Zager ZAD-50CE Acoustic/Electric

The Zager ZAD 50CE is a full size dreadnought, with a Venetian cutaway design. The top is solid spruce with mahogany back and sides which as any professional luthier will acknowledge, is among the best construction materials available for shaping rich tones and a solid deep bass. The bridge and fret board are constructed of redwood. The rosette is abalone inlay and the finish is classic gloss.
The saddle is hand carved so the strings are set lower at the sound hole. This permits adjustments in the intonation and increases harmonic balance within the guitar. This improves ease of play, makes it easier to tune and significantly adds to an extra depth of sound quality.

Each nut is hand carved so the strings are set lower and slightly wider apart. In contrast to other acoustics I have played, the wider string spacing makes a striking difference in maneuverability for me and the lower string height makes it quick and easier for me to create and maneuver between chords. The results are a seamless transition between chords and elimination of humming and buzzing, with virtually no finger fatigue, all of which, for a beginning player like myself is extremely rewarding.

The electronics include a built in transducer, equalizer and tuner.

In summary, it is apparent to me that the material selection and construction of my guitar is a true labor of love by the Zagers. The overall quality of this guitar easily competes with those in the $2500-$3500 range. The high rating is more for quality than range of features although there were certainly enough to meet my needs.

The sound of this guitar is best described as "studio" quality.
Tones are crisp and full with a sharp resonating vibrato. The variety of sound is broad and satisfies my needs completely. My instructor and friends are much more experienced than myself, and their responses, across the board, have been a mix of surprise, respect and a bit of envy. I have no investment or profit incentive from owning my Zager, but I would bet, my guitar will produce a few good sales down the road. Sound is outstanding.

The guitar comes, out of the box, fully tuned. Being the perfectionist I am, I immediately visually inspected for flaws. The bracing, wood, hardware, tuning pegs, nut, and saddle all appeared intact and without separation, splits or cracks. The black finish was a hand rubbed to mirror reflection, gloss with inlaid abalone rosette. Absolutely beautiful. There were no chips, dings, scratches or scrapes of any kind.

The first thing I noticed was the action, perhaps the best I've ever played in my short hobbyist career (this includes hammering on and pulling off with various types of Martins in the recent past). All I can say here is you will just have to experience it for yourself.

This guitar is fitted with sealed Grover Tuning Gears, certainly among the finest produced. The braces are scalloped allowing for more flex and movement and therefore more sound. Frets are hand filed and allow for easy sliding up and down the neck. This also provides uniform height and eliminates the frustrating hums and buzzes with which I am intimately acquainted. The ease of playing was an immediately noticeable difference from the first song I played. The feel is solid in a light weight guitar, which is a pretty amazing feat when you think about it. Most acoustics sacrifice somewhere in the quality control process. To my best effort, I am unable to find that to be the case with my Zager.

This is a family owned business that truly understands the meaning of customer service. Typically, "customer service" is a marketing tag that has pretty much lost its meaning in most businesses today. Again, the Zagers step above the crowd, offering a true one on one experience. From the exceptional product guarantee to the quick responses to questions and concerns every aspect of purchase is done in a personable and friendly manner. Rarely does one come away from purchasing a product feeling really comfortable about the guarantee of future performance.

Whether a professional musician or a hobbyist like myself, I think you will find customer service here to exceed all expectations.

I have been playing now for about 2 1/2 years starting from a complete beginner position. Speaking as an "intermediate/beginner, I now have a repetoire of about 25-30 songs and growing. Since I started, I have owned four acoustics and played with numerous friends, one of whom is a local recording artist and several of whom are avid Martin owners. I also own a custom-made, Fender strat style blues guitar which really does the job. This baby was put together by a local luthier with a nationally known reputation and has the price tag to go along. I also have a Samick electric w/ Humbucker pickups (plays and sounds fantastic) and a Takamine electric/acoustic.

All my other guitars are solid winners, but I feel incredibly fortunate to have found and purchased my Zager acoustic. I believe it is of "holy grail" caliber and I would put it up against a Martin any day for action and sound quality. I seriously doubt I will need to buy another acoustic, unless I decided on another Zager style, say, in natural finish this time instead of Johnny Cash black.