Purchase Consult: Kimball 587F 5' 8" Grand

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: Brian L Jane <brianjaney@juno.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, August 27, 1999 3:21 AM
Subject: Purchase Consult: Kimball 587F 5' 8" Grand


> Dear List -
>
> I have a client that has been looking at a Kimball 587F Grand... I was
> interested in what you on the list may think about this particular model
> of piano. As I played it and looked it over, made my appraisal
> inspection, to my surprise - I really had a hard time not liking it [I
> hope you can all still respect me... grin].
>
> It is 10 years old [serial number T89162] and appears to have some
> potential with a minor regulation and some voicing - this is a bit of a
> shock to me because my experience to date with Kimball's has usually been
> with 1970 vintage spinets/consoles that [at times] sound like they have
> coffee can metal for sound boards.
>
> The piano appears to have been played very little since purchase. Ancott
> [Discontinued Keyboard Edition] has a Kimball of similar size in a 1990
> version listed at around $12000 - the dealer that has this piano for sale
> is asking $6995.00. It has the Viennese Edition case in pecan colored oak
> for a case. It basically has all the appearences of a new piano.
>
> Any thoughts/advice... positive and negitive???
>
> Thanks!
> Brian - Fallbrook, CA
> San Diego County Chapter, PTG

--------------------------------------------------

Kimball was on the verge of procucing some fairly good grand pianos.  This
piano should be structurally sound -- it has a poplar rim, but in a piano in
this price range that's to be expected.  At that, it is probably better than
"select hardwood."  The fit and finish will not be the greatest.  The action
regulation and voicing will be rough -- unless it has been cared for by a
technician who has already done this work.  The stringing scale will leave
much to be desired -- I don't know why Kimball never really got that
together, it really is not that difficult.

Having said all that, your client could do worse.  Spend some time
regulating -- all of it, starting with bedding the keyframe and working
out -- sanding the hammers -- not "shaping" them -- and voicing them, etc.
Gently seat the strings as necessary and maybe tighten some coils on the
tuning pins.  In other words, do the prep work that any good grand piano
deserves, and this will be a quite nice piano.  If it were me, I would
certainly rather have one of these than one of the low-end imports.

Regards,

Del