The Gear Insurance Thread

#101
Someone today had a post about Clarion insurance in another thread and was referred to this thread. When investigating their coverage that has been marketed directly to AFM Locals I discovered that the insured items would not be covered if gear was left in a vehicle in front of one's living quarters or parked in a driveway.
The AFM endorses the Marsh/Affinity Group that does not have those limitations. Their price for $20,000 worth of equipment is about $225 a year.

Wally
 
#102
someone recently posted on the db side that heritage insurance was great to deal with when they had a claim. i'm tempted by musicpro because of the rates, but have yet to see a posting from someone who's dealt with them for a claim... anybody?

and has anyone had experience with merz-huber for a claim?

thanks,
sean p
 
#103
I have my gear (and teh rest of the family's instruments) as well as my Star Wars collection (yes - Star Wars!) under a "personal articles" policy with State Farm. There is about $15K of coverage and the premiums are $120/year...not bad....I do not play out much (only at church) so I am not sure what kind of coverage they have for clubs etc.....I also do not believe I have a deductible...not a bad deal.....check out your State Farm Agent....:smug:
 
#104
basspraiser said:
I have my gear (and teh rest of the family's instruments) as well as my Star Wars collection (yes - Star Wars!) under a "personal articles" policy with State Farm. There is about $15K of coverage and the premiums are $120/year...not bad....I do not play out much (only at church) so I am not sure what kind of coverage they have for clubs etc.....I also do not believe I have a deductible...not a bad deal.....check out your State Farm Agent....:smug:
Click to expand...

i have state farm too and have talked to them about the policy you have. they won't insure an instrument that is played professionally with this or any policy. that is, if you make any money (which i do) playing the instrument, it's not covered. probably okay for your church gigs, though.

sean p
 
#105
Do you any of you have insurance on your gear that covers it when it is at the place where you play? Are you satisfied with your coverage? Is it expensive? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Click to expand...
I don't hold this policy, but my home and contents insurer offers a blue ribbon policy that protects all of your belongings nation wide. It is expensive, but what would you expect with such broad coverage.

You can sometimes list "specific valuables" on your policy that are then protected outside the home, but often they limit the scope to jewellery and expensive battery operated portable equipment such as cameras.

Perhaps you could argue that your active bass fits this category!?!
 
#107
sean p said:
i have state farm too and have talked to them about the policy you have. they won't insure an instrument that is played professionally with this or any policy. that is, if you make any money (which i do) playing the instrument, it's not covered. probably okay for your church gigs, though.

sean p
Click to expand...

Sorry for the mis-information...I did not know they would not insure the instruments if you made money (or played out)....
 
#108
sean p said:
i have state farm too and have talked to them about the policy you have. they won't insure an instrument that is played professionally with this or any policy. that is, if you make any money (which i do) playing the instrument, it's not covered. probably okay for your church gigs, though.

sean p
Click to expand...


This is incorrect. The Personal Articles Policy DOES cover professional use but you have to advise them when you apply that it is for professional use. I have this in writing from my State Farm agent.
 
#111
hawaiianbass said:
I'm lookinh into gear insurance and was wondering if I should insure my effects also. I'm going to insure my basses, rack, and cabs but should I include my effects?

Sorry but I don't have time read this entire thread.

Thanks

CK
Click to expand...

It would depend on your carrier. Some carriers might not even want to cover items that small. I'd list them on the policy but they might balk. It's pretty hard to establish actual ownership of such items and insurance companies like to know for a fact that whatever you are claiming as a loss was actually something that existed. A lot of people try to pad insurance claims.

Clarion, my carrier, has a $300 deductable. My decision is not to even list anything under $1,000. I'm actually a lot more worried about a home break-in than loss at one of my very rare public appearances. That's just me, my biggest worry is that someone will clean me out 100%. On those rare occasions when I play out I watch my stuff like a hawk and NEVER leave it unattended. If I have to use the restroom I have a band-mate stand guard. Anyone that tries to steal my bass will end up with a Warwick suppository. :)
 
#112
I insure all of my gear with Heritage Insurance, a broker who specializes in musical instrument insurance (mostly for symphony musicians, so they are very used to high-value instruments)

Their standard policy covers all kinds of loss, including loss by theft and accidental damage. It even covers depreciation in value caused by a repair as well as the cost of the repair itself. Heritage also allows you to set the replacement value of the instrument at the time you insure it. They are not expensive, either - $60 to $80 per year for $10K of coverage, if I recall correctly.

I can't say enough about them. One night, a nearly brand-new Alembic Series II of mine somehow fell off a guitar stand and the peghead snapped completely off. (It was the twin brother to the bass picutred as my avatar.) Without any hassles, and within about 2 weeks, Heritage paid me for the full replacement value of the bass and even let me keep the electronics and hardware, which are being used to build a replacement. How cool is that?

If you contact them, ask for Ellis and feel free to drop my name.
http://www.musicins.com/
 
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#114
My homeowner's insurance is with American Family and I had this conversation about a week ago.

The result:

1) If I take my musical gear to a gig and do not get paid (I play mostly benefits) then I'm covered. However, I have a $500 deductible on my homeowner's and it DOES apply. Most of my basses cost less than $500 and therefore wouldn't be covered because the deductible would exceed the cost of the instrument.

2) If I get paid for playing at the gig in question, then the homeowner's insurance does NOT cover me at all.

American Family does not write policies on musical instruments, so unfortunately I don't have the option of adding a rider through them to cover it.

I'm thinking seriously of adding coverage, but I don't want to pay a large minimum fee because I don't have a lot of expensive equipment to cover. There is some good reading in this thread. At this point, the $100 annual minimum fee through MusicPro seems like the most economical offer - I'll be checking their fine print.
 
#116
swood_de said:
I insure all of my gear with Heritage Insurance, a broker who specializes in musical instrument insurance (mostly for symphony musicians, so they are very used to high-value instruments)

Their standard policy covers all kinds of loss, including loss by theft and accidental damage. It even covers depreciation in value caused by a repair as well as the cost of the repair itself. Heritage also allows you to set the replacement value of the instrument at the time you insure it. They are not expensive, either - $60 to $80 per year for $10K of coverage, if I recall correctly.

I can't say enough about them. One night, a nearly brand-new Alembic Series II of mine somehow fell off a guitar stand and the peghead snapped completely off. (It was the twin brother to the bass picutred as my avatar.) Without any hassles, and within about 2 weeks, Heritage paid me for the full replacement value of the bass and even let me keep the electronics and hardware, which are being used to build a replacement. How cool is that?

If you contact them, ask for Ellis and feel free to drop my name.
http://www.musicins.com/
Click to expand...

thanks man, I'm actually in the process of getting this squared away... through a woman by the name of Robin. She has been pretty helpful as well.
 
#117
swood_de said:
I insure all of my gear with Heritage Insurance.......Their standard policy covers all kinds of loss, including loss by theft and accidental damage. It even covers depreciation in value caused by a repair as well as the cost of the repair itself. Heritage also allows you to set the replacement value of the instrument at the time you insure it. They are not expensive, either - $60 to $80 per year for $10K of coverage, if I recall correctly.
http://www.musicins.com/
Click to expand...

Heritage site say's their minimum is $ 250/year.
 
#118
Yessir, that's correct; but that got me $25,000 worth of coverage.
It wasn't enough, and I'm gonna have to raise it some.

Nice folks.
 
#119
Interesting. I just talked to my Farmer's agent because my house was broken into two weeks ago(nothing taken, happily), and he said I did not require a rider for my gear, it's covered as part of the contents of my house. Forgot to ask what would happen if it was stolen at a gig though. Have to check back on that.
 
#120
matrok;
my american family homeowners said the same thing.
til the gear gets in the car and leaves for work. then it's not covered anymore.
at home=covered; leaves=not.
$250 a year for $25,000 worth of coverage was well worth it to me when I hadda take my junk to china;)
 
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