over which he presided at the convention of
the music trades at the Drake hotel, Chicago. Some
opposition to the plan developed at that time, on the
grounds that it involved the waste of old instruments
which still retained some slight actual value and was
not a good example of economy. As a result, the
proposition was not carried in committee, and the
matter was dropped. However, Mr. Cook has given
considerable thought to the idea since that time, and
as he now sees it, the publicity to be gained by such
a demonstration would far outweigh the small actual
value of the instruments that would be sacrificed.
A REQUIREMENT FILLED
BY THE SELECTRAPHONE
profit-making when trained men were employed and
quoted the old maxim, "He profits most who serves
best." He advised speeding up ten per cent in effort
by the average man who was now doing only 20 per
cent, and that would double his producing power.
Henry C. Kendall, of the same school, was a visitor
at the club luncheon.
Combination Radio-Phonograph Instruments Meet
the Demands of the Public, Dealers Find.
Dealers and representatives of music houses gen-
erally are becoming more and more interested in the
Selectraphone, manufactured by the Western Electric
Piano Company, 832-850 Blackhawk street, Chicago.
They are finding that instruments such as the Selec-
taphone and the Orchestrope made by the Capehart
Corporation of Fort Wayne, Ind., are good sellers
and so are putting forth a good deal of vim in selling
them.
These combination phonograph-radio instruments
have many advantages which many dealers are point-
ing out the advantages of. C. M. Wilson of the C. M.
Wilson store, Salem, Ohio, says: "Ever since we first
started to sell electric radios we have been concerned
with the development of an instrument that would
combine the advantages of both the radio and the
phonograph. There is a great demand for the com-
bined machine from the public, which recognizes in
the instrument one of the finest advancements in the
musical line."
WILL LANG, NOT J. LYONS.
In an item about the Piano Club dinner of October
7th at the Medinah Athletic Club, Chicago, a printer's
error said that Gordon Laughead of Wurlitzer's pres-
ented "Joe Lyons, a dealer of Escanaba. Mich.'' It
should have read, Will Lang, of Lang & Hess, Esca-
naba, Mich., who were in Chicago as guests of the
Piano Club and w r ho were also attending the World
Series. Both Mr. Lang and Mr. Hess have several
times presented the Piano Club with deer for several
Piano Club banquets, and they were especially wel-
comed on this last occasion as it w r as the first oppor-
tunity the club had to pay tribute to both these gentle-
men.
SALES TALK AT PIANO CLUB.
Henry P. Veatch, of Lyon & Healy, Chicago, was
a new member reported as having joined the Piano
Club of Chicago at its noon luncheon on Monday of
this week. A very interesting talk with blackboard
illustrations was given by Arthur G. Taylor, of the
Sheldon School staff. Mr. Taylor is known as the
mayor of Beverly Hills. He dwelt on the executive,
financial, production and sales ends of a business as
STRAUBE TRADE TRENDS UPWARD.
Commenting to a Presto-Times representative on
contitions generally in the piano trade, E. R. Jacob-
son, president of the Straube Piano Company, Ham-
mond, Ind., one day last week said: "The trend in
piano sales still continues upward. Renewed activity
is reported from almost all sections of the country,
indicating that the efforts of the trade as a whole in
stressing the piano as a home necessity and one of
the greatest factors in social and cultural life are
bearing fruit. Straube September orders w r ere larger
than for any previous month this year and October
continued the pace. We ask Straube dealers to co-
operate in sending us their orders as far in advance
as possible to enable us to make prompt shipments
when pianos are needed."
STEIN PLANT WORKING OVERTIME.
Operations in the piano factory of Charles Freder-
ick Stein, 3047 Carroll avenue, Chicago, are so active
that it is running overtime regularly. This had
become necessary on account of the obligation to
keep up with orders. The company has just sold a
6-foot grand to the Central Y. M. C. A. in Chicago,
19 South La Salle street, where it will become well-
known in such a famous center. When a Presto-
Times representative called at the factory a few days
ago he saw 7 the 6-foot grand that was on exhibition
at the recent tuners' national convention where it was
played by the celebrated artist, M. Ziolkowski. It had
been soid and bore its sale tag.
PIANO TO PLEASE CRANKS.
A piano to please neighbor cranks who do not like
to hear piano practice has been invented in Vienna,
Austria. The player wears special headphones which
are connected to the instrument. When he pounds
the keys he can hear himself, but no one else can hear
him.
WALTHAM STORE AT GREENFIELD, O.
The Waltham Piano Company of Milwaukee,
has opened a piano store at Greenfield, Ohio.
Wilson, of Portsmouth, Ohio, is in charge.
Waltham Piano Company operates 20 stores in
STARR PIANOS
^ —
^™
Wis.,
L. D.
The
Ohio.
Dayton, Ohio, House of Wurlitzer Led Other
Stores of the Company in Septem-
ber Radio Sales.
One of the first floodlights on a business building
in Dayton, Ohio, was that installed to illuminate the
front of the Wurlitzer Music House, 122 S. Ludlow
street. This gave an idea several years ago of how
far illumination had progressed from the days of the
first incandescent lamp with its feeble light.
The progressive spirit of the Wurlitzer organization
in installing a floodlight when floodlights were new.
is indicative of that music store toward everything in
the business field.
During September the Dayton store led all other
cities where Wurlitzer houses are established, in sale
of radio. This is an important lead, because the Wur-
litzer organization spreads all over the United States.
Atwater Kent, Victor, Lyric and Wurlitzer radios are
handled, and represent superlative excellence in radio.
A carload of Victrolas was received by the Dayton
Wurlitzer house recently. These include many of
the new model combination sets, with the Victrola
on one side and the Victor radio on the other.
The Dayton store has also received a shipment of
grand pianos that makes their showing of period
design cases with Wurlitzer tone units, complete.
The Wurlitzer piano has beautiful tone and is a fin-
ished product in every way, and the purchaser has a
choice of Spanish, Heppelwhite, English or Italian
design in the case, with the advantage of paying a.
small sum for so fine an instrument, and the addi-
tional advantage of the Wurlitzer plan of payment out
of income.
A saxophone band is being organized by the Wur-
litzer store. Ernest Shellhouse, who has been play-
ing with Michael Hauer in his broadcasts is the
leader.
A FEW NOTES.
The High School Band at Kankakee, 111., now
numbers 65 performers and the Chamber of Com-
merce of that city has decided to purchase and donate
uniforms for them.
Exie Hardy and Ethel Murry announce the open-
ing of a music studio and melody shop at 112 West
King street, Garrett, Ind.
A recent issue of Music Art and Trade Journal,
London, England, reprints an article from a re-
cent issue of Presto-Times entitled "How Shellac
Ts Produced."
Inventors are seeking to perfect *he third dimension
in movies, but many film fans are perfectly satisfied
with the Mack Sennett bathing beauties' dimensions
as they are.—Alleged funny item in a Chicago daily.
G. A. Wallace, who has been an electrical specialist
at 5866 Broadway, Chicago, is now interested in tak-
ing up the sale of Gulbransen radio.
Marian Nugent, a young violinist from St. Louis,
Mo., who has studied with Leonard Auer and Victor
Kuzdo, made her New York debut on the night of
Oct. 19 before a large audience in Town Hall.
Emil Wolff, orchestra leader at the Nixon Theater,
Pittsburgh, Pa., for nearly 35 years, died on October
11. He was 71 years old.
Capt. Henri Berger, composer of Hawaiian songs,
died on October 14 at Honolulu. He was 86 years
old.
BUSY MUSIC PRINTING FIRM.
Rayner, Dalheim & Company, music printers at
2054-60 West Lake street, Chicago, are at their
busiest season now getting out all sorts of music.
Their great re-enforced concrete fireproof building
was especially constructed to meet all requirements
of the music printing business. Here copy and un-
finished work can be taken care of in the safest
manner and all processes are confidentially guarded.
The meritorious manner in which contract work is
carried out attracts a constantly increasing clientele.
STARR PHONOGRAPHS
GENNETT RECORDS
^Represent the Hiqhert oAuainmint in cMusical
2£e STARR PIANO COMPANY
Established 1872
\
(Worth
Richmond. Indiana
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).