Am I the only one to completely destroy one of the screws holding the
shock-mount cradle due to the extreme (factory) use of threadlock compound?
I dont think I'm that ham-fisted with a simple screwdriver....
Hopefully the screw is easily replaceable.

You're not the only one - about a quarter of the players I got in for repair had damaged screws.

The trick is to use a larger screwdriver than you'd think would be appropriate. I use an M4.