Kimball dating guide.
At times the largest organ maker in the world — and almost no dating data left online.
W.W. Kimball started in Chicago in 1857 and grew into, at various periods, the largest producer of pianos and organs in the world. The organ side of that legacy is badly documented online: searching for Kimball organ serial charts mostly surfaces paid-answer services with nothing verifiable. Owner's manuals survive via the Raymon Brothers service center; component date codes inside the console are the honest route.
No model-by-model serial tables
Kimball never published serial charts — and no verifiable community table exists. This page is a working dating guide: era markers, plate location and component date codes. The general dating guide covers the component-code route.
Where the serial number lives
- Plate location is not documented in public sources we could verify — check the keydesk underside.
Era markers
| Era | Years | What it means on the instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Company anchors | 1857 · 1960s–80s · today | Founded as W.W. Kimball (Chicago); home organs peak mid-century; the modern Kimball International is a furniture concern |
Model catalogue
4 documented models — 3 with published production years (observed 2026-10-12). Years are catalogue-derived; models without published years are listed as placeholders.
| Model | Years | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| W.W. Kimball Co. | 1857– | Company | Chicago dealership from 1857; at times the world's largest producer of pianos and organs; the organ side traded as Kimball Piano & Organ |
| Kimball home organ line (1970s-1980s) | 1970–1990 | Spinet | mass-market home organs; no public serial chart, so dating runs on model code and tech era |
| Kimball 'Entertainer' series (e.g. R30 Aquarius, Swinger 400) | 1978–1985 | Spinet | documented examples: Kimball Aquarius 'The Entertainer' model R30 (1980s oak); Kimball Temptation piano-organ 'Swinger 400' |
| Kimball serial chart (honest no-data) | — | Note | no public Kimball organ serial/date table found; the only pointers in search results are paid appraisal services |
What it is worth
- Kimball home organs sit in the zero-to-low value class unless in exceptional condition with local demand.
Frequently asked
Where is the Kimball organ serial chart?
It is not online in any verifiable form. Paid-answer sites claim to "match charts from collector resources" — unverifiable. Use internal component date codes and manuals.