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Musical Instrument Maker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a musical instrument maker is $65,000 per annum, before tax, up $13,800 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on whether you are employed in a workshop or selling your own instruments: manufacturing and retail roles sit under an award or enterprise agreement, while self-employed makers set a price per commission and carry the cost of materials until the instrument sells. Repair and restoration work usually brings steadier income than bespoke builds, which can take months to pay. Specialising in a niche, such as violin family instruments or early music, can lift what clients are willing to pay.
Roles that pay more than musical instrument maker
The largest typical pay rise is $23,400 a year, moving into Special Effects Technician.
- Special Effects Technician+$23,400/yr
- Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician+$7,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher musical instrument maker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time musical instrument maker salary is $65,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Craft and handmade production and Hand and power tool work tend to command a premium over general musical instrument maker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Special Effects Technician pays a typical $23,400 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Musical Instrument Maker salary questions
How much do musical instrument makers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a musical instrument maker is $65,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is musical instrument maker pay rising or falling?
The median musical instrument maker salary is up $13,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than musical instrument maker?
Special Effects Technician pays a typical $23,400 a year more and draws on similar skills to musical instrument maker.