Zager ZAD-50

> 4/14/2008
> Mr. Zager I have received my ZAD 50 this guitar is amazing I have played a lot
of guitars
> But none match the zager . It arrived in perfect condition. The sound is
beautiful. When I plug it up to my amp this guitar will blow you away. I think I
will set my Ibanez out to the trash it is just too hard to play. The ZAD 50 is
as easy to play as my Fender Stratocaster.
>
> Thanks for a quality guitar.
> Randy Bennett
> Kansas City, MO.
> rbennett31@kc.rr.com

Made in 2007. Don't know where it was made and don't care. Solid spruce/mahogany with chrome tuners. Well finished, good looking guitar. Came in a very sturdy case with humidity meter inside.

Sound quality is excellent. Has a nice deep resonating sound on the bass notes, and even though it comes with light strings and pick,you can still get a loud full chord sound without having to be heavy handed on the strings.

The action is low making for easier execution of barre chords etc. for people like myself with small weak fingers. I found no flaws at all in the build quality of the guitar despite looking very closely. Couldn't believe the quality of the workmanship for the price.

Only had it about 4 months, and still looks like new. I have no doubt it will last a long time if properly cared for,

Have contacted the company on a few occasions with various questions and have always received prompt and helpful replies.

I already owned a Fender acoustic electric guitar which I really like and thought was excellent value for money, but I prefer this guitar for sound and playability. Sure there are better guitars out there, but not for the price. This is excellent value for money.

Made 2008 Made in USA - 21 Frets- Solid top - Mahogany woods - Transparent finish - Dreadnought - Grover tuners Neck thin Rosewood.

Sharp and clear, Mostly Flatpicking, Country and Blues

The fit and finish is unmatched, NO FLAWS!

Martin strings. Grover tuners, I'm sure it will last forever.

It's new, but I don't expect to have problems with something built like this guitar. Lifetime warranty.

Been playing several years, I own an Epiphone and a Takamine.
If it were stolen I would order another just like it. I love the feel the sound and the looks. It's just a great guitar and a great company to deal with.

The ZAD50 is one of Denny Zager's great guitars, built to his specs (I'm not sure where, but I believe in the US). It has 20 frets, mahogany back,neck and sides and a solid spruce top. It is fully acoustic. It has a rosewood bridge and fretboard. The nut and saddle are hand carved, and the frets are hand filed. It is modeled on a Martin, and to my mind, is similar to a D18.....just my opinion. The finish is high gloss and mirror-like. The neck is a little wider than what you would expect. This gives you a little more room for your fingers and helps to give you a cleaner sound. It comes with Grover Tuners and Martin extra light strings. Mine came with extra strings, some Zager picks, an allen wrench to adjust the neck, a guitar stand, a Zager Tee shirt and a polaroid photo of Denny Zager inspecting the guitar. The ZAD50 is a dreadnaught style of guitar.

The sound is vibrant and resonant with wonderful sustain. It's good on the low end and just gets better as you play up the neck. The volume is not all that great on the Low E string, could just be me..., but it's all that you could hope for in the mid-range. I haven't played it hard yet, and I likely won't, but it could hold its own against any other guitar in a good room. Here's an interesting thing - as I carry the ZAD50 down the stairs...I can hear it ringing. I have four guitars, and that's the first time I've ever heard that.

I'm not a guitar tech, and I'm not an expert; but I've been playing for nearly thirty years. The ZAD50 is fully acoustic, so it has to stand on its own. The action is close, all the way up the neck. If you pull it too hard with your thumb, then you can get a little rattle. My guitar was set up perfectly. I don't know what you could do to improve it. You could look at this instrument for a long time, and you won't find anything wrond with it. If by some chance you do - they will fix it.....no question asked. The wood is lovely and the finish mirror-bright.

This is a nice guitar. I don't play out other than jamming. I think you could play this guitar in a church...unmic'd....and they would hear it in the back pews. It feels solid and dependable when you hold it. It's got a lovely neck. It seems just a little bit smaller than my other dreadnaughts (I haven't checked it, its just a feeling), and it sits nice in your arms and doesn't "try to get away from you". Its a comfy guitar. It doesn't come with a strap button, but you do get to access a bunch of videos, and one of them tells you the best way, and location, to install a strap button. If you really want a strap button, I think Denny'll send you one.

Zager Guitars is the best company you could ever hope to deal with. This is not hyperbole. You can e-mail them anytime, and Dennis will be back to within a half hour or so.....sometimes in minutes. He is unfailingly polite, he never talks down to you, and he is very helpful and absolutely professional. Every time I wrote to him, I felt like I was talking to an old friend. Denny, in his videos, is chatty and likes to talk guitars. I could listen to him all day. This is a good company. Try it - go on line and drop them a note. Watch and see what happens.

I've been playing for nearly thirty years. I also play the fiddle and mandolin. I play the bagpipes and taught music for ten years. I would happily deal with this company again. They have a ZAD80, rosewood back and sides with abalone inlays all over the place that would look very good on me. If I try to sneak in another guitar, well, I'll have to be pretty sneaky about it.
The prices are great. They have sales. You can also buy demos. The guitars are underpriced.....oh, I didn't mean that !
The only thing I would like to see would be shipping to Canada. Zager ships from their company HQ in Nebraska to anywhere in the continental US for about forty bucks, and they do this really well. I live in Canada, so I had it shipped to an uncle in Pennsylvania who then shipped it up to Canada. I paid $40 plus $40 plus $77 in custom fees to bring it across the border.
I would wish that Zager Guitars sold some "stuff", accessories you know. That would be nice.

This guitar sounds beautiful. Each strum is just amazing.

This guitar is just as beautiful as it sounds.

Ive had one before and its lasted me 4 yrs so yeah its pretty durible.

Ive never had any work on the first one that I purchased. Denny Jr is great.

I own several other guitars including two Guilds and the ZAD 50 blows them away.

Received my new Zager ZAD-50 with natural finish solid spruce top, mahogany sides, rosewood neck & bridge last week. Beautiful Guitar

Great sound and sustain. Using my electronic tuner Annotation? this is the first guitar I???ve owned that was / is in perfect tune to the 12th fret, I???m impressed.

I enjoy a small neck on a guitar since I have short, fat, stubby Cherokee Indian fingers. I do enjoy the some what wider string spacing; it allows me to play bar chords easier as well as the closer full handed chords. The finish is flawless and with a little touch up on the tuning it came ready to play, so I did.

I will need to check to others that have owned a Zager guitar longer than I. only having this guitar a week it???s a little to soon to give an informative opinion. I have no reason to believe this guitar will be a problem child.

Customer Support? I go out of my way and in many cases pay a higher price for a product when the people I talk with / deal with Bubble / play / make you feel welcome. I emailed Denny and informed him of my problems and needs. Dennis Jr. responded by email with what he believed to be my best choice and explained why. When I called to order my new Guitar, Brian answered and immediately made me feel happy that I called and it???s apparent that Brian is a people person. I have either hung up or walked out on a place of business because of the personality of the people handling my business. it was a great and a pleasant buying experience, I was treated like they wanted my business and Brian spent a lot of time working with me on my purchase, i.e. I didn't get the bums rush. I have no doubt should I have a problem Denny and his personnel will handle it.

I've been playing since 1964 how ever I did put the guitar up for several years to raise my family. I play by ear and can not read note one so tone and tune is important to me. a guitar that is out of tune as you go up and down the neck is like finger nails on a chalk board to me. I do enjoy this guitar. I own three other guitars, two of them are now for sell.I find it refreshing when a product performs as advertized.

20 Frets, Solid spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, Gloss finish, Dreadnought, Rosewood bridge, Sealed grover tuning gears, Rosewood neck, Guitar stand, Picks, Set of Martin strings,

Any style of music, Full sound, No dislikes

The set up is great, its very easy to play, I have found no flaws in this guitar.

The guitar will stand live playing, The hardware is in very good shape and will last a long time, The finish is very good and will last with alot of playing. Very dependable guitar.

Zager was the best company I've dealt with, very helpfull, very friendly. Does not need reapir, and has a lifetime warranty.

Off and on for 47 years, own some other guitars priced more or less, I got all the infromation I needed to make the purchase, If stolen I would buy another Zager Guitar right away, I love everything about this guitar. I'm not a pro, but its great that the Zager company can provide a modified guitar, with a great set up, easy to play, and affordable, for those of us that want to be able to play, and enjoy the experence.

Solid top, beautiful sunburst finish. Great tuners that hold a tune. I've had it over a year and rarely have to tune it. Don't know what else you could want on an acoustic.

Full sound acoustic, no buzz at all on the frets. Sound projects very well.

Action is excellent. Guitar was set up by Zager and frets extremely well with little pressure and no buzzing at all. Everything fits and the finish is great. No flaws whatever.

As I said, I have had this guitar for over a year now and it plays and sounds like the day I got it. I play for small groups in small setting and it is excellent.

No problems, but they have been made sure I was happy. First purchased the Sigma and didn't like the tuners on it. They replaced it with the zad50 without hesitation at my request.

I own 7 guitars, but this is the only one I play anymore. Everyone who has heard and played it wants to buy it. I played a top of the line Martin in the music store, and there is very little difference, if any, between it and this one. I can't say enough about the product and the service Zager offers. If I ever lost this guitar, I would purchase another one the same day.

Described in detail in other reviews
Guitar arrives exactly as described
Solid Top
Mahogany Laminate back and sides

Sound is weak, lacks bass tones, but very clean

Good setup as described and promised on ZAGER web site

Did not own long enough for an opinion

EXCELLENT!!
Attentive
Class Act

ZAD-50 experience
I stumbled on Zager's web site, and decided on the ZAD 50 after considering the options, I really hadn't done any comparison shopping at this point. I figured for $450 and a 100% satisfaction guarantee there's nothing to lose.

The guitar came quickly and it's appearance was excellent in spite of everyone's complaints about being made in Indonesia which is true. The quality of the finish and appointments were good for the money. Solid top with mahogany laminate back and sides, and white neck binding

The guitar had a slightly wider than normal neck, X-light Martin DARCO strings. It came with a guitar stand, extra set of strings, picks, and WOW...a Polaroid picture of Denny Zager working on a guitar, oh yeah a T-shirt too!

The guitar was very easy to play and easy on the fingers, but if you've been playing an acoustic for a while you'll find that the "String Science" really isn't necessary if your guitar has a decent setup and action.

The guitar sounds fairly good to the untrained ear, but if you like to pound out the chords for a BIG sound, forget it. The setup and the guitar just isn't built for that type of play. If you are a very light handed player this guitar may work for you.

After playing the guitar for a couple of days, I went to Guitar Center to try out the Martins. OH MY GOD!!! They blew the Zager away with beautiful sound and sustain, however I still maintain that the Zager looked very good at $450. Martins of course are priced into the thousands of dollars but I found a Martin model made for Guitar Center and Musicians Friend.

Its called a Martin "Custom D", very spartan looking, no bells and whistles but INCREDIBLE sound. Spruce Top, SOLID Rosewood back & sides, and rosewood fretboard. All for $899 with Martin case at Musician's Friend

Sure the Martin is priced higher but the sound is no comparison and isn't that what really matters?!

I emailed Zager for a return, they issued a return UPS label at no cost to me, I returned the guitar and was given full credit no questions asked, a real class act on Zager's part. MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT REMOVE THE PICK GUARD PLASTIC, ZAGER OR WILL NOT HONOR THE GUARANTEE. There is no mention of this in his warranty statement

If cost is of utmost importance to you, the Zager is a good buy, but for a modest amount more you can own a REAL Martin at an entry level price. I tried the D18, D-28, and D-45, the Custom D sounds very close to the high end Martins. To me the high end wasn't worth the extra $1-$2 thousand dollars more.

Be sure to demo other guitars before jumping blindly as I did initially

EZ-Play modified

- Full size Dreadnought
- Solid Spruce Top
- Mahogany Back & Sides
- Rosewood Bridge
- Rosewood Fret-Board
- Gloss Finish
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
- Abalone inlay rosette
- Genuine "Martin" Strings
- 100% money back guarantee
- Lifetime warranty

Pure acoustic BLISS,Incredable push even with extra light strings,NICE RICH FULL SOUND,very well balanced harmonics....Don't forget,I didn't spend thousands on this guitar,best you will find for the price!

The EZ-PLAY science of Zager's is incredable! Great action, so much lower than most, in any finger position. The fit is fantastic,very comfortable to the touch,Bye,Bye sore fingers! I do in fact play much longer,and with so much more clairity,it has expanded my guitar horizons.Awesome finish! I happen to have purchased a BLACK discounted Zager,and to this day I can't find the finish flaws,and we all know black show's all. Please keep in mind,we are talking a selling price of $445,which I do think I got twice the guitar

Reliability is on the owner of the instrument!..if you crash and burn your gitbox well DUHHHH!.If you take proper care of it,it will be reliable...The guitar feels durable when playing it,no problems with the tuners,in fact great,the guitar holds tune well,(I CAN BE A BIT HEAVY HANDED AT TIMES) Take it to a gig? YOU BET, Mic me up Scotty,ready to Jam

After the sale it's the service that counts!
My experience of dealing with zager,from time of purchase till now, has been nothing but professional, very prompt on answering questions, in which I have had many, the purchase was quick and easy, no hard sell from staff,just friendly laid back everyday people who seem to understand we are not all rock stars, and some of us need to count our blessings and pennies! Kudos to you all!

Testiominal:
To all you guitar heroes:
I purchased a discounted ZAD50 better than 2 weeks ago, now my review thus far.
My reason for buying a discounted guitar from zager,(knowing custom anything varies)was not so much for the savings, but to see if the box was played in a bit, this wound up to be true. To this day I really can't find the flaws. So no biggie! The black guitar just about jumped out of the box,Gorgeous ++. Very nice case Well built with lock.
After letting the guitar stand to acclimate to the house temperature for aprox two hrs (which was torture),I picked it up out of the case, and strummed my first chord, what a nice full sound in fact sweet! Even with the extra light strings,(which I was a bit skeptical) the guitar had great push, and put a whole new meaning to fast into my playing. More than 2 weeks of playing this guitar, Denny's claims are true, my fingers don't hurt so I play longer, the action is so sweet I play much cleaner, more precise,which always helps with timing. Two days ago I realized the B string was buzzing a bit, but I'm no fool the weather is so cold here now, the guitar is still settling in to the forced air heat that we have,which in turn must have relieved the neck a touch, one small adjustment to the truss rod and it???s working out nicely. Denny's videos were helpful in this. Great tool and Thanks Denny!, weather can play such a big part with your instrument, I'm the proud owner of a 5??? 7??? grand piano and it took a couple of years to settle into the house.
The proof is in the pudding! My 15 yr old, who is an electric guitar nut,comes creeping over and says Ok Dad hand over that Zager! He immediately began to play "OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY" I was in the other room it was incredible! Go ahead and ask why!! Let alone the song written by Jimmy Page, But if he was playing the Alvarez,or the solid spruce Yamaha, he would not have been anywhere near the clarity of playing that tune. With the additional width of the strings, makes pulloffs-so much easier for us both, finger picking is a dream. I could never play the intro to "TEARS IN HEAVEN" cleanly, but now I can! Thank you Zager!People realize, the playability of this guitar&sound,in my opinion match that of martin's D-15 easily! Now go look at the price of that Martin! I double Dog dare you!
For you beginners, consider the fact that as a beginner you may feel the need to start with that $250 Yamaha or less. Well chances are you not going to have success, the string height and usually HEAVY strings will beat your fingers to a pulp, which will only discourage you from learning, because of how you never dreamed, how hard it can be to hold the strings down. Well with the Zager,I guarantee you will have much more success, and you will learn at a much more accelerated rate, because of Zager's playability, which in turn, will help you realize your dream of being a guitarist, then a true musician. Nothing like being ONE with your guitar while playing your favorite tunes!