I checked a guitar and a banjo at the IBMA convention is Chattanooga last fall. They were in that price range. I do have an airtag hidden in each instrument so I can check on them from the hotel room or anywhere else.

Another thing to consider is putting something bright on the case so its easy to spot from a distance...mine is red/white ribbon attached to the case handles.

The instrument check is great option. 

With that, one option is using something like airtags, or GPS tracking... get instant notification if you instrument moves outside the geofence area.

If you plan to be a festival regular, insure your banjo with Heritage. That will cover it at the instrument check.

Consider purchasing an insurance policy that covers theft, breakage etc.

I have insurance through Heritage and it’s not expensive. Beware that they exclude theft from a vehicle.

Lots of good tips here, thanks! I wasn't aware of instrument-specific insurance, great idea. Their website says policies start at $200 and that's not a bad deal for peace of mind.

I used to paint my fiddle case white. It was visible in the dark, and not many would snatch and run with a white fiddle case. I would buy a cheap banjo, maybe you can sell it at the end of the festival and not have to lug it home if you don't really want it anyway.

$200 to insure a $4000 asset? Is that just for one event or the entire year? Seems steep at first blush.

I would bet that there will be other instruments there worth $4000 and more. I think the best way to secure your banjo is to not let it out of your sight and keep it with you the whole time. When I’m at a festival, I’m either playing my banjo, carrying it with me or locking it in my car.

You might check with your homeowners policy to see if it is already covered for theft.

Rick

Well, you know insurance companies don't like to pay out, and they might decide that it's not worth 4k.
I would get one of those soft cases that you can strap on your back, then it's always with you. Just a suggestion.

When I used to go to music festivals, my expensive banjo was always within elbow's reach or strapped to my back in its gig bag. It never left my sight for a second.

I have traveled and gone to many festivals back when, usually with a fairly valuable instrument.

All advice above is good.

Heritage insurance for any valuable instrument is a must. Great coverage and cheap.

Make sure your case stands out from the others. I used to put bands of unusual colored duct tape on the neck portion.

I never used them, but I know folks who swear by them, Apple Air Tags.

Most importantly, I never let the instruments out of my hands.

If having a good instrument out in the field really stresses you out, get a substitute cheapie. There is a lot to be said about having an instrument that if it gets lost, stolen, or destroyed, won’t be a major loss to you. One less thing to worry about. And the way instruments are made now days, good value, excellent players can be found used for a very reasonable price.

Number one reason to go to any festival is to have fun. So if having a valuable instrument with you detracts from that, find a solution to remove the issue.

I think all the above is good info. Nothing wrong with carrying your GOOD banjo to the festival to use for jamming. Nothing wrong with having a lesser expensive banjo for such occasions. Insurance from Heritage is a MUST, and your policy will run for a year. According to the fellow whom I talked to when I purchased this insurance policy, theft from a vehicle is INDEED a covered event, but you need to obtain a police report AND that police report will indicate your vehicle was locked! Having a case that's easy to pick out / identify is also a good idea, as is KEEPING your eyes or hands on the instrument as much as is humanly possible while at the festival!

I carried mine wherever I went at the festival. Yes, it's heavy but it was safe.

Bobby

On the other hand, locking a banjo in a car isn't very hard on the instrument. Cover it with something to keep direct sunshine off it, and also to moderate temperature change rate on the instrument.

This advice holds ONLY for banjos! Not guitars, fiddles, mandolins which are much more tender. Guitar bridges are the first thing to go in a hot car, as the glue lets go under string tension.

Many many many folks are content to keep their instrument out of sight in their camper or even their tent.

I've been going to bluegrass festivals since 1970 and can count on one hand the number of thefts I've heard about secondhand -- never have heard of a friend or acquaintance being robbed. Of EXTREMELY valuable instruments.

The insurance will probably require an authoritative appraisal of the instrument, which also is a one time cost you have to bear. And photos. Do you have your serial # recorded somewhere? The Apple tags also sound like an excellent investment.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ty Presley

I'm going to the Bluegrass Festival next month and it'll be my first time bringing a banjo to a festival to partake in some jams. The banjo is valued around $4K 

So, what do you do?
- Trust the check-in service and
- Bring a cheaper banjo that you don't mind losing or getting dinged up so much.
 

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I had a friend who always brought his Stelling to any festival and he would try to get there and find a tree to park his car under. He would leave his banjo in the trunk of the car with the banjo in its case and a blanket over it. He never had a problem with the banjo getting too hot or being damaged in any way and never had it stolen. Guess the festivals we went to had mainly pickers and bluegrass fans and all were too honest to take someone's instrument.

I remember guys leaving banjos guitars,mandolins, etc. inside the jam room overnight. The room was never broken into and no instruments were ever stolen or damaged.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ty Presley

I'm going to the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival in Ohio next month and it'll be my first time bringing a banjo to a festival to partake in some jams. The banjo is valued around $4K so I'm a little leery about what I'm going to do with it while I'm attending shows. I'm not going to leave it in the truck because I don't want it to get too hot. There's a instrument check-in service available but would you trust those? I doubt they're going to cover any loss.

So, what do you do?
- Leave it in your vehicle?
- Trust the check-in service?
- Bring a cheaper banjo that you don't mind losing or getting dinged up so much?
- Other option?

Thanks

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Hey Ty, we (Banjo Warehouse) will be there and you're more than welcome to leave it at our booth (which will be manned during festival hours). We've brought lots of banjos over the years to Industrial Strength Bluegrass and have never had any problems. The instrument check-in service should also be a good option. 

quote:

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Originally posted by GeoffHohwaldBanjoWarehouse

quote:

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Originally posted by Ty Presley

I'm going to the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival in Ohio next month and it'll be my first time bringing a banjo to a festival to partake in some jams. The banjo is valued around $4K so I'm a little leery about what I'm going to do with it while I'm attending shows. I'm not going to leave it in the truck because I don't want it to get too hot. There's a instrument check-in service available but would you trust those? I doubt they're going to cover any loss.

So, what do you do?
- Leave it in your vehicle?
- Trust the check-in service?
- Bring a cheaper banjo that you don't mind losing or getting dinged up so much?
- Other option?

Thanks

---

Hey Ty, we (Banjo Warehouse) will be there and you're more than welcome to leave it at our booth (which will be manned during festival hours). We've brought lots of banjos over the years to Industrial Strength Bluegrass and have never had any problems. The instrument check-in service should also be a good option. 

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Chris, I really appreciate the offer and I might take you up on that. It's fitting too since I bought it at Banjo Warehouse!

quote:

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Originally posted by Texasbanjo

I had a friend who always brought his Stelling to any festival and he would try to get there and find a tree to park his car under. He would leave his banjo in the trunk of the car with the banjo in its case and a blanket over it. He never had a problem with the banjo getting too hot or being damaged in any way and never had it stolen. Guess the festivals we went to had mainly pickers and bluegrass fans and all were too honest to take someone's instrument.

I remember guys leaving banjos guitars,mandolins, etc. inside the jam room overnight. The room was never broken into and no instruments were ever stolen or damaged.

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That has been my experience. I'm pretty cavalier about leaving my banjo sitting around at a music festival. But I don't have a $4000 banjo, just a $2000 banjo, and it is replaceable. I have a no deductible rider on my home owner's policy for all my my musical instruments. It is a replacement policy, so anything that cost over $700 I have to give them a copy of the invoice when I get it listed on the policy. It is pretty cheap, and I checked all the "but it doesn't cover" responses I've seen on the internet before I got it and I'm covered. Also I get my insurance through a local agency owned by a fellow who's kids went to school with mine, so if I have any questions or problems, I know where he lives and works. That is an important thing when dealing with insurance companies I think. 

i carried my pre war to maybe a 100 festivals and fiddlers conventions and just used common sense about where and who i left it with.

i remember one particular night many moons ago there were a bunch of young pickers at our camp sight. and we had been jamming for hours and i needed a break... there was one young man (who is now a well known picker) that keep grinnin and finally he ask me if he could play my banjo ,, i said sure ,,
so he sat down an tore in to it,,, i listened a bit and told i him i was going to go get a hot dog and i will be right back... i told him don't you let nobody touch that thing.. he said yes sir,,, that was about 8:30 pm..
well of course i got sidetracked and a few of swigs of clear adult refreshment from a fruit jar later i returned,, it was about 11:30... this kid was sitting alone still pickin ,,the jam had broke up but he didn't let go of that banjo. he said i didn't let nobody touch it !!!
great kid ,, made one heck of a picker too !!
      but i added my banjo and her old kay bass onto our homeowners for insurance against damage and theft... and it ran us about 120 bucks a year . usually it will be about 2% of the value of the instrument if you add it on to your homeowners. i did have to get a written appraisal for both of them. and had a added clause of appreciation too.