[HANASHIR:2804] guitar travel / insurance

[Laura Berkson <braveann...>]

Judy and others:

Re. the discussion of guitar travel ....It is true, this is a difficult
thing to deal with.  I know several people whose guitars have sustained
irreparable damage (mostly broken necks) by being checked through baggage.
I have seen with my own eyes the way things are thrown onto the conveyor
and sent into the cargo hold of the airplane.  This is not a condemnation
of hard-working baggage handlers.  This is a reality.  An Anvil or similar
type of case is really the best insurance I know of to prevent major damage
to a guitar, but they are very costly.  (I have one for my Roland keyboard,
which was custom made 10 years ago for $300 when I was doing more touring 
by airplane.)

I doubt the airlines will ever come up with insurance for our instruments.
However, some credit card companies, like American Express, cover your
property
if you have purchased your ticket with the credit card.  Read the fine
print, 
though, to find out what may not be covered --- sometimes valuables such as
cameras, instruments, are exempt from this coverage.  I once had an airline
lose all of my luggage, (never recovered) and American Express picked up all

of the claim that the airline didn't reimburse me for.  That included the
value 
of 50 tapes which I had brought to sell at a series of West Coast concerts.

I would be interested to know how
many of you have insurance on your instruments.  It is usually quite
expensive, because if you are regarded as a professional musician ---
therefore a high risk for loss/theft/damage --- you can't get a simple rider
on your homeowner's or renter's insurance.  (As opposed to the insurance on
my baby grand piano, which is fully covered for "theft" --- really, who's
gonna run off with it? --- and damage, for $41 a year.) 

I was aware years ago of a new "local" of the musician's union, which was
formed through the hard work of a few members of the People's Music Network.
This local was, I believe, formed because there were folkies and others who
philosophically supported the union, but couldn't afford to join because
their gigs
didn't fit into the union's definition of usual venues / union scale wages. 
The new local was to allow for the transitory nature and different kind of
pay scale on the folk circuit (and by extension other similar gigs/venues.)
As one of the added benefits of joining the new "local", one could also
obtain instrument insurance through the union at a much lower cost.

I have written to a friend of mine who is active in PMN to ask whether this
actually has been a successful venture, and whether it is still in
existence.
When I get a response, I'll pass the information along.       



Laura Berkson

Music Specialist, Alperin Schechter Day School, Providence, RI
Director of Music, Temple Shalom, Middletown, RI
Artist in Residence, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, RI

41 Potter Lane, Kingston, RI  02881
Tel.# (401) 782-8625  (also manual fax, but please call ahead)

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