Luthier and Musical Instrument Repairer
Impact: Creating and restoring the musical instruments that enable musicians to make music of beauty and emotional power
Build, repair, and restore stringed musical instruments including guitars, violins, cellos, and lutes, combining woodworking craftsmanship with acoustic knowledge to create and maintain instruments of exceptional quality. Build new instruments; repair and restore damaged instruments; set up and adjust instruments for optimal playability; and develop a reputation for specialist instrument work. Develop expertise in a specific instrument domain such as classical guitar building, violin restoration, or vintage guitar repair.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 20% Team / 80% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- 10-20% travel to exhibitions and clients
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 38-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Low
At a glance
- Median salary
- $35,000
- Entry-level
- $18,000 - $28,000
- Senior
- $80,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 5% (guitar culture and vintage instrument market growing)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- Very High -- 100-300% growth from apprentice to master luthier
- Typical student debt
- $0 - $25,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Instrument building (guitar
- violin
- cello)
- Instrument repair and restoration
- Setup and intonation
- Wood selection and preparation
- Acoustic tuning
- Vintage instrument authentication
Soft skills
- Craftsmanship
- Attention to detail
- Musical knowledge
- Customer service
- Patience
Technical complexity: Very High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 4-7 years
- Years to senior
- 10-20 years
- Career switching
- Very Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Cabinet Maker
- Musician
Where you can go from here
- Master Luthier
- Vintage Instrument Dealer
Typical progression
- Luthier Apprentice
- Instrument Repairer
- Luthier
- Master Luthier
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 5% -- luthiery requires specialist human expertise and cannot be automated
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 9/10
- Meaning
- 9/10
- Work-life balance
- 8/10
- Prestige
- 8/10
- Social perception
- High