Ribs (piano maker)
Rip was a piano -Markenname (1926-2007). The name became known because of the keyboard instruments, which were easy to transport for the time. In addition to the classic instruments, aluminum / plastic grand pianos were manufactured (1950s to 1972). As a further specialty, foldable keyboard instruments were installed.
After 1958, around 4,500 pianos and 250 grand pianos were delivered annually.
Locations in different years
PJ Rippen was a piano maker who came from the Netherlands . The company was founded in 1926. The pianos were built in The Hague until 1950 , then in Ede until 1991 (1951: 150 employees) on Reehorsterweg. The company was called "SA Rippen Pianofabriek". The company went bankrupt. The name was resold. From around 1991 to 1998 pianos were assembled under this name in Saint Petersburg ( Russia ). Some components came from a factory in the Chinese city of Yanthai . From 1998 to 2002, pianos and grand pianos were built in the Yantai Long Feng factories. From 2004 to 2007 assembly was carried out in the Yantai Perzina factories. This factory also built components for Perzina pianos.
Special developments
Traditional pianos were built from around 1937. In 1950 Johan J. Rippen designed wings made of an aluminum alloy ( silumin ) and plastic. This piano, called "Maestro", became a great success. The strings were not stretched diagonally, but parallel to the vertical frame. Eighty percent of the production of these instruments was exported to England, Germany, France and the USA . The combination of a plastic case and aluminum frame resulted in a piano that weighed just 75 pounds. Another innovation were pianos that could be folded up for transport purposes. These models were built until 1972.
The Lindner top-hung sash also represents a significant development. The design was made in 1969 by Rippen's son Nico. The company "Rippen Ltd" founded in Shannon / Ireland. manufactured keyboard instruments with the name "Lindner".
The end of ribs
In the 1970s, the market began to change. The competition on the world market increased. Inexpensive electronic models appeared. The demand for simple pianos decreased and new producers supplied pianos of the highest quality. In addition to the technical problems in Ireland, rising costs in the Netherlands also became a problem for the company. Until then, fifteen small pianos were produced in Ede per day. Due to the disappointing results, the Shannon plant was closed in 1972. The new owners continued to produce Lindner pianos under a different name for a few years.
The situation in Rippen, now under the direction of Peter Rippen, became increasingly difficult. In 1983, thirty employees were laid off. The Ministry of Economy of the Province of Gelderland supported the company with three million guilders . Two years later there was an unsold inventory of five hundred pianos and nearly fourteen million guilders in debt. Rippen was able to work for a few years with the help of a lender, but was finally closed in February 1991; the last 90 workers were laid off.
Serial numbers of the instruments
- 1950: 9090
- 1960: 49125
- 1970: 113245
- 1980: 167000
- 1988: 203800
- 1998 to 2003 (Yantai Long Feng factories): pianos 20,000 to 53,000; Wings 200000 to 220000
- 2003 to 2007 (Yantai Perzina factories): pianos 7,760,000 to 7,785,000; Sash 0290000 to 0301400
Individual evidence
- ↑ Henk M. Klaasen: Pianofabriek ribs. 2008, accessed June 26, 2020 .
- ↑ 2008 piano-aanbod.nl