08 Aug If Yelp was scored on a scale of 1-100, I’d give Christopher Ris 100
“After much agonizing, I decided to get rid of my fine grand piano and buy a Steinway. I found a model M being sold by Christopher Ris in San Rafael for a very reasonable price. I expected the piano to be a disaster (given the low price), and Mr. Ris to be a salesman, because that’s what you typically find when you go to look for a piano, whether old or new. (If you think car salesman are bad, try looking for a new grand piano).
I showed up at Ris’s piano studio early and he had not arrived. He gave me access to the studio to play the piano without his being there, which was very nice and sort of unusual. I took one look around the place and concluded that this was a man who loves and knows his pianos on a level that is reached by few human beings.
I played the M for sale for about thirty seconds before deciding to buy it. Note, please, that this is the second most expensive thing I’ve ever purchased in my 45 years, after my overpriced and crumbling house in Oakland. The piano, unlike the house, had been restored to near perfection, and Chris, much to his credit, was quick to point out the imperfections. I had my own technician look at the piano and she quickly agreed: the restoration work was phenomenal. I didn’t bother haggling over the money because the asking price was very reasonable and it was clear Chris had put a ridiculous number of hours into restoring the 1927 Steinway M to its original glory.
I’d hire him as a technician in a heartbeat. I’d recommend him as a tech in a heartbeat. And I’d buy a piano from him in a heartbeat. If Yelp was scored on a scale of 1-100, I’d give Christopher Ris 100.”