Saddle screws too short

[Brado]

I've got a Peavey Cirrus 6 string bass. I'm happy with the bass except for this: I've tried to intonate the thing & can't get the D,G, or C anywhere close to being IN. I'm running out of threads on the screws that adjust the saddles back & forth. Either they misplaced the bridge (too far back), or the screws are just too short. I've gone through all of the possabilities as to why this is happening....I though it might just be THAT particular set of strings...3 sets of strings later, it's clear that it is the bridge/ not the strings. I'm not crazy about removing the bridge/ drilling 4 more holes & putting it back on the bass a little closer in.....Peavey hasn't released the "Swiss Cheese" bass & I don't want to help 'em. The bridge looks like a Hipshot look-alike. Is it easy to find screws that fit the saddles/ that are longer than what is in there? Would I be better off just replacing it with an ABM bridge, which doesn't have those screws in the first place?
I contacted Peavey & they couldn't help me. Any helpful advice is welcome.

[JustDavid]

Why not take one of the screws off the bass (maybe that saddle also) & hit Home Depot; see if they have the same thing but longer? Next step hit a machine shop & see if they've got some.

[202dy]

It is extremely doubtful that Hartley et al misplaced a bridge. It is just as unlikely that the intonation screws are too short.

Before you do anything, check to make sure that the tuner is adequate for the task and is functioning correctly. Next, make sure that it is strung properly with the strings wrapped around the posts from the top to the headstock.

You've told us that you can't get the intonation correct. We'll assume that you need to get the note sharper. Examine the string seat in the saddles. If they are worn, or there is a burr that is the first thing to remedy. File the saddle smooth and eliminate the burrs. Proceed with setting the intonation for those strings.

If the saddles are clean the problem is in the nut. It is imperative that the string speak from the edge of the nut at the end of the fingerboard. Sometimes, through wear or improper nut work, TDC in the nut is somewhere in the middle of the nut. Improper string wrapping, or not enough string wraps can make the string stop somewhere other than the front edge, also. Run some pencil lead in the slot. Move tune the string up and down a few times and observe the wear. If the wear is not even and it is strung properly the nut will need to be filed to get the intonation right.

[Sundogue]

Have you tried screwing them much tighter (bringing the saddles closer to the back of the bridge)? You might try making the strings longer instead of shorter.

Intonation depends on factors other than just string length alone (nut, bridge and the strings in question)...and no two sets of strings are ever identically intonated (even the same brand and gauge); the strings themselves being a major part of the equation.

It is possible that you are thinking the saddle positions should look a certain way when done, but the truth is, depending on the bass, the location of the bridge, and the design of the strings themselves, when properly intonated the saddles may actually be in a position you wouldn't expect (i.e. - way further back than what looks "right"). Don't let how the saddle positions look to determine if you are close to being right.

Start all the way at the back of the bridge and try it again. You may have just gone past where they should be, and based on what looks normal, kept making the strings shorter in relation to adjacent strings, when perhaps they need to be longer.

It's happened to me, and while the saddle positions looked out of place, the bass was perfectly intonated.

I seriously doubt the bridge is in the wrong location, especially on a Peavey Cirrus.

EDIT: Yes, follow 202dy's suggestions!