Zager ZAD-50CE

AS above - but see below. Case arrived with a latch missing.

Good sound. Not exceptional. Not enough to make up for poor scoring in other areas.

Action as received today was only so-so. About the same as my un-set-up Larrivees - not impressive. Fingertips hurt within 10 minutes. There were 2 deep gouges in the fretboard. A scuff and 2 dings on the soundboard. A scuff on the side. A blue mark on the fretboard binding. Excess glue on the bracing and wood filings inside. This was not supposed to be B stock. I was so shocked after reading these testimonials about this category being highly praised! It did NOT appear to me there was a pre-shipping inspection here!

I could not comment.

They can't give an exchange, though I would have liked to try one. Out of stock until January on all models. Say they will refund my money and pick-up guitar.

I have been playing for over 25 years and have owned Larrivee, Taylor, Martin, Guild, Yamaha. After all the testimonials and hype I was really expecting much more than I received. The guitar scored poorly on many counts. I am very disappointed.

this guitar was made in 2005 i believe ---features listed below

- 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

i like to strum and do a little picking --------i have a crate amp

this guitar plays easily and full sound ---- its a real pleasure

the guitar came to me wrapped securely and in the case i bought ----the finish of the guitar is impeccable and i even purchased a "blem"--------i can not find any flaws

its a beautiful sunburst

its so easy to play i would recommend to anyone that loves to play a nice guitar--------beginner or pro

the guitar is as good as they come

period

lifetime warranty ---- what more can you ask for?

i have only had the guitar for a week so i haven't had any reason to call for repairs -------but in dealing with dennis zager jr over the phone and in email regarding my inquiries and purchase i felt these folks care for their customers and will do what is necessary to settle any kind of repairs or questions etc

i have played since age 12 and i am now 53------my son is a guitarist and has a lot more talent than me so i gave him my 1959 gibson melody maker for his 14th birthday ----i bought an epiphone montana model a few years ago and gave that to him too--- he wants one of these zagers too haha but he can buy his own now

as far as i am concerned this will be last guitar i buy-----it has all the features i want and plays and sounds great i don't see how i can be any happier

This guitar was made in indonesia in2005, purchased in October 2005. Full scale acoustic electric with venetian cutaway box, solid spruce top, laminated Mahogany sides and back. High gloss finish which is outstanding. The Neck is wery comfortable, thinner than the Martin with Gover tuners. Purchased with a Martin Hardcase, came with an extra set of strings. All this for a very affordable price.

This guitar sounds awesome, I am not an extremely experienced player however this matches the sound of many of my friends pricier guitars. My Instructor a 25 year veteran and profesional player was blown awy by the overall sound of this guitar, especially considering the fair price.

This is one of the Zager "string science" setups, I was skeptical at first but was quickly amazed at how much easier this guitar plays than other guitars I have picked up and tried. The guitar was alomost in perfect tune when I recieved it and holds its tune very well. The build quality is phenominal for a 500$ guitar.

I am not a profesional player so I cannot comment on weather or not it will stand up to profesional use howver as a profesional woodworker I am quite fussy when it comes to finish quality and fit, and this guitar has it all in that department.

Lifetime Warranty, have not had to use the warranty yet, I doubt I will howerver I have no doubt that Zager will back it up as their customer support and communication is excellent, prompt email response by an owner of the company, online chat, and someone on the phone whenever I called.

I have been Playing two years, I own an Art and Luthery dreadnaught. There is nothing I can detract from this guitar, a great guitar at a great price from great people. Following is an excerpt from an email I sent to Denny Zager on recieveng the guitar:

The Guitar (ZAD50CE) arrived as described (20 minutes before my Tuesday lesson), I have to admit to being somewhat skeptical of all the claims on the site about your guitars so I took it with me to have my instructor (who is also my son's instructor) give it his blessing or curse... We opened up the guitar and were immediately impressed with the apparent build quality. I handed it to him to play. He tuned it (hardly needed tuning) and immediately started ripping away and smiling. He looked at me after a moment paused and said "WOW! This is a winner! How much did you say this was?".

I played it for my 1/2 hour lesson and was impressed with how easily it played. I come home shoed it to my wife and promptly hid it away till holiday time is upon us, I have been slaving away on my old guitar and wondering when I can afford one for myself... Tonight after an hour of playing my Canadian (Art & Luthier) and getting cramps from learning bar chords, I snuck the Zad out of hiding and played for another 1/2 hour almost cramp free, I am totally sold on your "String Science" and slender neck design.

Cutaway with electronic. Sweet on board tuner. Solid spruce top and mahogany sides and back. I also ordered a very nice case from Zager. Fits great like it is being sucked into it with now movment once it is inside the case. It is a dreadnot I believe. I came with Grover tuners that stay in tune. It even came with an extra set of strings.

IT sounds bright just as it was billed. Lot's of volume. It is totally easier to play and sounds way better than my 20+ year old Ovation Anniversary Model 1657. I might add that it is way way easier to play too!

Action is low and easy to play without buzzing. It does not bite your fingers or wear you out to play it. The finish is flawless.

There was not a flaw on this instrument when I received it. It stays in tune and sounds and plays excellent.

Phenominal. The best service I have ever had with any company period

This guitar is a 10+ My friend also bought one after he heard me rave and he is looking at selling his Martins. I like it better that my Ovation Anniversary model 1657 which I will be selling.

The overall appearance and playability of this guitar is way beyond anything I have played in it's price range, and is more playable than many guitars I've tested, including Martins and Taylors, that cost two to three times as much as the Zager.

It sounds nice without an amp. I have Fender Accoustamatic amp which I've used with a Washburn and Ibanez that I've owned. The amp sounds much cleaner and more natural with the Zager.

The action is beyond belief...easier on the fingers than any guitar I've ever owned. I understand they scallop the bracing to allow more sound resonance, and I did have some shavings falling out of the sound hole...a rather minor inconvenience compared to the overall quality of the guitar.

I've only received it a couple of weeks ago, but it seems to be well built. It also has a life time warranty so that makes me feel pretty good.

Fantastic, friendly service. I intend to purchase two more Zagers and two Gibsons in the future to complete my guitar collection.

I've played 35 years. I would buy another Zager, as i indicated above I intend to actually buy two more in additon to this one. I have compared this to Martins and a Taylor that i own and the Zager has better action. As i also indicated I intend to purchase two Gibsons, one electric, one accoustic, and with the 3 Zagers I'll have my dream collection. When I can honestly say that the Zagers which all retail for well under $1000.00, have better action and stack up well for sound and appearance to a future Gibson which is over $2000.00, I'd say the Zager is a real good deal. Before buying the Zager I owned a Taylor Big Baby, and an Ibanez concert model. The Taylor is being given to a realative and the Ibanez is going on E-bay.

This is a year 2005 cutaway/electric model featuring the clearwave 10 preamp (bass, middle, treble, presence, volume, and tuner) and undersaddle piezo pickup. The top is solid spruce with laminated mahogany back/sides. This is the solid black model with the mesmorizing abolone inlay around soundhole. I don't personally know where it's made, but other Zager reviews will probably tell you. I give this category an 8 because I would love to see (hear, actually) this baby with solid back and sides, and blender electronics would help. Piezo alone gives this guitar (virtually any guitar for that matter) a crisp but harsh tone - I find myself setting the treble and mid controls to low all the time.

I come from a classical background with a flamenco-ish style. The sound that I get is very rich and slightly more on the bright side, perhaps because the strings are extra lights. I have yet to switch to mediums. Note for note, this guitar is LOUD, but not SUPER LOUD. For me, LOUD will do for now, and SUPER LOUD comes at a much, much higher price. The notes/strings do have an eerie hum or ring to them. The harmonics seem very pronounced. This is why strumming or playing rythm on this Zager is so... addictive. This guitar is new, so I'm hoping the years ahead will improve the sound.

Zagers come with the superlow action and wider string spacing than the standard acoustic which allows me to crossover smoothly from the nylon world. However, I notice that harder attacks on the bass side made the bass strings buzz - this is annoying for me because there are times when I WANT to emphasize the power of the bass, whether I'm fingerpicking or strumming. I adjusted the trussrod to keep a good balance between getting rid of the buzz but keeping the string action low - couln't find the balance. So, I carved a new saddle with the bass side slightly higher than before and the treble at original level. This solved the problem. No more buzzing when I slam on those power chords or do bass movements/solos, and overall action is still superlow. No problems with fit and finish.

Yes, this guitar will withstand live playing. When your voice goes out and fingers go dead, this guitar will still be standing. This ZAD50-CE/BK is VERY sturdy. The glossy finish is thick enough (how thick is "thick?") and I don't believe my dedicated playing will get it off within this decade...and perhaps the next. This guitar has the endpin jack for the pug-in wire and can be used as strap button. It doesn't have the strap button for the other end...which I really don't care about. I tie my strap to a quick-release which is secured to the headstock. This guitar is a Rambo, it needs no backup. Just don't slam it into the stage deck to get a raving audience response when you're done with your gig!

This guitar has a lifetime warranty. The company answer emails very quickly and curtiously. Since there's no defects with the guitar, I havent contacted them for any service or whatever. They do encourage me to contact if there is any question about the guitar. Because of my limited contact with Zager, I will not rate this category. Unofficially, the "Incredibly Kind and Helpful" rating is what I have in mind.

I've been playing classical and flamenco-ish genres on and off for about a decade and a half with some acoustic steel string curiosities. Flamenco-ish = I use flamenco "techniques" to enhance my materials, I don't actually play flamenco...anymore. I own a David Macias flamenco guitar (very, very expensive guitar, nothing at the local stores can match it...nothing! I don't care how rich you are, you want David Macias to make you one of his guitars, you have to wait in line) I also own an Esteve solid top but laminated back and sides classical guitar - very good guitar, but not great. I have a Yamah AEX500 - very sweet guitar, and a couple of bass guitars that I only use for recordings, cause I'm not a good bass player. My only amp is a Yorkville AM100 built especially for acoustic guitars and it comes with a load of built in effects. By checking out Guitar Center and other locals, I was familiar with the sound of cheap to high-end guitars before buying the Zager. I've never heard of or tried a Zager, so I took a risk in buying one online mainly for its promise of wide string spacing and easy action, important factors to help me cross over to steel string guitars. Actually, there is NO RISK in buying a Zager because there is a full refund no questions asked policy for so many days (I don't remember for how many days because I ain't giving this guitar back to Zager). I fell in love with this guitar when I first openned up the package and saw it. The first thing I did was immediately play classical stuff on it because if my classical stuff couldn't cross cleanly over, there was no point in keeping the guitar. Man, quick arpeggios and supersmooth tremelos were no problem with this guitar. As I did this, I also payed close attention to the intonation. This guitar is loud, punchy, and crisp, but again, not SUPER LOUD...but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money, so I'm not complaining. Most notable, playing rythm/chords is so enjoyable on this guitar. In all honesty, I wouldn't compare this guitar's sound to the Taylor 600 series or above, but anything below that is fare game for this Zager. As I've mentioned, I would like the electronics to be a blender and not just piezo, the difference is amazing... you folks with blenders know what I'm talk'n about. This site suggests that no guitar is "perfect," and I believe that is true. Although individual categories may not get all perfect 10's, the overall value for sound, construction, looks and playability for the buck is super.

-Acoustic-electric, cutaway, 20 frets
-Manufactured in Indonesia, custom configured in USA
-Solid spruce top,solid mahogany back and sides, rosewood fret board
-Sealed Grover tuners, compensating bridge
-Built-in preamp with equalization and volume controls
-Built-in electronic tuning device
-Neck is medium width; thin from front to back
-Hard shell Zager case was purchased separately

-Guitar suits me very well, I am happy with the tone and playability
-I play mostly old time country, blues, and folk; non-professionally
-Paired with Washburn WA20 amp, provides adequate boost for my needs
-Amp has minimal controls - equalization, volume, and reverb
-Sound is very mellow, with or without amp

-The action is very nice, comparable to more expensive guitars
-Workmanship is very good, no flaws or defects that I have noticed

-Guitar is solidly constructed, I think durability will be excellent
-Quality of the gloss finish appears to be very good
-The guitar maintains its tuning very well

-Customer service is great, quick response to any inquiries
-Life-time warranty was provided with the guitar
-I haven't needed to test the warranty

-I have played off and on for about 40 years, non-professionally
-This guitar is an excellent value, have recommended to my friends
-I purchased the guitar on-line
-Playability and quality of instrument is exactly as advertised
-I would definitely purchase another guitar from Zager

This guitar was made and purchased in 2005. It has a solid spruce top with mahogany sides and back.It has onboard electronics and equalizer with a built in transducer and onboard electronic tuner. The box is venetian cutaway.The fretboard is rosewood and the frets are hand filed. The nut and saddle are hand carved. The tuners are sealed grovers.
The guitar has a lifetime warranty

I play country and 50/60's rock. This guitar suits both styles of music very well. When I do use an amp it is a 1964 Fender "super reverb"
It sounds absolutley great with and without an amp.
I have found no dislikes yet

It has the action and playability of guitars costing three or four times as much.(of which I have several) The quality is excellant, no flaws that I can see.

I haven't had the guitar long enough to attest to the durabilty but from what I can see I don't anticipate any.

Great people to deal with. Very knowledgeable.
No warranty issues. Has a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing for over 45 years. I own a early 60's gibson SJ and a 1964 gibson ES 335 a vintage Guild T100 a vintage Gibson Dobroe a vintage Vox bass Beatles violin model. My amp is a 1964 Fender "super reverb"
I have a couple other cheaper guitars not worth mentioning. My most recent purchase is the Zager Zad50ce. I love the guitar and would purchase it again in a heartbeat. I love the playability of it. Great fretting ,no buzz ect.

The ZAD50CE features a full-size Venetian cutaway box (Crafted in Indonesia and Hand Modified in the USA) - Solid spruce top - Mahogany back & sides - Sealed "Grover" Tuning Gears - Built in transducer - Onboard electronics & EQ with onboard digital electronic tuner (Clearwave 10 with Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence sliders & rotational Volume control dial) - Guitar strap audio jack - Abalone inlay rosette - Tortoise shell pick guard - Gloss finish - Hand carved custom nut - Hand carved custom saddle - Hand filed frets (20) - Scalloped X-bracing - Rosewood fret-board - Rosewood bridge - Thin neck - Genuine "Martin" strings - Zager EZ-Play Modified - Lifetime warranty - 100% money back guarantee - comes with Certificate of Authority, Extra set of Martin Phosphor Bronze Extra Lights, Allen wrench, picks and several "surprise" gifts. I also purchased a Zager Professional Hardshell Molded Case ($95). The only feature it didn't have that I would have liked to have is an upper strap peg, but not everyone would want/need this on an acoustic, so it is understandable that they would automatic drill and install a peg on these guitars.

The sound/tone honestly is comparable to any $2600-$3500 Taylor or Martin I have played. I play Contemporary Christian music as the director/accompanist for a group called the Disciples of Song, in front of hundreds of people on a weekly basis, tethered to a Mackie mixer box and amplified over a sound system. I have also played for weddings (at such places as the Naval Chapel at Great Lakes Naval Base). Additionally, I play Light Rock; Country; fingerpick style as well as Rock and Roll. The ZAD50CE is a fantastic instrument for these styles of music. I have used it individually with an Alesis Spitfire 15 Amp which has over 80 Presets, and the ZAD50CE "talks" all the languages....you would swear you were playing a Fender Stratocaster. But I really purchased this guitar for the Rich, Full, and Bright tone you only hear from a top-end acoustic. I have played guitar for over 40 years....having learned to play on a Gibson; and have also owned Epiphones, Fenders, EKO (the one made in Italy, not the later editions), and lesser brands. I currently have in addition to the Zager, a Fender JG-12-CE 12-string; EKO Ranger 12-String; and an Airline Spanish guitar. There honestly is NOTHING I dislike about my Zager. If you closed your eyes and played it along with a Martin or Taylor, I would defy you to tell the difference. The sound is THAT full and rich!

As I stated above, this guitar is crafted in Indonesia and then hand modified here in the USA by a professional luthier, Mr. Denny Zager (of the 60's duo "Zager and Evans".....are any of you old enough to remember the chart-topping hit song "In The Year 2525"?) Each instrument is hand selected by Mr. Zager and closely inspected for wood variations, hairline cracks, surface impurities and any imperfections that could lead to problems in the future. The nut is re-sculpted and lowered, to ensure lower string heights on the higher portion of neck with slightly wider string stance. The saddle is also re-sculpted and lowered, to ensure low string heights on the bottom portion of the neck. The frets are filed by hand to reduce "string bite" and overall hand fatigue. Both nut and saddle heights are coordinated to conform to new string pressures used for different string gauges and tunings. All three areas of the neck are orchestrated together to guarantee very low string heights and even string spacing from side to side. The guitars intonation is set to bring the guitar harmonically in balance with itself. (This makes it much easier to tune later on.) The instrument is exactingly readjusted again after several days to account for settling due to wood variations.Strings are re-stretched to insure the stabilization of the final tuning of instrument.The entire instrument is thoroughly cleaned, hand waxed, and buffed. Each instrument is autographed on the back by Denny himself. (Removable if you wish.) Every guitar undergoes a final fine-tune and inspection before shipping. All String Science is done by hand, only by Mr. Zager.

As I mentioned, I use this guitar in front of hundreds of people in our church on a weekly basis, tethered to a Mackie Mixer box and amplified over a professional sound system. Sometimes as additional accompaniment to a Yamaha Clavinova and Ivarez Bass.....but other times, such as last Sunday, as the LEAD instrument, with the only other instrument being played being a bass guitar. It is reliable, dependable, and I play it without a backup. The finish is flawless; the mechanics are so good that I struggle for words to describe how good. The sealed Grover tuners are such an important aspect to me...because this guitar STAYS in TUNE no matter how much I play it. I was constantly retuning my Fender 12-string....and anyone who plays guitar knows how stressful and aggrevating this is --- especially minutes before going live. The Zager is THE most dependable guitar I have ever owned for THE most important aspect of playing LIVE.....IT STAYS IN TUNE!!!! I NEVER have to worry about it falling out of tune between songs....capoed or not capoed!

As far as Customer Support and dealing with the company.....I would honestly give them FIVE 10's! This is a small, family-owned and operated company. I have spoken to them on the phone --- when you call them, you are speaking to Denny, Dennis, Jr., or cousin Tony; when you send them an email, you get almost INSTANT replies --- and PERSONAL replies! (Ex: I mentioned one time that I had a migraine headache earlier in the day; and Dennis mentioned in his reply to me that his mother gets those nasty things, and knows how painful they are from seeing her suffering from them! THAT'S just how kind and friendly these people are to deal with!!) They offer a 100% moneyback guarantee on your purchase; and a Lifetime Warranty on the guitar! I have read the testimonials of other satisfied customers who have dealt with them concerning repairs or problems, and the treatment they have received is unsurpassed. To bring it home to MY personal situation: The first ZAD50CE I received (via UPS) was "opened and played" enroute (had to come from Nebraska to Ohio - a 3 day trip, and over a weekend, so it was 5 with the extra 2 days). There were several minor scratches on the finish....and evidence from the scatches on the pickguard cover, that someone had done a little banging around on it. Nothing major....but very disappointing and really unacceptable to me for a $500 purchase. I noticed, too, that there was a slight crack in one of the braces inside the body of the guitar.....looked like it was a weak spot in the grain of the wood, since it was following the grain pattern. That fact made the guitar unacceptable to me to keep. I sent Dennis an email....and he immediately responded that they stand 100% in back of their warranty, and he would do whatever I wished in regards to replacing it or giving me ALL my money back (including shipping BOTH ways). Because of every other aspect ---the sound, the playability, the beauty, the price, the warranty, the customer support--- there was NO question in my mind that I wanted a replacement, not a refund. Dennis immediately shipped out a replacement.....in a new case.....and simply told me to let him know when it arrived, that it was good, and he tell me how to send the first one back. Well, the replacement guitar arrived and was absolutely FLAWLESS!! I even turned on the onboard tuner, and it was still in perfect tune after bouncing around in UPS trucks from Nebraska for 3 days. He even sent me a Guitar Stand as an additional free gift!!!! I contacted him to let him know that the replacement was absolutely PERFECT, and asked how to go about returning the first one. He gave me my choice of having UPS pick it up AT MY DOOR....or he would have UPS mail me a label and I could take it to the local UPS Pickup location here in Shelby for them to pick it up. I optioned for having them pick it up at my door. HOW can you beat THAT for convenience?!?!? And the bottomline....they STAND behind their words!!! A RARE find in integrity these days. They ARE the real thing, folks!!!!

I have written so many comments under the other categories that I try not to repeat myself. I have played guitar for approx. 45 years; have played the best of the best, and would HONESTLY compare this guitar to $2500-$3500 Taylors and Martins (I personally prefer the sound of Taylors to Martins); I currently own, in addition to my Zager ZAD50CE, a Fender JG-12-CE 12string, a EKO Ranger 12 string (Made in Italy), and an Airline Spanish guitar (piece of junk...but has sentimental value). My Zager outplays them all.....and with your eyes closed, I think you would not be able to tell the difference in tone and sound between it and a Taylor or Martin. I play in my own Contemporary Christian group (Disciples of Song); additionally, I am the Adult Choir Director at our church, a Cantor, sing in a Quartet and Funeral Choir...solo/duet for weddings, etc. (Just so you know that my musical background is extensive.) Having said all of this, I realize that I have FORGOTTEN one of THE most important features of my Zager....and that is Denny Zager's EZ Play String Science! This guitar is THE EASIEST playing guitar I have EVER played in my life!!! And I am NOT exaggerating....There is NOTHING on the market....in ANY price range (and trust me, I have played $3500 Martins and Taylors for comparison)that plays this easily. You can play barr chords all the way up the neck with ease. And you can play for HOURS without your fingertips hurting. I purchased this guitar for $495....a hardshell molded case for it for $95. I know I have in my hands a guitar that would have cost me about $3000 more than that to find anything even remotely comparable. I love everything about this guitar and would highly recommend it and this wonderful company to anyone and everyone! I will even provide my contact information in case anyone wishes to contact me....I am THAT sincere about everything I have experienced and written.

A clean perfectly matched Spruce Solid Top, Laminated mahoghany sides and back, great sounding electronics with volume, bass, treble, mid and presence. It also has a built in tuner that shows every note using lights and a led needle. The tuning heads are sealed Gorvers. Body style is cutaway, with 21 frets. Action compares with my Strat, unbelievable! I have been playing this guitar 3 to 4 hours a session, an hour on my Guild was about all that I could do and it had great action. The ZAG just plays better,

I only have about 15 hours on the guitar, but has a very nice balanced tone, I already like the sound better than my '68 Guild and it is just starting to play in. With my Fender Tube amp it sounds great too.

I frequently play up to the 19th fret and it plays as good as many electrics and better than any acostic that I have ever played. I have owned Martin D32, and D18, both reworked nut, bridge and frets. This is better, similar tone to Martin, Also I have owned Gibson Hummingbird and a couple of Ovations, I'll keep this Zager...

Right out of the box, I checked the tuning and I do like to bang a bit, and then I finger pick, and strum along, after the initial string stretching it holds the tune fine, and it is a fine sounding tune.

Higher than 10, I bought a second, but after playing it I decided for a little more I might get a better guitar. Denny sent it out as soon as I called and just said send back the one that you don't won't, we just want you to be happy with your guitar. When I mentioned that I replaced a couple of strings to get rid of an initial buz he sent me more strings. Couldn't be nicer or more prompt.

I have been playing over 30 years and currently own a 68 Guild Jumbo Auditorium, '85 Fender American Strat, and have owned dozens of guitars over the years, some I wish that I had kept(2 Martins). This ZAD50-CE is more than I expected, I am past pleased, I am amazed that I have this playability, sound and looks for less than $500. I never heard of Zager guitars until a month ago, but KNOW THIS I will be putting the word out to every player that I know. Thank you Denny for exceeding my expectations!