When quoting a piano move, the instrument size is extremely important for accurately determining the number of movers and type of equipment needed. Because piano manufacturers differ in their descriptions, the best way to communicate your piano size is to provide a make and model number. Please note that the serial number will not provide the piano size, however, if your piano is going to be picked up or delivered at a business, it may be beneficial to provide your mover with the serial number as well.
- Blue Book Piano Serial Numbers
- Piano Age By Serial Number Free
- Kimball Piano Serial Number Lookup
- Kimball Piano Serial Number Guide
- Kimball Piano Serial Number List
Depending upon the brand, the model number can be in different places. The information and images below provide general information and brand specific areas. If you cannot find any serial or model numbers, your piano may have been refurbished and the number plate, if there was one, was not put back on or the number was covered.
Serial Numbers – Generally 4 to 7 digits long
Model Numbers – Are often a letter or start with a letter
- Kimball pianos look much like other uprights and grand pianos. However, some Kimball pianos sport elaborate designs, most commonly etched with leaves and acorns. 'The Blue Book of Pianos' will allow you to identify a piano using the serial number or the brand. Many images also are included, which aids in identifying the piano by design.
- KIMBALL GRAND PIANOS: BLUEBOOK: KOHLER & CAMPBELL VERTICAL II PIANOS (Cont): BLUEBOOK: 4640 Ebony Satin: $2.760.00: 2100WaJnut: $2.260.00: 4620'Walnut Satin: $2.860.
Kimball pianos sometimes have the serial number in a hard-to-find place stamped on the back edge of the keybed. This is looking from the tail end of the piano. Uprights usually have the serial number stamped on the plate near the top of the piano or stamped in a window in the plate. We see quite a few antique Kimball pianos come through our restoration shop. One might assume that since Kimball was built in large numbers and sold at an affordable price that Kimball pianos must be mediocre at best. However, our experience has been that pre-depression era Kimball pianos are exceptionally well made, good sounding instruments.
GRAND PIANOS
- Open the lid and look above the keyboard area.
- Look in front of the soundboard in either corner.
- Look along the inside plate holes or it may be in one of the circles stamped into the soundboard.
- The number may be stamped under the piano.
VERTICAL PIANOS
- Open the back panel. Look at the top back, all the way across.
- If not stamped into the top, look between the tuning pins.
- The number may be stamped on the back of the piano.
Yellow: Bosendorfer / Kawai / Samick / Story and Clark / Yamaha / Young Chang
Green: Baldwin / Mason Hamlin / Schimmel / Steinway
Blue: Kimball
If the model number is not stamped in the circled area, it may be on the back
One of the primary ways you can begin to investigate the value of your piano is by locating the serial number. The serial number is considered your piano’s birth certificate, and it is the way the original manufacturer assigned it a unique.
However, locating it can be tricky. We provide our customers with the following real-life diagrams to quickly help them find the serial number on their grand or upright piano.
Blue Book Piano Serial Numbers
Grand serial numbers like on the Steinway pictured above may be found in many different places. The various places on the diagram point to some possible locations.
Typically, a serial number has 5 to 7 digits, but in some cases, it may have fewer or more and may also include a letter. This is a view of the grand with the lid open and the music desk removed. It may be necessary to clean dust off the harp or soundboard before the serial number can be seen.
Piano Age By Serial Number Free
Upright or vertical piano serial numbers can usually be found by lifting the lid and looking inside on the gold harp or plate. It is usually not necessary to remove the upper front panel to find the serial number (as in this picture).
By locating the serial number, you can begin your research to know the value of the piano. The first thing the serial number tells you is the age of the piano. Paired with the who made the piano, the age is a key piece of information, and many piano experts can begin to assign a value quickly after assessing the condition and a few other criteria.
Sometimes, however, a serial number can be nearly impossible to find, even to professionals who know where to look and have identified thousands of serial numbers in their years of expertise. If you are running into this problem, feel free to give us a call, and we’ll be happy to work with you to locate your serial number.
Kimball Piano Serial Number Lookup
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Original image sources:
Grand piano: https://www.amromusic.com/
Kimball Piano Serial Number Guide
Upright piano: http://www.steinhovenpianos.com/