Zager ZAD-50CE OM

Orchestral model with veniatin box cutaway and under bridge pickup. Spruce top mahogany plywood sides.

I am playing this through a Peavey classic amp with a TS808 clone pedal. It has a nce clear top end and good harmonics.

The fit and finish are excellent, other than the top pieces are slightly different in color. More on this later. Factory set up is excellent. Only real flaw was a bridge pin missing the little white dot. The action is low and fast but not buzzy unless you really wack the bass strings (a trade off I will gladly make)

Everything is solid but very light. This guitar has been with me for 6 months with almost daily playing receive its share of bumps. But so far the finish is still showroom new. The Grover tuners are nice and the guitar will last me to they put me in the dirt I don't see any you couldn't gig with it without a spare.

I have not needed repair. But the customer service is excellent. When I ordered the guitar I pick one with a big hairy scratch on the bottom near the end pin. I did this because it was 50 bones cheaper :) When the guitar arrived with a free tee shirt and a spare set of martin strings, it had no scratch. Apparently the scratch had been sold to some one before I ordered so they gave me a brand new one for the same price. Needless to say I am not complaining about that. The top woods are two slightly different shades but I kinda like it like that. The guitar looks it is supposed to be that way. When I contact them about the bridge pin issue I received two replacement pins and another set of strings for my trouble oh and a spare battery. Overall customer service rates a ten

I have been playing on and off (mostly off) for 15 years, Seriously for about a year. I have a 63 Silevertone Hollow Body (Used in a Tears for Fears Music Video) A Gretsch Pro Jet, '76 Epiphone Texan and Laurel Silent Classical. I would probably replace it with another if it was stolen. I like the size and the weight and the sound. There are better guitars but not at this price point. I am happy with the value

Concert cutaway model; sealed Grover tuners, spruce top with mahogany sides and back. Onboard Fishman electronics and electronic LED tuner. Rosewood fretboard and bridge. Abalone inlay rosette. Overall, a beautiful guitar and finish.

Full sound with bright highs. Excellent sustain and tone. The sounds EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT when used with an amp. Volume is a little bit lower than a full size dreadnought, but more than adequate. Came delivered, in tune, with Martin extra light strings. I prefer Elixir strings so changed them out a set of Extra Lights. Also tried a set of Custom Lights to see how the tone sounded. Sounds great either way, depending on preference.

The action is very low and responsive. No buzzing. No issues at all with the frets. The set up on this guitar, as delivered, is great. I purchased this guitar as a "blem", but so far can not find any issues. If there is something wrong in the finish, it's pretty hard to find. The eletronics perform flawlessly. I removed the bridge when playing around with different strings and there were no shims or other adjustments. Just a nicely set up guitar with no issues.

Everything on the guitar is solid. Time will tell, but I see no reason this guitar should not last a very long time. I would depend on it.

No repairs needed. The money back guarantee, including shipping, is hard to beat..... but I'm not sending it back. No. I did called Zager a couple of time with questions : they answer the phone and answer any questions either by phone or email. Very helpful. Anything you want to know about Zager guitars is promptly supported by their customer service.

No reservations on this guitar whatsoever. If it were lost or stolen, I would get another one because I consider it to be the best new guitar value out there for the money. I compared to several other manufacturers and models(Martin, Taylor, Breedlove), particularly comparing to the higher end models.

Sound quaility is a personal preference which can only be decided by playing. This guitar has a personality like any other - it depends on what you, personally, are looking for. I also play an Alvarez MD80 which has a completely different character, but I also enjoy it very much.

The only other thing I'd like to share is that the Internet is a wonderful thing. Prior to ordering I found comments on Zager guitars which are quite different from my own experience. Vitually all of them, however, were from individuals who do not own one nor have played one. The approach Zager uses on their web site doesn't appeal to everyone, but you get to be the judge on their guitars. If you order one and don't like it, they will pay the shipping on the return. The great thing about Harmony Central is that actual owners of instruments can share their experiences on all types of instruments.

Thanks Harmony Central for the service you provide!

This guitar comes with a Venetain cutaway box,Solid spruce top, Mahogany back & sides, Sealed Grover tuners,Built in transducer, Onboard electronic with tuner,Guitar strap audio jack,Abalone inlay rosette, Toroise shell pick guard, Gloss finish, Hand carved nut & Saddle, Hand filed frets, Rosewood fret board. Rosewood Bridge, Martin strings, Zager EZ-Play Modified,and a Life time warranty.

The guitar has an extremely full sound for an OM style guitar. I changed strings to my preferred choice Martin SP 80/20 and the sound seemed to be even fuller. I play mostly rock but lately have been playing what ever suits my taste at the moment. I???ve been playing a lot of finger style and the guitar has preformed well from folk to classical

I was a little weary at first about their claims of playability with the string science (you can go to Zager.com for an explanation) I have to admit that this guitar is the easiest guitar I have ever played in my 30 years of playing. You can literally play for hours without your fingers getting soar. The guitar came almost perfectly in tune and stays there even when playing hard. The guitar has a nice Gloss finish and a solid feel to it like most of your expensive guitars do.

Since I have only had the guitar for a few months I can???t speak on durability but this guitar has a solid feel to it and I don???t see why it wouldn???t last for years to come. So far from what I can tell I have all the confidence that this guitar will standup well to the road.

I have not had to have anything repaired but I have called and e-mailed several times and all my questions were answered quickly and with friendly and courteous responses. They take the time to answer any and all question you may have. Zager offers a lifetime warranty and I have every confidence they will honor it. More companies should take notice of their customer service.

I have been playing for 30 year and have never played an Acoustic Guitar with such ease of playability. I like the full sound and expect it to get even better over the years. I mostly play electric ( 1976 Gibson custom LP, 1972 Gibson SG, 1974 Strat) not to mention some of the acoustics I???ve had over the years Martin, Gibson, Taylor, etc. It was very hard for me to believe the claims ZAGER makes about their guitars but now that I have one I can see why they don???t have to push you into a sale. The guitar sells itself. If it is ever stolen or lost I would have no hesitation purchasing another.

See the web site. The guitar looks great, has grover tuners, a nice gloss finish, sounds great. I recommend the Martin case which Zager sells on their web site

This is a follow up. I've had this guitar for six-months and wanted to submit a review. My style is finger style. The low action, slim neck and wide string spacing allow plenty of room for my fingers to accurately fret the right strings. I use and Ultrasound 100 acoustic amp and is sounds bright with this guitar. I don't have any dislikes. This is great instrument for the money you can't go wrong.

Guitar arrvied ready to play and has held its setup for the last six-months with no problems. There are no visible flaws, except for small finish blem that I was aware of that when I knowingly ordered a blemished guitar.The blem is small finish spot on the back of the guitar and it took me about two-months to finally find it.

I play this guitar daily for about two-hours. It's light to hold, but solidly built.

No warranty or repairs needed. Customer Service is first rate. Dennis and crew respond to questions usually under twenty-four hours

I've been playing for two years. I own a baby Taylor, Takamine G-10, and Fender Strat. I would purchase this guitar again. It is very easy to play, barre chords are easy. I really like having a built in tuner - very convient. I change tunings a lot so its nice. I have been looking for another guitar for the future, Taylors and Martins. So far this is still my guitar of choice.

Orrchestra model with Venetian cutaway made in 2006; solid top; volume, eq & tuner controls with transducers inside; spruce top, rosewood fretboard & bridge, mohagany back & sides; Grover tuners; hand-filed frets; custom-fitted bridge, nut & action.

Style is folk, country and light rock for which this guitar works very well. I use very little effects, and generally play it through a direct box right into the sound system. The eq/tone controls for the onboard electronics give me a lot of range to brighten or deepen the tone.

The guitar came to me perfectly in tune (amazing considering it was shipped in late March to Michigan!). Everything on the guitar is top-notch, and for the price it's an incredible bargain. It took me a month to get around to ordering it, because the advertising sounded too good to be true, but I am very satisfied. It is without a doubt the easiest to play acoustic guitar I've ever tried, and I've played all the big-name expensive ones.

I have played two concerts with it and am vvery pleased. I have no reason to suspect it won't last as long as any high-quality guitar, and I feel I can depend on it to perform as needed.

I emailed the company with a question about playing the guitar through my sound system and got very quick support. The problem ultimately had nothing to do with the guitar, but they were kind enough to follow-up on my question and make useful suggestions. I feel confidant that if I were to have a problem with the guitar the company would stand behind it.

I've been playing guitar for 30 years, I own three other acoustic guitars, two electric basses, an acoustic bass guitar, and a cello; my band owns a good pa system. I will probably buy another Zager product when I'm in the market, and one of the guitarists in my band is considering buying one after playing mine. I compared this guitar to the similar Taylor model, which I liked alot, but I feel I've gotten as good a guitar for a thousand dollars less!

You can see the specs at Zager's website:

http://www.zagerguitar.com/index.cfm?event=public.store.guitars.view&id=56

Guitar received is everything Zager promised - and more!!

The sound took a bit to get used to - I was playing a Takamine GS-330 Cedar top guitar. Cedar tops have a more booming sound. The solid spruce of the Zager is certainly full, but lacks a little of the cedar "color".

Perfect, perfect, perfect - the Zager string science was all that was promised. Intonation is the best part and you can tell they took the time necessary to make it right. Having the frets filed so precisely was a VERY welcome bonus.

I have played out with it twice and had no problems at all. I purchased a soundhole cover to reduce feedback. The onboard electronics are well-suited to this guitar

Every phone call was returned, every email was returned, every question was answered. Couldn't have asked for more courteous service.

I have been playing for more than 25 years and consider myself an enthusiastic amateur player ? certainly no guitar god, but not a hack for that matter. Every time that I pick this guitar up and play it I become more confident that ? for the price ? I couldn?t have made a better choice. I have written songs for almost as long as I have played and was frustrated by my other acoustics because there were certain licks that I wanted to play but just couldn?t. The exceptionally low action and slightly wider string stance has allowed me to finally play what my ears had heard all those years ? things the previous guitars just wouldn?t let me do!! If you have a fat wallet and can drop $1000 or more on a guitar, you?ll probably do just that. But for about $525 (shipping included) you just cannot go wrong with a ZAD50 CE OM.

Made in 2005
Venetian cutaway box
Solid spruce top
Mahogany back & sides
Sealed "Grover" Tuning Gears
Built in transducer
Onboard electronics & EQ
Onboard electronic tuner
Guitar strap audio jack
Abalone inlay rosette
Tortoise shell pick guard
Gloss finish
Hand carved custom nut
Hand carved custom saddle
Hand filed frets
Rosewood fret-board
Rosewood bridge
Genuine "Martin" strings
Zager EZ-Play Modified
Lifetime warranty

This guitar has a very full, crisp sound. I primarily play finger style and this guitar is perfectly suited for that style. I do some flat picking with the worship band in church and I've had no problem with its assimilation in that context. It amplifies very well.

This guitar is modified with Denny Zager's "string science" ez play modifications. The strings are spaced a little wider than a standard acoustic which definitely helps my finger style playing. The action on this acoustic is unlike anything I've ever seen. I can play for hours without finger soreness or fatigue.

I've only recently purchased this guitar but have no reason to believe that it won't stand up to a lifetime of playing.

Zager Guitars has the best customer support I've encountered with any company anywhere, period. I've corresponded via email with Denny Zager, Jr. on numerous occasions prior to purchasing this guitar. I've always found him very responsive and helpful. Email response has always been practically immediate during business hours and before 9:00 am next business day for overnight inquiries. There was one item missing from my original purchase. An email inquiry about it received a response in under 30 minutes and the part shipped out the next day, no questions asked.

I've been playing about 2 years. I spent the last 6 months seriously looking for a better instrument than the "no name" cheapo I learned on. I've played some of the high end Taylors and Martins but this guitar gives them a run for their money.

If this guitar were lost or stolen I'd replace it without a thought of anything else. I love the action of this guitar and its bright, crisp tone. I have a young son showing interest in guitar. I plan on buying him one of these for his birthday because I firmly believe that if he begins with a guitar that is this easy to play, he'll stay with it for the rest of his life.

Here is the information direct from Zager's website.
- Venetian cutaway box
- Solid spruce top
- Mahogany back & sides
- Sealed "Grover" Tuning Gears
- Built in transducer
- Onboard electronics & EQ
- Onboard electronic tuner
- Guitar strap audio jack
- Abalone inlay rosette
- Tortoise shell pick guard
- Gloss finish
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Rosewood fret-board
- Rosewood bridge
- Genuine "Martin" strings
- Zager EZ-Play Modified
- Lifetime warranty
- 100% money back guarantee

Sounds fantastic. I opted to go with the OM size because I wanted something a little smaller. I was looking at Ovations and the Chet Atkins SST and they didn't sound right to me. I previously purchased an ZAD-80 earlier this year and absolutly love it. So when I saw the OM models of zager I decided to try it. Fantastic.

It looks beautiful with the spruce top, and abolone inlay on it.

Yes. It has a great hardware system, and pickup. Finish is going to last for years. Only criticism is it doesn't have a strap button on the top, but that can be easily fixed.

Nobody is better than the Zager company. Flat out in any industry they are head and shoulders above everyone else in this department not just guitar companies. I don't think there was an email I've ever sent them that wasn't responded to in 20 minutes or less.

I've been playing now for almost 8 years. I started out on an Ibanez AW-100 which was a fantasatic starter guitar. I then bought my Zager 80 earlier this year and absolutly loved it. It rivaled the 2-3000 guitars made by Martin, Gibson, and Taylor I tried. I wanted to get an a/e that was smaller so I tried the Gibson Chet Atkins SST, and various Ovations and none sounded right to me, or had the playability of my Zager 80. Price was really no limiting factor to me. Then as I said earlier I was crusing Zager's website and saw they had the OM models available. The only decision was whether to get the 80ce OM or the 50ce OM. I went with the 50 just because I already had the cedar top 80, and wanted the spruce top of the 50 for this guitar. You can not go wrong with this guitar no matter what your playing ability is.