High-end piano manufacturers have been very successful at perfecting the sound of baby grand pianos. Since tonal quality of a piano is directly affected by the size of the soundboard and strings, manufacturers fight to create the best sound output for every square inch of the baby grand. This new diminutive model – the baby grand – features a smaller soundboard and shorter strings – everything else remains the same. So, in order to downsize the grand piano, it would have to be the string length and the tail of the piano that could be altered, not the width. More innovation would come with actions and stringing inside the case but the keyboard width itself could not be made smaller and still satisfy the wide musical scope of pianists. The 88-key keyboard had evolved (acoustic pianos with less keys were produced until the 1900’s) and become the standard piano width.
So how do you downsize a grand piano to a “baby” grand? Upright pianos were being used because they didn’t take up a lot of floor space, but many people preferred the look of the three-legged design, if it was only smaller. However, the increasing popularity of the piano in private homes, resulted in the need for a smaller grand piano. In time, larger concert halls and venues required more powerful sound, so the concert grand evolved into 9 and 10-foot pianos for professional solo and orchestral needs. Originally, in sizes ranging from 6 to 8 feet, they were used in salons and house concerts. As an occassional piano player it is not the best or worst sounding piano I have ever played.Grand pianos, the three-legged “horizontally-sitting” stringed instruments were developed 300 years ago, an offshoot of the harpsichord and pianoforte. I have had no problems with the piano after a good tuning. I am aware that Kimball primarily built furniture. The article said they built these commerative piano's with a higher level of quality then previously used. I did some research and read that Kimball used this event to promote better quality associated with Kimball's name. The model # is 5250, serial number t23694 Is anyone familiar with a Kimball's commerative piano like this?
I am a little familiar with Kimball piano's and bought it because they do not demand a bigger price as a higher quality name piano. I did not buy or pay extra money for the piano because of this certificate. They indicated the piano may have actually been used in Los Angeles at the opening and closing ceremonies. The seller also had a large photo of the placement of the 20+ piano's in the stadium. It further says the piano was made to commerate Kimball's participation in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics. The seller had a certificate, and there is a plaque inside the piano that says the piano was commissioned by the Los Angeles Olympic Organization committee. I bought a used Kimball Baby Grand in the Chicago area a couple years ago.
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