Insuring your gear, and making a claim that actually pays

Why claims fail

Most gear claims don't fail because the policy didn't cover the loss. They fail, or get cut down, because the owner can't prove what they had, what it was worth, or that it was really theirs. 'A vintage Telecaster, about two grand' is not a claim; it's an argument the insurer will win. The work that makes a claim pay is done long before anything goes missing.

Insurers pay against evidence. The owner who hands over a serial number, dated photos, a valuation, and a purchase record gets a form to fill in. The owner who hands over a description gets a negotiation.

Value it honestly

Insure gear for what it would actually cost to replace with an equivalent today, not what you paid, and not a hopeful number. For current models that's the street price; for discontinued or vintage instruments it's what comparable examples sell for now, which is worth checking rather than guessing. Under-insure and you're topping up the shortfall yourself; wildly over-insure and a careful insurer will query the whole claim.

Keep the valuation current. Prices move, especially on vintage and boutique gear, and a valuation from five years ago can be badly wrong in either direction. Revisit it when you renew.

Cover the gaps

Read what the policy actually does and doesn't cover before you need it. The usual gaps that catch musicians out: gear left in a vehicle overnight, theft without forced entry, instruments in transit or checked as luggage, unattended gear at a venue, and anything used to earn money if you only have a home-contents policy. Playing paid shows generally means you need a policy that knows you're a working musician, not a hobbyist.

If you gig, tour, or fly with gear, check those specific scenarios line by line. The exclusion you didn't read is the one that turns up on the day you claim.

Keep the evidence

For every insured item, keep four things together and current: the serial number, clear dated photos, a purchase or valuation record, and a note of any modifications that change the value. That single bundle is what a loss adjuster asks for, and having it ready is the difference between a claim settled in days and one that drags for months.

Store it somewhere that survives the loss itself. Evidence that only lived on the laptop stolen alongside the guitar is no evidence at all, so keep a copy off your gig gear entirely.

One place

This is exactly what a gear record is for: GearHub keeps each instrument's serial, photos, purchase details, valuation, and modification history in one place, with the sensitive documents in an encrypted vault, and can export a clean valued inventory as a PDF to hand straight to an insurer or loss adjuster. Do the boring part once, keep it current, and a claim becomes paperwork instead of a fight.