Zager ZAD-50CE

I got my New Zager zad-50ce electric Acoustic full size droughtnut solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides with a rosewood bridge and fretboard also has a built in tuner with the electronics the neck is a little wider than my other acoustic so there is more spacing between the Martin strings that came with the guitar

the sound from the guitar is very rich and clear and carries through the room.

The guitar came in almost Perfect condition except 4 strings were out of tune. which I quickly tune with the built in tuner. The action on is is pretty fast because the strings are lower than most setups. No need to press down hard on the strings to ring a note so I have to get use to that. was able to do bends almost like my electric guitar so that was pretty cool

I am just a amature player but have play of and on for over 20 years and this guitar looks like it will last me as long as my 1st guitar, like all instruments if you take care of it it will last if you don't eventually it will break

Customer support is second to none I email them and told them they sent me the wrong color Guitar. No questions ask the next email I recieve was the tracking number of the correct color guitar that was being ship to me with another case. But I decline and kept the one that I recieve because I was so happy with the one that I recieve.

I have been playing off and on for over 20 years I own a yamaha acoustic and a Fender strat. If I need another Acoustic will purchase another Zager. I play Martin,Ovation,Ibanez,washburn and takemine at a big chain music store in NY and I like the zager. There may be better guitars out there but for this price I was extremely happy and the return Policy that they had was 2nd to none. Try buying a Guitar from a Music store and tell them a week later that you dont want it and see if you can get a full refund.

Full size dreadnaught, acoustic electric (CE). Mahogany back and sides, solid spruce top, rosewood fretboard and bridge and abalone inlays. Beautiful instrument! Grover tuning gears. Signed and dated by Mr. Zager with individual serial # and a lifetime guarantee. I don't know much about the technical aspects of electronics but I understand it is a threeband equalizer w/LCD tuning. (Clear Wave 10). I have a small Fender amplifier and when it's hooked up - works great. I purchased a locking hard case w/it which, in my opinion, is very high quality which would have cost twice as much had I bought it locally. As soon as I opened the package and handled the guitar the quality was obvious to me.

I can't give you a professional review because I've never had that kind of audience; but, I've been playing guitar for a personal hobby on and off for a fair amount of time and the instrument sounds wonderful to me as well as to my family who are my best critics. Acoustic and/or electric with a small 20G Fender amplifier sounds great. I have no complaints.

Everything was top notch. Finish on the guitar is beautiful - not a scratch or blemish anywhere. I've had the guitar for a year now and have not changed a single thing (other than strings) since I received it. Set up was exactly what it should have been - action was comfortable and easy, no fret buzz, perfectly in tune, etc. No complaints - in fact, can't even think of any recommendations to make it better.

Only time will tell but after a year, everything is still solid and I've had no issues at all. I don't play professionally, but if I did I would have no trouble taking this without a backup. If something does go wrong I have no doubt that Zager will honor their lifetime warranty.

As noted above, the warranty is "lifetime" - I don't believe it gets much better than that. Everytime I have corresponded with Zager guitar I have received a considerate and thorough response almost immediately (within the hour). That is remarkable! I know a lot of companies that would do well to follow their example.

I'm not a professional player and I have no intention of every buying a multi-thousand dollar guitar but I do very much enjoy my amateur playing and I'm not sure I could have found a better playing guitar. Even if I could have, I'm sure that it would not have been at a more fair price. I've got a couple of other guitars (acoustic)and they have been sitting in their cases for the past year.If something ever happens to this one, I'll certainly get another one. If they ever decide to make a solid-body electric - there's not much question but that I'll have to have one of those too. They can consider me among their many satisfied customers.

ZAD 50 CE is a great acoustic with built in tuner, wonderful hardware all top notch. It was made in 2007 by the exacting standards of Denny Zager. It came with extra strings, picks, and a nice T shirt and also was packed very well for shipping, even all the way to Alaska.

The sound from this guitar rivals instruments 5 times the price. The tone is rich and full, tuning down or using a capo is no problem with this guitar. I have played many other guitars, both cheap and expensive and this guitar outshines them all.

When I took possession of this guitar it had been shipped UPS to Alaska. It came out of the box only slightly out of tune and everything about the finish, the stringing, the build of the box insides, is near to perfect. I found no flaws whatsoever, no scratches, abrasions, wrinkles, nothing, only a wonderfully built guitar.

Of course a backup is always prudent, but so far I wouldn't hesitate to use this guitar for a live show. I have had it about 4 months now waiting to find the problems and so far have found none. It stays in tune better than any guitar I have owned before and for the foreseeable future I don't see any reason this guitar won't last the test of time.

This area is the best area of all. The Zager folks are THE most helpful and courteous people in any industry not just guitar manufacturers. I wish all my dealings with various companies would be with folks with such high standards as the Zagers'. Every question, every email was answered within minutes, not hours or days, minutes. And not only that there wss never a misread in any emails, always you could tell they were read by human being that wanted to serve. Customer Service, the Best of any industry!!

Been playing for a few years, I quit for several years and this was my first purchase for a guitar after that time. I researched, compared, played other brands, Martin, Epiphone, Fender but even though this was an internet purchase and I couldn't actually play it before plunking down the mulah, I wasn't disappointed in the least, and I saved a lot of money over some of these other brands too! It it was lost I wouldn't hesitate a minute to replace it with an exact replica of what I have now. I wish I could find something to hate about this instrument, but I can't, it keeps right on being a very satisfying play for me.

Features inclued a dreadnought cutaway design acoustic/electric, solid spruce top, mohogany laminate sides and back, rosewood bridge and fret board. Sealed Grover Tuning gears. Volume, presence and 3 way tone controls with built in tuner. Zager EZ Play setup. Manufactured in 2007. Hand carved custom nut and saddle. Gloss finish. 100% money back guarantee including all shipping plus a lifetime warranty.

As I am a beginning student of the guitar at age 50, my ear is not yet trained as to what a fine guitar vs. an average guitar vs. a cheap guitar sound like. All I can say is that the sound and the sustain are very good, and the sound of the ZAD 50CE is much brighter and more interesting than the guitar I can compare it to which I would classify as average.

I purchased one of your discount guitars, and I must admit that I was
very impressed with the fit and finish of the guitar. There were two
flaws that I found that had I purchased a new guitar, I would probably be looking to replace it. One is a small (about 1/3") what appears to be a crack in the polymer portion of the neck at the bass side edge right next to the sound hole. Since this polymer does not crack only on the surface, I'm certain that this is just a small tool mark that was to deep to come out when the piece was finished, and it has some dirt in it making it appear dark on the white polymer. The other imperfection I noted is a small (about 1/8" to 1/4" square) marring of the plastic window to the tuner. With the exception of these two very small imperfections, I would classify the fit and finish as being excellent. The imperfections noted in no way would influence the function of this (what I would describe as) fine instrument. An excellent value for the price paid.

For me the most remarkable feature of this guitar is the ease of play. Keep in mind that I have been a guitar player for all of two weeks, so I use the word play with a little tongue in cheek. I have initially been working to learn and play 4 chords. On the guitar I had been playing, I got three of these chords to sound clearly, but the pain and the pressure required to get them to sound clearly made the chord change impossible to even a slow tempo. The 4th chord I had not even been able to get to sound clearly at all. I knew I had a long and arduous road head of me to even be able to change between 4 simple chords. The first night I played the ZAD 50CE, I was sounding all 4 chords cleanly with very little effort, and was well on my way to changing these chords on the beat to a slow tempo. This is the main reason I purchased your guitar, and I could not be happier with what I have found.

The finish and hardware appear as though it will be very durable. Time will tell, but there are no glaring problems that are apperant

Exceptional! All questions answered within minutes of emails being sent. Lifetime warranty and 60 day 100% satisfaction guarentee including all shipping. These folks are building and running a family business the old fasioned way. There is nothing more important to them than their customer's satisfaction. They would rather have my guitar back to make me happy than to report the sale in their annual report. They are 100% responsive.

What I love about this guitar is the ease of play. My mother bought my father a guitar in 1969. He had short stubby fingers, and after about three months of attempting to learn to play, he gave it up stating it was physically impossible. Genetics and chance have dictated that I have the same short stubby fingers my father had. The guitar I started on was very difficult, and I feared that I would be following in my fathers footprints. Now with the ZAD-50CE, I feel very confident that I will be able to learn this instrument. My practice session this morning was 1.5 hours, and I quit only to go to work and not due to fatige. If this instrument were lost or stolen, I would certainly replace it with the exact sam model.

My guitar arrived as promised with a flawless black finish, just beautiful. Grover tuners is a special touch and the neck fits me perfectly. This the first guitar I've purchased brand new and I'm very happy with the entire transaction.

After playing a Guild 12-string for many years, I had thoughts of a disappointing sound from ny new Zager but was amazed at the sound right out of the box. Guitars get better with age. I can't wait.

I really like the action of this guitar. There is virtually no finger fatigue even after lengthy playing sessions. You just don't have to press hard at all. As I said, my guitar arrived in perfect condition.

I'm very sure of this instrument's durability, mostly because of my initial impression of its overall quality. Everything is solidly assembled and properly finished. As for a backup guitar, since I use both 6- and 12-string instruments I would have two with me but do not consider one as a backup to the other. I have plenty of confidence in my Zager.

My dealings with Zager guitars and the Zager family have been nothing short of outstanding. I had some special shipping requests, which they honored promptly. E-mail commuications were always responded to right away. They were extremely helpful and very professional.

I've been playing since 1974. I have three other guitars, a Takamine 12-string (the Martin lawsuit version), a huge and heavy Guild 12-string and an Ibanez 6-string acoustic/electric.
If my Zager was lost or stolen I would definitely replace it with another Zager.
I really love the action, the complete ease of playing. There are no dislikes. One standout feature is the flawless black finish.
I din't make any out and out comparisons between Denny's guitars and any others. I have played enough different ones to have some definite dislikes. To me Martins are hard to play, tough on the fingers. My Ibanez is hard to play for the same reason. I figured that if Zager Guitars offers a no-questions-asked return policy, then it's a winning situation for me. I am so pleased with the ease of playing that returning my instrument is not an option.
It has everything I want in an acoustic 6-string.
I couldn't help but notice some of the negative comments and just can't agree. If you want an acoustic guitar to beat the hell out of, consider a National Steel

Transparent finish, cutaway, Grover tuners, widened neck for ease of fingering, included truss rod tool and extra strings, made 11/7/07, 20 frets, solid top, volume/bass/mid/treble/presence/built in tuner, Fishman acoustic/electric installed, rosewood fret board.

The guitar has a rich full sound with great sustain and even string volume. I use a Line 6 15w amp. The tone and presence adjustments on the guitar give good variations on the basic sound

The guitar is personally adjusted by Denny Zager before it is shipped. The finish is excellent.

It seems solid and should last. It is my only gig guitar.

The warranty is unlimited and the company is very helpful and friendly.

I have been playing for 56 years. I also own a Yamaha guitar. I have owned and played Gibson, Yamaha, Stella, and custom made guitars.I would definately get another Zager. I love the rich even sound and ease of playing. I can't imagine a better guitar for the price.

* Full size Dreadnought with Cutaway
* Spruce top with Mahogany back and sides
* Black - Gloss Finish
* Rosewood bridge & fretboard
* Grover tuners
* Abalone inlay rosette
* Nut, Saddle & Frets done by hand for wider string spacing and
lower action.
* Onboard chromatic tuner and EQ.

Full range, very warm yet bright. Excellent resonance.

I have tried many guitars from $500 - $1,500. Epiphone, Fender, Gretsch & Martin. Everything I tried was no comparison to the Zager when it comes to ease of playing. I have large hands and the neck and string spacing of the Zager helped me a lot. Only the Martin was comprable in overall quality, fit & finish.

I have only had this instrument for a little over a week so I will have to give my best speculation here. The construction is very good, the hardware is top shelf (Grover tuners)and the finish seems very durable. I would say this is a guitar you could depend on for a live performance, no problem. No backup required. If you are still uncertain Zager has a Lifetime Warranty.

I have not had any issues, but did have several questions before purchasing that were answered in a very prompt and professional manner. They offer a Lifetime Warranty with their guitars - 100% Satisfaction Gauranteed. This is a Family Buisness that relies on word of mouth.

Great value, would buy another one right away if mine was stolen. This guitar looks great and plays/sounds even better.

Their demo models are another good deal. Save more for a few pickgaurd scratches. I barely saw one slight scratch (it still had the protective film over it).
I do wish it had 2nd strap button. They do have a video to show reccomended place for installation on their website and this is a easy fix.

Lots of details already documented on this guitar. Just a plain acoustic guitar with electronics.

I don't care much for the sound of this guitar. It sounds thin to me. It does project fairly well. The sound is unsatisfying.

Here's where I have to part ways with my fellow ZAD reviewers. This is a cheap guitar made from cheap material. I was disappointed to see small dents in the top, fresh from the man. It felt cheap in my hands, and I play cheap guitars. The sides and back were pretty. I didn't like the nut or the way the strings fit in the slots. The pins in the bridge didn't look uniform. The action was low. Very low. I couldn't play without the wound strings buzzing. Buzzing like crazy. Denny sent me a link to his help videos. I play with a heavy hand, that's just how I play. His advise for heavy handers? Play with the super flimsy picks he sends. These things are way too thin for me. In the video Denny states that there's no place for a heavy handed player. Well, I already have a playing style (hey, I didn't know) and I don't want to change 1) the strings I like 2) the picks I like and 3) the way I play. I figure a guitar should be used the way you want. I'm too entrenched in my style and I really like to dig into the strings. You can't do that with this guitar. If you order this from Zager, be sure to check it out. I may have been unlucky, but if the instrument I received is representative of the quality, I can't understand why there are so many great ratings. Anyway, buyer beware.

I don't think it would hold up long under my punishment.

Not too bad. I'm glad their return policy is no questions asked. I did not want to insult Denny, but I definitely wanted my money back. I received the ZAD in two days. I sent it back. Ten days later I had to email Denny to ask about the refund to my credit card account. He thanked me for the heads-up and in two days I had the credit show up.

You can see that I think this ZAD is unimpressive. Now for you that want to try this risk-free, you better be careful while trying it. When I asked Denny how to return the guitar he said that it has to be in new condition to be returned. The plastic film has to be unpeeled and intact wherever it is. No scuff marks or scratches. Must have original strings. No modifications like adding strap button. Any kind of drilling or whatever is not allowed. These are all reasonable things. But I was sweating because of the dents on the top when it was delivered. I was glad Denny didn't blame me for them. He seems to be a good guy. Funny, when Denny sent me RMA, he said it was his last year of guitar work and he won't have any trouble selling the returned guitar and that they will only increase in value. It may be true. For my part, I think they are wildly overrated.

The features are pretty much covered by other reviewers. Things to note, solid top but laminated wood (plywood) sides and back. Dreadnought body with cut away, gloss finish and on-board tuner. Flat frets where modified by Zager (see comments later in review).

The guitar sounded reasonably well, I was initially impressed with the tone, however, the action was higher than I expected in the middle of the neck (12th fret). There was also major buzz on the open "D" string. It was hitting the first fret. The buzz was apparent even when picked normally with a light pick. Truss rod adjustment may have fixed this, but would also have adversely effect the middle of the neck action that I felt was already on the high side (see action comments).

Action is a personal thing, and is certainly subject to opinion. The action on the guitar that I received was unacceptable especially since what Zager is suppose to be selling is a well setup guitar. There was major buzz on the open D string as the nut appeared to be cut too low on just this string as the others were fine. Using a truss rod adjustment (as suggested by Zager) to fix this setup flaw was not an option in my mind. The action in the middle of the neck was already high and would have even gotten higher if I had done this. I could have done some bridge filing, to bring the action into spec around the middle of the neck, but the low nut on the D string was a major problem. HERE WAS THE DEAL BREAKER THOUGH: Many of the frets had been flat filed and had not been smoothed out properly. Evidently this is part of the adjustments that are done by Denny Zager. Most of the filed unfinished frets actually still have groves from the coarse file used to do the work. When the strings are bent on the filed frets the groves even cause an audible noise. I was very disappointed with the fret finishing.

Here is the reply I got to my concerns: Start quotes
"Denny sets up all of his guitars so the action is close at the head, but as you work your way down towards the sound hole the action should rise. String height should be right at 1/4 inch at the 12th fret."
"Denny goes over the frets for smoothness to a certain level but to keep the prices of our guitars affordable to every player he has to limit the amount of time he spends on cosmetic work which is what this is." I have had a few players over the years who said they preferred their frets smoothed out a little more, but most of these customers called back 6 months later saying the frets smoothed out on their own with play time...which is exactly how Denny designed it." End quotes

I know that 1/4 inch at the twelfth fret is fine for some people, but I expected better since action and "EZPlay" is what is advertised on his site. Sorry, but proper fret filing is NOT cosmetic work, as mentioned Zager's reply, it is really just proper setup. Using one's strings to smooth out the course fret grooves as mentioned in the above reply is laughable! I even found another reference to the flat fret filing that Zager does on another site. Here is the link (includes photos mimicking almost exactly what I saw on my ZAD 50CE flat filed frets): http://www.digitalcartography.com/ZagerGuitar.htm

On a positive side, the action in first position was fairly low, but the open D string buzzing made the guitar unplayable.

The guitar went back after four days due to improper setup.

I received NO shipping confirmation, but the guitar arrived on time as claimed. My initial dealings with them were fine, but after the reply I received to my concerns, I was nearly speechless. They do have a no questions asked return policy if you are not happy with your purchase and an RMA was issued without too much of an issue. However, after a month since the returned guitar arrived back at their facility, I had not received a credit on my card. I had to remind them of the return and I was told a credit has now been issued. I am very disappointed with the whole experience.

My main reason for writing this review is to provide an alternate opinion to all the rave "10" reviews that are so prevalent here. I also wanted to give those who read these reviews (I read every one) a meaningful view of my experience. I am not trying to bash Zager, but rather provide an accurate synopsis of my experience. I am not new to guitar, I have 30+ years experience and I know what a proper guitar setup is. The Zager 50CE I received was not setup properly and was not a quality instrument. If you are looking for a decent guitar in the price range of the ZAD 50CE, you might want to check out the new Taylor 110CE or 210CE.

This guitar has mahogany back and sides and a solid spruce top. It has a rosewood bridge and fret board. Genuine Grover sealed tuning gears. You have to buy the case seperately because there are several options and price range. There are 20 frets on the neck which are hand filed frets. The guitar is equipped with an onboard electronics package with equalization gives you the ability to change the sound according to your playing style. I think the neck is maple.

It has several features, which I find very useful. For instance, it has a built in electronic tuner which is very accurate and takes less time to tune the guitar than more traditional method. The sound is rich, very melodious, sounds almost like a piano since it's that rich. I don't have a "musical style" just yet... I consider myself a beginner and I have a lot of fun playing this guitar. I've been told it's very versatile guitar because many style of music can be played on it, from country to rock and pop.

The gloss finish on this guitar is simply flawless and very shiny. I'm a huge fan of the sunburst finish and this one is simply the most gorgeous one I've seen and with the high gloss finish, simply breathtaking. Since it's a brand new guitar, everything on there is brand spanking new!! You can feel the quality of craftmanship that has been put into the making of this guitar. It's not that heavy but it's solid and the quality of the materials is simply astonishing.

This guitar, I intend to pass it down to my son when he's old enough to play and with the quality of this instrument, I'm sure he'll pass it down to his son, it's that good. Everything on this guitar is solid and is made from very fine hardware and is built to last without a doubt in my mind.

Since you're dealing with a not so small family business, customer support is their highest priorities. The warranty lasts for a lifetime and there is a 100% money back guarantee I was surprised to find out that if for whatever reasons I would not be a 100% happy with my purchase, they would send my money back, no questions asked AND they would pay for shipping and handling BOTH ways. When you send an email, you can be assured you get a reply within 24 hours and in some cases even less than that. Now, how many companies do you know that feels this strongly about their products and reputation? I don't know too many I can assure you. But just the though to know that there are people who stands behind their products a 100%, this really says something. But I can assure you, they won't be seeing this guitar again...

This guitar style has been developped by Mr. Denny Zager. Most of you know him for his contribution to the music world with his '69 hit "In The Year 2525" By Zager and Evans. Mr. Zager came up with a way to modify guitars to give them easier usage from it's owner. And in time, the E-Z Play system came to life. For several years now, Mr. Zager has been a master luthier and customizes guitars by hand. This is one feature that attracted me and brought me to consider a purchase from his company. The model I bought is a ZAD-50ce which is an accoustic / electric guitar. It has a jack at the bottom where you can plug the guitar in an amp. I own a fender Stratocaster and a Gibson "Les Paul" '56 model replica made by epiphone. And if this one should disappear, I would collect the insurrance money and get another one without a doubt. The customer service F.A.Q. is full of answers about anything you might think about asking so, all my enquiries were answered by reading this column. What I truly love about this guitar was the ease of playing. I gave up my guitar lessons because I was learning with a cllassical model and had a hard time playing because the neck was so huge and I would get "strings bites" on my fingers. So after putting my hands on this guitar, I felt immediately at ease and got no stringbites after playing with it for over 30 minutes non stop...I also like the built in tuner, makes it easy to tune and you can never misplace your tuner, it's built in... I also like the sound of the guitar going through an amplifier. It gives me goose bumps, it makes me want to practice even more so I could get better at it. Simply put there's nothing to hate about this guitar and everything to discover and enjoy and love. And for the price, You could never find such an exquisite guitar with such a gorgeous finish and quality sound for this kind of money. Anyone can afford this and think of the value. Me, I intend to pass this down to my son and he'll be able to do the same I'm definitely sure.