Christopher was fantastic! I have a 2000 Young Chang Baby Grand Piano and Christopher brought great balance to the sound on my little grand. His attention to detail was fantastic. I had recently purchased the piano when Christopher works don it and the piano had just come out of 3 years of storage. He did a fantastic job and was great to work with. I highly recommend him. As a side bar, I am a music teacher, so though I am not a piano expert, I do have a good understanding of how the instrument should sound and play and Christopher exceeded my expectations. read more

We recently purchased a grand piano from Chris. Chris was patient and full of good information when we visited his workshop to play his different pianos. We chose a used Grotrian Steinweg, whose sound we liked, price was quite reasonable, and didn't seem to need work for the next 20 years. Chris was accommodating and agreed to let us return the piano if the movers could not get it upstairs to our new music room. The hardest part of buying a used piano (for us) was knowing the true quality of the piano; Chris wrote up an assessment, and we shared that with the piano technician we worked with who personally knew Chris and said he is "honest and reliable". We have had our piano now for a few months, and enjoy playing it. The piano looked more washed out in Chris' workshop, which he explained was due to the fluorescent lighting. Sure enough, in our home the piano has a warm look. read more

Christopher is a fine piano technician. He has been doing it for a LONG time and it shows. The thing that puts Christopher over the top for me is the fact that he is willing to spend time explaning things to the point of helping me to understand my piano WAY better than I did before. Best of all, he's very good at what he does. All the work that he has done on my piano has been excellent! read more

After much agonizing, I decided to get rid of my fine grand piano and buy a Steinway. My piano tuner told me to look on Craigslist. That's what I did. 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. The place is filled with pianos in more or less state of rebuilding. 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. A final word: like all great instruments nearing their 100th birthdays, my piano has had a couple of very minor hiccups since its arrival. When my technician couldn't figure out the problem, Chris came out to my house in Oakland, had a glass of tea, fixed the problems, and charged me nothing. 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. read more

I have a 1939 Baldwin E 5'8" grand piano, and had chronic problems with having it stay in tune. Christopher first addressed the problem with a dehumidifier that is fitted to the piano to stabilize its environment. He then carefully and decisively went through the piano, correcting various issues - leaky dampers, harsh notes, and the like. My piano has never been so even in terms of the tone and relative volumes of its 88 notes -- after he finished, it seemed as if I was playing a different, and far better, piano. It's been close to three months now, and things are still stable. If you care about your piano and need help from someone who really knows what he's doing, give Christopher a call! read more

Up until now, I've only been a Yelp reader, not a Yelp writer; however, the service that I received at Ris Piano was so fantastic that I decided it was time to start writing. A grand piano is something that I've wanted for the last 40 years and finally the opportunity presented itself. Because my hands have seen better days (middle age and too many hours on the computer), I knew that finding a piano with the best action was essential. I started my search by finding one of the best piano technician/tuners in my area- Christopher Ris. My thought was that I would find a good deal on Craig's list and Christopher could evaluate the piano and service it. After looking at his website, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ris Piano also sold used pianos. So, one thing lead to another and I ended up buying a beautifully restored piano from Ris Piano. Besides the perfect sound and the very reasonable price for a quality instrument, the action was redone using the Stanwood method. I had no idea what the Stanwood method was, but Christopher patiently showed me and explained how the method provides perfectly balanced action which is exactly what I needed for my overworked hands. Christopher and his staff are very helpful and professional. I can't say enough to recommend Ris Piano. read more

Christopher rebuilt the front action of my 1927 Steinway B last fall. It's a beautiful instrument but was desperately in need of new parts and loving care. I was thrilled with the result but the test came in January, when my piano club came over to play. The verdict was great! They loved its responsiveness and the even key weights. Six of us played pieces by Beethoven, Haydn, Chopin, Scriabin, Granados, Handel, and Mendelssohn, and everyone said the piano responded to their touch, allowing them to get the sound they wanted in every case, and that the piano was equally a pleasure to play and to listen to. read more

Christopher Ris has restored our piano, a 1927 Steinway model A. First he listened to us, evaluated the pianos, explained to us about the options, did a marvelous job on the restoration, and even came back for a follow up visit. He is an excellent piano technician and piano tuner. Those considering an action rebuild should talk to him about the Precision Touch System, it is an upgrade worth every penny. On top of this, Ris Piano Company recently moved to a larger and better facility that includes a showroom, so whether you want to tune your piano, restore it, buy or sell, or even just for an evaluation, I am pleased to recommend Christopher Ris. read more

Speedy, friendly, expert piano tuning. Christopher is a font of knowledge about all this piano. Top marks.

Christopher Ris performed the restoration on a Baldwin Concert Grand (1962), which I recently purchased, including the Stanwood Action Method (Precision Touch System), and I am ecstatic with the result!! Christoopher and his assistant Newcomb did a fabulous job on the project, and the result is a wonderful, wonderful musical instrument, with balance and clarity, a deep and musical bass on the extreme low end, and a bell-like treble at the top. The action, with the Stanwood Method, is smooth beyond belief. Christopher's communication regarding the project was always clear and to the point, and the result was exactly on time and budget. I highly recommend Christopher Ris and Ris Piano Company to anyone looking for piano purchase, restoration, or any type of routine work. read more