🎹W. Hoffmann T122 Tradition Upright Piano Review & Demo🎹

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#T122 #WHoffmann #UprightPiano

Hi everyone and welcome to another piano review video here at the Merriam Pianos YouTube channel. We’re exploring one heck of an upright piano here today - the W. Hoffmann T122.

This piano is made by C. Bechstein in their Czech Republic factory. This is a handmade instrument built with exclusively European components.

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Piano Overview:

The T122 is a 48”, professionally sized upright piano. The Czech factory where Bechstein produces the W. Hoffmann series is actually the former Bohemia factory, which Bechstein actually purchased and dramatically remade in the early 2000’s. They invested a huge amount of capital into new CNC machinery, and actually kept most of the experienced staff.

The W. Hoffmann Tradition series are essentially the continuation of the Bohemia designs, whereas the Vision series is based on a different design, and the Professional series are based on the C. Bechstein Academy. The Tradition series has a very different character from the Vision and Professional series, both in terms of the sound and touch. While the Professional series instruments are more expensive, I don’t think it’s fair to say they’re superior since they’re so different musically from the Tradition, and many folks might actually prefer the Tradition series.

Sound:

Right off the hop, it’s clear that the T122 has that distinctive “Bell Like” tone so commonly associated with European pianos. With Bechstein’s in general, there’s a strong mix of cabinet resonance and clarity, whereas the Tradition series seems to have less cabinet resonance and a clearer attack, along with a lovely bloom.

It compares quite well to the Bechstein A124, though with a slightly less complex tone but clearer attack. Some folks may actually prefer the more direct tone of the T122, so if you have a chance to compare them side by side, we’d strongly recommend it. The bass is also not as warm and strong as the A124, but considering that the T122 costs about $10,000 less, what you’re getting here compared to other pianos in the price range is incredible.

Bechstein makes their own hammers specifically for every piano they build, so that’s a big part of the sound, along with a robust cabinet, and the presence of Agraffes.

Overall, this is the type of tone that’s going to record very well, so if you’re looking for a nice upright for a recording studio, you should absolutely consider this instrument. In my opinio, it’s one of the absolute best 48” uprights on the market available for under $20,000.

Action:

The action reminds me of what you find in a Grotrian or a Schimmel upright. The Bechstein uprights are regulated to feel more like a grand piano, whereas this T122 feels more like a traditional European upright action, with a slightly lighter touch and great responsiveness, especially in the lower dynamic ranges. The repetition speed is slightly slower than what you’ll get in a Bechstein Academy, but still very good.

Conclusions:

The T122 ultimately serves as a European alternative to a high end Japanese upright, such as a Yamaha YU5 or Kawai K800 for looking for a clearer more bell like tone. As far as 48” uprights go, as mentioned above, I think this is one of the absolute top on the market in the $20,000 CAD price range.

Thanks for watching! Long live the piano!

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