Kimball had a long history in the U.S., and its pianos were by and large very average in quality-not great, not terrible. Acoustic pianos require maintenance (e.g., regular tuning and other occasional service), but I believe that a quality acoustic grand is the preferred instrument for most people who play proficiently. Digitals allow private practice through headphones, and they require no upkeep. The choice is usually governed by practical matters like one’s budget and whether the noise from practicing is acceptable in one’s living situation.

Uprights usually have the serial number stamped on the plate near the top of the piano or stamped in a window in the plate.As far as I know, there’s no consensus about whether a beginner is best served by a digital instrument or an acoustic one. This is looking from the tail end of the piano.

Kimball pianos sometimes have the serial number in a hard-to-find place stamped on the back edge of the keybed. Sometimes the number is stamped in the soundboard under the strings. The most common place on a grand piano is stamped on the plate in the V shaped area between the tenor and the bass sections of the plate or at the treble end. Some piano have other numbers stamped on them that are used in the manufacturing process. For European pianos, Bill Kibby in England has better information than we do at Piano Gen. You are usually looking for a 5 or 6 digit number. Dates that are cast into the plate of a piano are dates when the company was founded and not dates for the particular piano. They can be in unusual places and this page shows some of the places to find the serial number. Pianos almost always have a serial number somewhere.

Kimball baby grand piano 692726