@ Not really, David. The Chinese simply purchase the name of an old, respected, and possibly defunct European piano maker. Then they simply make a cheap piece of junk and put the name on it. It's simply another way the Chinese copy just about everything they make. This piano sounds like s----- !
Has a nice crisp sound! Pianos have no life of their own unless someone like yourself bring them to life with your talent and skill. Thanks for another great review!
I thought the sound was reminiscent of an old Yamaha, too, especially on the recording. I thought at the time it was warm, but on the recording it has a colder tone.
I just traded my 45 year old Yamaha u3 for a brand new ritmuller rs150 grand and I love it . Ok the tone maybe hasn’t got the depth of the Yamaha but it’s beautiful in its own way and just so much fun to play vs dynamic range and action
I love how this young fellow can just sit down and play. I had a piano teacher was a fantastic player, but literally had no tunes in her back pocket. No sheet no playing! Curious if pianoforever came to play on his own, or started out 'forced' to take up the instrument as a child, and then bonded with it? Music is such a joyful/emotional mechanism and I am grateful he has chosen to share his very obvious gift.
I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. I guess you get what you pay for. At $90,000 it's half the price of a Bosendorfer 225, with half the sound. A full size Fazioli concert grand will cost about 3 1/2 times as much. But they're not in the same league.
On the upside, this piano doesn't over-resonate. A lot of resonance is good for dreamy music like that of Debussy and Satie, but not so good for agile music like that of Mozart, Brahms, or Art Tatum, so this piano would be more for the agile music.. On the downside, the notes aren't as bright as I would expect from the former characteristic.
On most of your piano review videos I watch them at 1080p to get the best sound. I watched this one at 1080p. This piano I would say is a medium level concert grand piano. The treble end of the keyboard is voiced a little too bright for my taste, and the tone lacks good harmonic content and sounds thin. The bass sounds good, but not great like the bass on a Fazioli or a Bosendorfer concert grand. The Chinese concert grand pianos are improving, but they still have a long way to go before they could be considered a top tier instrument worthy of a concert hall or competition stage. There are a handful of Young Chang concert grand pianos that have Renner actions. They are not too bad. And a top of the line Hailun concert grand piano is also a good, but not great concert instrument. If a customer were to hand pick the very best Ritmuller concert grand piano and then have an expert piano tech give it a thorough regulation, voicing, and concert prep, then it would be a very acceptable performance instrument for a college auditorium or a church. But they have a very long way to go before they are a top tier concert grand piano. Of all the Asian made concert grand pianos, the best are unquestionably the Japanese Yamaha CFX and the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX.
James, your description of the sound compared to a European Piano couldnt be more accurate. When you first started playing on this clip i thought "wheres the body or color? " it seemed thin. In a way much like the earliest Yamaha CF-111s offerings. A nice piano, but i think i will keep saving for my Steinway .
Not a piano player but here''s my 2c, you should have told us its chinese after playing it. Theres an instant bias that comes with the made in china label.
It's just too bright. Not that it's bad it just doesn't have a mellowness that is in other piano. But your playing is fantastic. I immediately went to some of the other videos to hear other pianos you've played and you can really hear the difference.
If this is the Ritmuller GH-148R, it's sales price is $16,495...a bit less than the two you mentioned. But, looking at the models offered in their site, I'm wondering if it's a 188, 212 or if that it's the GH275R.
@@Dobermanator those were the model numbers, not sure what the sizes are.pianopricepoint.com/ritmuller-gh148r-grand-piano/ They are nice looking, though.
They are fine pianos. Unbeatable for the price. Like many others, they have slight twang to the sound, which is not to my taste. And we know there is no accounting for taste. James plays very well.
The key dip seems deeper than other pianos (I'd say at least 11mm). Not the ideal, even with great responsiveness. Sound isn't so bad however at Forte but the Piano tone is weak and not mellow as usually expected when you play softly.
asian piano makers bought a lot of near to closure or already closed german brands, currently Pearl River is selling almost all their pianos under the Ritmueller brand, the Pearl River brand still exists only for the US market, Hailun owns the Feurich brand, and there are many other examples of fake-german/no-more-german piano brands
actually the real german piano companies left are a bunch, so you can't be wrong: C.Bechstein, Bluthner, Steinway Hamburg, Grotrian-Steinweg, Steingraeber, Sauter, August Forster built in Lobau (beware because the Czech company Petrof owns legal right to use this same brand due to a world war II issue). It's not clear whether Schimmel is still building its pianos in Braunschweig or completely moved to China, and the same happens for Ed Seiler, Rud Ibach and some others I currently don't remember that were still surviving in the last few years but they were litterally striving to keep the factory running. Also, almost all builders except Forster Sauter and Steingraeber have a lot of made in china sub-brands, some of them deceiving like "Friedrich Grotrian", "Wilhelm Grotrian", "Wilhelm Schimmel", "Fridolin Schimmel" which are made in China. The Bechstein A series is not made in China but it's still made by the Euterpe factory in the Czech Republic and not by Bechstein itself. All other german brands are fake.
According to Google translate, he said this: This Ritter Miller sounds great. Although it is produced in China, it cannot be bought in China. This domestically produced high-end piano has no market in China and no merchants can buy it, and ordinary consumers cannot afford it.
@@ThePianoforever People who can afford this probably would buy a Yamaha instead of a made-in-China piano. High end made-in-China has no market in China.
It has no resonance. Sounds plastic and soulless. Its soundboard is probably made of fast growing trees or the other wood parts are made of cheap wood. Anyway it does not sound good
What a pleasant surprise! Nice growly bass; nice sustain; nice pleasant tone. They have a winner on their hands :-)
Ditto.
@ Not really, David. The Chinese simply purchase the name of an old, respected, and possibly defunct European piano maker. Then they simply make a cheap piece of junk and put the name on it. It's simply another way the Chinese copy just about everything they make. This piano sounds like s----- !
@@joeb4349 No, it does not. It's not quite concert quality, but it's very good.
James, one of my pleasures in life is to stop what I am doing and enjoy your play. Ahhhh, you are such an amazing pianist!
My feeling is this is a decent start to a Chinese piano in this high-end bracket. They'll probably get there in years to come.
Has a nice crisp sound! Pianos have no life of their own unless someone like yourself bring them to life with your talent and skill. Thanks for another great review!
Very powerful sound, it works really well with trills. Sounds almost like older Yamahas.
I thought the sound was reminiscent of an old Yamaha, too, especially on the recording. I thought at the time it was warm, but on the recording it has a colder tone.
Great playing, loved Grumpy Cat in the background!
I actually like the slightly more "plucky" bright sound of this compared to nowadays' ultra-soft tone color. It feels more present.
But this is not a quality question, it can be adjusted at will
WOW amazing, your playing is incredible!
I just traded my 45 year old Yamaha u3 for a brand new ritmuller rs150 grand and I love it . Ok the tone maybe hasn’t got the depth of the Yamaha but it’s beautiful in its own way and just so much fun to play vs dynamic range and action
I love how this young fellow can just sit down and play. I had a piano teacher was a fantastic player, but literally had no tunes in her back pocket. No sheet no playing!
Curious if pianoforever came to play on his own, or started out 'forced' to take up the instrument as a child, and then bonded with it?
Music is such a joyful/emotional mechanism and I am grateful he has chosen to share his very obvious gift.
Lucky enough to grow up in a family that loves music.
@@ThePianoforever Hello James!! How many musical instruments you have?? Hundreds?? Do you own a music shop? Can I visit or buy from you? Thanks >>JC
Moonlight Sonata, third movement, sounds really nice on it. Really sweet instrument.
I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. I guess you get what you pay for. At $90,000 it's half the price of a Bosendorfer 225, with half the sound. A full size Fazioli concert grand will cost about 3 1/2 times as much. But they're not in the same league.
This sounds great! Thanks for the demo.
Quick responsive action ; overall could be a bit warmer and fuller in bass ; but then I wasn’t there in person.
On the upside, this piano doesn't over-resonate. A lot of resonance is good for dreamy music like that of Debussy and Satie, but not so good for agile music like that of Mozart, Brahms, or Art Tatum, so this piano would be more for the agile music.. On the downside, the notes aren't as bright as I would expect from the former characteristic.
Beautiful playing.
I hate to admit it because I spend so much time bashing made in China but I have to agree with you . Sounds amazing and you are SPECTACULAR !
Once you started playing those choice works, the video could have gone on for an hour! Wonderful.
Wow, your playing is beautiful! thank you for sharing.
Wow, much better than I expected. It has a voice of a premium piano!
Fantastic Video.Detail Explanation.
Your Playing is Superb.
Humble request.At 2.35 what music you Played??
Thank you
Rj
It's one of my own original pieces.
@@ThePianoforever Beautiful Piece.Thank you for reply..
I can't get enough of "Treble Test Piece"!
Surprisingly good sound. I don't think it's too mediocre. What is the RRP?
I think I could listen to you play for a long time.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your talent.
On most of your piano review videos I watch them at 1080p to get the best sound. I watched this one at 1080p. This piano I would say is a medium level concert grand piano. The treble end of the keyboard is voiced a little too bright for my taste, and the tone lacks good harmonic content and sounds thin. The bass sounds good, but not great like the bass on a Fazioli or a Bosendorfer concert grand. The Chinese concert grand pianos are improving, but they still have a long way to go before they could be considered a top tier instrument worthy of a concert hall or competition stage. There are a handful of Young Chang concert grand pianos that have Renner actions. They are not too bad. And a top of the line Hailun concert grand piano is also a good, but not great concert instrument. If a customer were to hand pick the very best Ritmuller concert grand piano and then have an expert piano tech give it a thorough regulation, voicing, and concert prep, then it would be a very acceptable performance instrument for a college auditorium or a church. But they have a very long way to go before they are a top tier concert grand piano. Of all the Asian made concert grand pianos, the best are unquestionably the Japanese Yamaha CFX and the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX.
It sounded better in person with all of the background noise and in a small room.
great vid. that guy/rep in the background was distracting. lol. probably didn't occur to him to get out of the frame.
Wonderful 🎹 piano sound!
A very different sound than most of the grands you review. To bright in my opinion but not all that bad either.
A lot better than I thought, very clean fundamentals not too many overtones, did they copy the essex in your opinion?
But Essex is also made py Pearl River for Steinway!
James, your description of the sound compared to a European Piano couldnt be more accurate. When you first started playing on this clip i thought "wheres the body or color? " it seemed thin. In a way much like the earliest Yamaha CF-111s offerings. A nice piano, but i think i will keep saving for my Steinway .
Perhaps I will sell you mine.
@@ThePianoforever Thanks man. Just never know. Have a good weekend there
Sounds indeed very good. Sparky and a nice low. Nice. Btw how did you record this one? Thank you for sharing and playing!
How long would a piano like that last? Probable not long!
great sound! what's the name of the little piece you played @ 2:35 ?
Lovely selection of pieces
At the lower price, would somebody buy this kind of piano for in-house use?
I was told the price was $90,000 dollars. There are a lot of options for that price point.
I thought it sounded great but I haven't had the pleasure of playing those wonderful pianos you have.
Not a piano player but here''s my 2c, you should have told us its chinese after playing it. Theres an instant bias that comes with the made in china label.
Ritmullers are an anomaly. A cheap Chinese piano that plays and sounds like a much more expensive European instrument.
It's just too bright. Not that it's bad it just doesn't have a mellowness that is in other piano. But your playing is fantastic. I immediately went to some of the other videos to hear other pianos you've played and you can really hear the difference.
The chinese excel in copying, give them enough time they'll be as good as the steinways and bosendorfers at one fifth the cost
If this is the Ritmuller GH-148R, it's sales price is $16,495...a bit less than the two you mentioned. But, looking at the models offered in their site, I'm wondering if it's a 188, 212 or if that it's the GH275R.
@@cannedmusic I believe the 148 and 275 is length in centimetres.
@@Dobermanator those were the model numbers, not sure what the sizes are.pianopricepoint.com/ritmuller-gh148r-grand-piano/ They are nice looking, though.
Hey, piano is one of the most gorgeous sounding instruments! What drives you to do music?
I feel the upper half of the piano is too bright and”metallic” sounding.
They are fine pianos. Unbeatable for the price. Like many others, they have slight twang to the sound, which is not to my taste. And we know there is no accounting for taste. James plays very well.
Many thanks!
The key dip seems deeper than other pianos (I'd say at least 11mm). Not the ideal, even with great responsiveness. Sound isn't so bad however at Forte but the Piano tone is weak and not mellow as usually expected when you play softly.
I love your reviews ! Will you do one day a concert grand yangtze river piano review ?
✨
Was RitMueller a German company before or why did they call it Ritmueller? to have a german sounding brand name? lol
asian piano makers bought a lot of near to closure or already closed german brands, currently Pearl River is selling almost all their pianos under the Ritmueller brand, the Pearl River brand still exists only for the US market, Hailun owns the Feurich brand, and there are many other examples of fake-german/no-more-german piano brands
actually the real german piano companies left are a bunch, so you can't be wrong: C.Bechstein, Bluthner, Steinway Hamburg, Grotrian-Steinweg, Steingraeber, Sauter, August Forster built in Lobau (beware because the Czech company Petrof owns legal right to use this same brand due to a world war II issue). It's not clear whether Schimmel is still building its pianos in Braunschweig or completely moved to China, and the same happens for Ed Seiler, Rud Ibach and some others I currently don't remember that were still surviving in the last few years but they were litterally striving to keep the factory running.
Also, almost all builders except Forster Sauter and Steingraeber have a lot of made in china sub-brands, some of them deceiving like "Friedrich Grotrian", "Wilhelm Grotrian", "Wilhelm Schimmel", "Fridolin Schimmel" which are made in China. The Bechstein A series is not made in China but it's still made by the Euterpe factory in the Czech Republic and not by Bechstein itself. All other german brands are fake.
I thought Yamaha was bright but this is way too bright.
这架里特米勒声音很棒啊，虽然在中国生产，可是在中国买不到。这种国产高端琴在中国没有市场没有商家进货，普通消费者也消费不起。
Ah dunno... This is all Chinese to me.
According to Google translate, he said this:
This Ritter Miller sounds great. Although it is produced in China, it cannot be bought in China. This domestically produced high-end piano has no market in China and no merchants can buy it, and ordinary consumers cannot afford it.
@@ThePianoforever People who can afford this probably would buy a Yamaha instead of a made-in-China piano. High end made-in-China has no market in China.
ThePianoforever Thanks James!
哈哈哈不是买不起琴是普通消费者买不起房，买得起这么大的房子也有钱买施坦威了
Sounds good but the sound lacks in body and still too bright
I think it will fit for classical and pop
It sounds good, but a bit like a keyboard....
The bass is very clean though)
Interesting. Very interesting.
Who is that dude sitting behind you?
He’s The Enforcer. Don’t cross him.
Hi, what is "a very deep field' ?
Pierre Tangay I assume he means the key travel is very deep.
@@iandalton9179 Ha, ok, Thanks Ian!
show me one Chinese who's surname is Ritmuller
Not a fan of the tone.... rather lifeless sounding to me, even with the incredible playing
That sounds as perfectly tuned as a piano programmed in a synthesizer.
I would love to hear moonlight sonata 3rd movement. Pleaseeee. But not on that piano. 😅
🎶
Steinway also has that generic soulless sound.
For asian made kawai is the best
Sounded bright and clear to this amateur pianist.
You can’t compare to a bechstein or bösendorfer sound. No soul...something missing
I am going to make a video about that very same subject and I was going to use the same examples that you used. We are on the same page.
Great! 🙂
It has no resonance. Sounds plastic and soulless. Its soundboard is probably made of fast growing trees or the other wood parts are made of cheap wood. Anyway it does not sound good
Noisy.
Sounds like the cheap yamahas.
This piano sounds like cheap Chinese junk. Tinny, aggravating.