I am shopping for an old K-52 (or 56") upright Steinway. I am not a professional player, however, do have a good ear and appreciate good quality sound. I know the basics in terms of what parts can be replaced or rebuilt, however, do not know what will be the right questions to ask (for the technician) when I see a restored Steinway?
Also, is it any different when tune a modern vs. vintage (> 100 yr old) Piano?
Thanks in advance for your help from a Newbie.

Hungtang,

I recommend that you get a copy of The Piano Book by Larry Fine and read the section about buying a used piano. That will answer most of your questions.

Tuning a 100 year old piano can be a bit of a challenge if the piano is in it's original, unrestored condition. Sometimes the tuning pins can be quite loose in the pinblock, making tuning difficult, if not impossible.

Other than that, the tuning process itself is the same for either piano.

Tom

If you're going to purchase a used piano, get a different technician to evaluate it. Just like restoring cars, different people do work of different quality.

Here's more info on rebuilding:
http://ptg.org/resources-pianoOwners.php

Just curious: why are you looking for that particular model?

--Cy--

I am looking for a taller one simply because they sound better (to me at least) than the 49"( or under) ones. I have my eyes set on a model G (56"), 1883, which had been restored ~ 10 yr ago. Asking ~$4000 range. Any comment?

It is very difficult to restore Steinway uprights properly. I think the largest ones are especially difficult, because of the rather fragile sticker system they used. Parts are not available for them.

I have been gathering up the energy to do some work on a pair of Ks that my alma mater has inherited. I have the keys and action of one downstairs now. So much to do!

In looking at restoration work, ask yourself, do all the ducks line up in a row? Look at the parts to see if the rows are straight and all the ducks (parts) point in the same directions. Everything should look even and uniform. It should play evenly and smoothly.

Then if you like the sound.... $4000 doesn't sound bad.

Is this from a private party or a dealer? What work was done in the restoration?

It is from a private party. As far as I can tell, the hammers, keys, action has been done (10+ yr ago). I do like the sound, it's so rich and powerful. I made an offer of $3200 and the owner accepted....
Now, I will get a professional to take a look and tune after I move it (I heard I should wait a couple weeks for piano to settle in).
Do you think I will be charged more for tuning a vintage Steinway?

No. You might be charged extra if it takes more than one pass to tune (because it's so far off pitch):
What is a "pitch raise"?

--Cy--

If I understang what is pitch raise correctly, It was -15 for central C when I use a chromatic tuner. My question is more like "whether an oil change will be charged more for a Mercedez than a Toyota"?

YT

I understand. No, in my experience tuners charge the same for every piano.

--Cy--