Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners

Repair percussion, stringed, reed, or wind instruments. May specialize in one area, such as piano tuning.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Brass Instrument Repair Technician (Brass Instrument Repair Tech); Fretted String Instrument Repairer; Guitar Repairer; Instrument Repair Technician (Instrument Repair Tech); Luthier; Musical Instrument Repair Technician (Musical Instrument Repair Tech); Piano Technician (Piano Tech); Piano Tuner; Stringed Instrument Repairer; Woodwind Instrument Technician (Woodwind Instrument Tech)

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.
• 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.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Mechanical
• Fine Arts
• English Language

Skills

• Critical Thinking
• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking

Abilities

• Hearing Sensitivity
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Manual Dexterity
• Finger Dexterity
• Near Vision
• Control Precision
• Auditory Attention
• Problem Sensitivity
• Visualization
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Flexibility of Closure
• Selective Attention
• Information Ordering
• Category Flexibility
• Oral Comprehension
• Written Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Speed of Closure
• Multilimb Coordination
• Far Vision