The sleek retro cabinet style of this Kimball piano is a blast from the past!
Excellent example of the clean lines and organic curves of the Mid-Century Modern furniture design.
The Kimball Piano Co. is one of the oldest of the American piano businesses dating back to 1857. They were also one of the most popular, having built over one-million pianos over time. Just three years after this piano was built in 1963, Kimball International acquired the prestigious Bösendorfer Piano Co. of Vienna, Austria when the ownership family had no successors. It was a heady time for Kimball. They used Bösendorfer’s advanced technology to upgrade their own American-made instruments that led to the Viennese Classic line of grand pianos. Victor Borge, the brilliant piano master and comedian was brought on as an artist to promote the brands. Eighty-eight Kimball pianos were brought on the field of Super Bowl XXll in 1988 to perform a massive half-time spectacle called “Something Grand” by 88 tuxedo-clad pianists. American manufacturing became nearly impossible and the last American Kimball piano built was in 1996.
Lid in concert position, fully open for maximum tonal output, projection and sustain.
Groovy Kimball La Petite Grand Piano, 4’-5” length, S# 632918, Mfg. 1963, Cherry satin finish, Mid-century Modern style.
88 Keys Warehouse & Showroom price – only $3950.
William Wallace Kimball founded the company in Chicago, Illinois as a retail piano dealership selling the great Chickering piano and other lines. He was a brilliant promoter and a giant of the piano industry. Most of those instruments were square grands that were precursors to the modern grand piano. One brand that he sold was the Hallet, Davis & Co. piano which is sold to this very day, including in our store. His location at the Crosby Opera House was destroyed by the great Chicago fire in 1871. He built his first Kimball piano in 1888. By 1902 the factory was building 22,000 pianos annually and was considered to be among the very best of the American made pianos. There are many, many old Kimball uprights left that are still functional instruments and we are happy to offer them when we can.
A functional musical instrument dressed in a warm Cherrywood (Prunus serotina) cabinet and understated elegance.
The stylish music rack holds the music upright on the sturdy music desk with long sheet music angle.
The Kimball La Petite is the smallest grand piano ever built and was surprisingly popular.
The all-important plate that is a true wet sand-casting and forged with molten iron in the foundry, then finished beautifully.
One-owner and next to brand new condition – inside and out, structurally and aesthetically.
The talented 88 Keys Piano technicians have the keyboard playing responsively with a quick repetition.
All eighty-eight Kimball grand pianos used in the 1988 half-time show of Super Bowl XXll in San Diego were subsequently distributed to authorized Kimball piano dealers throughout Southern California and beyond, for sale as demos. The Super Bowl “stunt” was a monumental task requiring specialized piano movers and precise coordination in a limited amount of time that awed the rest of the piano industry with the logistics involved and setting a new standard for promotional events.