The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-19
AWORD OF CAUTION 10 PuacnAaERs.

creasing demand Tor them, have induced
INSCRIPTIONS PIano;manuiacturers and
dealers 10 adopt all sorts Of dishonorable
devices and expedlents, which They system.
atlcally follow, with zeal and perse.
verance worthy ola better cause. lS
Atone time these persons assert that
the Pianos made or sold by them, are the
same as "steinway's"; at another that they
are made by steinway's foremen or best
workmen, and are just as good, &C., &C.,
and so widely have these misrepresenta.
lions. been circulated, that they are con-
tinually receiving letters from oil parts Of
the country, inqulriug into the truth OF
these assertions, and revealing the fact
that most OF the smaller makers in New
York pretend to have been foremen in
their factory, or are represented as such
by their agents throughout the country,
when in reality not one In twenty Of
them has even been employed by them in
any capacity. Up to the present time,
not one Of their foremcn has gone into
business for himself, and this fact alone Is
a sufficient rclptntion Of the false asser.
tons TO which we have alluded.
Again, lis our duty to iorewarn the
musical public against the misrcpresenta.
tons Of host of Piano.making Asso.
Citations" pretending to be composed oil
+" steinway's best workmen, and making
Pianos exactly like steinways, and Just as
good, &c, &c" This is not true. Several
inventions and Improvements, from which
arise the chief excellencies of their instru.
ments, are patented by the firm, and
cannot be used by any other makers; for
instance: Their Patent AgrafEe Ar
rangement," a most essential and impor-
tant improvement, which all their instru-
ments now contain. y
The great superiority Of their Pianos
is, therefore, not only the result of better
material and more thorough workman
ship, (though much is derived from that,)
but there are essential differences and i'm
provements of construction, the right to
employ which belongs to them only, as it
was theirs too, to frat introduce them.
Aside, then, from the untruthfulness Of
the pretensions we thus expose, the risk
ofpurchasing Piano, and relying upon
any statement Or assurance that emanates
from IN irresponsible body Of men, with
out name, capital, or experience, and
whose warranty, in many cases, is not
worth the paper that contains it, will
probably be appreciated by all rejecting
purchasers. .itstzJa.
Ithas frequently occurred that persons
intending to embark in business indie
pendenuy as Piano,makers and Tuners,
have worked for a few weeks in Stein.
ways factory, their sole object, as was
subsequently learned, being TO found a
claim tohave been one oftheir workmen,
and although this only tends to confirm
the fact that their instruments are uni.
rsallyregarded IS possessing thehighest
degree Of perfection, yet tho satisfaction
they might tske.in this homage is more
than counterbalanced- by the loss aud
modification that but too Often results 10
those who become the victims to such
practices. j u t g." q I'll
Another very common trick-lorit dc.
serves no better lAme-resorted to BY
many Piano dealers and manufacturers,
is, in some manner TO procure Steinway
Piano, eitherncw or second handed, which
they place in their salesroom, designedly
keeping it in bad order for the purpose Of
contrasting it with, and showing off their
own, or other inferior Pianos, to advantage.
1t certainly must be a poor Piano which
cannot besold upon its own merits, and
when a dealer has really good instru-
ments Tor sale, he will be sure to offer
them for what they are. When he is anx-
ious to persuade his customers that they
are the "Rame thing',as something else,
it is commonly an attempt to palm off a
poor article on the reputation of a better
one. frA-l t
Numerous attempts have been made
from TO time to sell inferior Pianos,
with steinway's name on, or a name
spelled so similar 10 this, that many peo-
pie do not know the difference, and pur.
chase spurious and often totally worth
less instruments for genuine steinway
Piano. s'e - ~. l..5l.s
There being no legal means Of redress
against such impositions, invariably
perpetrated by irresponsible persons,
we desire to state that every Piano made
by them has the address OF the firm in
full, cast in large letters on the iron
frame in the left hand corner, just behind
the tuning pins, which can neither be put
on afterwards, nor removed and is there.
fore perfect safeguard against imposi.
ton. ..
These famous stienway Pianos can be
found at V. Harding's., No 100 Market