Presto
Issue: 1937 2281 - Page 7
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
Jan.-Feb., 1937
PRESTO-TIME
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADES JOURNAL
ISSUED THE
FIFTEENTH OF
PUBLICATION MONTH
"HANK D. ABBOTT
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Presto-Times wishes every reader, every patron, every friend, con-
tinued happiness a n d prosperity all through 1937.
1937 c a n b e a greater year just a s 1936 h a s shown a d v a n c e over 1935.
The music business is on a higher standard among the trades a n d
industries than it ever h a s been before a n d there is greater unanimity
of feeling today in the trade for the trade a s a whole a n d less animosity
and bitter rivalry than h a s ever before existed in the music business.
Editor
Soon, now, as soon as the anxious days of the holiday season have become his-
tory will be the days of contemplative thought and the time of taking mental in-
ventory on where we are, and where we are heading for. We can look about us
Entered as second-class matter April 9. 1932, at the
and see a lot of the left-over debris and see rather plainly the signs of the times and
Post Office at Chicago, 111., under act of March 3, 1879.
get a look into the future.
Subscription, $1.C0 a year; 6 months, 60 cents; foreign,
1936 was what may be called today an excellent year in the music business. Not
$2.00. Payable in advance. No extra charge in United
States possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for adver-
tising on application.
comparative with ten, fifteen and twenty years ago when a piano output, which is
really a guide to the trade activities in general, ran 150,000 to 250,000 pianos a year.
Today's ultimate estimate of 100,000 seems fine and it is great taking into con-
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.
sideration that players and reproducers do not figure in piano production now.
Publishers
417 So. Dearborn St.
Chicago, III.
There has been progress all along the line through 1936 and there were com-
paratively few disasters and not many failures in the retail trade. On the contrary
not only a surprising number of new firms have come into existence but the re-
At a meeting of lumbermen the probability newals and rehabilitations of former businesses are considerable and a bright spot
was pointed out that within the next score of in the outlook.
years there would be very little veneer timber
standing and that supply of other fine woods
An output of ninety to one hundred thousand pianos indicates an enormous en-
might be totally exhausted. How would this ergy in this special line of the music industry and it is somewhat of a surprise to
affect piano manufacturing? Will there be a see that the factories in operation through 1936 could produce such a quantity with
revival of the effort to make piano cases of
tin metal, covered with plush, or will the art so many of them grands and others of an extremely painstaking character.
of papier mache manufacture serve to sustain
It is quite evident, therefore, that the dealers must have had a good year when
the markets of musical instruments. Presto- we realize that many factories are today depleted of finished stock and in many
Times hopes that these lumbermen and
veneer-men in convention shall not take the cases dealers were demanding goods the last three months of the year faster than
the manufacturers could respond. Assuming that the piano dealers are men of busi-
situation too seriously.
Notwithstanding all this scare it is under- ness as well as piano sellers it is easily presumable that most of them are passing
stood from reliable sources that the statement the threshold of the New Year with good balances to their credit and a mighty good
in general is not correct and at least so far as outlook ahead, while the manufacturers have prospered and profited notwithstand-
mahogany trees are concerned there is no sign ing occasional instances where pianos have been supplied at prices too low to guar-
of a shortage. A mahogany tree furnishes a
great supply of veneer cutting. In fact, it is antee adequate returns. But the return to "carload lots," which has been a marked
estimated that a large mahogany tree may feature of shipments for more than a year past, more than offsets this unfortunate
yield 100,000 square feet of veneer and it is condition manifest from time to time in piano production.
quite discernible that a few trees of this kind
* * * *
would supply mahogany veneers for pianos for
Information has gone forth that increased cost of copper has made necessary
many months and aside from mahogany, which
seems to be very far from being exhausted, an advance in the price of wound piano strings. The additional cost of one string
the tropics still have great supplies of hard- is not much but an advance of five to ten cents a pound in the metal means consid-
woods suitable for veneers. Really, as Presto-
Times understands the situation, the difficulty erable to makers of piano strings and the piano manufacturers feel the effect ac-
is not now, nor has it been in 20 years, in find- cordingly and the item of copper is only one unit in additional costs of materials.
ing the woods for veneers but in finding a mar-
* * * *
ket for the product.
Shake off the careworn look; stop worrying; get out and sell two pianos this
. * * *
week
where you sold only one last week. Do this and you may well sing, "And
A lot of dealers all over the country have
the
night
shall be filled with music, and the cares that infest the day shall fold
been caught short of goods this 1936-'37 Holi-
day piano selling time and consequently have their tent like the Arabs and silently steal away." There will be no terror in think-
lost much business. Some lost entirely be- ing- of the bill due next week if you close those two sales this week.
cause purchasers put off buying when they
* * * *
could not secure the model or particular de-
Inquiry
has
been
made
by
dealers
about the probable continued popularity of
sign they had expected to secure. Other ap-
the
present
day
vertical
models
now
approaching
two years since their general
parent sales were lost to competitors who had
stocked up well to meet an emergency of introduction to the trade. A general reply to such inquiries seems to be that as
shortage. Dealers have found out that they one manager puts it, "There will continue to be a consistent demand for vertical
cannot always, in fact not more than one out models." The various changes in casement sizes and types naturally leads to such
of ten, select a customer's piano for the cus-
tomer. They will finally secure the instru- an inquiry but now that the instrument has settled down to practically one form
ment of their choice. Sometimes such a cus- in measurement, uniform in general toward the "fiat-top" design, it is safe to pre-
tomer will wait a while longer on the dealer, sume that the vertical will, if it has not already, become an established class in piano
but others will go somewhere else to buy. production.
Reams of print paper have been used trying
* * * *
to explain to dealers that they should have
However,
the
vertical
should
not
be allowed to crowd out the others. A well
ordered in advance of their actual needs, at
a time when factories could have given them assorted stock properly displayed is desirable in well regulated music houses and
prompt deliveries, many of which dealers have to maintain a prominent position dealers should give the best space possible to
been caught because of shortage of stock, this
their leading lines and carry a diversified stock to make a representative showing.
year.
* * * *
* * *
Automobile manufacturers require, at least their best agencies, to make repre-
Of various
tokens
of
remembrance
and
sea-
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).
sonable greetings,
this one
from
Frank
sentative
showing
of a full Music
line
of the
goods
represented so that all models may be
All Rights Reserved.
Digitized
from the
archives Wil-
of the MBSI
with support from
NAMM - The International
Products
Association
(www.namm.org).
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 0234.
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), " P R E S T O , " Chicago.
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/
Jan.-Feb., 1937
PRESTO-TIME
THE AMERICAN MUSIC TRADES JOURNAL
ISSUED THE
FIFTEENTH OF
PUBLICATION MONTH
"HANK D. ABBOTT
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Presto-Times wishes every reader, every patron, every friend, con-
tinued happiness a n d prosperity all through 1937.
1937 c a n b e a greater year just a s 1936 h a s shown a d v a n c e over 1935.
The music business is on a higher standard among the trades a n d
industries than it ever h a s been before a n d there is greater unanimity
of feeling today in the trade for the trade a s a whole a n d less animosity
and bitter rivalry than h a s ever before existed in the music business.
Editor
Soon, now, as soon as the anxious days of the holiday season have become his-
tory will be the days of contemplative thought and the time of taking mental in-
ventory on where we are, and where we are heading for. We can look about us
Entered as second-class matter April 9. 1932, at the
and see a lot of the left-over debris and see rather plainly the signs of the times and
Post Office at Chicago, 111., under act of March 3, 1879.
get a look into the future.
Subscription, $1.C0 a year; 6 months, 60 cents; foreign,
1936 was what may be called today an excellent year in the music business. Not
$2.00. Payable in advance. No extra charge in United
States possessions, Cuba and Mexico. Rates for adver-
tising on application.
comparative with ten, fifteen and twenty years ago when a piano output, which is
really a guide to the trade activities in general, ran 150,000 to 250,000 pianos a year.
Today's ultimate estimate of 100,000 seems fine and it is great taking into con-
PRESTO PUBLISHING CO.
sideration that players and reproducers do not figure in piano production now.
Publishers
417 So. Dearborn St.
Chicago, III.
There has been progress all along the line through 1936 and there were com-
paratively few disasters and not many failures in the retail trade. On the contrary
not only a surprising number of new firms have come into existence but the re-
At a meeting of lumbermen the probability newals and rehabilitations of former businesses are considerable and a bright spot
was pointed out that within the next score of in the outlook.
years there would be very little veneer timber
standing and that supply of other fine woods
An output of ninety to one hundred thousand pianos indicates an enormous en-
might be totally exhausted. How would this ergy in this special line of the music industry and it is somewhat of a surprise to
affect piano manufacturing? Will there be a see that the factories in operation through 1936 could produce such a quantity with
revival of the effort to make piano cases of
tin metal, covered with plush, or will the art so many of them grands and others of an extremely painstaking character.
of papier mache manufacture serve to sustain
It is quite evident, therefore, that the dealers must have had a good year when
the markets of musical instruments. Presto- we realize that many factories are today depleted of finished stock and in many
Times hopes that these lumbermen and
veneer-men in convention shall not take the cases dealers were demanding goods the last three months of the year faster than
the manufacturers could respond. Assuming that the piano dealers are men of busi-
situation too seriously.
Notwithstanding all this scare it is under- ness as well as piano sellers it is easily presumable that most of them are passing
stood from reliable sources that the statement the threshold of the New Year with good balances to their credit and a mighty good
in general is not correct and at least so far as outlook ahead, while the manufacturers have prospered and profited notwithstand-
mahogany trees are concerned there is no sign ing occasional instances where pianos have been supplied at prices too low to guar-
of a shortage. A mahogany tree furnishes a
great supply of veneer cutting. In fact, it is antee adequate returns. But the return to "carload lots," which has been a marked
estimated that a large mahogany tree may feature of shipments for more than a year past, more than offsets this unfortunate
yield 100,000 square feet of veneer and it is condition manifest from time to time in piano production.
quite discernible that a few trees of this kind
* * * *
would supply mahogany veneers for pianos for
Information has gone forth that increased cost of copper has made necessary
many months and aside from mahogany, which
seems to be very far from being exhausted, an advance in the price of wound piano strings. The additional cost of one string
the tropics still have great supplies of hard- is not much but an advance of five to ten cents a pound in the metal means consid-
woods suitable for veneers. Really, as Presto-
Times understands the situation, the difficulty erable to makers of piano strings and the piano manufacturers feel the effect ac-
is not now, nor has it been in 20 years, in find- cordingly and the item of copper is only one unit in additional costs of materials.
ing the woods for veneers but in finding a mar-
* * * *
ket for the product.
Shake off the careworn look; stop worrying; get out and sell two pianos this
. * * *
week
where you sold only one last week. Do this and you may well sing, "And
A lot of dealers all over the country have
the
night
shall be filled with music, and the cares that infest the day shall fold
been caught short of goods this 1936-'37 Holi-
day piano selling time and consequently have their tent like the Arabs and silently steal away." There will be no terror in think-
lost much business. Some lost entirely be- ing- of the bill due next week if you close those two sales this week.
cause purchasers put off buying when they
* * * *
could not secure the model or particular de-
Inquiry
has
been
made
by
dealers
about the probable continued popularity of
sign they had expected to secure. Other ap-
the
present
day
vertical
models
now
approaching
two years since their general
parent sales were lost to competitors who had
stocked up well to meet an emergency of introduction to the trade. A general reply to such inquiries seems to be that as
shortage. Dealers have found out that they one manager puts it, "There will continue to be a consistent demand for vertical
cannot always, in fact not more than one out models." The various changes in casement sizes and types naturally leads to such
of ten, select a customer's piano for the cus-
tomer. They will finally secure the instru- an inquiry but now that the instrument has settled down to practically one form
ment of their choice. Sometimes such a cus- in measurement, uniform in general toward the "fiat-top" design, it is safe to pre-
tomer will wait a while longer on the dealer, sume that the vertical will, if it has not already, become an established class in piano
but others will go somewhere else to buy. production.
Reams of print paper have been used trying
* * * *
to explain to dealers that they should have
However,
the
vertical
should
not
be allowed to crowd out the others. A well
ordered in advance of their actual needs, at
a time when factories could have given them assorted stock properly displayed is desirable in well regulated music houses and
prompt deliveries, many of which dealers have to maintain a prominent position dealers should give the best space possible to
been caught because of shortage of stock, this
their leading lines and carry a diversified stock to make a representative showing.
year.
* * * *
* * *
Automobile manufacturers require, at least their best agencies, to make repre-
Of various
tokens
of
remembrance
and
sea-
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).
sonable greetings,
this one
from
Frank
sentative
showing
of a full Music
line
of the
goods
represented so that all models may be
All Rights Reserved.
Digitized
from the
archives Wil-
of the MBSI
with support from
NAMM - The International
Products
Association
(www.namm.org).
Telephones, Local and Long Distance, Harrison 0234.
Private Phones to all Departments. Cable Address (Com-
mercial Cable Co.'s Code), " P R E S T O , " Chicago.
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).