Fitting a drop-in replacement bridge

[linear]

Hello TB'ers.

I was planning to fit a new bridge to my BB414, mainly for cosmetic purposes.

If I am fitting a bridge that matches the existing screw holes is it ok to just reuse them or should I fill and then redrill pilot holes? What if the new screws are a different pitch or shorter than the old ones? I would just use the old screws, but they'll be the wrong colour

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I just have visions of me bringing it up to pitch and the bridge ripping off and injuring me or even worse my bass!

[Pilgrim]

If the holes line up and are the same size as the replacement screws, just go for it. You might try turning the screws backwards with your fingertips and waiting for the tip to drop into the screw thread marks - that way when you tighten each, you'll be following the existing thread cuts rather than making new ones. (Learned that trick on TB and it makes sense to me.)