It's never convenient to discover that your music gear was stolen. It's also horrible to see damage to your prized instrument that could have been prevented. Here are some suggestions to reduce the chance it will happen to you.

1. Think like a crook. This is the number one tip to reducing your theft exposure. Security professionals (such as yours truly) do this for a living. Let's look at some tips that will have you thinking of ways to keep your gear safe from theft. Remember though: a determined thief cannot always be stopped. The most you can hope for is to discourage the casual crook, and do what my grandfather (a former Chief of Police) referred to as "keeping honest people honest."

2. Don't display music gear in plain sight at home or in your vehicle. While it was fun to participate in show 'n tell in grade school, it doesn't make sense to have your Les Paul guitar in your living room window, where it is visible from the street to potential thieves. Save your showing off for performances and guitar shows.

   The same applies for music gear stowed in your vehicle. Keep it in the trunk. If it absolutely must be in the passenger compartment, cover it with a blanket. You can buy inexpensive fleece throws, in various colors, at discount and department stores. If your car interior is black or grey, buy a fleece blanket in a matching color. Now a casual observer can't tell what's inside your vehicle.

3. Buy a second amplifier (or drum set or keyboard or ...). Keep the heaviest amp (or drum set) at the practice studio. This saves you the time spent each rehearsal that you'd otherwise spend setting up and breaking down. Think about it. Each rehearsal you: unplug the guitar and AC mains cords; slip on a cover (you do use a cover, right?); load the amp in your car; transport the amp from the practice facility to your home; unload the amp from the car (don't be tempted to leave it in your car over night); take off the cover; connect the amp to the AC mains and your instrument.

   Instead, keep one amp set up in the studio, and another at home. You'll save time (you can practice a little later if everyone does this), wear and tear on your amp, your car, and your body! If you do decide to sell your studio amp or instrument, it'll be in better physical condition, which will result in a higher resale or trade-in value.

   How is this theft-related? It keeps away unwanted attention by avoiding the visibility during loading and unloading of gear at your home. It also eliminates the theft possibility due to a car prowl while your instrument is sitting in your vehicle. Needless to say, keep the location of your practice studio and your home a secret!

4. Don't allow strangers into your home. If you're selling a piece of gear through the local paper or online classifieds, meet the prospective buyer at a location away from your home. This keeps potential thieves away from your music gear. Even if a stranger is honest, he/she may brag to their friends about all the music gear they saw at your house. A better bet is to meet prospective buyers at a nearby Park 'n Ride (car pool) location, church parking lot, public park, library parking lot, or well-lit shopping center, or other convenient location. In tough neighborhoods, go with a friend or band member for added safety.

5. Don't store your prized instrument(s) at the rehearsal studio. Instead, store easily replaceable gear there. There's a trade-off between saving time by keeping instruments at the studio and having it out of your control when you're not there. If you carry guitars back and forth, for example, you can subject the guitar to temperature extremes; bumping and bruising of the case as you haul it in and out of cars, taxis, buses; and it means that you can carry fewer other items with you. This can be offset by keeping a less expensive guitar at the studio, or purchasing a separate insurance policy for your prized instrument and leaving it at the studio (with fingers crossed that your bandmates don't forget to lock the door, and that they don't invite their friends to play with your gear when you're away).

6. Make it difficult. Experts say that window bars, security screens, solid core doors, alarm monitoring signs, and other measures won't always stop a determined thief. But if your security methods will potentially delay the thief, then chances are, the criminal won't even bother with you and will instead pick a different target that is more inviting. This is the "low hanging fruit" rule. You want your fruit (your prized guitar) to be so high up in the tree (your neighborhood) that a potential thief won't ever bother going after it. No matter what extra security you have, remember to close and lock your windows and doors when you're away.

7. Get a dog. A barking dog attracts attention, which is not what a burglar desires. If you don't already own a dog, check with your insurance provider to find out what breeds are allowed. Many insurance firms won't insure homes if you own a particular breed, such as a Pit Bull, Chow Chow, or German Shepherd. A word of warning: puppies have sharp teeth and like to chew. Don't let your new dog near your prized instrument. Keep the door to your music room closed, to prevent Fido from chewing on your prized instrument.

8. How much risk are you willing to assume? Security professionals use a risk analysis process to weigh the risks, the likelihood of a particular risk event occuring, the cost (in terms of money or bad publicity) resulting from the event, the cost (in terms of money or time) to safeguard the asset, and lastly the amount of risk that the owner is willing to assume.

   This is the process you go through to decide if it's worth it to you to keep your gear safe. You do this already with car and renter's/homeowner's insurance.

   An extreme example is that it's probably not worth a separate $200 insurance policy to protect a $100 guitar. But if a guitar is priceless (think SRV's "Lenny" Strat, or Paul McCartney's Hofner bass), then not only is theft insurance worth purchasing, but additional steps are worth taking to protect it, since money by itself won't bring back a priceless instrument.

   Some examples of additional measures might include the installation of an alarm system, ensuring that the instrument travels first class with the performer, housing the instrument in an ATA-compliant flight case, using a guitar technician for stage performances to oversee the instrument and protect it from overzealous fans, and storing the equipment in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment.

   If I've got you thinking about protecting your music gear, then I've accomplished my mission. Be safe out there!

   
   This article represents the opinions of the author and is not intended as risk management or insurance advice. The reader is encouraged to discuss his/her specific risk exposure and/or insurance needs with a certified professional.