Jasper Corporation was a contract manufacturer of furniture, founded in 1950 by Arnold Habig. Subsidiary of Jasper Corporation (1959-1996)
So in 1922 after producing a total of 403,990 reed organs, Kimball halted the production of any more. In the early 1900s Reed organs were falling out of 'public favor' as pianos increased in popularity due to a number of factors, including economics. During this time they made different types of pianos including player and upright pianos. Over the next ensuing decades, superior piano quality and aggressive sales tactics made Kimball one of the top producers of pianos in the world. A massive five story factory was built for that purpose. In 1887, the company broadened its manufacturing business to include pianos.
This meant that the company was the largest organ maker in the world. Production underwent a quick growth spurt and soon peaked at 15,000 organs per year. The Kimball Company was officially formed in 1882 and at this time there was enough money to build a large factory for the production of reed organs. The company quickly grew as a manufacturer and by 1880 the organs they were selling were made wholly in-house. The first time that Kimball began making its own instruments was in 1877 when it started assembling reed organs. He started working from home and gradually rebuilt the business. Wallace Kimball did not, however, give up. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire wrecked havoc to Kimball's business, razing down all the company's assets. It is important to note that at this point, Kimball was purely a dealership, not a manufacturer, although this would later change. He later moved to the Crosby Opera House from where he sold pianos made by other manufacturers, such as Chickering and Sons, the J & C Fischer Piano Company, Hallet & Davis, and others. There is where William Wallace Kimball founded the company as a piano dealership. What we know today as Kimball international has its roots in the corner of a jewelry store. On it you can see the autographs of all employees and executives of the company. The last Grand Piano made by the company is on display in their Showroom in Jasper, Indiana. Kimball Pianos are some of the best known pianos in the world, and unfortunately, they are no longer produced as of 1996. Kimball and Company, to the present mega company, Kimball International, the brand name Kimball has certainly gone through some interesting events over the decades. From its humble beginnings in 1857 as W.W. Kimball was the world's largest piano manufacturer from. Kimball piano factory was one of the largest manufacturing operations in the world, with rail lines running through the facility, dropping off raw materials and picking up finished pianos for shipment.
Uprights usually have the serial number stamped on the plate near the top of the piano or stamped in a window in the plate. 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.