FWIW, the Irish factory was Rippen's second factory built to satisfy the increased demand for Rippen pianos. The reason that Rippen built this 2nd factory on the West coast of Ireland in 1960, was the fact that the Irish government wanted to stimulate the economy and the growth of the airport in Shannon by offering companies from abroad a tax free period of 25 years(!) to start up their factories. The Irish government also heavily subsidised the construction of each factory and its buildings and took care of the costs of the schooling and technical training of Irish employees. Since most parts of the pianos and grand pianos were manufactured in the Rippen factory in Ede in The Netherlands, the 2nd Rippen factory in Ireland was mainly used for the assembly of the pianos that were shipped around the world. I hope this info explains for you why it says Ireland on a Dutch piano.
I own a Rippen that I purchased new about 1988 from a piano dealer in the Seattle area. I love my Rippen though I believe they have gone out of business. One of the things that motivated me to purchase my Rippen is the story about the company that the piano salesman told me. He said it was a family business and the then current president succeeded his father but could not take the job as president until he had performed for a period of time every job in the company. From janitor to accounting to every technical skill that the company used. I was impressed by this story that it motivated me to purchase my Rippen.
Thank you for playing the Scarlatti. It’s always a pleasure to hear you play classical pieces. You and your videos are grown over the years and they’ve gotten quite good. Thank you for continuing to do with them. Today’s was very interesting.
As a Dutch citizen, I love that you picked a Rippen piano for this video! Rippen pianos are actually quite common here in The Netherlands, although not as common as they used to be about two decades ago, as far as I can remember. Since most Rippen pianos are quite compact/small in size, many Rippen pianos are still with their first owner; placed somewhere in a corner of a room where, unfortunately, they are being neglected just as much as other pianos of lesser known brands. If you can find one, please do a video about the famous aluminum grand piano that Rippen built about 50 years ago. They are really amazing and still look futuristic. Thanks for the great video, and keep up the good work!
Very good choice of demo piece for this instrument. The Dutch are so famous as tinkerers that it is not surprising they would have come up with an unusual layout for an upright.
I bought a new Rippen upright in England around 1988. It was overstrung and had a practice pedal. The case was a modern design. It had a great mid range and a very consistent action and held its tune really well. I sold it in 2001 before my wife and I moved to California. It’s the first and only acoustic piano I ever owned. Now living in Texas I have a Clavinova, which is a great instrument but I would love to go back to acoustic sometime.
I definitely need to visit DC Pianos someday. I love when you showcase rare pianos and instruments, puts a smile on my face. This piano did sound interesting to me. I got a very, very small harpsichord sound out of it. Love to hear you play and love your channels. Thanks 😊.
By the looks of it I actually expected it to sound a lot worst than it did. Sounds quite decent actually. For sure it sounds better than a few of the used, like new upright Yamahas I tried at a store recently.
Thank you Mr. Shawcross for sharing your discovery of the Rippen. What a unique instrument! Have you ever covered a G. Schwechten grand piano and/or an upright Weber here on your program?
I saw one of these on Craigslist for sale last year for $100 near me. It's how I found out about them and their unique designs. That one was in rough shape. Already had a piano so passed on it. Always wondered what they sound like.
Similar to the Minipiano with 2 pedals, full scale and decorative top. Its keyboard cover was a full piano top level surface folded over keyboard. It had a very hard set of keys which built up finger strength. I progressed to a Baldwin Hamilton at the request of my piano instructor. The Minipiano had a gold painted image of the Queen of England. I think sound quality is based upon storage and material.
I love seeing and hearing all the pianos you do reviews on. I have a 1970s lindner piano with the aluminum plate design.... I live in South Central Missouri so it's pretty rare. It's much like the piano Abba used on the road... Still plays quite well.. Seems to hold tune quite well too...
Never knew that our tiny country made pianos like these, and in Shannon too not that far but not too near from where I live as well. Made me interested to do some research and found out more myself.
I would like to see the bracing on the back of the piano!! It's bass is not very full, but the treble end seems very powerful. Thank you for sharing it. I like the looks of it.
If the piano store selling this instrument knows any of its the history, such as how/when it came to America, I’d be interested to hear about those details.
Rippen are quite common in France, it's always nice to work on it. One extremely rare Dutch piano is the Louis Zwicki's Pianette. That's a tiny upright with tuning pins installed vertically, that comes pretty well when tuned, and sounds nice.
Piano looks like it has been restored (and well done at that). As stated by other Dutch people already these are semi common over here. Sold a few in my years working in a piano store, were fun instruments to play on but indeed there are many better sounding pianos out there, but as a statement piece that you can actually play it is worth it to the right buyer.
Certainly a "one of a kind" piano :-) If the recording is "true" to the original sound, I would say it sounds a little too metallic/mechanical to my taste. I'm more attracted to a warmer/deeper yet crispy sound. Thanks for the review :-)
I've always had a fascination with straight strung pianos. If you ever get the chance, would you review a Chris Maene straightstrung? I think you might've mentioned them in an old review of a Chikering grand, but my memory is terrible so I'm probably wrong.
What a fun and unique piano, also great musical choice for this instrument as well.. Also, love road trippin' with you and your dad, so many really cool places to visit and learn about. What has been your most fun place so far?
James. I think the shape and sound of the Rippen suggest that this was a piano that was designed by a harpist. As with a harp the bass and treble strings are parallel and the shape of the piano case follows the general shape of a harp when viewed from the side. Interesting concept but sounds a little thin even for an upright.
The shape and sound characteristics are mostly a result of the unusual frame shape and materials that the Rippen pianos used, which was a deliberate (and very clever) choice by Rippen to keep the weight of the instruments as low as possible. The harp-like shape of the frame and the parallel strings meant that Rippen pianos were significantly more durable than similar pianos, because the hammers and key mechanism didn't have to be aligned in an awkward angle. Rippen was the first successful piano manufacturer that made extensive use of plastics, lightweight wood and light metals in their production pianos, which enabled Rippen to save a lot of money on shipping costs and helped them to keep the prices of the instruments relatively low. That "thin" sound b.t.w. is not uncommon for pianos with parallel strings, like the good old Erard and Pleyel instruments. It's basically a matter of resonance.
The curved top looks cool, but where would you stack your music scores? The flat top of a conventional upright is really useful for that. I also prefer a big music desk. They're losing some functionality with their cool design
I just wonder if the hammers are correctly voiced ... anyway it plays as odd as the shape 😅 It just remember the tangentenflugel or an old fortepiano, so the Scarlatti sonata k380 it's quite a lot appropriate.
As much respect and awe I have for the design, I cannot help but see a cartoon in which a grand piano has fallen apart, cartoon way; Tom or whoever has to repair it before his boss notices and he produces this... Funny! BTW, special piano round 8:00? ;-)
Hum, like the Fritz Dobbert pianos from Brazil, manufactured from 1958 to 1975 (although the FD126 is not that different). Anyway, the sounds of this piano are excellent.
I think the type is called "Maestro", and you occasionally see a Rippen for sale. They also made an aluminum grand piano: th-cam.com/video/iY2FRsMeYQo/w-d-xo.html Also straight strung, and a surprising full sound. I played one once in a hotel. Unfortunately, they're very limited available on the second hand market, and if they are, they're not cheap. Would love to see you do a review on one of those. Greetz from The Netherlands!
As far as I know, you won't find an aluminum Rippen grand in Europe for less than 25000 Euro, even in a bad condition. Restored ones will probably sell for twice the price, which is already more than a 15 year old 6.6 ft Fazioli in excellent condition! The average price in the USA for an aluminum Rippen grand piano will most likely be much higher than in Europe.
Oh yes, that’s a rare one even here in the Netherlands. I played one or two but they were a lot more out of tune then this one. I don’t know what the connection is with Ireland. They were made here in Ede. Maybe someone know more about that. But do you know how old it is because the ones build from the end of the 70’ or maybe 80’ were made with a light soundboard. Certainly not iron if I remember it correctly. And I have to look into that but the older ones were painted with a (flammable) oil and the ones later not. Someone told me that the reason they stopped the flammable paint was a fire in there workshop. That’s how I know the story. Hope it helps. I will try to find some information about it. Thank you for sharing and playing this incredible instrument with a lute like treble and a bass like … base. Does this make sense?
@@ThePianoforever - I have never heard about the flammable paint, but I do know that in 1969, when Rippen was moving to a new factory within the same city in The Netherlands (i.e. Ede), the old factory burned down before they could move everything over to the new location. Lots of machines, tools, designs, molds, and stock were completely lost. After that big loss, Rippen started to suffer from the huge competition from Asia that was suddenly flooding the market with highly affordable pianos of pretty decent quality. The financial crisis and economic downturn of 1981 made matters worse for Rippen. In 1985 the factory went bankrupt for the first time. Rippen managed to restart the company and its production, but went bankrupt again in 1992, shortly after the 1st Gulf war had started. This time, there was no rescue anymore, although a big piano company in The Netherlands that has several experts on the payroll who used to be employees of Rippen, is currently planning to revive the Dutch brand in some form, but unfortunately I don't know any details.
Ah yes the Irish firm of Lindner. Steel frame instead of iron. Plastic keys with lugs that went into metal clips. They broke very easily and unfortunately the firm didn’t last long and so spares were very hard to source. The church I’m organist for used to have one. Suffice it to say we got rid of it some years ago once keys started becoming inoperable.
@@ThePianoforever - As a matter of fact, Rippen pianos were selling significantly better abroad than in The Netherlands, which appears to be an example of a typical Dutch phenomenon. Dutch people often prefer non-Dutch brands, even if the quality is comparable. When the CD player was invented by Philips and Sony, most Dutch customers prefered Sony CD players over Philips CD players. There are lots of examples like this. Brand loyalty for the sake of national pride or national identity is not something you'd often see in The Netherlands. Of course, when it comes to saving the Dutch financial sector in times of economic recession, Dutch banks can always count on a bailout by the government. Unique companies like Rippen on the other hand are not considered essential or "too big to fail", so they will eventually go bankrupt during an economic crisis if that company is in financial trouble.
That sound at the bass section could be related with the section of the strings the hammers are hitting on, which is much towards the center of the strings instead of the “top” or near the pins. Its an acoustic characteristic based on a bad design-principle. Anyway, the instrument is beautiful.
FWIW, the Irish factory was Rippen's second factory built to satisfy the increased demand for Rippen pianos. The reason that Rippen built this 2nd factory on the West coast of Ireland in 1960, was the fact that the Irish government wanted to stimulate the economy and the growth of the airport in Shannon by offering companies from abroad a tax free period of 25 years(!) to start up their factories.
The Irish government also heavily subsidised the construction of each factory and its buildings and took care of the costs of the schooling and technical training of Irish employees.
Since most parts of the pianos and grand pianos were manufactured in the Rippen factory in Ede in The Netherlands, the 2nd Rippen factory in Ireland was mainly used for the assembly of the pianos that were shipped around the world.
I hope this info explains for you why it says Ireland on a Dutch piano.
Fascinating, thanks!
Correction: the Rippen factory in Ireland was built in 1962 and not in 1960, as I said previously.
I own a Rippen that I purchased new about 1988 from a piano dealer in the Seattle area. I love my Rippen though I believe they have gone out of business. One of the things that motivated me to purchase my Rippen is the story about the company that the piano salesman told me. He said it was a family business and the then current president succeeded his father but could not take the job as president until he had performed for a period of time every job in the company. From janitor to accounting to every technical skill that the company used.
I was impressed by this story that it motivated me to purchase my Rippen.
Thank you for playing the Scarlatti. It’s always a pleasure to hear you play classical pieces. You and your videos are grown over the years and they’ve gotten quite good. Thank you for continuing to do with them. Today’s was very interesting.
As a Dutch citizen, I love that you picked a Rippen piano for this video!
Rippen pianos are actually quite common here in The Netherlands, although not as common as they used to be about two decades ago, as far as I can remember.
Since most Rippen pianos are quite compact/small in size, many Rippen pianos are still with their first owner; placed somewhere in a corner of a room where, unfortunately, they are being neglected just as much as other pianos of lesser known brands.
If you can find one, please do a video about the famous aluminum grand piano that Rippen built about 50 years ago. They are really amazing and still look futuristic.
Thanks for the great video, and keep up the good work!
If I ever see one I don't think I could pass up doing a video of the aluminum piano! They're super rare.
@@ThePianoforever Thought that the Winter pianos had the aluminum plate in them?? They were spinet pianos and can be found around.
Can attest to the fact these are pretty common enough in the NL, sold a few when I worked at a piano store years back
Omg! Wonderful to hear you play that Scarlatti piece on the Rippen. What a nice sound.
I love its sound. I love the background that you gave about the piano.
Very good choice of demo piece for this instrument. The Dutch are so famous as tinkerers that it is not surprising they would have come up with an unusual layout for an upright.
I bought a new Rippen upright in England around 1988. It was overstrung and had a practice pedal. The case was a modern design. It had a great mid range and a very consistent action and held its tune really well. I sold it in 2001 before my wife and I moved to California. It’s the first and only acoustic piano I ever owned.
Now living in Texas I have a Clavinova, which is a great instrument but I would love to go back to acoustic sometime.
Sounds like it was quite reliable!
Yes very consistent, I never had any problems with it. At the time it was £600 cheaper than a similar sized Yamaha, but still was a great piano.
I definitely need to visit DC Pianos someday. I love when you showcase rare pianos and instruments, puts a smile on my face. This piano did sound interesting to me. I got a very, very small harpsichord sound out of it. Love to hear you play and love your channels. Thanks 😊.
Definitely drop by DC Pianos! I see what you mean about the harpsichord.
By the looks of it I actually expected it to sound a lot worst than it did. Sounds quite decent actually. For sure it sounds better than a few of the used, like new upright Yamahas I tried at a store recently.
My thoughts exactly!
Thank you Mr. Shawcross for sharing your discovery of the Rippen. What a unique instrument!
Have you ever covered a G. Schwechten grand piano and/or an upright Weber here on your program?
I saw one of these on Craigslist for sale last year for $100 near me. It's how I found out about them and their unique designs. That one was in rough shape. Already had a piano so passed on it. Always wondered what they sound like.
Similar to the Minipiano with 2 pedals, full scale and decorative top. Its keyboard cover was a full piano top level surface folded over keyboard. It had a very hard set of keys which built up finger strength. I progressed to a Baldwin Hamilton at the request of my piano instructor. The Minipiano had a gold painted image of the Queen of England.
I think sound quality is based upon storage and material.
Wow, that's definitely a rare piano, I love the exotic fine making of the wood. I am astonished!
It's the best looking one I've ever seen.
I love seeing and hearing all the pianos you do reviews on. I have a 1970s lindner piano with the aluminum plate design.... I live in South Central Missouri so it's pretty rare. It's much like the piano Abba used on the road... Still plays quite well.. Seems to hold tune quite well too...
Never knew that our tiny country made pianos like these, and in Shannon too not that far but not too near from where I live as well. Made me interested to do some research and found out more myself.
FASCINATING AS ALWAYS JAMES !
JB Piano in San Rafael has a Rippen piano.... now as of Dec. 4, 2021
Awesome as always 👍
I would like to see the bracing on the back of the piano!! It's bass is not very full, but the treble end seems very powerful. Thank you for sharing it. I like the looks of it.
I used to have an ordinary Rippen upright which was a really nice instrument.
Cool vid. Very interesting. Thanks!
Sounds great!
If the piano store selling this instrument knows any of its the history, such as how/when it came to America, I’d be interested to hear about those details.
Rippen are quite common in France, it's always nice to work on it.
One extremely rare Dutch piano is the Louis Zwicki's Pianette. That's a tiny upright with tuning pins installed vertically, that comes pretty well when tuned, and sounds nice.
Piano looks like it has been restored (and well done at that). As stated by other Dutch people already these are semi common over here. Sold a few in my years working in a piano store, were fun instruments to play on but indeed there are many better sounding pianos out there, but as a statement piece that you can actually play it is worth it to the right buyer.
Aahhh! I live in Berkeley. I’ll have to check it out!
Certainly a "one of a kind" piano :-)
If the recording is "true" to the original sound, I would say it sounds a little too metallic/mechanical to my taste. I'm more attracted to a warmer/deeper yet crispy sound.
Thanks for the review :-)
Beautiful sound and great tutorial
Wow. Thank you
I've always had a fascination with straight strung pianos. If you ever get the chance, would you review a Chris Maene straightstrung? I think you might've mentioned them in an old review of a Chikering grand, but my memory is terrible so I'm probably wrong.
A really interesting sound!
Beautiful sound I really like it.
Its unique for sure!
I have such piano. It is great. I'm Dutch and I learned play the piano on it. Now I also have a grandpiano, so the Maestro is for sale for good money.
What a fun and unique piano, also great musical choice for this instrument as well.. Also, love road trippin' with you and your dad, so many really cool places to visit and learn about. What has been your most fun place so far?
Visiting Boston was a lot of fun, but some of the countryside in Pennsylvania was beautiful. I'll be uploading that soon.
James. I think the shape and sound of the Rippen suggest that this was a piano that was designed by a harpist. As with a harp the bass and treble strings are parallel and the shape of the piano case follows the general shape of a harp when viewed from the side. Interesting concept but sounds a little thin even for an upright.
The shape and sound characteristics are mostly a result of the unusual frame shape and materials that the Rippen pianos used, which was a deliberate (and very clever) choice by Rippen to keep the weight of the instruments as low as possible.
The harp-like shape of the frame and the parallel strings meant that Rippen pianos were significantly more durable than similar pianos, because the hammers and key mechanism didn't have to be aligned in an awkward angle.
Rippen was the first successful piano manufacturer that made extensive use of plastics, lightweight wood and light metals in their production pianos, which enabled Rippen to save a lot of money on shipping costs and helped them to keep the prices of the instruments relatively low.
That "thin" sound b.t.w. is not uncommon for pianos with parallel strings, like the good old Erard and Pleyel instruments. It's basically a matter of resonance.
almost reminds me of a Yamaha CP-70 in terms of sound,
really neat piano!
I was thinking the same thing when editing this, yes!
Nice
Definitely!
Thank you so much. could you please tell me what the first piece you played was ? My 8 years old daughter would like to learn how to play it.
Rippen have also bild a beutiful grandpiano frome cast alluminium. Special made for onboard passengerships of the Holland America line
The curved top looks cool, but where would you stack your music scores? The flat top of a conventional upright is really useful for that. I also prefer a big music desk. They're losing some functionality with their cool design
I just wonder if the hammers are correctly voiced ... anyway it plays as odd as the shape 😅
It just remember the tangentenflugel or an old fortepiano, so the Scarlatti sonata k380 it's quite a lot appropriate.
I have never played a Rippen.
I've seen a couple for sale here, but never one that looks like this one.
Somebody needs to sample this piano
As much respect and awe I have for the design, I cannot help but see a cartoon in which a grand piano has fallen apart, cartoon way; Tom or whoever has to repair it before his boss notices and he produces this... Funny!
BTW, special piano round 8:00? ;-)
This was like watching Doug DeMuro talk about cars.
Hum, like the Fritz Dobbert pianos from Brazil, manufactured from 1958 to 1975 (although the FD126 is not that different). Anyway, the sounds of this piano are excellent.
They broke the mold after making these! Never imagined something like this. Almost as bad as the Mills Violano. Thanks!
Seems like Rippen could have made the height difference between right and left side even bigger. Wonderfull design choice.
Interesting shape inside and out! got me wondering though, does the pitch of the string change depending where the hammer strikes it?
Pitch no, tone yes. Even a tiny adjustment can dramatically change the tonal qualities of a note.
@@ThePianoforever - That's correct. You can compare it with the 'Sul Ponticello' technique on the violin.
What composition are you playing on the twelfth minute?
Very interesting sound
I've never heard any thing like that before
All tho I still prefer the sound of my Diapason upright🎹🎶
Rippen was the company that made those Linder "plastic" pianos in Ireland.
Yes Lindner pianos were terrible
I think the type is called "Maestro", and you occasionally see a Rippen for sale. They also made an aluminum grand piano: th-cam.com/video/iY2FRsMeYQo/w-d-xo.html Also straight strung, and a surprising full sound. I played one once in a hotel. Unfortunately, they're very limited available on the second hand market, and if they are, they're not cheap. Would love to see you do a review on one of those.
Greetz from The Netherlands!
As far as I know, you won't find an aluminum Rippen grand in Europe for less than 25000 Euro, even in a bad condition. Restored ones will probably sell for twice the price, which is already more than a 15 year old 6.6 ft Fazioli in excellent condition! The average price in the USA for an aluminum Rippen grand piano will most likely be much higher than in Europe.
Oh yes, that’s a rare one even here in the Netherlands. I played one or two but they were a lot more out of tune then this one. I don’t know what the connection is with Ireland. They were made here in Ede. Maybe someone know more about that. But do you know how old it is because the ones build from the end of the 70’ or maybe 80’ were made with a light soundboard. Certainly not iron if I remember it correctly. And I have to look into that but the older ones were painted with a (flammable) oil and the ones later not. Someone told me that the reason they stopped the flammable paint was a fire in there workshop. That’s how I know the story. Hope it helps. I will try to find some information about it. Thank you for sharing and playing this incredible instrument with a lute like treble and a bass like … base. Does this make sense?
Sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis would have approved of the flammable oil pianos. Interesting info, thanks!
Haha, yes. And glad I could help.
@@ThePianoforever - I have never heard about the flammable paint, but I do know that in 1969, when Rippen was moving to a new factory within the same city in The Netherlands (i.e. Ede), the old factory burned down before they could move everything over to the new location. Lots of machines, tools, designs, molds, and stock were completely lost.
After that big loss, Rippen started to suffer from the huge competition from Asia that was suddenly flooding the market with highly affordable pianos of pretty decent quality. The financial crisis and economic downturn of 1981 made matters worse for Rippen. In 1985 the factory went bankrupt for the first time. Rippen managed to restart the company and its production, but went bankrupt again in 1992, shortly after the 1st Gulf war had started. This time, there was no rescue anymore, although a big piano company in The Netherlands that has several experts on the payroll who used to be employees of Rippen, is currently planning to revive the Dutch brand in some form, but unfortunately I don't know any details.
Completely forgot to mention. The cap. Is that a Aston Martin logo?
Ah yes the Irish firm of Lindner. Steel frame instead of iron. Plastic keys with lugs that went into metal clips. They broke very easily and unfortunately the firm didn’t last long and so spares were very hard to source. The church I’m organist for used to have one. Suffice it to say we got rid of it some years ago once keys started becoming inoperable.
In fact, those are pretty common in Nowhere. Hass
👍
dutch piano makes me high...
was it scarlatti the 2 nd music you did ?
Yep!
Not too proud to admit I am Dutch and have never heard of Rippen pianos.
That's alright, not many people have!
@@ThePianoforever - As a matter of fact, Rippen pianos were selling significantly better abroad than in The Netherlands, which appears to be an example of a typical Dutch phenomenon. Dutch people often prefer non-Dutch brands, even if the quality is comparable.
When the CD player was invented by Philips and Sony, most Dutch customers prefered Sony CD players over Philips CD players. There are lots of examples like this. Brand loyalty for the sake of national pride or national identity is not something you'd often see in The Netherlands.
Of course, when it comes to saving the Dutch financial sector in times of economic recession, Dutch banks can always count on a bailout by the government. Unique companies like Rippen on the other hand are not considered essential or "too big to fail", so they will eventually go bankrupt during an economic crisis if that company is in financial trouble.
Interesting. but, without a cross-over in the strings, the notes seem to have a very 'thin' sound.
The embroidery on the cap looks like a Bentley logo to me.
1:10
I own one-
That sound at the bass section could be related with the section of the strings the hammers are hitting on, which is much towards the center of the strings instead of the “top” or near the pins. Its an acoustic characteristic based on a bad design-principle. Anyway, the instrument is beautiful.
Piano design by Salvador Dali?