W. Hoffmann V112 Upright Piano

Product Overview

The W. Hoffmann v112 is the smallest upright piano offering from the famous C. Bechstein Europe Company – Europe’s largest producer of hand-made, premium pianos. The v112 is made in Europe (Czech Republic) and is labeled by Bechstein as ‘an affordable beginner’s piano’. Although it can be considered ‘beginner’ in relation to a Concert Class German C. Bechstein upright, the W/ Hoffmann V112 is considered a category higher in quality to a professional Kawai or Yamaha, and offers ‘the sound of Europe’ and a remarkably pleasant touch of European standards at an impressive price.

The W. Hoffmann v112 is 112cm tall (or 44”) and includes some very advanced features for its instrument class such as: Premium Solid Spruce Soundboards (White Spruce) with spruce ribs, hardwood bridges, double-felted Bechstein-made hammers, top quality European strings and more!

The Vision series is the most affordable W. Hoffmann line, and features all European parts (except strung-back) and assembly. The Vision Series pianos are fully hand-crafted from the point of receiving the strung backs, and feature a very high level of European piano making expertise in the wood, metal and finishing specialties.

The W.Hoffmann V112 is priced similarly to a Kawai K300 or a Yamaha U1, but delivers a more musical experience, which is hand-voiced/regulated/prepared by some of the finest piano craftspeople anywhere in the world.

The W. Hoffmann V112 is also available with the C. Bechstein Vario System, which is a silent system designed and made by Bechstein, allowing their acoustic pianos to have certain capabilities typically only available in digital pianos.

Action

The action in the W. Hoffmann V112 upright is a Bechstein designed and made action, which they label their ‘Silver Action’. This action is also used in the rest of the W. Hoffmann lines and in the German-made Bechstein Academy line. 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.

The entire action assembly is Bechstein-made and is finished and regulated to their demanding European quality standards.

For those familiar with Renner Actions, the Bechstein Silver Action is similar in feel, although does have the sense of a deeper key bed, and seems to be designed and regulated to provide more control in lower dynamic ranges. This is likely also enhanced by the extended key-stick lengths.

Tone

The W. Hoffmann V112 model delivers an incredibly colourful tone for a piano of its price, and size for that matter! Its range of expressivity pleasantly surprises anyone who plays it, and its overtone complexity punches far above its price point!

When compared to a Japanese upright, many musicians would say the v112 delivers better tonal clarity, projection and sustain.

C. Bechstein Europe uses only bass strings of 95% copper purity in the W. Hoffmann v112 for an optimal tonal outcome.

Agraffes are available on the v126 model and higher.

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.

Its 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 V112 receives double-felted hammers (English sheep felt) with maple hammer heads; which are carefully selected and hand-voiced by the voicing experts at C. Bechstein Europe

Soundboard

The soundboard in the W. Hoffmann v112 is made of high quality, white spruce and provides the instrument with a beautiful sense of tonal clarity, without sacrificing the rich ‘bottom-end’, which isn’t common with midrange European pianos.

Hoffmann Vision Series soundboards are specially processed for use in any climate.

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 v112 (which costs a literal fraction of what a Bechstein costs) is constructed of massive pinewood with a solid wood back frame of medium density wood

Apart from the musical differences between Japanese and European pianos, there are also most certainly some cabinetry differences as well. Vision Series Hoffmann cabinets are finished to a higher standard than is usually seen in their instrument class, and feature among other things: bevelled edges, rounded corners, straight/clean lines on the fallboard, a half-opening top lid as well as European-style double caster wheels.