Some of the screw holes where the machines screw in on my acoustic guitar are stripped, or too big for the screws to securely tighten them down. This causes the machine to pull away from the wood when the strings are tightened, and subsequently causes a rattling sound when played. I asked the guy at the music store what I could do about this, and he recommended removing the machines, breaking off toothpicks into the screw holes, then tightening the screws into the newly-filled holes. This has not worked for me. Any suggestions?
You’re gluing the toothpicks into the hole before putting the screws back in, right? If not, you’re omitting a rather crucial step. The guitar store guy is right–it works like a charm.