Are you an aspiring musician or a real pro? Whichever camp you fall into, having contents insurance in place could be a comfort – especially if you lose your instruments or they accidentally get damaged.
Here are a few tips on how to make sure they stay in tip-top shape, and help keep them protected – both at home and out and about.
Looking after your instruments at home
Whether you play a woodwind, brass, percussion or string instrument, storage is a big part of making sure it stays in good condition. Humidity is probably the biggest hazard.
It can cause brass instruments to expand and shrink, strings and wood to warp, drum skins to dry out and mould to grow on damp surfaces. So if the humidity in the room you’re using to store your instruments is higher than normal, use a dehumidifier to help protect them.
And don’t forget, the ideal temperature to keep instruments in is between 10º and 27º Celsius. Your contents insurance probably won’t cover wear and tear, so it’s worth making sure you do everything you can to keep it in good nick.
Then, of course, there are breakages. It’s so easy to accidentally step on a flute, or sit on a violin. It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how commonly instruments get damaged like this. The most straightforward way to avoid breaking your instrument is making sure you’ve always put it away after using it. Leaving it lying around only increases the chances of it being accidentally trod on.
But checking out contents insurance quotes online is probably the easiest way to reduce the stress of looking after your valued instrument. Though, in order to cover it, you might need to pay extra for additional accidental damage cover. Check this with your insurer.
While you’re out and about
Fancy playing some music while on holiday? There’s nothing quite like being sat on a beach, playing your guitar and watching the sun go down. Playing an instrument in these scenarios can really set the mood.
But how do you keep it safe? Avoiding being flash with it and drawing unwanted attention to it is always a good place to start. And whenever you can, keep your instrument close. If you’re out in a crowd and your instrument is small enough to fit in a bag, always go for bags with zips. Bags accidentally left open or because they don’t fasten securely, are easy pickings for pickpockets.
Of course, if your instrument is very expensive or has great sentimental value, consider if you really need to take it out of the house. Sometimes the best and simplest way to look after it is to leave it at home.
At the end of the day, however, you can never guarantee that your instrument won’t be at risk – whether at home or out and about. That’s why adding the right options to your contents insurance, to make sure the things you value are covered is a good idea.
