Hello people,

Somebody help me please!! I am currently looking for a new piano and for a while now I have wanted a Yamaha U3 which here in the UK costs around £4600, I think they sound and feel fantastic and the quality is a work of art.

So off down the piano dealers I go and had a tinkle on the U3 playing the only song I know! (with no sheet music in front of me), It was fantastic I would have bought one there and then. When my sensible brain (AKA the girlfriend) suggested that maybe I should try some other dealers to see what they had to offer.

So I went to another local dealer who seemed to specialize in cheaper versions of european pianos ie Hoffman and Petro, and also Chinese versions of Ritmuller and Pearl River. After playing a few I came accross a piano with Ritmullers name on it and I began to play. WOW I was amazed this piano sounded fantastic and even looked stunning with modern chrome details. Basically I clicked with it and even more so when I saw a price tag at just £2500.

So here comes the dilema, I know I would be compramising in every way with this piano against the U3 but is the Yamaha really worth the extra money, should I get the cheaper one and keep it for a few years and then trade it in for the yamaha.

Can anyone advise on Chinese made pianos, particularly the RITMULLER I have heard one or two scary stories in the past about them, but is it just myth.

Your help would be very much appreciated.

BEN

It sounds as if the particular seller of the Ritmullers nearest you, take some time to prep their pianos. Out of the crate, though they continue to improve, though good dealer prep can go a long way..(as with any maker) Often times, even more critical than the brand of piano your buying, is the person you're buying it from.


best,

Chuckypig

I would get both pianos and have the Ritmuller delivered to your girlfriend's flat.

"is the Yamaha really worth the extra money...?"[/b]

Interesting question, Ben. It really has two answers.

Yes, the Yamaha is worth the extra money--if you're on the road to becoming a professional pianist or teacher.

No, the Yamaha is not worth the extra money--if the Ritmuller gives you, as an amateur or erstwhile pianist, an equal degree of satisfaction and leaves you with £2100 left over to pay for sheet music and piano lessons.

Not knowing how talented you are, or how discerning your musical ear is, it's going to be tough for anyone here to definitively answer this question but you. If you are proficient enough at the keyboard, try comparing the two pianos by playing with your eyes closed; try trilling or repeating a single note rapidly while depressing the sustain pedal; try playing very gently, at a bare whisper; try playing every note in sequence from bottom to top, observing any marked changes in tone that my be less than desireable; then pull out a stopwatch, and see how long it takes notes in different registers to decay after a loud attack.

Even though you may not be well-advanced at present, the greater familiarity you'll get from spending time testing and comparing both pianos may still lead you to choose the Yamaha--but if not, you might just as well be happy with the Ritmuller, and permanently so if your piano studies never advance to the level of conservatory work.

Yamaha is always a good bet, but see if you can track down a Perzina (various models), a Wendl & Lung WL122 or a Brodmann BU121. Better than the Ritmüller IMO. They are all Chinese pianos of course, but the latter two are designed in Europe and built in China. No idea about dealers in your area, but if you have cause to travel a short distance north, Bristol Piano Co stock the Brodmann, and Musical Instruments (Cheltenham ) Ltd. stock Perzina and W&L. Both of these dealers operate a scheme where you can trade the piano back for the amount paid (Usually less VAT) if you upgrade to a more upmarket piano in the future.

Notes:[/b]
Perzinas are marketed in the UK under various other names, Gehr. Steinberg being the most popular. A stockist can guide you through the names used, I've lost track!
The Brodmann 121 is marginally preferable to the slightly larger 125. and looks smarter too.
Make sure you try the latest revision of the W&L 122- not that the earlier version was poor, just that the later version is better!

Hello Guys,

Wow what a site, I only posted a short time ago and already so many people trying to help me - Many Thanks.

Just a bit more about my playing which may allow you to help me more.

I started piano lessons when I was 7 years and reached grade 5 before I gave them up at 16 to start my apprenticeship (not enough time). I was taught to read music and play, I can't play by ear and the most creative I can get is by accident when I play the wrong notes.

Now 23years my apprenticeship is complete and I have bought my first house I have the time and space to buy my first acoustic (I was previously practicing on a broken electric thing!).

I want to start piano lessons again as I haven't progressed since 16. I'll never be the next Jamie Callum but I do plan on doing some more grades. At the moment I think the yamaha maybe wasted on me at the mo, hense I was going to swop in 5 or so years time when hopefully I may be a bit better.

Has anbody had any bad experiances with the chinese pianos

Once again thankyou for your help

BEN

A few years ago when I had nothing better to do, I went to the Yamaha dealer a couple of blocks from home just to get out of the house, where I already had five pianos and certainly didn't need another. I played my way through all the Yamahas and was impressed with none of them. Then I played a little Rittmueller grand and thought, "If I were shopping, I could live with this one". I knew nothing at all about the make then. Beyond the fact it had good tone compared to the C2s and C3s I compared it against. More power without being harsh at any level. Good pure tone and even, moderately-light action. And the fit and finish were superb. That's only one data point and I don't know if it was perhaps the one exceptional one out of the factory that year, but it was quite nice both to play and hear. If you ignore all the talk about names and just play and listen and feel, the things that will satisfy you might be totally different from the things you *think* you need when you get into the name game. That single encounter opened my mind up a bit. I say you should trust your ears. Not marketing.

Ben, seeing that you're not a career pianist, I certainly see no harm in you opting for a first-class Chinese piano.

In answer to your question, "Has anbody had any bad experiences with the Chinese pianos..."[/b]

Start searching the archives, and the further back you go the worse the experiences you'll read about. Dealers who've sold Chinese pianos for any lenght of time have all had their share of bad experiences (though many may prefer to forget). However, China's present status as a piano source represents significant progress beyond their uncertain developmental decades.

Sure, there are still sorry Chinese piano builders to be found, and even some of the best Chinese manufacturers are still plagued with slightly uneven quality control, but as Rich noted, the most important issue is often the level of careful preparation given each piano by the dealer, who is in a position to identify and rectify the dozens of minor maladjustments that would otherwise reduce the piano--any piano, for that matter--to a state of insufferable mediocrity.