Rippen E-123 piano

Rippen is back in the Netherlands!

This model 123 is the newest from our own Rippen line. Because we produce these on a large scale, we can offer a very competitively priced new piano.

Johan Jacob Rippen (The Hague, October 1, 1909 – Ede, May 5, 1994) started a piano factory in The Hague with his own unique design of the Maestro, a straight-stringed 'upright grand piano'.

The success was great and soon he also built conventional pianos. Well-known Rippen piano models were: the Mignon (elegant design), the Carillon (sold a lot) and the Studio (intended as a cheap lesson piano). Later Rippen also produced the models Belcanto, Concerto, Cantabile, Romance and the solid oak Largo.
In 1957 the company moved to the ultra-modern factory on the Reehorsterweg in Ede.

Unlike traditional craft piano construction, Rippen built the instruments in series. Instead of heavy crossbeams, a light metal self-supporting frame was used. Another innovation was the Permatone soundboard, which was constructed from three layers of spruce wood, making cracking virtually impossible. The casing was no longer polished, but finished with modern, strong lacquers. Old advertising brochures triumphantly stated: "You can safely stub out a cigarette on it!"

The demand for affordable Rippen pianos was enormous in these years. Exports grew steadily and there were peak years in which 160 employees produced 5.000 instruments. The factory was running at full speed and the instruments were delivered all over Europe (especially in France, Sweden and Germany) with their own trucks.
Rippen pianos had a good reputation, especially abroad, because of their solid construction and transparent, clear sound.
In 1962 Rippen worked on the construction of a second factory near the Irish airport Shannon. Later, Lindner pianos were built there in large numbers. These pianos consisted largely of plastic parts and were easier and more precise to adjust than traditional pianos.
In 1969, the factory complex on the Reehorsterweg was sold at a good price and then moved to the Frankeneng in Ede. However, the company's prosperity then declined due to several causes.

During the relocation to Frankeneng, the old factory on Reehorsterweg (Ede) burned down, causing the loss of many machines, moulds and supplies. There were also problems with the production of the plastic mechanism in Ireland. The biggest negative factor, however, was the growing import of cheaply produced pianos from Japan and Korea. In 1972, production of the elegant Rippen aluminium grand piano was stopped and the company had to downsize considerably due to stagnating sales. A difficult period followed and until 1975 the company was even in suspension of payments.

Johan Rippen retired in 1976 and in 1978 the tide seemed to turn favourably, but then the recession of 1981 followed. The resulting increase in stocks, combined with the large-scale import of cheap Asian pianos, led to the inevitable bankruptcy in 1985.

Under the leadership of Johan's son, Pieter Rippen, the factory made a fresh start and in 1987 it celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. At that time (since 1937), the Rippen piano factory had built approximately 200.000 instruments. Initially, the company recovered from the valley and the prospects were reasonably favourable. However, the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1991 was the final blow.

In 1992 the Rippen factory in Ede was closed for good and with that the curtain fell for Dutch piano building. Rippen made a total of 217.600 instruments.