What I like about the PH Grand Piano and also the smaller ‘PH Pianette’ which is Poul Henningsen’s design for an upright piano, is the idea that these unconventional piano designs are less intimidating than traditional wooden finished pianos. 0 bids. The gap between the 300 pound iron plate and spruce soundboard in the Essex piano allow the tapered board to vibrate freely. High quality wood offers remarkable durability in a piano’s action and – when done right – a responsive feel that just can’t be replicated with plastic. Every piece of the piano that we removed for the purpose of this review is designed to come off – as easy as taking the leaf out of a dining table. Upright pianos are made in various heights; the shortest are called spinets or consoles, and these are generally considered to have an inferior tone resulting from the shortness of their strings and their relatively … This is one reason why Essex pianos sound more clear and full than other pianos in their price range. Curved bridges sound better. The aluminum action rail can be easily seen in the natural gaps between action parts in the Essex piano. Note that we didn’t need any tools for our comparisons. Over the years, this tension can twist a piano from the inside. Uprights take up much less space and tend to be less expensive than grand pianos. Pre-Owned. 5.0 out of 5 stars Pianos Inside Out. You clearly show a “Ritmuller” with no back posts. Pianos & Keyboards. Case/Body: The decorative wooden housing of the piano. i´ll be very happy with my new essex up 123! Hoping this will help someone looking for accurate information. 99. They come out of the same factory – but – are they the same piano? This simple addition prevents overtones and focuses the sound. How long the action rail would last was like being concerned with the lifespan of a remote control’s batteries. While I can’t play, I enjoy listening to music and I think a piano is a terrific piece for any living room if you have the space. I own a Ritmuller and really wish I’d read this article first. Below that we list out and briefly describe each part. It takes a little longer to build a piano this way, but the result is a piano that gives you all of the sound you paid for. Upright piano, musical instrument in which the soundboard and plane of the strings run vertically, perpendicular to the keyboard, thus taking up less floor space than the normal grand piano. 1. Bass bridges are easy to see on upright and grand pianos. The photos are, in fact, of a Ritmuller piano. Your Ritmuller information is GREAT! It provides an overview of piano history, and in-depth discussion of all aspects of piano construction, design, and maintenance, followed by step-by-step instructions on tuning, regulation, voicing, repair, and rebuilding. Steinway & Sons invented a remarkable system using a maple dowel pressed into a brass tube that is remarkably stable and effective – even outlasting the action parts most of the time – that they still use today. has a rail made out of… wood. ILS 253.67. We absolutely adore the way that this repurposing idea from Trend Hunter merges artistic and practical elements. Anatomy of an Upright Piano Hammer Rail: Where hammers rest inside the piano. Kimball upright piano inside - Curiosity, Where is the computer chip?.jpg 800 × 800; 355 KB Kimball upright piano inside - World's Columbian Exposition Award to W. W. Kimball Co..jpg 1,024 × 768; 491 KB It’s the salespeople – and salespeople posting as bloggers – who try to make it sound like something customers should worry about. As we discussed in the section about soundboards, not all wood is created equal. Provides practical, step-by-step guidance to anyone who wants to learn how to tune, repair, regulate, voice, rebuild, or improve the action performance of pianos. This gap – or lack of gap – is really easy to see in an upright piano. This gap – or lack of gap – is really easy to see in an upright piano. You definitely get more with an Essex. Pearl River is one of the world’s largest piano producers making countless brands for just as may distributors. That means you can easily get an idea of a piano’s quality whether in somebody’s house or a piano showroom. or Best Offer. Large, mostly older upright pianos have a "sticker" that sits between the key and the action (the piece next to the up arrow in this drawing). $380.00. Notice the broken, darker lines compared to Essex soundboard? That’s why every piano that is designed to offer great sound possible will have a curved bass bridge. Antique, 1893, Steinway upright piano Professionally Refinished Inside And Out. Row of Vintage Upright Piano in Old Music School. The Ritmuller (did we mention it was built in the same factory?) Upright pianos usually have the brand name and serial number located inside the piano, on the back near the top of the strings. 1926 Gulbransen 53" Upright Piano s/n 246106, Walnut finish, New plastic keys, Copper bass strings (Amzaing Tone)! It’s nice that Steinway offers the Essex for people looking for a higher quality instrument in a lower price range from a company they can trust. Thank you for visiting and for the kind words about the website and this blog. Filter . Remove all of them and then pull the side planks off. The upright piano didn’t become popular in American culture until the last quarter of the 19 th century. Inside view of old upright piano. Looking at the same spot on the Steinway Essex piano reveals the frame! They want you to believe that every piano built in a particular factory is exactly the same and that it’s your lucky day because they sell the one. It’s too late for me, but be sure to check out Steinway’s Essex pianos. Since grain gives wood its strength, consistent grain is critical for consistent performance… even if it means finding another use for the scraps. great info! I’m not the only kids to bail on piano lessons; it’s not very exciting for kids who love nothing more to than to run around outside and play sports. Solid spruce boards are a solid piece of wood for the entire thickness meaning the quality of the wood is consistent throughout the board. The inside of the piano looks a lot newer than most old uprights. The Ritmuller piano doesn’t use tonal shaping. Straight bridges are easier to make. ILS 129.54 to ILS 136.34. On most upright pianos, this is where the wheels are. Even though they new that that wood would bend, swell, warp, or crack enough to permanently change how the piano played, pianos were only expected to last for a few years. great for adding text or logo. For this piano review, we’re going to focus on lower price options as we compare two instruments built by Pearl River. Refurbished. Any competent piano technician will agree with our opinions. Piano tool bench. Moving the flashlight just a fraction of an inch will cause the light to miss the target. It’s a real shame because I love piano music and I’d love to be able to sit down and play music these days. The shape of the bridge will tell you as much about the builder’s “attitude” toward building as the soundboard will tell you about the quality of construction. They range in quality, but just because they build some low-end pianos doesn’t mean every piano they build is low-end. * According to the Ritmuller piano website, they list some of their pianos as having “all spruce,” “solid spruce,” or nothing listed for their soundboards. Here is a great example. In the early days of the piano – we’re talking 300 years ago – the only real choice was to use a wood rail. The decades that followed gave us rails made from extruded aluminum (it’s fun to say out loud) were strong and rigid, yet the metal was soft enough to screw into. * Essex piano soundboards are high quality solid spruce – comparable to the best pianos built in Japan and most high priced European pianos – with the added benefit of a taper. Dec 7, 2013 - Do you have an old piano that is locked up in a dusty old storage room at the church? This ensures the piano which has been placed in a cool room and on an inside wall, will hold its tune correctly. 112 You are probably showing a Pearl River, not a Ritmuller. Antique Upright Piano - From revered M. Schultz Co - … 1894 brought us extruded aluminum – thank you Alexander Dick! The Ritmuller piano on the right has a straight bridge, resulting in muddy, undefined low notes. Watch; Antique Schaeffer Upright Piano. Good info. In the Ritmuller piano, sometimes you see the grain of the wood and sometimes you see – well – spots. Although they may be built in the same factory, the Pearl River Ritmuller piano and the Steinway designed Essex piano are very different. My mom plays beautifully and started teaching us kids when really young, but I hated it and over time the effort stopped. Determining the “speaking length” of each of the 200+ strings in a piano is a science that’s best left to piano scale designers, but simply put, there is a sweet spot where each string should contact the bridge to bring the best sound into the soundboard. Let’s take a closer look. Read the entire review Read all reviews. All spruce soundboards are laminated boards that use a thicker core of lower quality wood with a tighter grain veneer on either side, making the board look like higher quality wood than they actual are. I wish I’d found this post before. Learn more about piano placement from a piano care expert here! Thanks for sharing. Now it gets really easy. Looking closer the Essex spruce soundboard, we notice that it is tonally shaped – like a grand piano. When in doubt, focus on the designer of the piano and the company standing behind the product. Even piano builders who use plastic in their piano actions concede that it is important to mount these thousands of small parts on a sturdy base. Today, this technology is usually common in this price range. Where a piano is placed in a room can affect its ability to hold tune & its longevity. This method shines in slower-paced tunes because of its inherent sustain, and it’s also a good choice for singer-songwriters because it provides great isolation from the vocals. List View. upright black piano Black upright piano keys, facing the camera with close shot. Thanks for visiting our site, Richard. You can easily see that the Essex bridge is curved – like all Steinway designed pianos – while the Ritmuller bridge is straight. A block of wood is clearly visible sandwiched between the heavy iron plate and the soundboard. upright piano stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. It can be very difficult to tell the difference between these and the Pearl River branded models. 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