DECKER & SON vs. DECKER BROS. circa 1880's

“I THINK," said Mr. Myron A. Decker, the head of the well-known house

of Decker & Son, piano manufacturers of New York City, "that more persistent

and malicious efforts are made to persecute me than, any man in the

trade I know of."

It was while a reporter of the MUSICAL PIANO AND TRADE BEVIEW was

sitting in Mr. Decker's office, just before the examination of the "Baby"

Grand spoken of in our last issue, that the above remark was made.

“Here, as you know," continued Mr. Decker, " I have been manufacturing

pianos for about twenty-five years, and yet some of my rivals would like

to take from me the right to use my own name, and if possible to run me out

of the business. I know very well that I make a thoroughly good piano, a

great deal better piano than many others make, and I suppose it is the quality

of my goods that hurts them."

" Yes," replied the reporter, " you certainly do make an excellent piano.

But if your enemies trouble you, why don't you fight ? Your piano is good

enough, but there is one thing that should be combined with it."

"And that is," said Mr. Decker.

"Aggressiveness," replied the reporter. "If, as you say, parties are

trying to walk all over you, you should strike out straight from the

shoulder."

Mr. Decker smiled at this point as if he had his share of aggressiveness,

and was prepared to make use of it at the right time.

“The feeling extends," he continued, "even to agents and dealers,

rivals of my agents and dealers, all over the country; it has grown so that it

is difficult to keep track of it, and it has become so common that I should

have my hands about full to attend to it. I think it will be a good idea to

take some one person, and make an example of him that will frighten the

others. Some of my manufacturing rivals having started the ' fraud ' cry,

it has been taken up by dealers, who find it very convenient, I suppose,

when my pianos come in competition with those they handle, to take up the

howl of ' bogus, bogus!' "

“Here is one way in which the thing is worked," and Mr. Decker handed

the reporter a slip cut from the Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial

Gazette, dated Saturday, June 18th, 1881, which read as follows:

“PERSONAL.—We have had the pleasure of a visit from Mr. Myron A. Decker, of the well-known firm of Decker & Son, piano manufacturers, New

York. Mr. Decker visits our city in the interests of his business, and, we

understand, has established his agency at the extensive house of the N. Y.

Piano Company, 226 and 228 St. James Street. Mr. Decker is one of the

oldest and most respectable piano manufacturers in America, having worked

at the bench with the celebrated Albert Weber over thirty years ago. His

instruments have the endorsement of the leading musicians of the country,

and are as handsome in style as they are sweet and beautiful in tone."

When the reporter had read the above, Mr. Decker said, " It is strange,

is it not, that after my arrival in Montreal to place an agency there, this

little paragraph should turn up, and in the same issue of the paper that the

above appeared in ? “and Mr. Decker handed the reporter another slip of

paper on which he read:

BEWARE of bogus "Decker" Pianos. DECKER BROS., of Union Square,

New York, are alone entitled to the trademark, "THE DECKER," and De-

Zouche & Co. are the sole agents.

“Curious coincidence that, isn't it? Possibly some of them will say, if

the cap fits me I may wear it. But that's nonsense, I know what the thing

amounts to, and I don't hesitate to put the matter before you."

“Now here is another phase of the question: let me read you a part of

a letter which is similar to thousands I receive. It is from John A. Gilbert,

my agent in Crawfordsville, Ind. He writes me to send him one of my best

uprights for exhibition at some fair in the West, and says:

‘I want to take the rag from my competitors who claim that the piano

you make is bogus, and a base imitation of the genuine. Their denunciations

are loud and deep. They say that you are counterfeiters, and make a third-class

instrument. Told all this to the party to whom I sold my initial

Decker & Son piano; called it a cheap, snide thing. They have one Weber,

Emerson and Kimball."

“Now what would you do to such fellows as those he speaks of," asked

Mr. Decker.

“Do," repeated the reporter, " Why the first thing I should do would

be to get my batteries perfectly in order before opening fire on them."