Neck Question

[Tarquinius]

OK, so like i bought this old really screwed up guitar. Gonna fix it up. However when i bought it the neck (which is bolt on) had two screws missing. The two that were in were ajacent (diagonal) from each other. I was realy scared about that if i left it like that for much longer that the neck could suffer some damage (if not already). I dont know if the neck moved around in the "pocket" or anything. So my first question is, that having those two screws diagonal from each other, could there be any negative consequences?

Got that? ok on with the story, so i bought some new screws, put them in, but they were too long >.< I ended up stripping two screw heads trying to get them in. The heads are about...1/16 (which actually makes a difference) above the neck plate. So my second question is, did I install anymore damage upon this guitar you think?

Yes I do plan to get shorter screws (Note: before I took the old screws out I put th two new screws in the holes where there were none, so the neck never came off.)

[Jehle]

You could always cut the screws if they are too long. It's not a great feeling to do that, but in some repairs I've had to. Since you already stripped the screws by trying to force them in, you can get the shorter ones like you said. But if you can't find ones that'll fit the bill, keep in mind that you can hack saw off a 1/4" or so to shorten the screw.

I assume that the neck is too thin to drill the pilot holes any deeper.