Not to be alarmist— but your gear is probably f*cked. More specifically, it’s almost definitely not covered by whatever insurance you may or may not have right now.
While building Ramble, I personally sat for my broker’s license to learn the ins and outs of property and casualty insurance: specifically, the musical instruments category.
There’s both a knowledge and coverage gap here. We dug through policy documents, underwriting guidelines, legal terms and fine print to get to the truth. Here’s the short version of what we learned:
If you own more than $2,500 of gear total (everything combined, not per instrument), and any one of the following is true:
- You take your gear out of your home (to travel, fly, etc.)
- You earn any amount of money with your gear (literally > $0.01)
- You ship gear to yourself or someone else
- You store gear anywhere other than your home
— then you are almost certainly not covered by an existing renters or homeowners policy. That’s the vast majority of hobbyists, collectors, gigging musicians, and pretty much everyone in between.
Up until now, the process of getting insured (and keeping your policy current) has been its own kind of nightmare. If that sounds like you, feel free to get started on Ramble right away, here. But for those who want the full picture, read on.
The landscape
Here’s how it breaks down. You fall into one of these camps:
- Warranties or extended warranties: not insurance at all.
- Renters or homeowners insurance: you’re out of luck.
- You added a rider or endorsement: better, but probably still out of luck.
- Specialty coverage: the best of the bunch, but still lacking.
- Ramble: what we built to fix all of the above.
Let’s get into it.
Warranties or extended warranties: not insurance at all.
Before we even get to insurance, we should make an important distinction. A warranty is not insurance, and the difference can sting.
Manufacturer warranties (like what comes with a new Gibson, Fender, or Martin) cover defects in materials and workmanship. If the neck joint fails because of a factory flaw, you’re covered. But if you drop it, spill a drink on it, get it stolen from your car, or it gets crushed by an airline— you’re not. Most manufacturer warranties also expire after a limited window (typically 1–2 years) and are void the moment you modify an instrument.
Extended warranty services like Extend, Asurion, or retailer protection plans go a step further, but they’re still built around product failure, not real-world risks that musicians face. They might cover a defective pickup or a faulty input on your audio interface— but they won’t cover theft, loss, mysterious disappearance, transit damage, or anything that happens outside of the product simply breaking on its own.
Warranties protect you from your gear failing you. Insurance protects you from the world failing your gear. Different problems entirely.
Renters or homeowners insurance: you’re out of luck.
Standard policies vary, but musical instruments are typically subject to a sub-limit of around $2,500— for your entire collection. Not per instrument. The excess simply isn’t protected.
And the terms get murky from there:
- Off-premises losses. In some cases gear is only covered inside your home. Traveling? Left your guitar in the car? Playing a show and something walks off? Not covered.
- Income-generating use. The moment you use your gear to make even a dollar— whether from a gig, a lesson, a studio session, your policy can deny the claim. If money changed hands, you’re on your own.
- Mysterious disappearance. Can’t prove exactly how something was lost or stolen? Many standard policies won’t pay without clear evidence.
- Deductibles that swallow your claim. Most deductibles run $1,000–$2,500. On a smaller claim you might net nothing — and your premium still goes up for filing.
You added a rider or endorsement: better, but probably still out of luck.
Scheduling or endorsing individual instruments on your renters or homeowners policy gets you past the sub-limit. But you still inherit the other problems: off-premises exclusions, income-use exclusions, limited risk protection. You also may need appraisals for high-value items, and every time you buy, sell, or trade a piece of gear, you’re back on the phone or emailing with a broker who has no idea what your stuff is worth. There’s no dashboard, no real-time view of your collection, and every change is a project.
Specialty coverage: the best of the bunch, but still lacking.
Dedicated instrument insurance policies solve a lot of the above: broader coverage, professional use, fewer exclusions. But even here, the experience tends to be stuck in the past. Paper-heavy applications. Manual appraisals. Slow claims processes. No way to manage and track your gear. The coverage might be solid, but there is no platform built for modern musicians.
Ramble: what we built to fix all of the above.
We built Ramble to be the most complete solution ever made for insuring music gear. Worldwide, all-risk coverage— whether at home, on the road, in the studio, or even as checked airline baggage. All instruments, recording gear, consoles, accessories, lighting/sound/stage equipment are covered. Professional and income-generating use is covered. Mysterious disappearance is covered. Replacement value, not depreciated cash value. Deductibles starting at $100 per claim. And manage both your collection and policy anytime with a super slick dashboard.
Ramble gives you self-service when you want it, and human support when you need it. Behind every policy is our underwriting partner Bolton Street Programs, with decades of experience insuring musical instruments, specifically. Our lead underwriter thought she mispronounced “Moog” at a work dinner once and called us in a panic the next morning. And our team is reachable by phone or email.
Getting started
If you’ve read this far, a) props and b) you now know that your gear (likely) needs some love. We’re here to help! Start an application, or give us a shout.
Cheers,
Alex Pundyk