Occupation salary profile

Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

SOC 49-9063 BLS OEWS May 2025

Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning. Excludes “Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers" (49-2097) who repair electrical and electronic musical instruments.

National median · BLS
$46,420
▲ +2.43% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$49,960
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
5,380
Jobs (BLS)
Highest-paying state (cost-adjusted) Loading…
Most jobs Loading…
Highest-paying metro (cost-adjusted) Loading…

Check your salary

Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$31,220
25th$37,670
Median (50th)$46,420
75th$58,430
90th — top pay$71,600

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

Type in either box; the other updates instantly.

Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

BLS projects employment of musical instrument repairers and tuners to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 600 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
6,000 → 6,100
+100 jobs
Projected change
+1.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
600
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship
Self-employed
8.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Quality Control Analysis3.9
  • Repairing3.8
  • Troubleshooting3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
  • Service Orientation3.1
  • Active Listening3.0
  • Equipment Maintenance3.0
  • Equipment Selection3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.3
  • Mechanical3.8
  • Fine Arts3.5
  • English Language3.4
  • Administration and Management2.9
  • Sales and Marketing2.9
  • Engineering and Technology2.8
  • Education and Training2.7
Software and technology used
Katsura Shareware KS Strobe TunerKatsura Shareware ProLevelKatsura Shareware SoundFramesMensurix AudioReyburn CyberTunerTonalEnergy Tuner & MetronomeTunable Instrument TunerTuneLabTunic OnlyPureVeritune Verituner

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What musical instrument repairers and tuners 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.
  • Reassemble instruments following repair, using hand tools and power tools and glue, hair, yarn, resin, or clamps, and lubricate instruments as necessary.
  • 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.
Also called
Instrument Repair Technician (Instrument Repair Tech)LuthierPiano Technician (Piano Tech)Piano TunerBrass Instrument Repair Technician (Brass Instrument Repair Tech)Fretted String Instrument RepairerGuitar RepairerMusical Instrument Repair Technician (Musical Instrument Repair Tech)Stringed Instrument RepairerWoodwind Instrument Technician (Woodwind Instrument Tech)
More job titles for this occupation (46)
Accordion RepairerAccordion TunerBand Instrument Repair Technician (Band Instrument Repair Tech)Band Instrument RepairerBanjo RepairerBow RepairerBrass and Wind Instrument RepairerFretted Instrument RepairerGuitar BuilderGuitar InspectorGuitar Repair Technician (Guitar Repair Tech)Guitar Technician (Guitar Tech)Harp RegulatorInstrument BuilderKeyboard Instrument RepairerKeyboard Instrument TunerMandolin RepairerMetal Reed TunerMusical Instrument MechanicOrgan FixerOrgan InstallerOrgan Pipe VoicerOrgan PreservationistOrgan TunerPercussion Instrument RepairerPercussion Instrument TunerPiano InspectorPiano MechanicPiano RegulatorPiccolo 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 TunerTone RegulatorTunerViolin MechanicViolin RepairerVoicerWind Instrument Repairer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.