Hi, I finally signed to Instructables. :) My colleague is a big DIY guy and that's how I came across Instructables. Today, while searching for something I came across homemade recipes for musical instruments and that really hooked me on. Especially the one on turning an 6-string acoustic to bass acc. :) I had tried learning the guitar but didn't want to spend too much on the instrument, so I bought a second hand one from a garage sale (proceeds were for the city's stray dogs - so for me it was a bit of a win-win...almost :) ) What I realised much later is that: 1) The wood under two of the tuners (on the under/ventral side of the guitar) has splinters 2) One of these tuners has lost a fastening screw because the hole in the wood has widened and splintered a bit 3) the base of neck, just before the curve block that connects to the box, has a 1-2mm crack running across it (horizontally) Question is, can these issues be fixed so that a beginner like myself or someone who really doesnt have the money to own a guitar but wants to learn can still use it for some time? I never found the time to go to a music shop to have it checked. I also feel they will probably turn me away because they are more interested in selling guitars than fixing them. I really dont want to just throw it away. Second hand it may be, it just doesn't feel right... Your inputs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! P.S.: Am at work right now but I will try and post images of the guitar as soon as I can. I had taken photographs of it a looong time ago. As a result, tuning goes off every now and again. On a colder day, tension increases and the crack widens. Update: Terribly sorry for the delay in uploading the pictures. I had a set that I had taken a year or so ago but I seem to have deleted them. Just got some time off work, here are the pictures. The crack, which I had earlier described as horizontal, is in fact, vertical. So much for my memory...