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Re: Instrument Insurance

Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-06-03 14:05

Like so much else, it all depends...

First, a full record of the instrument's identity and value is essential for the insurance company to be willing to make the payoff. Serial number and make/model are a minimum, but I've always gone with photographs of the actual horns as well. Digital photography makes this a snap nowadays.

I also have marked all of my musical equipment with my initials and SSAN using a "micro stamp". (I've not seen an ad for these recently, but I think that they can be ordered through Brookstone catalog.) I've never had to go the police and pawn shop route, but if I do, it'll be a lot easier to establish ownership when the microscopic imprint of the stamp can be seen by those who know where to look for it.

Value is the next issue. For "current horns", I've always listed the full list price, even though they can be bought at a discount. Get this from the manufacturer or from someone like Woodwind & Brasswind, either for the exact model or for the equivalent. It is truly amazing how much prices have gone up since purchase on my older horns...something I'd not want to try and replace without insurance in any event.

For classic horns, it's a bit more problematic. With old Conn saxes (for example), I've set the value at the price that dealers ask for the ones that they sell. In those cases, there's likely to be a bit of haggling at the time of a claim, but that's the price you pay with "vintage" and "antique" items in any event when going the insurance route.

Then, there's the type of coverage to consider. For "non-professional" use, your homeowner's policy might offer enough coverage on its own. Unless your policy specifically excludes such items, they are part of your personal property.

If you own three or more horns however, you will probably need to get a "rider" to cover the extra expense (and still maintain coverage enough on your other possessions). Contact your agent, and they will walk you through this path without much trouble.

For "professional use" (anything for which you receive compensation, according to Allstate), the premium on the rider essentially doubles. Other than that, no great differences. If you are using the horns "professionally" and one gets lifted, there's no coverage unless you are paying the professional rate.

If you are a member of American Federation of Musicians, they have arranged for a horn coverage policy for their members, one that has a sliding cost and coverage arrangement. Visit the website for details on that offering. I compared the two, and found that a rider on my homeowner's insurance was the better buy. (I've got five clarinets, three saxes, a flute and a bassoon that fall in the "professional use" category...different from most horn collections, I would guess.)

If you have a business and use the horns in the business, a business policy is the way to go. Once again, your agent can advise you on this, and they can obtain guidance from the companies that they represent if they run into a problem. For normal "contractor" style use (i.e., you are just a paid performer), this type of coverage is overkill; go with the rider on your homeowner's policy instead.

And, keep in mind that virtually anything can be insured. I've got coverage on my group that pays particular attention to the "book". If one of the nineteen containers of performance music ever gets destroyed in a car wreck or lost, the policy will pick up seventy five percent of the replacement costs involved. Replacement of ten or twelve sheets of music is an inconvenience; replacement of ten or twelve hundred is something considerably more...

leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com

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