Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.
MAY 2025 · OCCUPATIONAL WAGES
A wage reference for United States.
Published wage percentiles describe a distribution within the source occupation group. They provide context for a career decision; employer packages and job offers have their own terms.
Source wage group: Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners
This wage group may include multiple detailed occupations. The figures are for the source group, which may be broader than Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners. They are not an exact-title, employer, experience or seniority match.
May 2025 · USD · United States. Annual and hourly figures are shown only when the source publishes them; neither is calculated from the other.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, distributed through the O*NET® OnLine service.
Median annual wage$46,420USD per year · Published 50th percentile
Median hourly wage$22.32USD per hour · Published 50th percentile
Annual wage thresholds
USD per year
Hourly wage thresholds
USD per hour
| Percentile | Annual wage (USD/year) | Hourly wage (USD/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $31,220 | $15.01 |
| 25th | $37,670 | $18.11 |
| 50th · Median | $46,420 | $22.32 |
| 75th | $58,430 | $28.09 |
| 90th | $71,600 | $34.42 |
“≥” means at least the published amount; “≤” means at most that amount. These are bounds, not exact values. “Not published” means the source did not provide that figure. Occupational wages follow the source definition and do not establish an employer’s base salary, equity or total compensation.
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THE WORK BEHIND THE TITLE
What this career involves.
Occupation definitions describe common work. Responsibilities and requirements vary by employer and specific job.
Selected title examples
Accordion RepairerAccordion TunerBand Instrument Repair Technician (Band Instrument Repair Tech)Band Instrument RepairerBanjo RepairerBow RepairerBrass and Wind Instrument RepairerBrass Instrument Repair Technician (Brass Instrument Repair Tech)Fretted Instrument RepairerFretted String Instrument RepairerGuitar BuilderGuitar Inspector
Expand more title examples (44)
Guitar Repair Technician (Guitar Repair Tech)Guitar RepairerGuitar Technician (Guitar Tech)Harp RegulatorInstrument BuilderInstrument Repair Technician (Instrument Repair Tech)Keyboard Instrument RepairerKeyboard Instrument TunerLuthierMandolin RepairerMetal Reed TunerMusical Instrument MechanicMusical Instrument Repair Technician (Musical Instrument Repair Tech)Organ FixerOrgan InstallerOrgan Pipe VoicerOrgan PreservationistOrgan TunerPercussion Instrument RepairerPercussion Instrument TunerPiano InspectorPiano MechanicPiano RegulatorPiano Technician (Piano Tech)Piano TunerPiccolo MechanicPipe Organ InstallerPipe Organ MechanicPipe Organ RepairerPipe Organ Technician (Pipe Organ Tech)Pipe Organ TunerPlayer Piano Technician (Player Piano Tech)Reed or Wind Instrument RepairerReed or Wind Instrument TunerRegistered Piano Technician (Registered Piano Tech)Stringed Instrument RepairerStringed Instrument TunerTone RegulatorTunerViolin MechanicViolin RepairerVoicerWind Instrument RepairerWoodwind Instrument Technician (Woodwind Instrument Tech)
Typical tasks
- Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.
- Compare instrument pitches with tuning tool pitches to tune instruments.
- Play instruments to evaluate their sound quality and to locate any defects.
- Disassemble instruments and parts for repair and adjustment.
- Repair or replace musical instrument parts and components, such as strings, bridges, felts, and keys, using hand and power tools.
- Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
Expand more tasks (18)
- 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.
- String instruments, and adjust trusses and bridges of instruments to obtain specified string tensions and heights.
- Repair cracks in wood or metal instruments, using pinning wire, lathes, fillers, clamps, or soldering irons.
- Polish instruments, using rags and polishing compounds, buffing wheels, or burnishing tools.
- Mix and measure glue that will be used for instrument repair.
- Align pads and keys on reed or wind instruments.
- Solder posts and parts to hold them in their proper places.
- Remove dents and burrs from metal instruments, using mallets and burnishing tools.
- Adjust felt hammers on pianos to increase tonal mellowness or brilliance, using sanding paddles, lacquer, or needles.
- Remove irregularities from tuning pins, strings, and hammers of pianos, using wood blocks or filing tools.
- Strike wood, fiberglass, or metal bars of instruments, and use tuned blocks, stroboscopes, or electronic tuners to evaluate tones made by instruments.
- Make wood replacement parts, using woodworking machines and hand tools.
- Refinish instruments to protect and decorate them, using hand tools, buffing tools, and varnish.
- Assemble and install new pipe organs and pianos in buildings.
- Deliver pianos to purchasers or to locations of their use.
- Wash metal instruments in lacquer-stripping and cyanide solutions to remove lacquer and tarnish.
- Refinish and polish piano cabinets or cases to prepare them for sale.
Skills used in this work
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Expand more skills (29)
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Equipment Selection
- Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Technology Design
- Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
- Science
- Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
- Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
- Programming
- Writing computer programs for various purposes.
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