Review: W. Hoffmann Pianos – PianoBuyer
A review by Mario Igrec.
The W. Hoffmann brand, owned by the German piano maker C. Bechstein, is positioned as a lower-priced alternative to C. Bechstein’s own high-end lines of grand and vertical pianos. W. Hoffmann achieves its lower prices by building their pianos in a large, modern factory in Hradec Králové, in the Czech Republic.
In both grands and verticals, W. Hoffmann offers three lines of pianos of ascending price: Vision, Tradition, and Professional. The first letter of the model number—V, T, or P—denotes the line. Vision pianos, such as the reviewed models V120 and V183, are the least expensive and are assembled in Hradec Králové; their backs, including a laminated soundboard, are imported from Asia. Tradition pianos, including the reviewed models T122 and T186, are built entirely in Hradec Králové, and use a conventional solid spruce soundboard with bridges made in Germany by C. Bechstein. The Professional models (none reviewed) incorporate more German-made components—e.g., bridges, back, soundboard support, and pinblock—and are regulated and voiced to a higher standard.