Kimball Piano Value – What is a Kimball Piano Worth?
Whether you have a piano at home, you are looking to purchase a piano, or you are trying to sell an old piano, you no doubt have a good reason to wonder what your instrument is worth. And this can be a tricky task, especially when it comes to older brands like Kimball, who began making pianos in the 1800s but were discontinued in the 1990s.
So in this article, we will focus on the history of Kimball pianos, what factors determine a piano’s worth, and how to determine a piano’s age. Determining a Kimball piano value is a bit of a multi-layered topic, so we will break down the process of determining the instrument’s true market worth!
How Much Is My Kimball Piano Worth?
Let’s begin by outlining the rough estimate of what a Kimball piano is worth, and then after that, we can work backwards a bit by helping you understand the basis behind the piano’s estimated value.
So in today’s market, some Kimball baby grand pianos are selling for anywhere between $500 and $3,000. Kimball upright pianos (and Kimball spinets) typically sell for between $500 and $1,500 on average.
Keep in mind, too, that if a piano has been kept in excellent condition, or perhaps if the instrument has undergone a piano restoration, the value of the piano can increase significantly.
But, of course, these pries are just an average. For example, a retailer like Vincitore (Hudson Valley Piano Center) is selling a working upright Kimball piano from 1981 (and featuring Harmi-Tone action) for just under $1,000.
Over at Reverb, a Kimball grand piano in satin walnut is priced to sell at $8,000. It’s in good working and physical condition, although the piano bench clearly has seen better days. Overall, this is another example of a Kimball’s worth (or asking price) exceeding expected value estimates.
What Factors Determine a Piano’s Value?
There are several factors that determine the value of a piano. These factors include the brand of the piano, its age and condition, and the design style of the instrument.
The piano’s age and condition are incredibly important. Despite popular belief, a decades-old piano is not necessarily valuable. In fact, most pianos over forty years old are not appraised at high values. This is due in part to the materials used in the instrument and how well those materials have held up over time.
A piano’s brand is another key factor. Big name brands like Steinway & Sons and Wurlitzer have high name recognition and therefore fetch a higher resale price. Kimball pianos, while widely popular in their time, were considered mid-range instruments and generally do not command premium resale values today.
A third factor is the style and design of the piano. Pianos with a sleek black, glossy finish tend to be more desirable in today’s market than those with a wood veneer finish. While style is subjective, Kimball’s frequent use of traditional cabinetry and veneer finishes can make them less attractive to modern buyers looking for a more contemporary aesthetic.
How Old Is My Kimball?
The age of your Kimball piano can be determined by locating the serial number. The serial number can be located in a variety of places, such as the back edge of the keybed. Finding your piano’s serial number may require the use of a flashlight as you search around on the instrument.
Once you have the serial number, you can consult the Bluebook of Pianos or other online serial number databases to determine the manufacturing year. While this won’t give you an exact date, it can help you narrow down the production year with reasonable accuracy.
Kimball Piano Serial Number Lookup Resources
Once you locate your Kimball piano’s serial number, consider using one of the following resources:
- Bluebook of Pianos – Serial Numbers
- Piano World Forums – Ask Kimball Age Questions to the Piano Community
These tools can help you estimate the instrument’s age and give you further insights into its historical context.
Should I Get My Kimball Appraised?
There are a few ways to determine your Kimball piano’s selling price. The above figures, as well as the aforementioned factors that determine a piano’s worth, are a great starting point when trying to figure out how much to ask when selling the instrument.
Another easy method is to check online marketplaces like eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace to see what similar models are listed for. Be cautious with listings priced in the thousands. Unless a Kimball piano has been restored or kept in pristine condition, it likely will sell at lower prices.
For a more definitive assessment, you may wish to hire a piano technician for an official appraisal. A piano technician is a trained professional who repairs, tunes, and evaluates pianos. If you need help finding one, Piano Acoustics is a helpful resource for locating a technician in your area.
Common Kimball Piano Types and Models
In order to assess what the value of your Kimball piano is, its important to learn about the various models Kimball manufactured. Kimball produced a wide variety of piano types, such as:
1) Spinet: Compact and budget-friendly piano, but is mechanically limited
2) Console: Slightly taller piano that has better tone than spinets
3) Upright: Bigger and more impactful sound
4) Baby Grand: Elegant design with warm tone
5) Grand: Beautiful, rich sound. The best kind of piano Kimball ever manufactured.
Understanding your specific model can give you a clearer estimate of value.
Restoration and Repair: Is It Worth It?
Restoring a Kimball piano can cost anywhere from $2,000 to over $15,000 depending on the work involved (refinishing, restringing, regulation, etc.). If a piano needs a new soundboard, for example, that can cost $8,000 by itself.
It may be worth considering restoration if:
1) It’s broken or partially damaged, and you want to play it again
2) You want to restore or exceed the piano’s original appraised value
3) The piano has sentimental value to you
4) It is a rare or high-end Kimball model
5) You plan to use it in the future and pass it down to a family member
However, restoration costs sometimes exceed resale value. For resale purposes, a light cleaning and tuning may offer better return on investment.
Selling Tips for Kimball Pianos
Here are some ways to improve your selling success when listing your piano for sale:
Clean the piano and have it tuned before photographing.
List it on multiple platforms, such as Craigslist, eBay, Reverb, or Facebook Marketplace.
Allow potential buyers to send you offers that are below your asking price. If you want $8,000 for your piano, allow buyers to offer you $6,000 instead.
Include details like serial number, age, dimensions, finish, and any repairs. Also, consider creating a short video that clearly demonstrates how the piano looks and sounds.
Be honest about the piano’s condition. Transparency builds trust.
Offer local pickup or coordinate shipping, especially for grand pianos.
Kimball Pianos: A Brief History
Finally, I thought it would be fun to dive a little bit into the history of Kimball pianos, in order for you to have better context into why these pianos, in some cases, are able to hold onto a decent amount of their value given their age.
In 1857, William Wallace Kimball founded W.W. Kimball and Company, which was a piano and organ dealer. Kimball sold several brands of pianos, and started making reed organs in 1877.
As the piano grew in popularity as the instrument of choice for domestic music-making at the end of the nineteenth century, Kimball and Company began making their own pianos, opening a five-story warehouse to accomplish the goal in 1887.
While Kimball’s initial forays into making pianos were of low quality, the company was smart enough to seek expert advice from people who worked at companies like Steinway & Sons to give suggestions for quality improvement.
Kimball pianos were quite popular in the Midwest, utilizing door-to-door salesmen to sell their instruments. At one time the best-selling piano company in the country, Kimball fell into decline due to poor business decisions.
A new piano factory, built in the 1950s in Melrose Park, Illinois, faced issues of high costs and poor performance.
In 1959, W.W. Kimball and Company was bought out by The Jasper Corporation, a furniture company based in Indiana. The Jasper Corporation’s initial Kimball pianos were of varying quality, but they soon returned the brand to its glory, as it once again became the best-selling piano brand in the country.
Kimball pianos became so successful that The Jasper Corporation changed its name to Kimball International. With the decline of piano sales in the late twentieth century, Kimball International made the decision to cease production of the pianos in 1996. Alamo Music Center has even more details about the history of Kimball pianos.
Conclusion
We have now learned all about Kimball piano value—from the brand’s fascinating history to what factors determine it’s worth. We’ve examined how age, condition, and design affect resale price and reviewed real-world pricing examples.
Whether you’re buying, selling, or simply curious, understanding your Kimball piano’s history and condition is the first step toward determining its true worth. Hopefully, this guide helps you better navigate your next steps with confidence.
You can learn more on piano value here.