Zager ZAD-50CE

Made in 2008. Solid spruce top, mahogany sides and back, rose wood fret-board with Sunburst finish which I can find no flaws in. Has a built in Tranducer, Equalizer and Electronic tuner Also got a hard case that is very nice with temp. and humidity gauge.

Sounds great with good volume. Hooked to an amp it really sounds good.

Great set-up. I have a Martin, Guild and a Seagull and this Zager set-up is much easier to play than any guitars I have.

I have not had this guitar long enough to make a determination on this but I see no reason in the time I have had it to think it would not be reliable and durable.

The customer service has been outstanding. Every email I sent including one on a Sunday night was answered in less than a hour. First time this kind of response has happend to me.

I have been playing with the guitar for many years but only got serious when I retired a couple years back. I only play for my enjoyment and will never preform on stage. I have problems with my hands so I was looking for something that I could play without killing my hands and I read about the Zager set-up and saw lots of good reviews on it and saw some on forums that was not so good. All I can say about the bad ones is they must not have played a Zager or they could not be as negative as they are. My thinking was that with the guarantee they offer I had nothing to loose and I am very glad I made the purchase.

This is a Zager accoustic/electric that like all their guitars has been personally set up by Denny Zager. It has lots of great features with the electronics including an on board tuner that works like a charm. This is a terrific feature for both the novice and experienced guitarist.

Crystal clear and bright sound with no buzzing or distortion.

This guitar has the lowered action that make Zager guitars so easy to play. It was perfectly set up by Denny Zager when it was sold and the difference in the Zager and those you find in the typical music store "off the shelf" guitar is obvious to those of us who have played other guitars and will be welcomed by the novice guitarist.

This is simply the highest quality guitar that I have ever seen for the price. It is well built and has a beautiful and durable finish. It has a lifetime guarantee and is very well made in every regard. Each guitar is also personally set up by Denny Zager and this is what makes the instrument so much more valuable than others in the price range.

Zager customer service is really outstanding in every way. If you write to them with a question,even if you don't yet own one of their guitars, they will get back with a detailed response nearly instantly. As mentioned before, they have the best warranty in the industry. My guitar arrived and was perfect. I take great care of my instruments and really doubt that I will ever have to have it serviced but if I do then I know I can count on them to stand up to their warranty based upon their impeccable reputation.

I have been playing guitar for over 20 years. I also own Fender, Gibson and Sigma guitars but the specially modified Zager beats them all. I asked a lot of specific questions before buying this guitar and they were all answered promptly and professionally by Dennis Zager Jr. I want to keep this instrument forever as it is the easiest guitar to play that I have ever owned and has a really superb sound. I also really admire the way that Denny Zager runs his family company which is designed to keep his customers delighted with a terrific product and great service rather than to just push guitars out the door. I might add that his lessons are also a tremendous value for beginner and intermediate guitar players.

Full size dreadnought with venetian cutout design
EZ play modified
Solid spruce top
Mahogany sides & back
Rosewood bridge & fretboard
Excellant high gloss finish
Built in transducer, equalizer & electronic tuner
Hand carved custom nut & saddle
Hand filed frets

I play mostly for my own enjoyment and have resently started to take
some lessons to better my playing. This guitar is largely responsible for my desire to improve at all aspects of my playing
I love the rich sound of this guitar I own two other guitars and they have not seen much action since I received this Zager
I have had the chance to play this guitar thru a Crate amp at my instructors studio and we both were impressed

The set up right out of the box was awesome. Then that was what drew me to purchase a Zager guitar in the 1st place because I knew when I received it it would right
The fit and finish on this guitar was impeccable right out of the case

The Grover tuners are great
There is no doubt in my mind that the finish will outlast me

I have e-mailed Denny & Denny jr and have always gotten a very prompt
answer to all my questions & concerns
Lifetime warranty

I have played off and on for 25 years
I have two other guitars and two tenor banjos
If this guitar was stolen I would replace it with a Black 50CE or a 80CE
I went to a large store here and played them all then took a chance
on the 50CE I am very happy with my choice

Sound is great, medium in richness.

The specific guitar i purchased was personally used by Denny Zager himself during his video demos and you would never know it was used. Not a flaw to be found. Inspected by Denny Zager himself!

Easiest guitar i have ever played. Will be using it only for practice and gigs.

100% guarantee. Company is great to work with.

This is a new made in May of 2008 Zager Acoustic Electric Guitar. This is the entry level Acoustic Electric for Zager. Features wise it includes a built in tuner and equalizer with volume control. The tuner works very well and makes it easy to tune without any additional wires but it is extremely sensitive meaning if you have fat fingers like me you have to take it easy when you strum during tuning or you will wait awhile for it to go back to zero. The strings are setup on all models to make it easier to play and I found that feature coupled with the wider distance between the strings made it easier for me to play chords. The finish on this guitar is amazing, with a high gloss that almost makes you want to not touch it for fear of leaving finger prints. However, once you pick it up you will notice that it is extremely light and easy to play.

This is an Acoustic/Electric so you can amp it but so far I have just played it unamped. The sound is good to me, but I am not a professional so I would hesitate to compare it with other guitars as far as sound goes.

Ok I am a complete newby so I will do my best in this section. The setup as I understand it is the ease of play and the diminished amount of effort required to actually use the guitar. I can say that after struggling to do chords on my sons Ibanez electric guitar I was very frustrated. The combination of my fingers being short and fat was causing me to make contact with strings that I didn't want to and was generally frustrating. After two weeks of using this electric becasue the forums I checked and locals I talked to assured me thery were easier to learn on I thought I can't be the only person having trouble. i did a Google search fro eazier playing guitars and bam I hit the Zager web site. I ordered the guitar and when it came in I was first impressed by the finish and detail for a guitar that cost less than $600. Once I started playing on it I immediately noticed I could hit the chords I struggled with before and even my fat fingers were not casuing me issues. Again I can't speak in technical terms about what was doen to this guitar that made it unique, but I can tell you I am sold.

since this is a new guitar and I will not soon be playing any gigs I can only comment that this was the onyl manufacturer I found that offered a 100% satisfaction guarantee including shipping so I am not at all concerned with reliability or durability.

If this guitar were just average (which it isn't) it would still be worth the price paid on the sole merit of the level of customer support. I spent several weeks going to local shops and looking for guitars that would fit my hand. I spent a couple of weeks searching the Internet and visiting the local music stores and at first I thought that the Zager was the only way to go, but then I read a few negative reviews that made me hesitant. So I contacted Dennis Zager (yes not some flunky in customer service but the son of the guy whose name is on the guitar) I explained what I was looking for and what I had read (including the bad reviews) and he simply explained "Mark try our guitar, if you don't love it call us and we will return it no questions asked including shipping". I ordered it that day, received it in two days and couldn't be happier. If that isn't the definition of great customer support I don't know what is. And by the way the negative reviews I read where a load of B.S. I could not be more impressed with my Zager that cost me less than a third of the next closest guitar I was looking at.

I know there are a lot of people out there that are hesitant to purchase an instrument like this without being able to try it first and there are probably an equal number that think all of the information on the Zager web site is just propoganda but I am a firm beleiver in this company now. I spent weeks debating ordering this guitar based on two poor evaluations compared to the hundreds of positive reviews and now I am wondering what I was thinking. If you are a complete beginner like me spend the $600 and get this guitar. It is easier to play and if you end up not liking it, return it. I think the biggest testimony to this guitar is try and find a used one for sale. I tried and I couldn't, people just don't get rid of them because they are the best guitar for the money in my opinion, and the Zager's are good people. Not only would I replace this guitar if lost or stolen, I am considering buying another one for my wife and son to share so they leave mine alone.

I have been playing guitar for 35 years, and have owned Ovation and Martin acoustics, and Carvin electrics. As a kid I owned a couple of acoustics that I cannot name. All were fun to play, even though most were difficult to play due to poor design and/or setup. I have a new Zager ZAD 50CE and it is absolutely the easiest playing guitar I have ever played (I have also played other folks' guitars, Guilds, Washburns, Yamahas, Fenders, and many I cannot recall the name of), and I can honestly say that this ZAD 50CE is set up SO much better and has such a sweet action and sound! I am amazed, and my only regret is that I did not find Zager 30 years ago. I am recommending Zager to all of my guitar playing friends. Sincerely, Roger Duron

Wonderful rich full sound. Bright and clean. Just great.
Intonation is spot on.

Set-up is unreal. The best I have ever seen or played.
The finish is amazing. The only flaw I can find(and I am very picky)is the very small "usage" mark that I was told would be present. I purchased a discounted model, that was discounted because of the small scratch/mark. I got a great deal. The action is so light and presise that I am able to play chords so much easier and faster than any guitar before.

I have not owned this guitar long enough to say how long it will last. I can say this, however....The hardware is very nice(Grover Tuners for example!) The finish looks to be as good or better than my 27 year old Martin. Better really. A quality piece all the way. I DO depend on it.

I have only had to deal with Zager on the buying end. They were absolutely there for me. All of their replys were lightning fast, most came within a few minutes! Unbelievable in this day and age. Upon buying their guitar I was given lifetime access to their Guitar/ help page. Priceless info I would have had to pay many $$$ to get from private instructors. Zager is a class act that cares about its customers.

Been playing 35 years or so. I would buy this guitar back from the thief that stole it. It is that much fun to play. I love the sweet, low action, ease of play, and the SOUND. Fantastic! I have, over the years, played and /or owned, Martin, Ovation,Carvin,Washburn, Fender,Yamaha, Guild, and a few other supposedly good guitars that I cannot recall the names of, some of which were customs and expensive. This Zager is truly special at any price. The only thing I wish it had is a top strap button, only because I do not want to take a drill to such a fine instrument myself.

Beautiful Dreadnought, Solid spruce top, Mahogany back and sides, Rosewood fretboard and bridge. Sealed Grover tuning gears. Awesome gloss finish. Great onboard tuner and equalizer.

Very bright and round sounding instrument. Plug it in and it even gets better with the built in equilizer.

Stays in tune. Open string perfectly in tune with its 12th fret octive. I tried playing many guitars and this one is much easier to play without my left hand fingers interfering with other strings.I could not find a single flaw and I looked using every light souce available. Saddle and nut were hand carved by Denny. My fathers CNC couldn't have done a smoother job.

It seems to be built as solid as the $1,000 Martin that I test drove. The finish on this 50 CE is nicer though. I will write another review afer I have played it for a few years and let you know how reliable it is.

100% lifetime guarantee/waranty and they absolutely uphold it. First guitar got slightly banged up during shipping. They immediately sent me a new one and told me to hold onto and keep playing the first one untill the replacement arrived. Not many companys would trust their customers like that.

Hopefully when my daughter is old enough to play a full sized guitar she will want mine and I will be forced to upgrade to the Zager 80 CE although I cant imagine it sounding any better than the 50 CE. Who am I kidding, she will end up with the 80 CE but at least I will be able to borrow it.

It really is a great looking guitar with superb fit and finish. I was hesitant to buy a guitar without playing it first, but they offer such an unbeatable guarantee, that I felt I had to try one before buying another guitar. Although the guitar stays in tune, I really like the electronics with on board tuner. It makes jumping to alternate tunings and back again a breeze.

I primarily use this guitar for my own enjoyment. Rarely will I amp up with it, but have on occasion. I also have a Taylor 310ce and really like it, but I find the Zager more enjoyable to play; maybe I'm more relaxed with it because it's half the price and just as much fun to play.

Superior fit and finish. Mine is all black and it is sweet for sure. I think they really look these babies over before shipping. I guess they have to because of their incredible satisfaction guarantee.

Everything seems well done and I see no problems with reliability. I've had mine for over a year and it's like the day I got it, but I also treat my instruments well; they go back in the case when I'm finished and I change the strings often. My guitar only came with the tail strap button and I would like to see them add the other as standard; not really a problem as I can do that on my own, but I still would have liked it to be there when I received the guitar. If I gigged out I would be comfortable with this guitar, but I think a back up is always a good idea.

I've emailed them once or twice and they were always VERY pleasant and quick to respond.

I really like this guitar and would buy another in the future.

I own a Zager 50 acoustic guitar. This guitar is unbelievable in sound and ease of play. I own many other acoustic's including fender, ovaition, washburn and ibanez all are very nice guitars but the Zager is by far and away my favorite guitar to play. I also took his on line guitar lessons which were awesome as well. Denny Zager is a class act his guitar company including support is top notch and I would suggest their products to anyone who wants a world class instrument at an affordable price. Thanks, Denny. Tim Davis Columbus, Ohio

This is what an acoustic guitar should sound like. It resonates in your soul. This guitar makes you want to create music not just play it. Awesome!!!

Action is ultra low with superb comfort while playing.

This guitar sits on a guitar stand along side my other guitars and I never have to tune the thing, unlike my other guitars. It amazes me how well it stays in tune.

Simply the best!!! Denny Jr. has answered every question I've ever had about the company in a very timely manner. I ordered a guitar for Christmas last year 07 and I got a new guitar stand along with a new set of strings and a T shirt, and the guitar was way better than I expected.

I've been playing for 9 years now and the Zager is by far my favorite guitar to play. I have 4 others including Fender, Ovation, Washburn & Ibanez the Zager blows them all out of the water, hands down.

I would buy another Zager in a New York minute. In fact I plan on buying another Zager acoustic electric just as soon as I can sell my other guitars. Rock On Zager, Rock On

check them out if you don't believe me at zagerguitar.com

The ZAD-50CE is a cutaway style guitar, high gloss finish. It comes in three colors: natural, black, and sunburst. I selected the sunburst for its unique classic look. The soundboard is solid spruce and the sides and back are mahogany. The soundboard cross braces are expertly shaved to allow more sound using light and extra light strings. As a result, heavier strings are not recommended on this guitar and can void the warranty. On-board electronics are provided via Fishman Clearwave 10. It contains and equalizer and on-board tuner that's very accurate. The guitar features a thin neck and rosewood fingerboard with hand-filed frets. The nut and saddle are custom made for each guitar to allow the strings to be set slightly wider than most steel string guitars and extremely close to the frets. Grover sealed chrome tuners. Delivered with the guitar are Zager's picks, and extra set of strings, certificate of authenticity, a Zager t-shirt, and (the best part!) a picture of the master luthier Denny Zager playing the guitar (pretty cool!). I believe the unfinished guitar is built by Martin; it certainly has Martin visual characteristics. It is custom finished by master luthier Denny Zager, the writer of 1969's "In the Year 2525." Although many remember that song, top guitarists know Denny as one of the best luthiers in the industry. I recommend visiting his website at www.zagerguitar.com for for more detail.

After 30 years of playing, I'm still a strummer, but a good strummer! The sound is incredibly clear. With the strings set so close, I was expecting at least a little buzz with my playing, but no buzz occurred. The highs are vivid as are the mids. Unplugged, the low strings (5 & 6) could have a little lower end, but I'm sure it's due to the extra light strings installed. For my next strings, I will probably try lights; for me they should be just right. I strummed the harmonics, and they rang, and rang, and rang, and...beautiful.

We plugged the guitar directly into a Behringer KA-120 keyboard/PA amp - not the highest quality amp. My Seagull guitar does OK with this amp. However, this Zager was full, rich, and clear. The presence was definite. I've heard several AE guitars sound "electric" when plugged in. This guitar sounded like an acoustic with a high quality mic in front of it. Absolutely clean.

I gave this area a 9 because I prefer light strings instead of extra lights to be installed.

Zager guitars are known for their setup: close and fast. They're true to their word with this guitar. I had several guitarist play this guitar (it did a tour around Dallas the day after I received it!), and each person first mentioned its fast action. They next mentioned the quality of the sound, and then they noticed the finish of the guitar. All were greatly impressed.

There were a couple of small flaws with the guitar. Both were so small, it took quite a while to notice them. First, on the top of neck, on the white trim with the fret dots, 2nd fret, there was a slight chip of the finish. If I don't point it out to others, they don't notice. Second, the Grover tuner for the B string had a sharp barb on it. It was fully chromed, so it was a Grover error, not Denny's. I easily fixed this with a fine sapphire file.

Overall, absolutely beautiful finish, a highly polished gloss. The black part of the sunburst finish makes a great mirror.

Everything about this guitar is solid. Using my knuckles to knock on several locations did not produce any vibrations. The finish is solid and I don't expect any issues (I build furniture - I know about finish quality), including premature wear or cracking. But, with any high quality instrument, I'll be using a humidifier to keep it in good shape. The hardware is Grover - 'nough said. This is a very dependable instrument, and I would have no problem gigging with this guitar without a backup. However, with it's beautiful finish and light weight, I find myself wanting to be more careful with this guitar. I guess I should go ahead and knick it somewhere so I stop worrying about it.

To summarize, I expect this guitar to last for as long as I own it, and I don't plan on ever letting it go.

Zager guitars have a lifetime warranty. I haven't had it long enough to damage it, but after talking with Denny's son, Dennis Jr. (via email), I know Denny stands behind every guitar he sells.

Speaking of Dennis Jr., companies could learn a lot from Zager Guitar. Every email - EVERY - is answered quickly. A few nights ago, I sent Dennis Jr. a couple of questions at 11:30 at night. Expecting an answer the next day, I was surprised that he responded 20 minutes after I sent it. I'm sure that's not the norm. He could have waited until the next day, but instead he was checking his email and replied that night. And not with a prepared answer, but with obvious thoughtfulness. I'm very satisfied and impressed with their service.

I've been playing for 30+ years. I own five other guitars: two Seagulls (6 & 12), Fender Power Tele, custom Ibanez hollow body, and Fender Jazz 5-string bass. I'm a drummer by trade and play drums for a group of professionals that travel north Texas. The lead guitarist has already asked if he could use my Zager for our next concert, and the rest of the guys are waiting to see it at next rehearsal. The Zager website (www.zagerguitar.com) and Harmony-Central answered all my questions before I purchased the guitar. I don't want to think of it getting stolen, but if it did, I would find a way to purchase another one ASAP. This is one sweet guitar. I've had several people try this guitar. These diehard Martin/Taylor players were surprised with the guitar and were shocked by the extremely low price. I don't want to encourage Denny Zager, but if he doubled the price of this guitar, it wouldn't have stopped me from buying one. The finish is flawless, the sound is incredible. The only change I would do is change the strings from extra light to light - just to get a little more low end when unplugged, but that's just my preference. I did very little comparison shopping. The user reviews and 100% money back guarantee satisfied my common sense side. But this guitar is more. Martins and Taylors are wonderful guitars. But this guitar has a story - a wonderful guitarist becoming one of the best luthiers building guitars because of his love of the art. This is one fine instrument from one of the nicest families. I'm very satisfied, my friends are jealous, life is good!

Stop wafflin'. Get one!