I recently had a fire in my workshop, caused by a power surge.  I
learned a lot about dealing with insurance companies and, of course,
made all the usual mistakes in making my claim.  If you have actual
replacement coverage, it may be best to ask for replacement cost for
the PDS-32.  Of course, it is worthless today, but maybe you can get
paid for a Live Performance LX unit.

The main mistake I made in making my claim was to not consider
depreciation.  Most of my loss was of tools and they were depreciated
to something like 20% of their value, even though they cost much more
than I paid to replace them today.  The insurance company can not ask
you to provide receipts; so boost your purchase prices to cover
depreciation.

I did the best on "antiques," for which they hardly winced at the
prices I claimed.  I got paid $25 each for piano rolls, by showing
comparatives on eBay. On other things, I lost a lot of money by being
honest about the great deals I had gotten and the low prices I had paid
for tools that are now worth much more.  I did not ask for replacement
cost, because for most items I would have to actually replace them and
buy stuff I really did not need and be out the money until the claim
was settled.

Overall, I did not do too badly but there were some real surprises and
then some mistakes when they multiplied quantities and paid me many
times what something was worth.

Spencer Chase
Garberville, CA
http://www.spencerserolls.com