The Rippen Grand

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Vince Mrykalo wrote:
> 
> 
> Tell us more!

OK. Keep in mind that I've only seen one, and that was about 20 years
ago.

The "plate" was a one-piece, full perimeter silicon-aluminum casting.
This single casting took the place of of the outer rim, belly bracing,
etc. The outside of this casting was about 150 mm (6 inches) high and
there were several (three, I think) internal plate braces. The surface
of the casting was finished smooth and painted black. 

(I use the word "casting" here, but I'm not certain now that this part
was cast. It may have been an extrusion. Twenty years ago I wasn't sure
what I was looking at.)

The piano was basically straight-strung. At least it was not
over-strung. I think the strings may have been kind of scrunched
together bringing the bass end of the bridge (there was only one
continuous bridge) out into the soundboard--away from the rim--a bit.
Ala "straight-strung" Chickerings.

As I recall, the soundboard was glued to a thin inner rim that was
bolted/screwed to a ledge on the inside of this casting. It was one of
their laminated spruce soundboards and was "reverse-crowned." It think
this meant that it was glued-up flat and when it was loaded with the
downforce from the strings downbearing, it simply bent away from the
string plane, i.e., it reverse crowned.

The action (which I think was fairly straight foreward) and the keys fit
inside a separate housing which I think was made of wood that was
bolted/screwed up underneath the plate casting.

The only "wood" parts (that is, case parts that were veneered) were the
lid, the key cover and the music shelf & desk. 

My memory of Rippen pianos generally is that they had brilliant, if
somewhat eclectic, mechanical design. Their assembly was sometimes very
good, sometimes mediocre. (I remember the assembly quality of the grand
that I examined as being only fair.) Their stringing scales were, more
often than not, fairly poor. And their insistance on using poorly
designed laminated soundboards that were inevitably reverse crowned
resulted in acoustical systems that sometimes didn't work very well.
Certainly their acoustics were not up to the standards set by their
mechanical designs.

It was, however, one of the most dramatic pianos to look at that I have
ever seen. Before or since.

I'd love a chance to examine another one.

ddf