Whether you rent a string instrument or buy one outright, good quality instruments in the violin family are very valuable. Their delicate construction produces hauntingly beautiful sounds, and even beginner instruments are relatively expensive. However, many students aren’t aware that buying violin insurance can help provide real peace of mind and protection for their valuable investment. Like other costly, but frequently used items, buying insurance for your beginner, intermediate or advanced violin can prevent you from incurring huge expenses if your instrument is accidentally damaged.
Many students wonder, “if insuring my instrument is so great, why isn’t there more information readily available?” And, this is a good question. Although some instrument dealers offer a type of rental insurance, the practice isn’t universal. So it’s up to you to discover the best option for your personal cello, bass, or violin insurance. Typically, you include it under your homeowner’s policy, and the benefits of protecting your instrument most certainly outweigh the costs.
Parental Peace of Mind
The violin family of instruments are made from organic materials. The wood used in construction has been specially cured, but it is still highly susceptible to changes in atmospheric temperature and humidity. In fact, it doesn’t take very long for serious damage to occur if your violin is exposed to extreme heat or cold, or exceedingly dry air. The wood basically “balances” itself, absorbing excess moisture or losing it, depending on the immediate environment. And, if you forget to store your violin properly, you run the risk of serious injury to the instrument.
Answering why “insuring my instrument is a good idea” is like asking why you insure your vehicle. Sometimes, situations occur that are out of your personal control. Volatile temperatures can cause your violin to react in unpleasant ways, like causing it to go out of tune, and if the damage is severe enough, it’s can’t be repaired. Once the wood has swollen from too much moisture, or cracked from an excessively dry environment, or incurred some other type of climate related damage like warping, you won’t be able to play it, and you’ll have to replace it. This is especially important if you own an advanced violin. Those beauties aren’t cheap, and they require careful maintenance to retain their playability and tone.
With violin insurance, you don’t have to worry about an unexpected emergency that causes you to leave your instrument in someone’s car overnight or in someone else’s care. If it is damaged by some sort of environmental extreme, you’re covered.
Guard Against Accidents
No matter how careful you are, no matter how diligently you keep your instrument in its case and try to prevent accidents, accidents still happen. Whether you have a little brother or sister who wants to “play” your violin (and of course, since they’ve seen you do it, think that they can do it too), or for some inexplicable reason your dog decides to go on a rampage because of fireworks (it happens), when your instrument is accidentally damaged, violin insurance keeps you from having to pay for a new replacement. So if somehow, a bird hits your instrument while you’re practicing outside, and the violin flies out of your hands, landing on the driveway and smashing to smithereens, you can get a replacement.
Depending on your particular insurance company, you may even be able to add “repair” coverage. For example, some costly damages, such as those that require replacing the various parts of your instrument, can be covered in your policy. The deductible amount will dictate whether you apply your violin insurance coverage or simply pay for repairs out-of-pocket.
Protect Your Investment
Many advanced violins are very expensive. In fact, you might spend the same amount for a used vehicle, so purchasing violin insurance is an effective way to protect the investment you’ve made in your valuable instrument.
This is especially important if you rent your violin. Although rental charges are very affordable, if the instrument is damaged, you are responsible for the total repair or replacement costs. “Insuring my instrument” may seem like an unnecessary expense, but it is entirely worth it if a rental instrument is damaged.
Violin insurance is also reasonably priced. For a very small annual addition to your home-owner’s policy, you can make sure that you won’t have to spend a lot of money replacing a damaged instrument. To find out more about how to include it with your homeowner’s insurance, contact your company agent. If an accident occurs, you’ll be very glad that you did.
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