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Career Details : Stringed Instrument Repairers and Tuners

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Description

Repair, adjust, refinish, and tune musical stringed instruments.

Experience

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.

Training

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.

Tasks

  • Carves wood replacement parts, such as wedges or plugs, according to the shape and dimensions of the instrument or bow.
  • Strings instrument and adjusts truss and bridge of instrument to obtain specified string tension and height.
  • Tests tubes and pickups in electronic amplifier units and solders parts and connections.
  • Inspects musical instruments, such as cellos, violins, guitars, and mandolins, to determine defects.
  • Reassembles instrument or bow with new or repaired part, using glue, hairs, yarn, resin, and clamps.
  • Assembles instruments according to specifications, using hand tools.
  • Adjusts string tension to tune instrument, using hand tools and electronic tuning device.
  • Repairs broken parts, using glue, clamp, and handpress.
  • Refinishes instruments to protect and decorate them, using hand tools, buffing tools, and varnish.
  • Disassembles instrument or bow, using hand tools.
  • Removes cracked, worn, or broken parts of instrument, using heated knife and hand tools.
  • Plays instrument to determine pitch.

    Related Careers

    Important Abilities

    General Work Activities

    Important Skills

    Frequent Work Context

    • Indoors
    • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
    • Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
    • Consequence of Error
    • Using Hands on Objects, Tools, Controls
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