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Renee14 Offline OP
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Hello, want to ask your opinion to choose the upright piano for beginner, that will have longlast with their same tune? *Even with same care and use.
How about Ritmuller 118 (new), Yamaha u1(used), or Kawai(used)?
Is anybody had an old Ritmuller?
I am quite fond of Ritmuller because with the same price, i got the new one, but I'm afraid that it is made in China, is it a good one?

Thank you

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In theory, any of those pianos should be fine for a beginner. I don't know very much about Ritmuller, but just in terms of the question "is it a good piano for a beginner" the answer is yes, because an acoustic upright piano is a great instrument for a beginner.

Yamaha and Kawai both make excellent pianos, but the question about these two used Kawai and Yamaha pianos cannot be answered without knowing how old each piano is and without knowing what condition the piano is in. Either of those pianos could be better than the Ritmuller, or worse! If possible you should have the two used pianos evaluated by an independent piano technician.

Also remember that all pianos need to be tuned regularly, and the climate/indoor environment where the piano is has a big impact on tuning stability. Having said that, some brands/makers do have reputations for being more consistent than others. Yamaha certainly has an excellent reputation in that area, but again, with a used piano, condition is everything.

You might also consider posting your question in the Piano Forum:
http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/1/1/piano-forum.html

Good luck!


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Around where I am, Ritmullers are somewhat around the same price as a new Yamaha, with Kawai being slightly cheaper. So it sounds like possibly the used Yamaha/Kawai you're looking at are overpriced, or you're getting a good deal on the Ritmuller or both.

I believe Pearl River took over the brand sometime in the past 15 years or so. The original Ritmuller brand went bankrupt something like 100 years ago. So an old Ritmuller is not really going to be common.

So now, Ritmuller is essentially a higher end Chinese piano, with European inspired design elements and German Renner Hammers. Nothing wrong with being made in China, cheaper labor doesn't mean worse labor. If you move to the US and join a New York workers Union, you'd certainly get paid more but it doesn't make you more talented. Granted, brand cachet is more complicated than just cost of labor since there's also target market that comes into play with regards to how much expense to spend on finishing, quality control, and material.

But at the same price point, targeting the same market, they should all be fairly comparable pianos. If you prefer the Ritmuller for the sound and touch, then go for it. I would maybe look at new Yamaha and Kawai dealer pricing as well just to compare.

It's like buying a car and choosing between a Toyota, a Honda, or a Ford. Maintenance is going to matter much more for long term reliability.

If you care about resale-ability (both value and demand) I'd say it would be Yamaha > Kawai > Ritmuller with Yamaha U1 having arguably the highest resale demand of any upright piano.

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Find a piano that you like. That gives you a sound that you like, that makes you want play more, even when you strike the first chord on it. One that feels right, that gives you the volume you expect and the the tone you expect when you play the notes. That makes you sing. Or whatever properties you like.

The brand and price etc does not matter. All pianos differ.

Unless the piano is really old or something is badly wrong, pianos will be pretty stable if treated well. And, who cares about a perfectly stable but totally non-inspiring piano.

You can check piano backgrounds on larry fine's piano buyer guide
https://www.pianobuyer.com/brand-profiles/

Ritmuller is made in china by pearl river Co. Ltd
https://www.pianobuyer.com/brand/pearl-river/
.


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Originally Posted by rkzhao
Around where I am, Ritmullers are somewhat around the same price as a new Yamaha, with Kawai being slightly cheaper. So it sounds like possibly the used Yamaha/Kawai you're looking at are overpriced, or you're getting a good deal on the Ritmuller or both.

It's more likely that Ritmüller pianos are overpriced where you are. A new Yamaha U1 is usually more than twice as expensive as the Ritmüller 118.

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Originally Posted by johnstaf
Originally Posted by rkzhao
Around where I am, Ritmullers are somewhat around the same price as a new Yamaha, with Kawai being slightly cheaper. So it sounds like possibly the used Yamaha/Kawai you're looking at are overpriced, or you're getting a good deal on the Ritmuller or both.

It's more likely that Ritmüller pianos are overpriced where you are. A new Yamaha U1 is usually more than twice as expensive as the Ritmüller 118.


Ah you're right, I wasn't thinking of the 118. The Ritmullers I saw I think were the UH121R.

I still wouldn't buy one for the price I saw, but it was just what the dealer was asking. Looks like they were asking a lot closer to MSRP than what my Kawai and Yamaha dealers did.

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Thank you for your advice, i will
Originally Posted by rkzhao
Originally Posted by johnstaf
Originally Posted by rkzhao
Around where I am, Ritmullers are somewhat around the same price as a new Yamaha, with Kawai being slightly cheaper. So it sounds like possibly the used Yamaha/Kawai you're looking at are overpriced, or you're getting a good deal on the Ritmuller or both.

It's more likely that Ritmüller pianos are overpriced where you are. A new Yamaha U1 is usually more than twice as expensive as the Ritmüller 118.


Ah you're right, I wasn't thinking of the 118. The Ritmullers I saw I think were the UH121R.

I still wouldn't buy one for the price I saw, but it was just what the dealer was asking. Looks like they were asking a lot closer to MSRP than what my Kawai and Yamaha dealers did.
Originally Posted by ShiroKuro
In theory, any of those pianos should be fine for a beginner. I don't know very much about Ritmuller, but just in terms of the question "is it a good piano for a beginner" the answer is yes, because an acoustic upright piano is a great instrument for a beginner.

Yamaha and Kawai both make excellent pianos, but the question about these two used Kawai and Yamaha pianos cannot be answered without knowing how old each piano is and without knowing what condition the piano is in. Either of those pianos could be better than the Ritmuller, or worse! If possible you should have the two used pianos evaluated by an independent piano technician.

Also remember that all pianos need to be tuned regularly, and the climate/indoor environment where the piano is has a big impact on tuning stability. Having said that, some brands/makers do have reputations for being more consistent than others. Yamaha certainly has an excellent reputation in that area, but again, with a used piano, condition is everything.

You might also consider posting your question in the Piano Forum:
http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/1/1/piano-forum.html

Good luck!

Thank you for you advice, i will ask in piano forum for further question.😊

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Originally Posted by Renee14
I am quite fond of Ritmuller because with the same price, i got the new one, but I'm afraid that it is made in China, is it a good one?

Gee, you make it sound like anything made in China is bad.

For a beginner, any of the pianos you listed is fine, new or used. It really doesn't make any difference. Unless the used pianos are completely banged up and abused.


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Yess youre right, but my friends piano, pearl river, she buyed it in new condition, and after 5 years used, the tunes is already not good as it was. Although she has tuned it every year.

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Originally Posted by Renee14
Yess youre right, but my friends piano, pearl river, she buyed it in new condition, and after 5 years used, the tunes is already not good as it was. Although she has tuned it every year.

How is the weather? Hot? Humid?

Pianos need to be kept in constant humidity and constant temperature. If the temperature swings wildly morning to evening, and the indoor humidity is way above or below 42%, then ANY piano is going to have tuning issues. This includes Steinway! High humidity will also cause rust issues with the strings, and they'll be more liable to snap. And each time you have to refit a new string, there will be a period of unstable tuning.

I'm speaking from experience.


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She put it in small room with an aircon, no sun exposure, i think its humid... Anyway, if i does buy a new piano, should I put moisture repellent? To keep its constant humidity?

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You should order them like this:

- pianos made anywhere in the world except China
- pianos made in China

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Take a look at C. Bechstein, W. Hoffmann, Schimmel, Estonia, etc, as well. Maybe you'll like a European sound better smile

You could use a dehumidifier if needed. Where are you located?


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Originally Posted by AZNpiano
Originally Posted by Renee14
Yess youre right, but my friends piano, pearl river, she buyed it in new condition, and after 5 years used, the tunes is already not good as it was. Although she has tuned it every year.

How is the weather? Hot? Humid?

Pianos need to be kept in constant humidity and constant temperature. If the temperature swings wildly morning to evening, and the indoor humidity is way above or below 42%, then ANY piano is going to have tuning issues. This includes Steinway! High humidity will also cause rust issues with the strings, and they'll be more liable to snap. And each time you have to refit a new string, there will be a period of unstable tuning.

I'm speaking from experience.

My parents have a humidifier for their Bechstein Grand. It's attached to the piano and constantly checks if the humidity is correct. Since they have that the piano falls out of tune a lot less frequently.

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Originally Posted by Renee14
She put it in small room with an aircon, no sun exposure, i think its humid... Anyway, if i does buy a new piano, should I put moisture repellent? To keep its constant humidity?

Do you live in a region that is constantly over 75% humidity? That's really bad for pianos.

You will need a dehumidifier to pull all that water out of the air. Most AC will double as a dehumidifier. You should also buy a hygrometer to check the room's humidity.

I live in California, and our humidity swings from 10% during the Santa Ana season all the way to 90%. I try to keep the indoor humidity around 45% constantly, but it's hard to do without a dehumidifier. I use the AC sparingly. I also have Dampp Chaser installed on two of my grand pianos.


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