Career
Musical instrument repairers and tuners
Repair and tune musical instruments.
$46,420
Median pay
+1.9%
Job growth, 2025–35
600
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Adjust string tensions to tune instruments, using hand tools and electronic tuning devices.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Quality Control Analysis, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though apprenticeship is typical, for a median of $46,420 a year and 600 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Musical Instrument Fabrication and RepairCIP 47.0404
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers$56,210 · +4.4%
- Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters$62,620 · -6.1%
- Watch and Clock Repairers$67,230 · -0.3%
- Electromechanical Equipment Assemblers
- Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$48,220 · -4.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.