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Good afternoon all. I have started the process of removing all the binding from the old Country Gentleman and it's going well. I did discover after removing the strings that the neck is pretty loose and moves around quite a bit (no surprises there). I removed the black plug on the back side of the body then removed the large regular (slot) screw that holds the neck in place. I thought the neck would just slide out considering how loose it feels when the screw is installed but actually there is little difference with the screw in or out.

Couple quick questions: first obvious question is am I missing a step and need to remove something else before the neck will slide out?

Second question, if I drilled the screw pilot hole a bit deeper(being careful not to go to deep) then just install a slightly longer screw to more securely hold the neck in place ? Or is removing and shimming my only option at this point?

Separating the body and neck really would make the rebinding job easier, at least it seems that way at this point. This is my first attempt so what do I know? Lol. Thanks in advance for any advice or warnings on pulling the neck.