Cracks

Even when you take extra good care of your instruments, some things were not meant to last. The cracks you see here were most probably caused by temperature changes, repeated temperature changes to be exact. This plate, along with miscellaneous screws & such, are expendables. Don't be too upset if you have to replace them & you keep thinking it affects the authenticity of your instrument. This only matters if you are dealing with historic / vintage instruments that require period correct components to retain its value. Please don't lose sleep over component replacements. Even your car needs it. 

Crack

This guitar is currently being sold for cheap due to its 'slight' neck crack. Do take a look at the picture, the crack is rather serious. It's nothing 'slight' at all. If you choose to move on with thicker strings for instance, the increased tension might widen the crack. Just giving you chaps a heads up when dealing with such damaged items. Please be more mindful of the repair/restoration costs ahead instead of the current price enticement.

The cracked tale

Someone bought an Ibanez guitar like the model you see above, returned to the shop a month later demanding some compensations because according to that individual, there were cracks at the areas indicated. According to the individual also, the seller (in this case the shop) didn't inspect the instrument closely & let this one slipped through the transaction. I believe the shops here can measure up against such claims but should this be a case of an after-market deal, do you think you can protect yourselves adequately from such circumstances especially when there's absolute insistence on the buyer's part that it's your oversight exclusively?

PS: This account wasn't aimed at any individual, just a common anecdote in promoting awareness.