Insurance

Are there companies that specialize in insuring band equipment that standout above others?

These guys are good.
http://www.musicins.com/
It's individual instrument insurance. They do elec guitars and drums - amps and related gear included included (recording stuff, even some computer gear).
check the FAQ's page.

If you own a home and store gear 'at your home' there's a lot that covered. even some renters ins covers music gear.

It all boils down to what kind of coverage you want.

If you are transporting to or from a gig, there isn't much out there.
Damage at the gig, not much there either.

My experience with Insurance Companies: you have to ask them up-front about exactly what you want them to cover. Be sure to see a written list of "Exclusions" before you give them any money.

As it is, my gear is on its own when I gig.
I no longer bring out the Vintage hardware. Just the stuff that gets the job done and would be easy to replace.

Good luck.

http://musicalinstrumentinsurance.org/musical-instrument-insurance-%E2%80%93-the-best-insurance-investment-that-you-could-have-made/ some good info here ...

It all boils down to what kind of coverage you want.

If you are transporting to or from a gig, there isn't much out there.
Damage at the gig, not much there either.

I'll venture to disagree. I have insurance through Music Pro https://www.musicproinsurance.com/

They cover theft and accidental damage to instruments and gear, even if you break it. Coverage is worldwide. They will pay for rental gear if yours is being repaired on a claim. They will cover any gear you temporarily rent or even borrow. You list each item individually and pay premium based on replacement value. I have $15K of gear covered for $160/year with a $100 deductible.

We have my sons drum kit listed. I have had two cymbals replaced that were cracked. I just submitted the claim online with pictures of the cracks and local store quote for replacement. A claims adjuster called to review, and less than a week later I had a check for replacement - deductible.

Wow, who knew! Great stuff.

I'll venture to disagree. I have insurance through Music Pro https://www.musicproinsurance.com/

They cover theft and accidental damage to instruments and gear, even if you break it. Coverage is worldwide. They will pay for rental gear if yours is being repaired on a claim. They will cover any gear you temporarily rent or even borrow. You list each item individually and pay premium based on replacement value. I have $15K of gear covered for $160/year with a $100 deductible.

We have my sons drum kit listed. I have had two cymbals replaced that were cracked. I just submitted the claim online with pictures of the cracks and local store quote for replacement. A claims adjuster called to review, and less than a week later I had a check for replacement - deductible.

Interesting....I seem to recall that yes, people will insure your gear (assuming it stays at home), but if you tell them you're taking it out doing gigs with it you're out of luck.

These guys are good.
http://www.musicins.com/
It's individual instrument insurance. They do elec guitars and drums - amps and related gear included included (recording stuff, even some computer gear).
check the FAQ's page.

If you own a home and store gear 'at your home' there's a lot that covered. even some renters ins covers music gear.

Yep! These guys are great! Heritage insurance...

Interesting....I seem to recall that yes, people will insure your gear (assuming it stays at home), but if you tell them you're taking it out doing gigs with it you're out of luck.

Personal property coverage on a home or renters insurance policy very often does have limits for "professional" equipment. Also those policies almost never cover accidental breakage.

This can also affect trades contractors. I have a hammer, saw, socket wrench, etc... and these are covered on my home insurance for theft or fire damage. But a contractor who has the same tools for his business those tools would not be covered on the home/renters policy.

Because we are out a lot with our gear I wanted the specific coverage. Plus my home policy has $1,000 deductible so very little effective coverage for single items.

[QUOTE=sax4blues;4142864]Personal property coverage on a home or renters insurance policy very often does have limits for "professional" equipment. Also those policies almost never cover accidental breakage.

Contact your Homeowners insurance agent. You can specifically insure your instruments by adding an endorsement to your homeowners policy which lists each instrument and assigns it a specific value based on an appraisal. This does 2 things. It establishes a real value to the instrument, and broadens the coverage to "All Risk" worls wide, including accidental breakage. Last time I checked,. the cost was fairly cheap. All major homeowners carriers offer this. If you belong to a musician's union, as0ociations, etc, they may have similar policies available cheaper.

Contact your Homeowners insurance agent. You can specifically insure your instruments by adding an endorsement to your homeowners policy which lists each instrument and assigns it a specific value based on an appraisal. This does 2 things. It establishes a real value to the instrument, and broadens the coverage to "All Risk" worls wide, including accidental breakage. Last time I checked,. the cost was fairly cheap. All major homeowners carriers offer this. If you belong to a musician's union, as0ociations, etc, they may have similar policies available cheaper.

My home insurance company in northern California does offer the scheduling you describe, but it specifically excludes professional instruments and it does not cover accidental damage by the owner. My coworker did get that coverage for her daughters clarinet and I think that is a good choice.

Because I do play out a lot, and sometimes even for money, the home policy scheduling limits do not work for me and the additional premium is not much less than what I'm paying for Music Pro. And as I listed prior the Music Pro coverage goes way beyond any home policy, even scheduled items.

If you want your rig insured in transit, at the club, etc. you need to use a 'specialized' co. like these here or the 'promusicinsurance' mentioned above also ...

These guys are good.
http://www.musicins.com/
It's individual instrument insurance. They do elec guitars and drums - amps and related gear included included (recording stuff, even some computer gear).
check the FAQ's page.

If you own a home and store gear 'at your home' there's a lot that's covered. even some renters ins. covers music gear.

*It's out there you just have to look - like insuring hot rod and classic cars or antiques, art and jewelry.

I'll venture to disagree. I have insurance through Music Pro https://www.musicproinsurance.com/

They cover theft and accidental damage to instruments and gear, even if you break it. Coverage is worldwide. They will pay for rental gear if yours is being repaired on a claim. They will cover any gear you temporarily rent or even borrow. You list each item individually and pay premium based on replacement value. I have $15K of gear covered for $160/year with a $100 deductible.

We have my sons drum kit listed. I have had two cymbals replaced that were cracked. I just submitted the claim online with pictures of the cracks and local store quote for replacement. A claims adjuster called to review, and less than a week later I had a check for replacement - deductible.

Thanks for the heads-up.

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.

A slightly different (but insurance related) question. Does anybody carry, recommend, or get asked about liability insurance for gigs? This happened to me recently...I got asked by a potential gig if I had liability insurance. I guess the concern would be like if the band's lights fall over and hurt somebody...which I could totally envision happening.

Mr Mills is that you??? If so, hope all is well. Looooong time no see.

Yes, we have had to purchase liability insurance for weddings and galas. I got it from RVNA.
http://www.specialeventinsurance.com/

I'm looking into getting insurance for my gear. A local guy here in Houston referred me to Paul Lopez w/ Snapp & Assoc (out of San Diego)
http://www.snappassociates.com/

Also, my agent at State farm said they could insure it as well. I plan on comparing policies and benefits before pulling the trigger.

Heritage (http://www.musicins.com/) not only covers professional use, they cover instruments in transport.

My 12-string got smashed by FedEx, and they covered full professional restoration and a fair amount for lost value due to the smashing. It was the only pain-free interaction with an insurance company I have ever had. The guitar was awesome before the smashing and is at least as awesome after . . .