9 Foot Kimball

[Robin Hufford]

     There were, in fact, two Chickerings in the main auditiorium, along with
the organ,   in Atlantic City, originally, as Thump indicates.  The organ here
is the largest in the world with over 33,000 pipes.  .    One piano was placed
in the wind chamber, out of view,  and was played  remotedly using  the organ
keyboard, by a system of relays, a reproducing mechanism and a large wiring
harness.  The other was the stage piano and was visible as such.
     Attached to the enormous hall there,  is also  a second facility which was
a ballroom, also huge and containing, again, another enormous organ, not as
large as the one in the main hall, but enormous nevertheless which also could
operate a piano.  .  I believe it is considered to be something of a
theater-type organ, although I don't understand these distinctions, and have
read it described as the largest, again, of its type.  .  This was built by WW
Kimball.  Similarly to the main organ it also had functionally attached to it a
concert grand which could be played from the keyboard.  .  This is the Kimball
concert grand.
Regards, Robin Hufford
Pianoman wrote:

> I have been under the impression that the Atlantic City organ had 2- 9'
> Chickerings originally.
> JAMES
> James Grebe   Piano Tuning & Repair   Member of M.P.T.
> R.P.T. of the P.T.G. for over 30 years.   "Member of the Year" in 1989
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> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "gordon stelter" <lclgcnp at yahoo.com>
> To: "Dave Davis" <dave at davispiano.com>; "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 8:10 PM
> Subject: Re: 9 Foot Kimball
>
> >2 years ago I sold the 9-foot Kimbal-Welte reproducing
> > piano back to the Atlantic City Convention Center that
> > was originally installed to play manually, from the
> > organ keyboard, or from Welte rolls. It was a
> > reasonably good sounding piano, built in 1928, and had
> > a curved keyboard ( rears of keys were in an arc). I
> > don't remember where the serial # was, but I believe
> > it was on the inside of the keyslip.
> >     Thump
> >
> >
> >
> > --- Dave Davis <davistunes at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I got a call to go take a look at a 9 foot Kimball.
> >> The potential buyer & seller couldn't find a serial
> >> number, looks like the plate has been painted, and
> >> they looked in the *normal* spots I could think of
> >> over the phone...under keybed, soundboard, etc.
> >> Anyone have any other thoughts where secret Kimball
> >> serial numbers might be located?
> >>
> >> Also, any info on when and how many 9'ers might have
> >> been made? A colleague says he saw one in LA about
> >> 25 years ago.
> >>
> >> Dave Davis, RPT
> >
> >
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