Zager ZAD-50

Absolutely gorgeous guitar, very classy! Gloss finish really makes this baby glow. The neck is thinner than most, which makes fast playing a breeze. Spruce soundboard and mahogany back and sides looked great and sounded even better. Nut and bridge sit low for easy playability. Abalone soundhole inlays and pearl dot fret markers let you know you're getting a quality instrument. Grover enclosed tuning heads were an added bonus. All at a great price: <$400!

Great for strumming, finger-picking, and even speedy soloing. Clear, rich sound with bright highs rivals even the most expensive Martins. Sustain seems to ring out forever. Sounded great whether strumming lightly or banging away.

Zager's EZ-Play system is brilliant. The action is so low, you'd expect a buzz just by looking at it, but it is completely buzz-free and plays like a dream. No more cramped and tires hands! The modified bracing really lets the soundboard resonate, and small frets are easy on the fingers.

Feels solid, with adequate bracing and a thick glossy coat that can take a few hits without dinging. High quality woods and hardware mean this guitar was meant to last a lifetime. Lower action means less wear on the strings, so they should last longer than normal.

Lifetime warranty and 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee!! You can't beat that anywhere. When my friend's pickguard began to come up at the edge, Zager shipped him a new pickguard and a brand new set of Martin strings for free! These people really care about the people who buy their products and Denny Zager signs each guitar to show his personal approval.

I've been playing for 8 years. I own an American Strat, a Sonata 12-string, several classicals, a Martin Goya, ans a Stratacoustic. This is the finest guitar I've ever played for less than $3000.

Cutaway, electronic tuner, brand new, tone controls...

Seems to have great range of sounds...doesn't buzz at any point...still trying it out...flexible for different country/blues techniques. Bell-like...great sournding harmonics.

There's a swirl in the wood at one point which bothered me at first, but I think it gives it character. No flaws yet apparet.

The mother of pearl is pretty...I didn't expect it to be so nice. I don't really need the signature, but that's fine.

Setup was flawless.

Seems solid, easy to keep in tune on a gig (I do a lot of Nashville writers' nights).

Very helpful on ordering, haven't had it long enough for problems.

I have small hands but I can barre and do a lot of up-the-neck playing that I couldn't, even on my Baby Taylor. I wish they had a fiberglass case, or other lightweight yet airline-safe case.

It's just very playable, solid.

i am just learning to play guitar but i feel this is going to be one of the eassist one to learn on i have a friend that has been playing for quite a while i showed it to him he played it and said it was a nice guitar with nice sound.

i love the sound of this guitar i am having some trouble reaching over the body of it but i have never played guitar it is something i will have to get used to.

i do not know a lot about guitars but i had a friend look at it that has been playing for quite a while he said it was realy nice and i should have it for a long time i have been trying to learn to make chords on one that i was just getting sore fingers on when i recieved my zad50 i was able to make some of them i still need to practice on them but they sound better all the time.

i do not plan on playing in public but if i was i would not be affraid of using it

ihave just recieved it but every time i ask a question they have been there to help me they ansered every thing and were very helpful and friendly

i am just learning to play i have little guitar that i have had since i was little but could never play it my fingers would hurt and i woud quit i have always thought i wanted to learn i started looking on the internet and found zager guitars it said no more sore fingers and had a money back guarantee if i was not happy with it what did i have to lose they were there for me any time i had a questions the strings are closer to the neck a lot easer to practice with if i can't play this one i will know that it was my fault

Full size dreadnought, Solid spruce top, Mahogany back & sides, Grover Tuners, Abalone inlay rosette, Gloss finish, Hand carved custom nut, Hand carved custom saddle, Rosewood fret-board, Rosewood bridge.

I play acoustic rhythm for soloist, duets, and ensembles in church services, talent shows, fairs, etc. The ZAD 50 has a much fuller sound than my Ovation Celebtrity Deluxe. It is noticeably easier to change chords, play bass runs, with a cleaner sound.

The guitar was immediately used upon arrival at my house. It was hand modified and set up for easy play and great sound out of the box and I can testify that is true. I was preparing for a peerformance within a week and I was very happy how the ZAD 50 played and sounded during rehearsals. We received many compliments after the performances.

Yes to all questions. There is no doubt this instrument will last and make live performances as long as I am up to it.

The company is very,very friendly and quick to respond. There is a 60 day no hassle no questions asked money back guarantee.

I have been playing for over 20 years. I also own an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe that is a great guitar, and a Washburn D12st. I love the sound of this guitar but the looks are spectacular also. After all that, it play so easy it is almost hard to believe.

I am hoping that I can do this without getting too technical. This will be a "general" rating of this guitar. This the second guitar that I have purchased from Dennis Zager. The first was several years ago - a modified Washburn elec acoustic. The guitar I recently purchased is the Zager Version of the elec. acoustic. These guitars are made to Dennis's specs buy the factory that makes the Martin Sigma series. Truely I have not played an acoustic guitar that plays as sweetly as this one. I am a semi pro that plays out 3 or 4 times a month and I used to have to space out my giggs to let my fingers recover usually 3 or 4 days apart. I just played a gigg with my new Zager ZAD 50 (on Saturday) and I could play the next day if I had to. A 4 hour gigg was no problem - usually I am pretty sore after 3 hours or so. Not that I couldn't finish the gigg but had some sore fingers.On Saturday I felt just a little fatigue in the fingers but by then the gigg was over. For the money - this guitar is a home run.

Sounds great.

See Above - this guitar plays like a dream. Dennis (The owner) personally sets up each guitar before it gets shipped.

Seems well made - top notch hardware - beautiful finish.

Would use on a gigg in a heartbeat.

Lifetime warranty - customer support is the best.

I have been playing guitar since I was a kid - been playing for money about 15 years. Have owned many guitars over the years. Have some artiritis in my hands and have been looking for that guitar that I can play all nite and have it sound good. I believe I have found it. Would buy it again.

You will not find another guitar with this action for this price. You just won't.

It has a gloss finish, solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood fret board and bridge, grover tuners, inlayed abalone rosette, 21 frets, it is a dreadnough body style.

I'm new to playing guitar, so style of music is classic rock ballads some country.
The sound is crisp and distinct, the sustain is excellent.
I have no dislikes.

was in tune out of the box, no flaws that I can see or hear.

Time will tell how long it will last, but it feels and seems solid to me, the finish is looks like it will last. I do depend on it, as for playing in gigs, if I do I would definately use this guitar. I rate this an 8 because I am new to guitar ownership so my opinion in this area is obviously limited, but I have worked with woods and finishes.

I have dealt with them, but not on a repair or replacement issue, they are surprisingly prompt in their response time, and very friendly, their warranty is lifetime.

I've been playing for three months.
I do own another guitar not worth mentioning.
If it were stolen I would not think twice about replacing it.
It sounds great, it looks great, the action is low and easy to play, with no buzzing. I had compared it to a Washburn D10S which I also liked but was not as easy to play, also and Alvarez I forget the model but it also was a nice guitar. I also tried a couple of Epiphones. I thought, hey money back guarantee plus pay shipping both ways, give it a try, I'M GLAD I DID The ZAD 50 sounds great, looks great, easy to play, lifetime warranty, money back guarantee, even if you do return it the shipping is paided for both ways.
Oh yeah playing bar cords was difficult if not very hard for me, not with the Zager Zad 50.

Great looking guitar but more to the point is that it is eminently playable. The Zager string science ensures that you can,t get an easier guitar to play.

Great for fingerpicking or flatpicking: the sound is clean and bright.Definitely the best sounding guitar I have owned.

Exactly as advertised. A very low action allows for esay playing - and with no string buzzes.

I have only just received the instrumentb but can't see any reason why it shuld not endure.

Zager offer a lifetime warranty- you can't get better than that. Unfortunately, I live in England so in the event of anything going awry I will not be able to take advantage of this ( you would not believe the air shipping costs!)I have e mailed and spoken to the Zagers and they are very, very customer friendly.

I have played for about 35 years and wish I had heard of Zager guitars years earlier. I would definitely buy another , although I think I would travel to the Staes to pick it up rather than have it shipped - it would probably be cheaper and more enjoyable.I have owned a number of guitars although never expensive or top brand instruments. The point is, the Zager guitars are by no means expensive and yet play like a dream.Thos eof you living in the Staes should definitely take advantage of these value for money guitars.

Plenty of features for what I need. Finish is excellent. Sunburst is beautiful and the abalone inlay around the sound hole shines like diamonds. Solid spruce top. Sealed grover tuners. Add all this to the Zager modification and I have a great instrument that I believe will last longer than I will.

Very rich full sound. Beautiful sunburst top with abalone inlay. I play country, gospel, folk. Love the looks and sound

Simply amazing. Don't know what else to say. The Zager modification works great. Frets easily, yet still has full volume and projection. No flaws at all that I can see.

Have only had it a few days. Stepped up from a Zager modified Sigma DM1 which I thought was great. This is made by the same company so I don't expect any problems. Love the sealed grover tuners.

They stand behind their products. All questions and emails answered promptly and they were very eager to help. It's too bad that there aren't many businesses around any more that have the high level of service and professionalism that Zager does.

I own 7 other guitars, but now I only play this one. I am 63 and have the beginnins of arthritis. I could only play for a short time on the other guitars, but with this one and the Sigma that Zager modified, I can now play for hours with no problem. I just can't say enough about this company and their guitars. They are GREAT! (I previously purchased and reviewed the Zager modified Sigma DM1 and didn't think it could get any better. I was wrong. This one is better.

The guitar I got has a high gloss black finish. It is a full sized dreadnaught (41") with the usual sting-thru-body design. He uses Grover tuners which are quality tuners. I tuned the guitar a couple times after receiving it (with an electronic tuner) and since the strings have now stretched out they have stayed in near perfect tune. The only reason they aren't in perfect tune all the time is that I live in a climate that is dry on day and humid the next which always play havoc with strings. But even with that they really do stay close to pitch. The top is solid spruce which accounts for the depth of the lows right thru to the clarity of the highs. The back and sides are listed as mahogany. It doesn't state that they are laminate but from the sound I'm actually not sure (though for the price they might be). It has a rosewood fretboard and bridge which really look good against the black body. And unlike most other guitars in this range, they really are rosewood (many guitars in this range use maple or a cheap wood and actually paint the top the color of rosewood). Last, but not least, Denny Zager must be sure of what he sells as all his guitars have a life time warranty. You don't do that unless you are sure of your product.

After all this you are probably wondering if I am a family member or work for or with Zager Guitar in some capacity. I would think so if I were reading this (the sceptic in me). I have never written a review that doesn't put down at least SOMETHING on the product I am reviewing. But the fact is I stumbled across Zager Guitar on eBay (as I said) and it went from there. They just make a good product and are a good company to deal with; simple as that.

I have been primarily a concert level classical guitarist and taught classical and steele string guitar for just over 30 years. When teaching steele string the style is primarily folk and pop (taught "finger picking style". I became chronically ill and had to sell off the last of my guitar collection a year ago. The medications that I take have induced osteo arthristis, firbromyalgia and a condition called Raymaud's Syndrome...all make the hands cramp or hurt (more than just a little pain and there is little that can be taken for the problems since they are medication induced themselves).

I first say the "Zager Easy Play" guitars while just looking around eBsy then went to their site. Having played for so long it was like having a child taken from you when I had to stop because even nylon strings were difficult to finger. I saw the promises made by Denny Zager and family on his site about the pplayability of his guitars and several friends got the money together to purchase a black, ZAD 50 for me. What was there to lose? They even offer to pay for s&h if not satisfied to send it back so I received one.

I have played everything from student guitars that sound like PlaySchool toys to my own collection of guitars over the years which have included a Les Paul L5 semi-acoustic (my first guitar and the one I considered my baby) to concert classicals costing as much as $4000. While the sound of a ZAD 50 cannot compare to a $4000 concert guitar I am amazed at the fulness and depth of the lows and how clean and bright the highs are. I'm sorry another reviewer had such a bad experience with his guitar but mine worked exactly as advertised. The action (to be discussed next), bridge, saddle, nut and frets were all finely tuned to each other and all the ranges of the instrument are clear and loud for an acoustic guitar. I was amazed to be able to produce harmonics at not only the 12th fret (as is normal for a student or even intermediate level guitar) but also at the 7th and 5th frets. Running scales up and down the fretboard didn't produce a single buzz (even with my messed up hands).

The action is amazing for a steele string on the guitar I received. On the site there is a video of Denny Zager stating that at the first fret you would have trouble sliding a piece of paper underneath at that point since the action is so low...so the first thing I did was get and piece of paper and...you can guess the rest. I was difficult to get under but the action was high enough and the guitar setup was so well done that there is no fret buzz at all anywhere on the fretboard.

Having had guitars set up by luthiers in the past, to do as much work as it would have taken to custom make the nut, bridge and file any necessary frets would have cost $300 easily. If a guitar shop says they can do it for $50 to $75 they are amatuers (I had students waste the money in many instances and their guitars really came out with little more than a new set of strings and possibly a new nut that was factory made but to a different height). This is truly the work of a master luthier.

Since the guitar is stained black it is hard to tell if the wood has been bookmatched or not. While the guitar is simple in esthetic design, it is afterall a $400 instrument that has really had another $300 (at least) worth of work done on it by a master luthier. So if it isn't overly fancy, it is still good looking and the black finish is flawless.

Having owned as many guitars as I have and having seen student guitars for 20 years I gave the guitar more than one "once over". I looked for glue at joints, dings that had been stained over (something common with black or sunburst finish guitars as it will sometimes hide imperfections). I looked at the neck from every angle. Again, I don't know what happened with the other reviewer's guitar but mine was flawless in every respect.

The base guitars used by Denny Zager are made by Martin for him and them shipped to him for customization. I actually wanted to find something wrong (it makes for much more interesting reviews I'm sure) but the fact is that there was just nothing to find.

I've only had the guitar for a few weeks. Being homebound now though it is getting a LOT of use (probably about 5 to 6 hours a day...not bad when I couldn't even play a nylon string guitar for more than 1/2 hour before my hands would cramp up or just become too painful). So I would have to say that it will probably be pretty durable. As for reliability; every part is firmly attached and none of the parts are cheap. The tuners appear to be sealed chrome (unlike guitars such as the Esteban line which used tuners enclosed in plastic painted to look chrome).

As to whether I would use it on a gig; if I had a good mic set up (since this model is acoustic) I actually would. While I might not play it with a symphony orchestra I wouldn't think twice about using it as my primary guitar on a solo gig. As I said, the sound if full in all ranges, it would just need to use a mic and amp for a large crowd. I really would compare the sound of this guitar to one costing about $1000.

As for customer supposrt all I can say is that it is stuck somewhere back in the 60s. Before you take that as a negative, read on.

Back in the 60s there were a couple slogans that ran around: "the customer is always right" and "if you really feel you did a good job you shouldn't be afraid to sign your work". Denny Zager does just that; every guitar he modifies, he signs.

I have also dealth extensively through e-mail with his son Dennis, Jr. Every e-mail has been answered within 24 hours (even on weekends). The are always professional, curteous and actually answer my questions - no trying to skirt around issues. This company, at least in my case, has gone out of their way to be helpful (believe it or not, prior to a sale I am a "hard sell" so I ask a lot of questions and having been in the business my self for so long I sometimes ask questions I know the answer to just to see if the person answering the question really knows what they are talking about...every answer prompt and correct).

For customer service, I can't remember the last time I dealt with a more responsive company.

Playing for as long as I have, having taught my self and even done some custom set up on guitars I knew the questions to ask in advance (though most are answered on the site in Windows video form if you look around).

If this guitar were stolen I would definitely replace it. If I could afford it I would replace it with the next model up (only because the ZAD 80 can be purchased as an acoustic/electric) and it makes recording much easier.

I would recommend a Zager guitar to anyone who was looking. If it were being purchased as a student guitar, that student wouldn't have to upgrade for a very long time. If being purchased as a gig instrument, like I said, I would prefer an acoustic/electric. But being homebound that really isn't an issue for me any more. So don't think twice about giving them a try.

Lastly, Denny Zager also has developed a guitar teching method over the years which is on his site with downloadable PDF files of music, hand positions for chords, MANY hours of streaming video of lessons, talks with students, playing techniques and more than I can mention here. At the time of this writing he offers full on line access for a very minimal fee (based on 1, 6 or 12 month's worth of lessons). I charged more for 1 lesson than he charges for a year's membership. Also worth looking in to, even for an experienced player.

I had real problems with the neck of this guitar. When I sent it back to Zager for repair, they put a bridge the size of the Golden Gate Bridge to raise the strings so they didn't hit frets. This is a good guitar for the price, but nowhere near the top line guitars that the company likes to claim as its compatriots.

Beautiful finish other than the warped neck

More than happy to take the guitar back and refund the price. BUT, it's either do that or have them take the easy way out on a fix. They wouldn't replace the guitar.

Good guitar for the money...but you get what you pay for and some deals are too good to be true