Zager ZAD-50CE

Quality features at an affordable price. The ZAD-50CE is a solid spruce top venetian cutaway with built in transducer, equalizer and electronic tuner. Simply stated an awsome guitar with contsruction qualities and finish consistent with features that are are all top notch.

Great tone and arich full bodied clarity for a guitar in this price range. I am impressed and so are all my guitar playing friends.

Really nice low setup and widened string stance that I personnaly find a pleasure to play. Fit and finish are fantasitic. I've looked this guitar over and over and have yet to find any flaws.

I certainly expect this guitar to pass the test of time. Hardware and finish all appear to be excellent quality. I'd feel confident about using this guitar anywhere or anytime.

All aspects of my purchase and delivery have been first class. The folks at Zager are clearly into customer service and it shows. Were talking 100% money back guarantee and lifetime warranty!

I've only been playing for about 1 1/2 years and decided it was time to upgrade from the entry level Hohner I was playing. In any event buying a Zager has proved to be a great decision. I now playing nearly every every chance I get and my skills have greatly improved no doubt in part to the great action on my new Zager.

I tried serveral guitars before I ordered my Zager (Guild, Martin, Fender etc) and yes the scary part was ordering without a chance to play it but...I'm glad I did. My Zager is on par with much more expensive guitars.

If ever lost or stolen (god help em) I buy another Zager in a flash.

I purchased the acoustic electric in sunburst finish. The list of features below is copy-pasted directly from the Zager website and is correct.

- EZ-Play Modified
- Full size Dreadnought
- Venetian Cutaway Design
- Solid Spruce Top
- Mahogany Back & Sides
- Rosewood Bridge
- Rosewood Fret-Board
- Gloss Finish
- Built in Transducer
- Onboard Equalizer
- Onboard Electronic Tuner
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
- Abalone inlay rosette
- Tortoise shell pick guard
- Genuine "Martin" Strings
- 100% money back guarantee
- Lifetime warranty

The only thing that it is lacking is a second strap button, but personally I don't really mind that and I'm not sure if I'll ever get one installed. If you do want to install one, there is a free video on the website specifying exactly where the button should be installed.

The guitar sounds great in my opinion, but I honestly don't have much experience with guitars. I've never heard a high-priced guitar for comparison, but my friend who's been playing guitar for probably 20 years was blown away by the sound, saying that it had great sustain, nice volume, and was surprisingly "open" already for being a brand new guitar.

I looked all over the guitar for flaws when it arrived and couldn't find any. It's a beautifully crafted instrument and my friend tells me that it IS very easy to play.

I've had this guitar for less than a week, so I'm basing this on a holistic opinion of the guitar. It looks great, sounds great, and does exactly what it is advertised to do--it's obviously made very carefully. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't last, but like I said that is just speculation.

The customer service is unparalleled; I almost always received an email response within an hour or two, and they were willing to work with my personal requests, which I really appreciated. The warranty is for life, and if you don't like the guitar you can return it for a FULL refund (including shipping both ways). I doubt I'll ever be using that.

I have minimal guitar experience (I'm actually taking my first class this semester), but my very experienced friend played my guitar for almost half an hour at my request as a sort of demo, and he was blown away. He told me that my ZAD-50CE is definitely better than the Taylor which he bought for $1,400, and although he is a graduate student with very little extra money, he really wants to get a Zager guitar of his own now.

This guitar was made in 2008 in the US. It has 21 frets and is a solid spruce top. It's an acoustic electric and has a 3 way equalizer as well as volume and a gain-like control. It also has a built-in digital tuner. The body and neck are mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. It has a natural gloss finish. It is full sized dreadnought with a venetian cutaway. It features grover sealed tuners. The neck is fairly thin. This guitar came with a package that includes several momentos such as the luthier setting up the guitar before it ships out and a t-shirt. Also includes one free online guitar lesson as well as an online help section. The guitar came with a set of pics and extra strings(very nice ones I might add). Also included is an allan key. I purchased a case, which was seperate, and it included a temp/humidity guage.

I like all kinds of music, but I prefer to perform country and some bluegrass and fingerpicking on acoustic. It fits my style very very well. I practice on a Fender G-DEC amp, and perform through various sound system setups. This is one of the finest sounding a/c's I have ever heard plugged in. It does buzz a little at times on my home amp, but never has through any other setup. Very vibrant rich sound. You make it do just about anything you would expect out of an A/C. This is the best guitar I have ever played. It fingerpicks like any other guitar I've played, but really shines through strumming.

Best set up I've ever seen on a guitar, and I also have several friends who play that agree. Everything on this guitar was set perfectly out of the box. I should note it is a custom set up, with hand filed nuts, frets, and a few other set up goodies. Guitar looks amazing, feels great.

I have only played one gig with it front of an audience and it performed beautifully. Everything seems sturdy and high quality. The finish looks and feels great. Strap button is very stylish and seems to be very secure. It seems to be dependable. I haven't had any problems out of it so far. I would never use any guitar for a serious gig without a backup.

I have only dealt with the company while ordering, and to praise them for making a fine instrument. They have been very friendly. I haven't had tp have any repairs done, but it does have a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing for about 4 years. I have 5 guitars, ranging from Alvarez to Martin. I have a Fender Fat Strat, a Martin Acoustic, an Alvarez acoustic, and an Esteban Acoustic Electric, as well as this guitar. I also used to own a Fender deluxe Strat. I would buy another one, I am actually considering selling a couple of my other guitars and buying another guitar from this company. I don't ate anything about it. I love the way it looks and plays. It sounds as good or better than and plays better than any more expensive guitar I have ever played. I compared it to a Takimine of the same style and a Martin as well. This guitar was the only one with a custom setup and lifetime warranty as well as a no questions asked money back guarantee. It was also quite a bit cheaper than the Martin. All in all the best guitar I own by far and the best I have ever played. Looks fantastic too.

Made in 2008. I don't need to give all the details about this guitar. It is one solid, beautiful guitar. You can purchase a special case that has its own humidifier control in it. How many companies offer that? Look on the Zagerguitar.com website and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed. Denny Zager plays each guitar on a video to let you hear the different sounds. Very effective......

I have zero complaints. It is just a solid, crisp and full sound. I could not believe the price when you hear the product. I would highly recommend to professional or beginner.

Took it out of the case and started playing. Only had the to re-tune the high E. Beautiful finish and I have had people come up and ask me what model it was. My friend was at one function and he thought I was playing my 28 Martin guitar. Quite a compliment!! Pickups were perfect.

I would not hesitate to use this guitar at any function that I play for. In fact, I have left my Martin at home my last two performances and used the Zager. I would use it without backup and the finish is flawless.

Customer support is excellent. Lifetime guarantee on the guitar. Excellent communication and fast shipping. Well packed in guitar shipping case.

I have been playing for over 20 years and this is my first Zager. I would highly recommend purchasing any of their guitars. I have the ZAD-50CE Acoustic-Electric and it sounds every bit as good as my Martin HD28. It is incredibly easy to play and the sound is crisp and solid. A friend had recommended this model to me and I certainly made the right choice in buying this guitar. I have learned over the years that you don't purchase because it is a Gibson or Martin. I go by the what I hear and play. Give it a try, you will not regret the prices nor the quality of the Zager.

John Wood

ZAD 50 CE acoustic electric with cutaway, dreadnought style. Sunburst finish. Has everything, you can check out all the details on Zager's website rather then me re-typing it here.

Suits me perfect. Sounds bright and clear, both lows and highs. Blows away the "entry-level" I was playing. Sounds great for both strumming and fingerpicking.

This is the biggest, best feature for my buck. If you've heard of Zager you're probably familiar with the work they do. I'm a beginner/novice and the playability of this guitar is simply excellent. Action is low. Frets filed, smooth, and extremely comfortable. Finish is beautiful. Did not see any flaws.

I don't play live or gig, but gotta say I think this guitar will last me a long, long time. Solid construction, good materials. Seems very dependable. Stays in tune.

Another bright spot. You can email a real person and get courteous, honest replies within minutes. Dennis Jr. gave me lots of valuable information prior to the purchase, which really helped. Their a family business and seem to really want you to enjoy your guitar.

I'm a beginner/novice and bought an "entry-level" less than a year ago to see if I'd stick with it. Well, I did so I justified buying a better guitar. This one fits the bill perfectly. Price is reasonable for getting such an easy playing guitar. It seemed my playing got better simply by picking it up. I could suddenly play songs I was struggling with.

I would think experienced players would enjoy this guitar, but for any beginner/novice, this really fits the bill since the playability makes learning and practice fun.

- Made in 2008 in the USA
- Full size Dreadnought
- Venetian Cutaway Design
- Solid Spruce Top
- Mahogany Back & Sides
- Rosewood Bridge
- Rosewood Fret-Board
- Gloss Finish
- Built in Transducer
- Onboard Equalizer
- Onboard Electronic Tuner
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
- Abalone inlay rosette
- Tortoise shell pick guard
- Genuine "Martin" Strings

The sound rings and keeps ringing!!!! It sounds like a piano. Everything is fairly perfect on this guitar. The tone is great. Basically - it is very crisp sounding and there is great distinction between every note. Playing harmonics is easier to play and hear. Overall it is a fantastic sounding guitar.

No flaws at all what-so-ever. I don???t care if this sounds ???glowing??? or ???superficial?????? PUBLISH THIS!!!!! It is what it is - and it is an amazing playing guitar. There are certain songs that I???ve always had trouble playing on other guitars and I have no trouble playing them on this guitar - AT ALL!!! That is AT ALL! I???m thrilled about that. I always hoped that it wasn???t me it was my guitar and this proves it! AND??? in thinking that I always thought I???d need to spend a couple thousand or more to get those kinds of guitars that the professionals play so nicely so easily and yet I didn???t have to do that with this guitar either. It???s a big step up from my last guitar - that I have trouble playing certain songs on - which actually cost the same amount.

The action/playability is I would say just about the best - at least that I can remember - ever playing. I am used to having to press a fair amount to get the right pressure on acoustic guitars so that it sounds good. I???ve been experimenting at just how little pressure I need to apply to this guitar and still have it sound great. I???ve been quite surprised at just how little pressure needs to be applied. It???s just fantastic!

10/10

One thing I will say??? I haven???t had this guitar THAT long to be able to say year in and year out it???s been great. There is no indication to me, however, that it will not be a great guitar year in and year out. 9/10 just because I haven't had it long enough, but actually I probably should be giving a 10/10 because there's not much reason not to other than I haven't had it long enough to test true durability.

LIFETIME WARRANTY
100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

You can???t go wrong - and this is the area that is really, really, really, truly incredible with these guys. It???s a father and son team and they are so good at this!!! I am giving 11/10 for this category!!!

I will tell you right now that I am a very picky player and picky about my guitars and I will say I had things I wanted that were very, very particular and these guys made it happen. Dennis - the son - went so far out of his way to make sure I was happy I couldn???t believe. I felt bad about it because I was so picky and he was so good to me. He never complained and always worked with me. I really cannot recall such incredible customer service. I just hope nobody ever takes advantage of it - and it???s not what I was trying to do - but at the same time they wanted to make sure I was as happy as possible! Very friendly and hospitable.

Incredible.

11/10

I own a takamine, a Gibson, a degas, a martin and have owned many others as well. This guitar (if lost or stolen) I would absolutely in a second buy again.

Basically this guitar is like a $2000 Martin for a fraction of the price so I???m just thrilled. I love getting great deals!

I???m sitting here trying to think of something I wish it had. I???m being very picky and really cannot come up with anything worth mentioning. The only thing I???m somewhat considering if I should even mention is just that I like the wood better on their Zad-80 guitar - it???s a darker wood and I just really love the finish and the inlays around the guitar??? It???s just beautiful - but it???s fairly insignificant. I really care 99% just about the sound and playability, and that???s what so great about this guitar. That???s what???s important.

Truly this is a great guitar overall. There is no way anyone could be disappointed with this. I would also say that it is probably your best bet. I???ve done a lot of looking and I cannot believe what I???ve found here.

10/10

The features on my Zagar were excellent. It was a beauty to look at and it came with a tuner built right into the guitar! Very well built instrument.

As far as real features...it is a guitar with 6 strings... the tuner is all I got regarding features.

The Zager also sounded great. This guitar was very bright sounded that was extremelly clear.

ACTION: This is where my problem is. I have two Gretsch guitars (Brian Setzer 6120, and a 5120), a Fender Strat, Ibanez Artcore...and all of these play much better than the Zager. I was so looking forward to getting my Zager because of all the hype on the website (and reviews seen here) and boy was I disappointed. As soon as I took it out of the box I played it for about 30 minutes and was not impressed. So after dinner I thought I would give it a second chance...well after about 30 minutes of playing I noticed that my hand began to cramp because I was trying so hard to fret the strings without making them buzz. I could not beleive how bad it played.
I even thought that maybe it missed the "Zagerization" process or something like that. Also note: I have another Harmony brand JCPenny acoustic and this too seemed to play better than the Zager. So with much regret I say Action/Playability are a big fat 0.
I am sure that I could have taken this guitar to my tech friend and had him work his magic on it... however why? This guitar is touted as being the easiest to play.

FIT:
The guitar felt great in hands, weighted very well.

FINISH: Fantastic Finish. This thing would look great on anyones wall as a decoration.

P.S. I rated this catagory as a 2 rather than a 1 becuase there is nothing wrong with the fit and finish, however I think that ACTION/PLAYABILITY are hugh when rating a guitar. After all you can't see it when you are playing it...you can only feel it and how well it plays.

No comment becuase I returned the guitar about a week or two after I bought it.

I will say that the customer support is FANTASTIC. I returned my guitar about a week or two after I received it. They emailed a prepaid shipping label and I dropped it off at UPS. They stand behind their guarantee and I think that makes trying a Zager worth it. I mean with the 100% money back guarantee it made trying this guitar a no brainer. Becuase of the steller customer support and the 100% money back guarentee I give them a 10 on customer support. IMO very good company, however...for me the guitar did not measure up to all of the other reviews.

Overall the guitar looks good, sounds good, however it's main selling point being an "EZ-Play" guitar...it was not. That is why I am giving it an overall rating of 3. I really had high hopes for this thing.

- Full size Dreadnought
- Venetian Cutaway Design
- Solid Spruce Top
- Mahogany Back & Sides
- Rosewood Bridge
- Rosewood Fret-Board
- Gloss Finish
- Built in Transducer
- Onboard Equalizer
- Onboard Electronic Tuner
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
- Abalone inlay rosette
- Tortoise shell pick guard
- Genuine "Martin" Strings
- 100% money back guarantee
- Lifetime warranty

Rich full sounding guitar. The X-bracing is scalloped to provide more flexing of the top (this is how a speaker works) giving it a very deep tone from top to bottom.

The guitar was set up perfectly, it was still in tune after shipping. Nut and saddle are hand carved providing a vey low, quick and easy action up and down the neck. The cutaway design allows for comfortable hand placement, the electronics are great. It has a built in tuner making adjustments easy and accurate.

I've not had it long but everthing I see with this guitar tells me it will last. Aside from that it comes with a LIFETIME gurantee. How can you beat that?

The customer service and support I have experienced is a lost value in today???s business world. Zager truly makes this a personal experience and shows that they care about their customers.

I presently own an Ovation 1771 Balladeer and Epiphone 12 string; there is no comparison to the beauty and playability of the ZAD50CE. The ring and tone are remarkable for a guitar in this price range.

Denny Zager will always be remembered for the great hit ???In the Year 2525??? but immortalized for the gift he's giving back to the guitar community and folks like myself who play purely for the love of music. Not only are the skills of playing the guitar conveyed easily on his website, the life lessons communicated through his teaching are beyond measure. The impact he is having on people through his work is truly commendable.

2008 "blonde" model with electronics that are really easy to use for tuning the strings, a green light vs. red light

Lovely full sound

Feel, sound and set up awesome right out of the box...really a testimony to the adjustments and detailed inspection it received by Denny himself just prior to shipment. We saw two "dull" marks on the finish, however these wiped right off.

It is brand new.

The Zager company responded within hours to each of my emails and answered each question personally and thoroughly. This added to my confidence purchasing online. When the guitar did not arrive within the timeframe anticipated (a Birthday gift), the company responded immediately, emailing me with detailed tracking information and an offer to ship out another guitar while they pursued the search through the shipping company. They generously included an additional accessory with this second guitar. Rare, but in my opinion, Zager has achieved excellence in customer support.

La Zager ZAD50CE es una guitarra muy c??moda de tocar, con un m??stil por donde los dedos corren con rapidez. La verdad es que es una guitarra a un precio muy competitivo que no tiene nada que envidiar a guitarras de precio muy superior.
Hace 34 a??os que toco la guitarra, y he tocado guitarras ac??sticas de buenas marcas: Alhambra, Martin, Taylor, Kiso Suzuki, etc., y para mi es la m??s c??moda de tocar, con un sonido equilibrado y potente. La verdad es que es una guitarra que enamora.

Sonido equilibrado, dulce y potente, con unos bajos que sorprenden, sobre todo cuando est?? conectada al amplificador.
Muy buen sonido.

Buenos acabados, sobre todo teniendo en cuenta que es una guitarra a un precio muy competitivo. Es una guitarra de bonito dise??o.

A primera vista, la guitarra es perfecta, hecha con buenos materiales y preparada para durar toda la vida.

Increible la relaci??n que tiene la empresa Zager con el cliente.
Con ninguna empresa de guitarras, tienda especializada, etc. hab??a tenido la relaci??n empresa/cliente que he tenido con Zager.
Cualquier duda, informaci??n, etc., ser?? amablemente respondida por el propio Zager o su competente hijo.
El mejor soporte al cliente que se puede encontrar.

La Zager50CE es, sin ninguna duda, la mejor guitarra calidad/precio del mercado, pudiendo competir y, en muchos casos, superar a guitarras de precios seis veces superior.