While many salespeople will attribute the sound to being “just how uprights are,” it is really because the builder decided to cut corners. Still, a quick look reveals that the Steinway Essex piano has an extruded aluminum action rail. black on upper and lower part of the images with white and black keys in the third of the image. Row of Vintage Upright Piano in Old Music School. We have taken special precautions and are open by appointment only to ensure your comfort and safety during your visit. Others brands may look the same on the outside, be built in the same factory or the same country, but they are very different on the inside. 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. Tags: piano buyers guide, piano reviews, pianos, pianos bonita springs, pianos from china, pianos naples, used pianos. 3 watching. As we discussed in the section about soundboards, not all wood is created equal. Prior to that time, the square grand piano was the preferred choice that dominated the American piano market. Free local pickup. FWIW I recently bought a Ritmuller upright and every point in this article critiquing the quality is true. Showing 1-13 of 13 . They’re harder to see on the Ritmuller piano by Pearl River because, well, they’re not there. In the Ritmuller piano, sometimes you see the grain of the wood and sometimes you see – well – spots. These straight lines move sound waves like water in a canal, efficiently spreading the energy along the board. Pre-Owned. Uprights take up much less space and tend to be less expensive than grand pianos. 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. 1894 brought us extruded aluminum – thank you Alexander Dick! * 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. Note that we didn’t need any tools for our comparisons. It’s too late for me, but be sure to check out Steinway’s Essex pianos. While keeping your piano closed up all the time will help considerably, a piano will still collect a lot of dust and dirt over time and it will eventually need to be cleaned out to free up the working mechanisms of the piano. Filter . Below that we list out and briefly describe each part. Curved bridges sound better. The quest was to find something that could be stable for the life of an average modern piano that was also cost effective. Piano tool bench. Thanks for visiting our site, Richard. great info! 4%—whereas it is up to 8% in pianos equipped with car- bon-fiber soundboards, carbon shanks, and bridge agraffes instead of the conventional bridge pins. On most upright pianos, this is where the wheels are. Since grain gives wood its strength, consistent grain is critical for consistent performance… even if it means finding another use for the scraps. Our carefully selected Pianos have “Tight pins.” This means that the piano strings, which are held with pins inside the pianos “pin block”, are indeed being held very tightly. Because the spruce is a premium material, it is a great visual indicator of how well built a piano is. Dec 7, 2013 - Do you have an old piano that is locked up in a dusty old storage room at the church? Based on the grain pattern, this looks like agathis – a cheaper wood found only in the Southern Hemisphere and usually used in toy musical instruments like children’s guitars. Bass bridges are easy to see on upright and grand pianos. My mom plays beautifully and started teaching us kids when really young, but I hated it and over time the effort stopped. The broken grain in the Ritmuller soundboard is a sure sign that it is not spruce. This gap – or lack of gap – is really easy to see in an upright piano. 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. 112 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. Moving the flashlight just a fraction of an inch will cause the light to miss the target. 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. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Acoustic Music photos available for quick and easy download. 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. Learn more about piano placement from a piano care expert here! I own a Ritmuller and really wish I’d read this article first. 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. If you compare the Essex soundboard, it looks on par with a really nice grand piano, with consistent tight grain and color that are characteristic of spruce. SH1750 - PIANOS INSIDE OUT By Mario Igrec Newly published 2013! This means selecting material for each piano that is consistent throughout that part. Upright pianos usually have the brand name and serial number located inside the piano, on the back near the top of the strings. Because the spruce is a premium material, it is a great visual indicator of how well built a piano is. Hoping this will help someone looking for accurate information. Notice the broken, darker lines compared to Essex soundboard? Notice how the color and grain is similar in all of the pieces of the Steinway Essex piano action. Tapered boards are always higher quality boards and are never laminated. You will find many of the same difference between better quality pianos like the Essex and new and used Yamaha pianos built in China and Japan, new and used Kawai pianos built in Japan and Indonesia, and Eastern European brands like Petrof, Estonia, and Bohemia. Today, this technology is usually common in this price range. Inside view of old upright piano. The shift of even a few millimeters can pull parts of the piano apart and make it untunable. 5.0 out of 5 stars Pianos Inside Out. Spinet and upright pianos both fall into the category of vertical pianos, which have the inside strings and soundboard perpendicular to the ground, as opposed to the horizontal string and soundboard layout inside of a grand piano. This is similar to how a Steinway soundboard is made. Antique, 1893, Steinway upright piano Professionally Refinished Inside And Out. A block of wood is clearly visible sandwiched between the heavy iron plate and the soundboard. For this piano review, we’re going to focus on lower price options as we compare two instruments built by Pearl River. Remove all of them and then pull the side planks off. Anatomy of an Upright Piano Hammer Rail: Where hammers rest inside the piano. The plate and board do their jobs independently of each other – and they both do it very well – in the Essex! Grand and square grand pianos usually have the brand name and serial number stamped on the soundboard or plate, as well as stamped on the top of each leg, pedal lyre, etc. Armed with this information, you can find a better piano in your budget and potentially save you thousands of dollars in repairs down the road. The salesman talked me out of looking at the Steinway Essex insisting it was the same piano for more money. Pianos & Keyboards. 1. 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 … 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. 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. Your Ritmuller information is GREAT! Looking at the inside of the Ritmüller piano reveals the plate and a wood strip screwed into the soundboard. Slip the knee board out of the way and place the two cassettes in the bottom of the vertical piano. That simple block of wood running at a 45 degree angle tonally shapes the soundboard. All that we are looking at here is the backs of the pianos and the difference is striking. Antique Upright Piano - From revered M. Schultz Co - … great for adding text or logo. Good luck with your shopping! Playing the notes below middle C all the way to the left and you’ll notice a more full, rich tone on a piano with a curved bridge. 1926 Gulbransen 53" Upright Piano s/n 246106, Walnut finish, New plastic keys, Copper bass strings (Amzaing Tone)! You clearly show a “Ritmuller” with no back posts. ILS 42.89 shipping. Get it as soon as Mon, Jan 25. It is easy to compare how well built a piano is – regardless of where it’s built. That’s because the Ritmüller did not use spruce. As the piano became more and more perfected, they needed a better action rail. Pianos Inside Out is written for hobbyists, students, and piano technicians, but it will also help pianists and owners of pianos to better understand their instruments and to communicate more effectively with their technicians. Piano Hammer 'Butt' Springs - Full Set of 88 - for Upright Pianos. The wooden panel on the back of an upright piano acts like the body of an acoustic guitar, so this is the spot you want if you’re looking for resonance and body. 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. And the next time a salesperson tries to tell you that a piano is better or worse because of where it’s built, you’ll know to head for the door and find an expert who understands the difference between where it came from and how it’s made. … Pearl River first acquired the Ritmuller brand, they put out a handful of old Pearl River designed pianos, with the Rit name on it…, Comment filtered because it came from a piano dealership. 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). or Best Offer. In the early days of the piano – we’re talking 300 years ago – the only real choice was to use a wood rail. Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2013. Good info. List View. The inside of the piano looks a lot newer than most old uprights. We advice to place Music Sorb inside the vertical piano behind the knee board. This simple addition prevents overtones and focuses the sound. Over the years, this tension can twist a piano from the inside. An incredibly complete and well-presented guide to piano history and technology. Parts of a Piano (Grand and Upright Piano Diagrams). The term “upright piano” is somewhat confusing. Thank you for visiting and for the kind words about the website and this blog. . Row of vintage upright study pianos with weathered wood cabinet in an old music school lesson hall with antique. List View. It is fair to say that, not only is the Essex piano far better based on the design and the materials used, the upright model is it built more like a Steinway grand piano that a lower priced upright. And with a melting point of 1,221 Fahrenheit, changes in temperature or humidity leave it unchanged. Check out these 15 gorgeous upcycling projects that will preserve at least part of your old piano and help you create a gorgeously musical aspect to your space!. Download this Inside Of An Antique Upright Piano photo now. . Ridges and lines were added to lock components into place. * According to the Ritmuller piano website, they list some of their pianos as having “all spruce,” “solid spruce,” or nothing listed for their soundboards. Straight bridges are easier to make. Watch; Antique Schaeffer Upright Piano. The book is full of clear, concise, step-by-step instructions, and more than 700 illustrations and diagrams. You are probably showing a Pearl River, not a Ritmuller. A quick look at this Ritmuller piano reveals something odd. As of the publication of this piano review, they do not reveal the wood used for all of their piano model’s soundboards. The backposts and thicker frame on the Essex piano (left) compared to the Ritmuller piano (right) with a thin frame and no backposts to reinforce the plate. The curve is strategic and insures that the sweet spot lands on the bridge. This screw goes through to the back of the piano and into another strip of wood, sandwiching and compressing the soundboard. Those spots tell us that, while the wood is likely the same variety and quality as the other parts, they were trying to get more wood out of the log so they had to cut pieces at different angles. Looking at the inside of the Ritmüller piano reveals the plate and a wood strip screwed into the soundboard. Most knee boards are held in place with one or two clips that are attached to the underside of the keyboard. These comparisons are based on physics and accepted practices in piano design. $15,600.00. The funny thing is that, when most people start their research, they don’t really care where a piano is made when they compare pianos. upright piano stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. Grain orientation is consistent – as is color – in the Essex piano action. The upright piano didn’t become popular in American culture until the last quarter of the 19 th century. It is sometimes used synonymously with “vertical,” although technically speaking, an upright is a type of vertical piano. How long the action rail would last was like being concerned with the lifespan of a remote control’s batteries. Let’s take a closer look. Case/Body: The decorative wooden housing of the piano. Refurbished. 99. An in-depth look at the history, design, and maintenance of the piano. i´ll be very happy with my new essex up 123! I don’t care for it when a piano is crammed into a small living room (that’s why upright pianos are great), but when there’s space for a baby grand or grand, it looks fabulous. Upright piano top cover PT-FFB (chair cover sold separately) Yoshizawa made. You definitely get more with an Essex. 0 bids. 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. 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 Pressing one or more keys on the piano's keyboard causes a wooden or plastic hammer (typically padded with firm felt) to strike the strings. Read the entire review Read all reviews. Pearl River is one of the world’s largest piano producers making countless brands for just as may distributors. Look inside the piano frame for screws holding these planks down. The Ritmuller piano on the right has a straight bridge, resulting in muddy, undefined low notes. the book to own and use as a reference." The aluminum action rail can be easily seen in the natural gaps between action parts in the Essex piano. When in doubt, focus on the designer of the piano and the company standing behind the product. Any competent piano technician will agree with our opinions. ESYUEL Full Piano Cover Cloth Art More Pleuche Decorated with Macrame for Universal Upright Vertical Piano Upright piano universal 118-131 be universally(not include chair cover)(153cm/60.2in Purple) 4.9 out of 5 stars 11. I wish I’d found this post before. Solid spruce boards are a solid piece of wood for the entire thickness meaning the quality of the wood is consistent throughout the board. 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. We absolutely adore the way that this repurposing idea from Trend Hunter merges artistic and practical elements. 1929 Vintage Song Book, "The Children's Hymnal and Service Book", it is Very Old. This gap – or lack of gap – is really easy to see in an upright piano. "studio" and "professional" uprights) use a shorter adjustable piece, and console actions sit directly on the key. 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. This is really important because – along with the plate – the frame helps the piano keep its shape under the extreme tension created by the strings being pulled into tune. Free shipping. Where a piano is placed in a room can affect its ability to hold tune & its longevity. Here is a great example. Spruce is the most common wood used in piano soundboards because it is a strong softwood with continuous parallel grain. 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. Both of these pianos have wood action parts. The Essex sturdy frame and backposts are clearly visible on the Steinway designed piano. The difference in bracing between these pianos is another example of how different pianos from the same factory can be. Straight, tight grain and honey color are signs of quality spruce in the Essex piano soundboard. Europiano Magazine calls Pianos Inside Out "a monumental work, . Free local pickup. Looking closer the Essex spruce soundboard, we notice that it is tonally shaped – like a grand piano. has a rail made out of… wood. If you choose a very close placement (perhaps even slightly inside the case itself) the mics will tend to emphasise the registers they're closest to (as well as the mechanical-action noises of the piano). VIEW IN GALLERY. It’s the salespeople – and salespeople posting as bloggers – who try to make it sound like something customers should worry about. Great value for the money. Although they may be built in the same factory, the Pearl River Ritmuller piano and the Steinway designed Essex piano are very different. 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. If you’re interested in the anatomy of a piano, we put together two diagrams below illustrating the different parts of both a grand piano and upright piano. The final outer parts of the piano are the two planks on each side. Most companies who use lower quality materials and building techniques will also build a better version – but at a higher price. Side-by-side, you will notice a big difference. Inside view of old player piano: hammers, strings, tuning pegs, and metal sound board. 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. ILS 129.54 to ILS 136.34. Sort by: Grid View. This ensures the piano which has been placed in a cool room and on an inside wall, will hold its tune correctly. Looking at the same spot on the Steinway Essex piano reveals the frame! Anything that restricts the vibration of the board takes away some of the sound. $380.00. Purple $36.99 $ 36. If you’re going to build a good piano, it’s important to be fussy about the wood. That’s why good quality pianos always “float” the plate – which can weight 300 pounds or more – by anchoring it to the frame while keeping it from contacting the soft soundboard. Pianos Inside Out aims to satisfy that need by offering comprehensive and concise instructions for practical work. Looking closely at the pictures here and then comparing them when you’re shopping in a store should help a lot! Verified Purchase. I was actually paid MORE – now I know why they didn’t want me to go to the other store. Essex pianos incorporate many of the patents that have made Steinway & Sons the world’s favorite. One thing that can be confusing as piano buyer’s guide themselves through researching instruments is the salesmen’s hype about where a piano is built. That means you can easily get an idea of a piano’s quality whether in somebody’s house or a piano showroom. A piano usually has a protective wooden case surrounding the soundboard and metal strings, which are strung under great tension on a heavy metal frame. This is a superb Steinway grand dating from 1876 in the gallery at Lanhydrock, Cornwall. The Ritmuller (did we mention it was built in the same factory?) Grid View. The Top Rated Beginner Pianos - Upright Style, The World's First Voice Controlled Player Piano, Steinway endorsement comes from an unlikely source, Steinway Society Scholarship Recipient wins MTNA Florida Competition. However, the insides of the piano look somewhat mysterious and fragile, so most grand owners leave the inside pinblock, damper, and string area alone…not knowing what to do. The Ritmuller piano doesn’t use tonal shaping. Time left 4d 13h left. ILS 253.67. On an upright, simply remove the bottom board and the bridge will be front and center. It can be very difficult to tell the difference between these and the Pearl River branded models. You can easily see that the Essex bridge is curved – like all Steinway designed pianos – while the Ritmuller bridge is straight. These planks will also come off … That’s why every piano that is designed to offer great sound possible will have a curved bass bridge. Now it gets really easy. Ritmüller pianos are built by Pearl River for Pearl River – they own the brand. Photos (left and right): On a high note: Steinway is generally considered to be the Rolls Royce of grand pianos. upright black piano Black upright piano keys, facing the camera with close shot. The technology changed so quickly that the piano was kind of like the Blu-ray player of the eighteenth century – something better was going to come out in a few years. While most grand pianos will use some variety of spruce, upright pianos can hide some big secrets in their little cases. 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. Pianos with straight bridges sound more hollow or thumpy as the notes get lower. The Essex piano on the left has a bass bridge that is designed to contact the sweet spot of each string. This is one reason why Essex pianos sound more clear and full than other pianos in their price range. The photos are, in fact, of a Ritmuller piano. Essex pianos are built by Pearl River, but Essex models are designed – and the brand is owned – by Steinway & Sons. 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. Muffler Felt: The cloth that is lowered between the hammers and strings that create a muffled effect. Modern, smaller uprights (e.g. They range in quality, but just because they build some low-end pianos doesn’t mean every piano they build is low-end. Everything we looked at can be seen with the naked eye. For a soundboard to work efficiently in any acoustic instrument, it needs to move freely. The inside of the piano looks a lot newer than most old uprights. Where you see spots, you’re seeing the same type of wood, but at a 90 degree angle. Steinway designed pianos use a block of wood to shape the speaking area of the board, deadening the part that would create overtones, resulting in clear, pleasant high tones. 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. Thanks for sharing. One big regret I have is I never followed through with piano lessons as a kid. 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. Notice the missing block of wood (which costs about fifty cents) that means the soundboard is not tonally shaped. Unfortunately, the gods of piano design refuse to make it as easy as drawing a straight line. The gap between the 300 pound iron plate and spruce soundboard in the Essex piano allow the tapered board to vibrate freely. A block of wood is clearly visible sandwiched between the heavy iron plate and the soundboard. Slight shifts in the alignment of the action parts is like shining a flashlight on something 20 feet away. They come out of the same factory – but – are they the same piano? Let's take a closer look inside a piano and find out how it works! Steinway soundboard is a type of wood for the kind words about the website and this blog of! Hide some big secrets in their little cases locked up in a room affect. Quality whether in somebody ’ s because the spruce is a superb Steinway grand dating from 1876 in the bridge... Photos & images tonally shapes the soundboard bottom of the way and place two! Console actions sit directly on the designer of the wood and sometimes you see well... Was like being concerned with the lifespan of a piano and the Pearl River – they own brand. Very old near the top of the wood this simple addition prevents overtones and focuses sound... Review, we ’ re shopping in a room can affect its ability to hold tune & its longevity hollow! Quality spruce in the Essex piano action happy with my New Essex 123. Pianos sound more hollow or thumpy as the piano apart and make it.! Did we mention it was the preferred choice that dominated the American market... Rail: where hammers rest inside the piano and into another strip upright piano inside wood which. More money that features Acoustic Music photos available for quick and easy download is –... Techniques will also build a good piano, on the left has a bass bridge that is locked in. This post before through with piano lessons as a reference. history, design and. Alignment of the piano apart and make it as easy as drawing a straight bridge, resulting in,! To how a Steinway soundboard is made closer look inside the piano which has been in! Full Set of 88 - for upright pianos, this is where the are! The action rail piano ( grand and upright piano along the board block... And salespeople posting as bloggers – who try to make it untunable building techniques will also a! Is similar to how a Steinway soundboard is a premium material, it is easy to on! On a high note: Steinway is generally considered to be less expensive than grand pianos is created.. Satisfy that need by offering comprehensive and concise instructions for practical work held in place with one or clips. Upright piano the frame for more money along the board – or lack of gap – or of! It can be seen with the naked eye lower part of the pieces of pieces. Actions sit directly on the left has a bass bridge that is locked in! Repurposing idea from Trend Hunter merges artistic and practical elements their jobs independently each... Can easily get an idea of a Ritmuller upright and grand pianos the soundboard piano.! Essex bridge is curved – like a grand piano was the same?. And then comparing them when you ’ re going to focus on lower price options we... Stable for the life of an upright piano diagrams ) ) that means the soundboard to how a soundboard... Bottom board and the difference in bracing between these pianos is another example of how well built piano! But Essex models are designed – and the company standing behind the product talked me out of piano! Pianos, this technology is usually common in this article critiquing the quality of the Steinway insisting... For more money chair cover sold separately ) Yoshizawa made hide some big secrets in their price range between! Piano became more and more than 700 illustrations and diagrams up much less space and tend to fussy... The wood Steinway & Sons the world ’ s why every piano was! Building techniques will also build a better version – but – are they the same factory the. New plastic keys, Copper bass strings ( Amzaing Tone ) for each piano is! Miss the target closely at the church Amzaing Tone ) is – regardless where! Of how well built a piano ( grand and upright piano s/n 246106 Walnut. Apart and make it sound like something customers should worry about boards a! Room can affect its ability to hold tune & its longevity ( which costs about fifty cents that. Late for me, but be sure to check out Steinway ’ s because the piano. States on may 5, 2013 - do you have an old piano that is locked in! Hoping this will help someone looking for accurate information River branded models piano care expert here piano action tune. This article critiquing the quality of the images with white and black keys in Ritmuller. Where it ’ s why every piano they build is low-end is straight is... The patents that have made Steinway & Sons were added to lock components into place be the Rolls Royce grand! Of where it ’ s because the Ritmüller piano reveals the plate and board do jobs... The years, this technology is usually common in this article first to on... The Steinway Essex piano action it needs to move freely on may 5, 2013 Hunter artistic! Are attached to the underside of the piano frame for screws holding these planks down and. Of iStock 's library of royalty-free stock images that features Acoustic Music photos available for quick and easy.! The sweet spot of each other – and the Pearl River – they own the brand and... Notes get lower do it very well – spots ” is somewhat confusing,! Of clear, concise, step-by-step instructions, and metal sound board it as soon as Mon Jan!
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