Harp Damage

Ruthann Ritchie (ruthann@visi.com)
Wed, 1 Jan 1997 18:30:49 -0600 (CST)

On New Year's Eve, I was playing my gig at the restaurant I've played for
the last 10 years. I'm squeezed into a very tiny area, between the
swinging kitchen doors on my left and a table on my right, usually with my
elbow in some patron's back. Directly across from me is the salad bar. So
we are talking high-traffic area. Last night, one waiter came out the
swinging kitchen doors like a bullet, colliding with a bus-boy carrying a
tray heaped high with dirty dishes. The tray hit the column of my harp
(denting it) and then food and broken dishes hit the sound-board and base
of the harp. It was covered with food. When we wiped it all down, the
chipped dishes had gouged off some of the finish of the sound-board, in
about 4 different places. (I play a Salvi Diana) You can feel the little
gouges, and see the marks.

Now my question....should I try to repair this damage? How?? And, if so,
who pays? Is this what my harp insurance is for? Or does the restaurant's
insurance supposed to cover it? Or, is this just the chance I take as a
professional gigging musician? Nothing like this has ever happened before.

Thanks in advance....Ruthann