Zager ZAD-50

Zager Zad50. Standard no frills Dread. Laminated mahogony back/sides etc etc.

After reading plenty of the hyped up reviews I purchased a used one and for quite some time thought I had a very nice sounding guitar. It was OK but definitely not what others were saying. Very loud for sure (if you like that sort of thing) and bright. Good for blues but any old beater is good for blues right!

Finish is definitely OK. On the body. The neck is where it gets untidy. Sharp fret edges. The frets are filed flat in certain areas and left as is in others. Really not very good but I didn't really notice until months after I bought it. The story continues. Also found a blue plastic (looked like a piece of cable tie) under the saddle! With some time spent on removing that, set up the neck properly, new strings etc sounded not too bad.

No idea on this. Probably last a while.

Purchased used in New Zealand and did not contact them so no opinion.

This is where it gets very interesting. I sold the guitar about a year after I bought it. Hard times. When things got better financially a few months later I was determined to buy a "real" guitar. I purchased a Martin D16-GT. I was a bit concerned I had paid too much for the Martin as I believed the Zager was almost as good for a fraction of the price. After about 6 months the Zager came up for sale so I bought it back from the guy I sold it to. Karma? Anyway, I put a new set of Martin strings on both and began my comparisons. This lasted about 5 seconds. Seriously. The reviews here that would have you believe a Zager sounds better than a Martin are totally unbelievable. The descriptions and wording used on the Zager site are repeated endlessly and is very good marketing and that's it. The Zager ZAD50 is what it is. Overpriced marketing. Martin has been around for 175 + years. Zager has been and gone in ? how many years. I rest my case.

Acoustic 6 string folk guitar. Full size dreadnought with clear lacquer finish. Solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides. Rosewood bridge and rosewood fret board. Sealed Grover tuners. Thin neck, 21 frets. Accessories included hardshell case, humidity meter, and guitar stand. Manufactured in 2008 in U.S.A. No onboard tuner or built-in electronics.

Guitar has bright and lively sound. Pretty good low-end "punch". Nice tonality for the price. I play mostly folk and country, some pop, and this guitar is definitely versatile. Very tight woodgrain on both the spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The scalloped X-bracing helps produce good volume when playing without a mike.

The guitar came from the factory with low action which I prefer. Frets were hand filed. The routing on the saddle could have been better. The strings are at a steep angle between the saddle and the string pins. Time will tell if this will cause short string life and strings breaking frequently. I have had the guitar for 6 weeks and so far no problems in this area. One small finish blem on the side near the underside of the neck.

Guitar is suitable for live playing. Grover tuners look very durable. Finish appears durable and guitar came with a tortoise shell pickguard. Guitar came with only a bottom strap peg and it looks flimsy and weak. This will definitely require an upgrade. I would not hesitate to take this guitar on a gig.

Have had no repair issues to date. Guitar comes with a Lifetime Warranty from the manufacturer. Everyone I have dealt with at Zager Guitars has been very pleasant and co-operative.

I have been playing for 44 years. I am not a professional musician, merely a hobbyist. I own two other guitars, a vintage Gibson B25 and an inexpensive classical nylon string guitar. I would buy another Zager guitar if I were to lose this one. I do wish it had come with a second strap peg. I was very impressed with this guitar's appearance and tone. For the money, this instrument provides excellent value. It sounds and looks as good as Martins and Taylors that cost 3 times as much.

The ZAD 50 has a natural gloss finish. I have been shopping for a new acoustic guitar for over 2 years. It has a Rosewood fretboard and the neck is so easy to play and so much fun. Also I am an intermediate player who can play this guitar with so much more comfort than the Tacoma I currently have.

I play acoustic worship music and the tone on this guitar is rich and rings true. At first when I played it I did not like it. I tuned it and just kept playing for about 2 straight hours and it sounded better and better and needed very little retuning. It is just a great sounding guitar and i'm thoroughly impressed for buying a guitar that I had never played before.

I examined the guitar from head to toe looking for any flaws. The action is so low you barely have to put any pressure when holding the strings. The only thing that I had to get used to is the setup the strings are set a little further apart from each other than I am used to. This actually turned out to be a bonus for me because my fingers are a little wide. It also holds the tuning for a long time barely have I had to retune. But straight out of the case the guitar is very well built and you can tell Zager takes a lot of care with the product.

The ZAD 50 does not have any electronics or strap buttons. I am confident enough with this guitar to take this guitar without a backup. I have played the guitar hard and soft and it plays great. The finish is deep and shines like crazy. I am also thinking about buying a Zager for my son who is 15 and wants to play this all the time. Everything on this guitar is solid.

The customer support is a little different than I am used to. If you have questions you have to email the questions to Dennis. All my questions were answered very quickly and honestly. Everything that the website says about the guitar is true. Dennis is very helpful and they let you play the guitar and if you don't like it you can get your money back. They are great to deal with.

I compared this guitar to the Guild the Martin several other high dollar guitars and it sounded better than any of them. I basically became frustrated with looking for a guitar and decided to buy the Zager after several weeks of seeing the website. I already had a Tacoma EM9E7 and there is no comparison. The Zager blows it away. I would absolutely buy the Zager again if I were to lose it. The only thing I would change is I would have bought it with the electronics. I have been playing for over 3 years. This guitar has amazed me for the price and the fact that it was bought without ever playing it first.

All things you would expect from a high end guitar: solid spruce top, mahognay side & back, rose wood bridge & fret board, pearly inlay rosette, scalloped bracing, sealed tuners, etc. Try to appreciae the details and craftsmanship. This is truly an exquisite instrument. It also came with a stand and a digital tuner.

Full range sound and well balanced tune. Sweet melody when I do finger picking. (I think even my Husky likes the music!) I frequent guitar center in the area, and I feel that the sound quality of the ZAD-50 is comparable to those high end ones of $2k-3k in the stores.

Low strings, easy to play. This is where Zager guitars shine. Someone argues that is is just regular "setup" that you can git it done in local musical stores. WRONG! Do you think all auto mechanics are the same? or why do we need second opinion from medical doctors?

The construction quality is flawless, and attention is down to details. With normal care and a hard case, the ZAD-50 can be a life time companion.

WOW! This is another area when Zager Guitars shine. They are PROFESSIONAL yet PERSONAL. The emails are answered promptly. (When do they sleep?) They are friendly to communicate with. The web site has a lot of information. The video library (thru their "help" link) is very helpful. Whoelse can give you 100% money back guarranty. They also cover shipping. I am glad to be a owner of the ZAD-50.

I have been playing on and off for almost 30 years. This quitar is easy to play and produces wonderful sound. No matter what brand and price of a guitar, the bottom lines are "how it feels and how it sounds". The Zager feel great and sound great. It is truly a quality instrument. Denny has passion for what he does, and he does it well.

Pretty basic dreadnought. It's easy to play, stays in tune and sounds great. What more do you need? Awesome value for the money!!!

This guitar sounds fantastic right out of the box and especially through a PA or for recording. Very easy on the ears.

Incredible setup. Very nice action. Great fretboard. Plays like an electric guitar. The spruce top has a beautiful glossy finish and is nicely matched.

Construction seems rock solid. Nice glossy finish. Attractive wood grains.

Zager treats their customers well, something that is inherrently missing in today's business climate.

I've been playing 26 years. I own 2 Taylor custom made acoustics and a Hohner 6-string in addition to my Zager ZAD-50. I'd definately buy another Zager, though that may prove difficult due to limited availability and Denny Zager's impending retirement next month. This guitar is easy to play and sounds great for recording or through a PA. I wanted a ZAD-80CE, but they were sold out. Very personable customer relations, effective communications and a no-nonsense, professional business transaction.

Made this year, month. Solid Spruce top. Grover tuners. Had the features that mattered to me.

The sounds is what sold me. There is a great video of the instruments being played on the Zager site. I was mesmerized.

I am a voice teacher/singer. To me, it seems to be a perfect balance of a very bright core sound, surrounded by a mellow tone. It's what I look for as a singer/teacher.

I love what I've seen in action, seeing how people respond singing with this guitar. My students, all very different voices, all seem to be able to blend well with this instrument. It seems to bring their voices to life every time.

I've had the guitar a couple of weeks, and several of my singers came back the next week, grinning, asking if we could do some songs with the guitar again.

This guitar is FLAWLESS!!! The care, pride, in which it was made shines through.

I've only had it a couple of weeks, but comparing it to my other guitars, including a nice Gibson, it is easily better made. It seems very solid.

I helped my wasband build harpsichords so I have a bit of an eye for good construction. My eye says this guitar is very carefully made.

I had several very good guitarists in my studio and they all seemed impressed and two are considering buying one for themselves.

I am a single mom and this was a HUGE decision for me. The first nice thing I've done for myself since divorcing, really.

I didn't make this decision lightly and I tormented poor Dennis JR. many times with questions He was answering e mail at 1 AM one morning. Blew my mind!

Very, VERY nice people who believe in what they do and stand by what they make.

I've been playing guitar on and off for 35 years. I have a house full of instruments. This guitar and my much loved piano are tops. I am a professional singer and voice teacher and give workshops across the country.

This guitar has me waking up in the morning wanting to play. It is so easy to play. I was not blest with "guitarist hands". I can play chords I just can't get on my other instruments. And, as I said, the tone is so much fun to develop, there are so many colors, and the best guitar I can remember ever using for singing.

Zager guitars is a company that not only has excellent quality guitars but their service puts them above their competitors. I purchased a Zager made guitar for my husband's birthday. Immediately I received an email from the company offering assistance in purchasing the right guitar. Then they even followed up to make sure I knew it was on the way. It arrived right on time and it absolutely beautiful. The sound quality is smooth and crystal clear. Denny Zager is one of the few people that lets his passion for what he does shine in his company. I will definitely be getting our son a guitar from Zager when he is old enough to play. Thank you again Zager Guitars!

Got free string (good ones), free stand....what would you want more?
Except a case? haha

The sound is so blooody nice.... I am not an expert of guitar sounds but its better than my friends Taylor.....which is like around 2000 bucks...so even if some ppl disagree cmon 495 bucks VS 2000....do the math!

I never played a better guitar....the action is nice, the strings are soft cuz of the lower neck i guess, no need to press it too hard

I can see this guitar be very durable, its light weight feels nice, really great!

The BEST customer service EVER!!! why dont companies have Zager's mentality? It is a pleasure to do business with them.

I played for 4 yrs now, just a hobby like to play christian music, pop and some oldies.

My previous guitar was Jasmine by Takamine - these are good beginner guitar

And Fender GDC 200- SCE - not very well made but i like the sound

And I choose this one because I see the ratings and its risk free, after i got them...i just cant believe how good it is!

Picks, 2nd Pk of Strings, (2)Photos of Mr. Zagar; (1)testing guitar, and (2)Press Photo from 2424; Allen wrench; Humidity Level Meter (with case); web site for instruction (tabs, video, and songs); 24/7 help, and support.

Sounds great with any style.
Not using any amps or effects.
Not noisy at all.
Rich/Full and bright sound.
The mapple/spruce construction with other high quality sounds woods allow this guitar to sound as good as the player can play, and if possible, better. I have no dislikes at all with this guitar.

The EZ-Play setup is perfect. Action is right on the money. The bridge is exactly right, in-tune across the entire neck. There were no flaws.

Please, this guitar will make most other guitars wish they could sound as good live. Hardware is top notch and should last a life-time. I play it daily, and it stays in tune; so yes I can and do depend on it. Yes I would use it on a gig without a backup, it is that good.

The company is a family owned company that provides the best possible customer service to their customers. They care about people, and their love is to provide a superior guitar at an unbeatable price.

I've been playing for 34 years. I would for sure buy another from Mr. Zager. What I love most about the guitar is the sound and action. Simply a joy to play and listen to the wood sing in harmony; I can feel what I am hearing in the wood of this guitar; unlike so many cheap guitars out there with "name brands." I chose this guitar based upon the ovewhelming number of positive comments on Mr. Zager's web site, and watching the videos. I compared this guitar to everything GC has to offer (cheap and expensive). NOTHING I played at their shop sounded or played anywhere close to my ZAD-50, with the exception of the Taylor that was going for around $2,400.00.

I'm very happy with my guitar. It's the low-end zager model, and I decided to buy it because because what I gathered from other players online (well, some of them), is that it would be a very good sounding guitar for the price, and be easier to play. I used to play a little a few years ago and was always frustrated by bar chords in particular. They still frustrate me, but even thought I haven't played in years they are easier to make with this guitar sound better when I play them than any other acoustic I've played. Also, it in general sounds good to me, the customer service is phenomenal, there's no risk, and it came with a stand and extra strings. Pretty too. Even though i ended up spending more than I originally wanted, I'm happy with the purchase, and would recommend a Zager, especially to a beginner.