Is my guitar pooched?

Hello

I've been using a Washburn Dimebag SS 332 for the last three years, and have been noticing a problem. After re-stringing my guitar, my 1st and 2nd strings ( high-E and B ) will only last about 3-4 weeks. I know this is "technically" typical that strings should be replaced this often anyways, but the strings don't just sound bad, they sound TERRIBLE. There is a very very obvious ringing sound, and my 1st string's intonation will be totally out of whack. It's as if the strings are breaking at some point or something. I originally had the factory strings on for well over 3 months, and they were very useable. Most of my friends have kept the same strings on their guitar for 6 months at a time! Is there something wrong with my guitar? It's a tune-o-matic bridge, and I've played with the "height" recently, so that i could lower the action on my guitar, and have the strings closer to the fretboard. Will playing with the bridge like that mess up the guitar?

Also, I was considering upgrading my bridge to a floating Floyd Rose. Is it an expensive upgrade to do to my guitar? If it's my bridge that's out of whack and I have to replace it, I'm definitely going to upgrade instead of replacing it.

It sounds to me like you need to take a trip to your local guitar-tech.
Lowering the bridge probably caused the rattling(fret-buzz), plus, you truss rod might need some adjustment. The intonation can go bad at any moment since wood never stops moving, and especially if you change string gauges or play around with the bridge. The strings might be "pinched" either at the bridge or nut, which can cause your strings to break prematurely. Conclusion? There are plenty of thing that can be wrong with your guitar, which none of us here can diagnose over the internet. Your best bet is to have it looked at by a professional.

Going from a fixed bridge to a floyd style bridge will cost a lot of money. Your guitar will need routing to make the bridge fit, and the bridge itself will cost nearly $200, plus a nice work fee for whoever does the job. All in all not really worth it, you're better of buying a guitar that already has a floyd rose bridge installed.

This problem is totally solvable.

You need to sort out the set up, i.e. action (the distance between the strings and the frets) and the intonation (fine tuning scale length). These things are easy enough to do your self however another issue is the breaking strings. There are several possible reasons for this (like a groove worn in your saddle which gives rise to a sharp ridge which rubs against the string). The easiest way of solving all of these problems may be to get you some Graphtech string savers and take the guitar to your local tech for a set up. The string savers are available on line and will cost you about 30 bucks for a set and the set up will probably cost you about 25 bucks.

Or, if you have a good tuner, you can do it your self. Setting intonation and action have been discussed to death on this site so if you use the search function at the top of the page you should be able to find all the info you need. If after that you still have questions, post em here and we will see what we can do !

best of luck
S