Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Overview
Musical instrument repairers and tuners fix and maintain all types of instruments, from guitars and violins to pianos and drums. They use both traditional hand tools and modern electronic tuning devices to repair broken parts, adjust string tensions, and ensure instruments sound perfect. The work requires excellent hearing, steady hands, and attention to detail as they play instruments to test sound quality and diagnose problems. Many professionals specialize in specific instrument types and can work in music stores, repair shops, or even travel to clients' homes.
Did you know?
Most American employers prefer candidates with associate degrees in instrumentation technology or related fields, along with industry certifications from organizations like ISA (International Society of Automation).
At a Glance
Median Wage
$45,582.50 Avg/yr
Growth
Stable
Top Skill
Time Management
Key Responsibilities
- Disassemble instruments and parts for repair and adjustment.
- Assemble and install new pipe organs and pianos in buildings.
- Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
- Mix and measure glue that will be used for instrument repair.
- Inspect instruments to locate defects, and to determine their value or the level of restoration required.
- Shape old parts and replacement parts to improve tone or intonation, using hand tools, lathes, or soldering irons.
- Remove irregularities from tuning pins, strings, and hammers of pianos, using wood blocks or filing tools.
- Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
- Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
- Deliver pianos to purchasers or to locations of their use.
- Refinish instruments to protect and decorate them, using hand tools, buffing tools, and varnish.
- Refinish and polish piano cabinets or cases to prepare them for sale.
- Wash metal instruments in lacquer-stripping and cyanide solutions to remove lacquer and tarnish.
- Strike wood, fiberglass, or metal bars of instruments, and use tuned blocks, stroboscopes, or electronic tuners to evaluate tones made by instruments.
- String instruments, and adjust trusses and bridges of instruments to obtain specified string tensions and heights.
- Adjust felt hammers on pianos to increase tonal mellowness or brilliance, using sanding paddles, lacquer, or needles.
- Repair cracks in wood or metal instruments, using pinning wire, lathes, fillers, clamps, or soldering irons.
- Remove dents and burrs from metal instruments, using mallets and burnishing tools.
- Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
- Polish instruments, using rags and polishing compounds, buffing wheels, or burnishing tools.
- Align pads and keys on reed or wind instruments.
- Make wood replacement parts, using woodworking machines and hand tools.
- Solder posts and parts to hold them in their proper places.
- Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
Career Considerations
Certification and Training Requirements
Most American employers prefer candidates with associate degrees in instrumentation technology or related fields, along with industry certifications from organizations like ISA (International Society of Automation).
Strong Job Market Demand
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects steady growth for instrument technicians, particularly in manufacturing, oil and gas, and pharmaceutical industries that are expanding domestically.
Safety and Regulatory Compliance
American instrument technicians must stay current with OSHA safety standards and industry-specific regulations, as non-compliance can result in significant legal and financial consequences for employers.