RigVerseGear vault · 7 min read
How to catalogue your music gear
Most musicians can name every piece of gear they own and produce documentation for almost none of it. That gap only matters twice: when you sell something, and when something is stolen or damaged. A gear vault is the cheap insurance against both. In RigVerse it is also the spine of the app — valuations, insurance reports and your collection value all read from it.
Add your first piece
- Open Gear vault from the left rail.
- Choose Add gear — on an empty account this reads "Add your first piece".
- Enter the name, brand, model and category.
- Save. The item appears in your collection immediately and is counted in your collection value.
What to record, and why each field earns its place
Brand and model, written out in full
Search matches on name, brand, model and category together, so the record needs the identifying details rather than your shorthand. "Fender American Professional II Stratocaster" finds itself; "my main strat" only finds itself if you remember to search that exact phrase.
This matters more than it sounds. A serial number and a full model name are what turn a claim from "an electric guitar" into a specific instrument with a specific value.
Category, chosen consistently
Category is what groups the vault and drives the "across N categories" figure on your overview. The value is in consistency rather than precision — decide whether pedals live under "Effects" or "Pedals" and stick with it. A vault split across three near-identical categories is harder to search than one with slightly coarse groupings.
Condition, honestly
Condition drives valuation, and optimism here is expensive later. Fret wear, a replaced pickup, a repaired headstock, a refinish, whether you still have the original case — all of it moves the number, and all of it is checked if you ever make a claim.
Photograph gear properly while you still can
Photographs taken now are worth far more than photographs taken after something has gone wrong, because they establish both existence and condition.
Shoot the full instrument front and back, the headstock or badge, the serial number, and any distinguishing damage. Serial numbers are the single most useful photograph you can take: they are what makes a recovered instrument provably yours.
Keep the collection value honest
The collection value on your overview is the sum of what the vault knows. Gear you never entered contributes nothing, and gear valued once several years ago contributes whatever that year thought it was worth.
Items that have drifted are flagged as needing a value refresh. Treat that flag as a to-do list rather than a warning — a stale figure is the one thing that makes an insurance report useless at the moment you need it.
A realistic way to catalogue a large collection
If you own thirty pieces, do not try to enter thirty in one sitting — that is how a vault ends up half-finished and untrusted.
Work in passes instead. First pass: name, brand, model for everything, no photographs. Second pass: photographs, starting with the most valuable items. Third pass: serial numbers and condition notes. Each pass is useful on its own, and an incomplete vault with every item named beats a perfect record of four items.
Common questions
Why should I keep an inventory of my music gear?
Two reasons: insurance and resale. Insurers need documented proof of what you owned and its condition before a loss, and a documented history with serial numbers and photographs raises what a buyer will pay. Both are far easier to assemble now than after something has gone missing.
What information should I record for each instrument?
At minimum: brand, model, category and condition. Add serial number, purchase date and price, and photographs of the instrument, its serial number and any distinguishing marks. Serial numbers matter most — they are what proves a recovered instrument is yours.
How often should I update my gear values?
Refresh whenever an item is flagged as needing it, and always after buying, selling, or having work done. Vintage and discontinued models move fastest and deserve more frequent attention than modern production instruments.