Hohner Pianet L

UPDATE: As of October 2002 I installed a new set of "sticky" pads (from www.clavinet.com). The difference is unbelievable! Anyone with a Pianet L, C, CH, N, or Combo Pianet, needs to buy a set of these! They're an excellent investment that will bring new life to your Hohner Pianet.

This electric piano was the debut of the Pianet (1962) built by Hohner. It is touch sensitive (well, sort of). As with most of the electromechanical pianos of its time, it sounds best when played hard, which isn't hard to do because of its lightweightedness. It employs the same style preamp as the "N" models and sounds the same. The Pianet L is much easier to play AND is alot more portable than ANY Rhodes or Wurlitzer. But it's downfall is that there is no way of using a sustain pedal because of its internal mechanical setup.

It has 61 notes and 61-note polyphony. It is slightly larger and heavier than the later "N" models mainly because it has 2 built-in speakers. But it lacks the option of vibrato. It also has a single output jack for headphones or to go to an amplifier. The L model has a wooden casing, plexiglass music stand and 4 metal legs which screw in from the bottom. The overall weight is about 45-50 lbs. An interesting footnote: There was the Pianet L, N, and T. Allegedly, the "T" stood for: Tolex, "N" stood for: Natural, and "L" stood for: Limited. So if you own a Pianet "L", it is probably one of few left in exsistence.

If you're looking for something that sounds like a piano, this isn't for you. It has a sound as unique as the instrument itself. Something like a jazz electric guitar. Very aggresive sounding on lower notes and more like a music box on the high ones. It works well in rock songs as well as funk or jazz. Some songs to listen for that use the Pianet L (or "N"....same sound).... These Eyes (The Guess Who) Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zepplin) My best friend (Queen) She's Not There (The Zombies) Joy To The World (Three Dog Night)

I haven't run into any problems with mine since purchasing it 6 months ago. It has been restored to its original condition and needed all of its pads replaced. But I've used it regularly ever since. The Germans certainly knew what they were doing when they built this baby. Unlike the Wurlitzer electric pianos, these reeds never need tuning!

Other than replacement pads, anything else that would need repairs can usually be done at any music store/repair shop. There are also resources on the internet for original parts. But don't expect any help from Hohner. They're back to doing JUST harmonicas and are of little help when it comes to any of their old keyboards. Manuals for all Pianets are available from Melbourne Music of Australia. The email is: melmusic@melmusic.com.au

This model is alot harder to come by than any of the other Hohner Pianets. If you can find one, buy it. But I personally wouldn't spend more than $400 though, because of the fact that it only produces one sound which makes it obsolete by today's standards. It has alot of bite and can be quite gradifying to play once you get a feel for it.