W. Hoffmann P120 Upright Piano

Product Overview

The second model in the three-model W. Hoffmann Professional Series upright line is the P120. It offers remarkable musical value for the dollar and is specifically designed to meet the stringent demands of professional pianists.

The P120 model is 120cm tall (or 47.2”) and boasts a traditionally European playing experience, but with a modern twist on the piano’s tone and design. The W. Hoffman P120 will comfortably outplay any mid-ranged European upright under 48” and many entry-level German instruments.

The Professional Line of W. Hoffmann pianos is the top line of instruments being produced at the C. Bechstein Europe facility. Though the material and build quality seem to be equal to their Traditional line, the top voicing and regulation specialists available to get assigned for the final preps of the Professional Line. The ‘P Series’ Pianos have a very different tonal philosophy than the ‘T Series’ do, and offer a very clear and precise bass tone, a beautiful blooming mid-range, and a unique ‘sparkle’ in the top end of the instrument. The tone of the W. Hoffman P120 is very present and treble-focused, but still has a wide range of colours available to the player. The P Series Hoffmanns also receive very powerful soundboards, which are expertly prepared and cured and really allow the pianos to really sing!

The W. Hoffmann P120 features some extremely advanced features, such as duplex scaling, full range agraffes, Solid White Spruce soundboards, as well as C. Bechstein, double felted hammers with mahogany hammerheads.

The W. Hoffmann P120 Upright Piano will end up on anyone’s ‘short-list’ who’s looking for top musical value on a budget and has a preference for European instruments

Action

The action which the W. Hoffmann p120 upright receives a Bechstein made and designed action which they label their ‘Silver Action’. This is the same action assembly that is used in the rest of the W. Hoffmann pianos as well as in the German-made Bechstein Academy instruments.

Bechstein also makes a ‘Gold Action’ which is reserved for their Concert level instruments, as well as a ‘Bronze Action’ which is manufactured by Hailun for their Zimmermann pianos.

For those familiar with Renner Actions, the Bechstein Silver Action is similar in feel, although does have the sense of a deeper key bed (though less deep than Japanese pianos), and seems to be designed and regulated to provide better control in lower dynamic ranges. This is likely also enhanced by the extended key-stick lengths. The repetition speed of this action is fantastic.

The P120’s action gets regulated extensively – by C. Bechstein Europe’s top regulation specialists, and to similar tolerances as the Bechstein Academy line. The touch on the piano is beautifully balanced ‘out-of-the-box’ and is distinctly European in feel.

Tone

The P120 Professional Upright Piano from W. Hoffmann has a rich and expressive tone that speaks to anyone who sits down at one. The overall tonal character is best described as traditionally European in nature, but with a more emphasis on the instrument’s upper partials, which C. Bechstein Europe has done a brilliant job balancing and voicing by the way.

The P120 ‘s tonal clarity comes through most impressively in its bass register, which has a great consistency and isn’t muddy whatsoever. Its mid-range is full of various colours and shades for the player to draw on, whereas the treble is incredibly well-balanced for a non-German upright

The soundboard on the p120 (and the other Czech-made Hoffmanns) sound way better than it should. They resonate beautifully and effortlessly and put the Hoffmanns in a category above any other acoustic pianos in its category.

The W. Hoffman P120’s tonal capabilities are tailored specifically to professional musicians.

C. Bechstein Europe uses only German bass strings of 99% copper purity in the W. Hoffmann p120 as well as full range agraffes, which although aren’t inexpensive to achieve, drastically improve the piano’s tonal clarity.

Hammers

There are only three piano manufacturers remaining today, who continue to make their own piano hammers: Kawai, Yamaha, and C. Bechstein.

Bechstein designs and manufactures every hammer found in their W. Hoffmann and Bechstein branded pianos in Europe with the finest quality felts and woods available to maintain complete control over the quality of these integral components.

It’s also interesting to note that Bechstein has a specific sized/scaled hammer set for each individual model they make (not just for the different lines) to get as much tonal efficiency out of each instrument.

All Bechstein hammers are made in Germany.

The W. Hoffmann p120 receives mahogany-core, double-felted hammers (English felt) which are carefully selected and hand-voiced by the voicing experts at C. Bechstein Europe

Soundboard

The soundboard in the W. Hoffmann p120 is made of extremely high quality, white spruce grown in the Alps, and provides the instrument with a beautiful sense of tonal clarity, richness, and colour, and retains. The soundboards are carefully cured by the wood specialists at C. Bechstein Europe for optimal tonal production.

The remarkable tonal output and overall efficiency of the W. Hoffmann P120’s soundboard is the first piece of feedback any highly skilled player provides after playing the piano

Rim/Cabinet

One of the various things which the Concert Class, C. Bechstein pianos are famous for, is how involved in the tonal production their cases and rims have always been. It therefore shouldn’t come as a total surprise that the W. Hoffmann P120’s case is made of massive spruce and back frame made of medium-density pine wood.

Being a fully European piano, the W. Hoffmann P120’s cabinetry is also distinctly European. W. Hoffmann cabinets are finished to a noticeably higher standard than is usually seen in their instrument class, and feature among other things: straight/clean lines on the fallboard, a half-opening top lid as well as European-style double caster wheels.

The P Series Hoffmanns are uniquely available with chrome fittings (logos, plates, wheels, pedals etc.) to differentiate them from the other Hoffmann lines.

The P120 is also available with the very popular Bechstein Vario System. The Vario System allows your acoustic piano to have functionality typically only found in digital pianos, such as: silent feature, metronome, device connectivity etc.