With three Bank Holidays this May, many musicians will be out and about playing; especially over the Coronation Weekend. With that in mind, we’re doing a #WednesdayWisdom piece about keeping your instrument(s) safe and secure.

Cafes and restaurants are prime targets for thieves. You place your instrument on the floor and then focus on your food, drink, and company making it easy for an opportunistic thief to simply pick it up and walk out with it. Our advice is to buy a clip-on cut-proof strap (they’re often sold as theft-proof straps for travellers). Clip it to itself around the handle of your case then, whilst seated, loop the strap around the leg, or clip it around the arm, of your chair. The effort required to detach it should deter all but the most determined of thieves.

Our next tip will help you locate your instrument should someone walk off with it.
There are also lots of key locators cheaply available these days. These send a location to your smart phone and allow you to track the location of the instrument. Many are small enough to be discretely placed in the case or, if you are careful, inside the lining.

We know it’s not always possible to keep your instrument with you and, at times, leaving it in your vehicle is unavoidable. If it’s small enough to put it in the boot well (assuming you have one) then do so, otherwise in the boot covered up is the next best option. If your instrument is too large to keep in the boot, cover it with blankets that match the colour of your car interior and try to park somewhere where lighting will not emphasise that you’ve something covered up inside.

When parking with instruments in the boot, or in small van, try to park such that the boot (or door) is right up against a wall thereby preventing easy access to it.

Finally, make sure your instrument is fully insured. Double check your household contents policy, especially if your instrument is worth more than £1000, as you may find there are exclusion clauses. If there is any doubt feel free to contact us as we can recommend insurance policies that specifically cover musicians and their instruments.

We hope this helps.