The Beatles legend plays a Hofner violin bass and after hearing the sound Derek knew he had to have one.

Derek, who plays in a band called the Past Masters, shelled out £924 for the German-made instrument in late 2004 and from that moment on it was his pride and joy.

Derek, aged 55, of West Street, Beighton, Sheffield, said: "The guitar is my favourite and prized possession. I have really cared for and treasured it and have only played it occasionally on special occasions. I have always handled it really carefully and it has never suffered any stress or abuse.

"When I took it out of the case last week, to my horror I found a crack in the back of the neck behind the nut. The guitar still plays and sounds awesome but I am really upset about the crack.

"The guitar has pride of place in my collection and I cared for it so much I thought of it as an heirloom to be passed on to my son. I don't know if the crack will get any worse but even if it doesn't I am not happy with it as it is."

PHIL Glaves, of Sheffield Trading Standards, had this advice: "Tough one this for Mr Brown I think. As I'm sure you are aware, his contract is with the seller in Leeds and it's not unreasonable to assume that with tender loving care and only occasional use, for over £900, Mr Brown's guitar should have provided years of pleasure to him and his audience.

"That said, the difficulty lies in proving the fault with the guitar is a result of some inherent defect at the time of sale.

"I'd be tempted to pester the manufacturer some more, in the hope they would inspect the instrument and perhaps offer a repair as a goodwill gesture.

"Failing that, he could have it examined by a 'guitar expert' and if the opinion is conclusive enough, take his chance in the county court, for the cost of repairs, against the seller in Leeds."

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