🎹 W. Hoffmann P188 Grand Piano Review & Demo by Merriam Pianos 🎹
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2019
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#W.HoffmannP188 #HoffmannPiano #GrandPiano
Introduction:
The W. Hoffmann P188 Grand Piano is a professional-grade instrument 6’3” in length, and built in the Czech Republic by C. Bechstein. It’s a limited-production piano that features silver plates and nickel hardware (instead of the traditional brass colour), and has many common design and construction elements to the Bechstein Academy series. In this video, Stu Harrison of Merriam Pianos takes you through its main tonal characteristics, discuss the piano action, and some of its major design features.
Sound:
One of the most interesting aspects of the P188 is just how different its tone and overall character is from its cousin, the W. Hoffmann T186 grand piano of approximately the same length, and assembled in the same factory. Where the P188 has a bell-like attack and a slight bias towards a more treble sound, the T186 is clear, slightly warm, and almost Steinway-like in its character. I would also include a Mason & Hamlin B or A model as a close comparator.
The treble on the T188 forward and precise, while avoiding any strident or brassiness...a tricky balance to strike for any piano of this type of character. Whether it is a result of scale design, or hammer selection, or voicing, or some combination of all three, these pianos are the brightest of any I’ve encountered from the Bechstein family of pianos. It’s not unlike a Yamaha in in its tonal profile, although the sustain is improved and the attack is totally different (owing to the rather drastic difference in hammer config).
The mid section and of the P188 is very colourful, and while there is a slight sacrifice of clarity in exchange for this lucious pallate, it remains a lovely instrument for Classical-era repertoire or something pop.
The bass is tight, with a sharp attack, but still managing a warmth to round the instrument out.
Action:
The W. Hoffmann P188 uses Bechstein’s Silver Action - essentially a less-refined version of their top Gold Action. The geometry is the same, but the precision of the wood processing, cutting, and the regulating and voicing processes overall are at a lower level. Given how fanatic Bechstein is with the voicing of their top-tier, the Silver action shouldn’t be any cause for concern...it still outplays the majority of mid-range European pianos without ANY post-factory work whatsoever.
The action has a slightly shallow feel, very fluid, and effortless in the lower and mid ranges. It’s not set up for enormous amounts of power, but the energy of the piano’s structure itself makes up for it.
Features:
The P188 has several features worth noting:
- Duplex Scale
- Sostenuto Pedal
- Tapered Solid-Spruce (White, alpine) Soundboard
- Maple-Capped Bridges
- Maple & Beech
- Double Felted Hammers Bechstein Hammers
- Slow-Fall Key Cover
- Nickel / Silver colour accents vs traditional brass
Conclusions:
The P188 is an extraordinary well-finished piano which needs virtually no work post sale to perform at the top of its potential. It’s a far more affordable way to access a specific type of Europea Piano Tone also found on pianos like Grotrian, Sauter, or August Forster. And if you’re the type of piano buyer that also really wants a different look other than the ordinary brass plating and hardware, this is a great way to get something that looks like an expensive custom finish - the chrome and silver accents really do look slick.
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Видеоклипы
Could you review the P206!
Please testing and rewieing the WH206P. It's the best Grand Piano in the middlerangeprice Segment. Thank you so much Stu...!!!
Appears very close in design to the older W. Hoffmann 190 made in Langlau/Gunzenhausen when Feurich had their factory there.
I just got back from my Bechstein dealer getting a 206 (for a pretty awesome price), really looking forward to it's delivery! It was really the best from all the grands I could test in that price range!
Your videos on the P-series were running on repeat the last days :D
Thanks so much! We're glad that our videos helped you a bit through your decision making process. Congrats on your new grand piano! It is always quite the exciting day when a new piano is being delivered. Enjoy your new musical companion once it arrives! :)
I had the pleasure to visit the Bechstein Europe factory and played a 206: fabulous instrument! Where did you get yours?
@@antoinewcaron2132 That sounds great! I got mine from a Bechstein dealer in Germany, it was a demo / showroom piano and has been used for a handful of concerts, so I got a nice discount - plus it has been tuned super regularly by the store owners :)
I also really like the tone - I tested the sister-model (the Academy 208) and liked the Hoffmann better
@@Jabukon lucky you! In North America, Hoffmannns are almost impossible to find in showrooms. You can order one… without being able to try it: an absurdity. We had to travel 700 km (from Montréal to Long Island NY) to be able to play a T186 and a P188. Both ended up being underwhelming (and a T177 sounding better than both!) left us confused). We were hoping that P188 would prove similar to P206, but it appears that it is not the case. Strange.
@@antoinewcaron2132 wow crazy, Bechsteins seem to be rare in NA in general and Hoffmanns even more so, but one in 700km is insane
I also have heard that the prices are a lot higher than here in Europe / Germany, but couldn’t find any official info on that…
I tried the T hoffmanns as well but didn’t like the touch and the tone was a bit too „damped“ for me, seems like there’s some variance then between the pianos
Uh, I would really like to know who are the other two on the planet mentioned at 0:56 .. my guess that one of the two may be the Schimmel Classic, also based on your Sep 2020 review, but of course I may be wrong. Or Shigeru Kawai?
The other two are Kawai and Yamaha when you opt for the no frills version. Schimmel and Shigeru Kawai are in a different price range. According to the German price lists for 2021, the Hoffmann P-188 stands at 33.900 €, the Yamaha C3 Studio (186 cm) at 27.460 € and the Yamaha C3X (186 cm) at 31.511 €. The Kawai GX-3 (188 cmm) costs 32.970 € whereas the Shigeru Kawaw SK III (188) costs 51.990 €. By comparison, the moderately priced German-built August Förster grand piano stands at 43.870 € (190 cm) whereas the Grotrian Steinweg G-192 is 68.400 €. Schimmel is somewhere in between, with the Classic C189 at 37.700 € and the Konzert K195 at 58.600 €. A bit lower-priced is the Carl Pfeiffer 191 with €52.000 €. Finishing of the list, the Bechstein Academy A-190 tolls at 45.900 € and the C.Bechstein A 192 Concert tops the list with 89.000 €. Note that sales tax in German is 19 %, but there are no custom duties and, well, no steamer ferrying the grand across the Atlantic ocean. To cut a long story short, of the list of German grand pianos, the closest one is in fact the Schimmel Classic priced 5.000 € above the Hoffmann. Schimmel uses a Renner action and has a more robust sound in the lower treble. Which one you prefer is down to you and to your preferred type of music. I think the Hoffmann makes a particularly excellent instrument for romantic classical music or when you are accompanying, be it a singer or another instrument, as the sound is clear without being crisp or sharp and the lower treble does not dominate. For jazz, rock, or pop - or if you are looking for the extra kick - probably the Schimmel is the right choice.
@@HS-wp5vb Many thanks for the insight. However, you can find a new Shigeru Kawai SK3 in Europe for less than 40K € in this moment (source Klaviano), so if you look at real prices differences may be less than expected. I will be in this market soon, now just collecting infos..
@@zundix You are surely right. Some companies or dealers give sizable discounts wheras others just don't. But then again discounts are not easily comparable. I took the list prices as an indication of where each company sees its products in the market. It's a starting point, no more. The basic advice is probably to shop at independent, but authorized dealers and to not to just buy at the first shop you entered but to compare prices. Also, pricing for used pianos seem to vary stubstantially as between cities. At least that's the case in Germany.
My guess for one is the Estonia grand.
Great sound - mellow with a hint of not so...if that makes sense.
sounds like a real good value for the price you pay. What other piano in this same category, german piano built outside germany but excellent quality components and sound but half the price?
The W. Hoffmann pianos have incredible cost-to-value ratio! They are very difficult to compete with. You can also check out the Vision (V) series Hoffmann pianos. They are a little more affordable. There are also the Eduard Seiler ED pianos (Indonesian replicas of the German-made Seiler SE pianos) as well as the Wilhelm Schimmel W series pianos, which are made in Poland. Pricing does vary from market to market, but these are all excellent options that are more affordable than their German-made counterparts. Thanks and all the best! :)
@@MerriamPianos seem like a better deal than getting a kawai gx-2 or yamaha c2x which seem to be very readily available here in USA
which you believe has a better cost-to-value: vision series hoffman V183 or the Wilhelm Schimmel W180. i guess that would be like comparing a toyota to a honda analogy car.
I must say, I resent this "outside Germany BUT excellent quality" :-) Let's not forget it's being produced in the country of Petrof, August Förster etc.