Insurance for bass guitars

[Evil Undead]

Long boring story...

I had my musical instruments insured with my contents policy, but when I started using them for paying gigs they said they would be covered at home, and at band practice etc, but not if anything happens to them at a venue where I’m getting paid (at gigs). So I got a policy to cover them with another company to make sure they were covered properly.

But I spoke to them yesterday about something unrelated and they mentioned that I would need proof of purchase to make any claim. But I buy my gear second-hand always, and don’t have proof of ownership or purchase. So they said that I need a professional certificate of valuation for each instrument, and the nearest place I have found that can do that is in London, and I can’t get there with my gear when I haven’t got a car! So that’s a no can do. So although I’ve paid the £50 or whatever for the cover, they in fact aren’t covered at all!

So I call my home insurance company and ask them to put them back on the policy as I figured it’s better to have them covered at home and everywhere else except at gigs, and then they tell me that if they are used for paying gigs, they’re not covered at all even if they’re not damaged or stolen from the gig (i.e. stolen from home or damaged at home).

So my most two most valuable material possessions (both sentimentally and monetarily) aren’t covered at all. Which makes me very anxious.

Any suggestions of a good company that covers in the UK and won't give me so much hassle? Who do you all use and can you give me some experiences?

[hellothere]

I was thinking about making a similiar thread. I'm interested to see the answers.

[Cat Burrito]

There are a few threads around this subject. Personally I use Musicguard but have never made a claim. I can spread payments via monthly direct debit which helps though

[BottomE]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1181208' date='Mar 29 2011, 07:13 PM']There are a few threads around this subject. Personally I use Musicguard but have never made a claim. I can spread payments via monthly direct debit which helps though[/quote]
+1 also use MusicGuard. They give you options and public liability too. Cost me about £150 for £4500 worth of gear.

[Evil Undead]

Yeah I saw a few others knocking about and read the responses, but was also curious to see if anyone else had a similar experience... wanted to hear from others about different experiences as well, good and bad

[pietruszka]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1181208' date='Mar 29 2011, 07:13 PM']There are a few threads around this subject. Personally I use Musicguard but have never made a claim. I can spread payments via monthly direct debit which helps though[/quote]

Big +1 on Musicguard.

I have always used them, never needed to make a claim either. My gear is covered in the house, at rehearsal rooms, studios, venues and the car (covered up) for up to 72 hours, except the house of course! Im covered for damage, theft, break down and have an option on hire replacement.

A big plus that came in handy when playing a Hilton was that I have personal public liability of £1m which is part of the insurance. You don't need proof of purchase either to insure, just serial numbers. though I'm not sure about claims. I hope not, my bass is 10 years old this summer!

Give them a shot, you can get a free quote in seconds to;
[url="http://www.musicguard.co.uk/home.asp"]http://www.musicguard.co.uk/home.asp[/url]




Dan

[Paultrader]

I use Musicguard too. You have an option which makes it cheaper if you take less than half the value of your total insured amount out of the house, which seems like a good idea.

Also, I like the public liability bit, especially since we once set fire to the curtains at a masonic hall with our lights.

Do we know that Musicguard doesn't require proof of purchase as well? I hope not - surely, being specifically for musicians, these folks know that lots of informal trading goes on.

[Kev]

I have just taken out a policy with Musicguard. After analysing their policy wording/FAQ's (i work in insurance so am VERY aware of this kind of thing), in absence of a purchase receipt they need to see other forms of proof of ownership i.e. email correspondence/corresponding bank/paypal statements, photograph with you and the instrument (showing serial number), that kind of thing. insurance companies obviously have to place these limitation or anyone could claim for anything!!

In regards to the use of instruments for paid work, this would be deemed as commercial use and so i imagine pretty much every home insurer would exclude any losses relating to that.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Kev

[BottomE]

[quote name='Kev' post='1181238' date='Mar 29 2011, 07:42 PM']I have just taken out a policy with Musicguard. After analysing their policy wording/FAQ's (i work in insurance so am VERY aware of this kind of thing), in absence of a purchase receipt they need to see other forms of proof of ownership i.e. email correspondence/corresponding bank/paypal statements, photograph with you and the instrument (showing serial number), that kind of thing. insurance companies obviously have to place these limitation or anyone could claim for anything!!

In regards to the use of instruments for paid work, this would be deemed as commercial use and so i imagine pretty much every home insurer would exclude any losses relating to that.[/quote]
nice one - taking photos of me and the serials as i type...well almost. just updated my latest gear on the site as well and it cost an extra £9 and was very easy.

[Big_Stu]

I applied to Musicguard for a quote & ended up in the same boat as the OP; they wanted a "qualified" valuation. Try getting one of them for a John Birch. I did have one from E&L Insurance (who are crap - see previous topics) which said £4500 (edit - yes I know - cloud cuckoo-land). I ended up with a letter from Bonhams but that wasn't good enough for MusicGuard.

For the OP, it depends what you have & how far you are from a decent music shop, maybe a luthier, or the manufacturer. Basically all they're after is a Letterhead from a shop, saying in their opinion your gear is worth £££X.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Big_Stu

[Kev]

[quote name='Big_Stu' post='1181306' date='Mar 29 2011, 08:15 PM']I applied to Musicguard for a quote & ended up in the same boat as the OP; they wanted a "qualified" valuation. Try getting one of them for a John Birch. I did have one from E&L Insurance (who are crap - see previous topics) which said £4500 (edit - yes I know - cloud cuckoo-land). I ended up with a letter from Bonhams but that wasn't good enough for MusicGuard.

For the OP, it depends what you have & how far you are from a decent music shop, maybe a luthier, or the manufacturer. Basically all they're after is a Letterhead from a shop, saying in their opinion your gear is worth £££X.[/quote]
What kind of valuations are we looking at here? for Vintage basses? For current stock basses? I have read nowhere that Musicguard require a qualified valuation, and their cover is New for Old so certainly the latter basses would need no form of valuation. If you have a particularly valuable vintage bass (pre cbs stuff perhaps, £4k and above), perhaps look for an insurance company that specialises in this? In any case, if you want to insure an instrument of such caliber/value then you should treat it like your grandmothers wedding ring or grandfathers pocket watch and obtain a Valuation anyway.

Oh, and please AVOID Entertainment and Leisure at all costs, trust me you do not want to give them a penny of your money.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Kev

[Paultrader]

This is a VERY important thread. What's the point in us shelling out money each year for peace of mind, if the canny insurance companies are burying a get-out clause in the small print? It should be made very clear exactly what proof ownership they want.

Will get a photo of me with serial numbers taken as soon as possible for my two basses, both were bought secondhand years ago.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Kev' post='1181526' date='Mar 29 2011, 10:07 PM']What kind of valuations are we looking at here? for Vintage basses? For current stock basses? I have read nowhere that Musicguard require a qualified valuation, and their cover is New for Old so certainly the latter basses would need no form of valuation. If you have a particularly valuable vintage bass (pre cbs stuff perhaps, £4k and above), perhaps look for an insurance company that specialises in this?[/quote]
It was MusicGuard themselves who told me they wouldn't cover it until I got a "qualified valuation". Possibly caused by it not having any S/N & the fact that JB is dead so can't vouch for it.
MG themselves say they are specialists in all musical instruments; I'm not aware of any other companies which are known to be reliable?

[Kev]

Yeah, in fairness yours does sound like quite a specialist case, so again i think it would be wise to obtain a valuation to keep on record anyway if you wanted it fully insured.

judging by the £50 premium he is paying, i imagine the OP's instrument are far less valuable, and therefore can be insured under Musicguard/JLT without the need of a specialist valuation.

[TomKent]

My insurance company just say 'what is it and how much is it worth' - they ask for serial numbers if I can. They're the people the Musicians Union recommend. 15k's worth of equipment for about £150 a year.

[hellothere]

And what company is that Tom?