Zager ZAD-80

I ordered a Zager solid cedar top ZAD-80 guitar as well as a guitar hard case direct from their website. It is a fantastic guitar made right here in the USA. When it arrived it was ready to go, with very minor adjustments to tuning. It came with sealed grover tuning gears, as well as full abalone inlay. The finish is a beautiful gloss, and the pictures on the website do not do this guitar enough justice. It comes with a rosewood bridge and fret boards. However the best feature of this guitar is a 100% money back guarantee. If you don't like it they'll take it back and refund you the shipping costs both ways as well. Here is a list of the features of the guitar direct from their website.
- Full size dreadnought
- Solid Cedar Top
- Rosewood back & sides
- Sealed "Grover" Tuning Gears
- Full abalone inlay
- 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

The sound is fantastic. I've been playing for the past 7 years on an Ibanez basic solid top. It is a nice full sound that really opens up the more you start to play it.

When I first got it, I was amazed how great it was set up. Virtually no tuning was needed. Everything looked and felt great.

I'll play this guitar at least as long as my old ibanez, if not longer. It's built better, and sounds better. The only reason I'd stop playing this one, would be if I ordered the ZAD-80ce, or 50ce.

I don't think i've ever dealt with a better group of people selling a product. They really take pride, and each guitar is hand signed by the maker. I sent them an email, and i got a reply back with in an hour. On top of that with my guitar they sent me an extra set of strings, as well as a free t-shirt.

Like I said I've been playing for 7 years now. I was very skeptical about investing in a guitar with out playing it first. However I figured with what the ez play system boasts, and the 100% satisfaction guarantee i figured i'd give it a try and if i didn't like it I could send it back. I first became interested in getting a new guitar when I found mine being constantly out of tune, and there was nothing i could do to fix it, and rather than take it into the shop and get it repaired, I should just get a very good replacement for as much as I play. I started searching for a guitars going to guitar center, and other music stores playing all the guitars there. Then I was reading reviews about this EZ play system, and it interested me because he boasts it's great for players with smaller hands because they can't get the arch they need on the longer stretches without muting some notes. So I ordered it and was impressed not only with how easy it played, but also the sound. It sounded just as nice as guitars more than double its price that I tried out. It's worth a try, and if you don't like it send it back. You have really have nothing to lose.

You have to check out the Zager E-Z play full- size dreadnought guitars! I'll tell you a little about the ZAD 80 solid cedar top. It has rosewood sides and back, rosewood bridge and fret board, abalone inlay on the fret board, around the sound hole and edges, tortosie shell pick guard, grover gold tuners, scalloped X -bracing, is stung with Martin Strings and has a lifetime warranty. I was a bit skeptical about ordering a guitar online, but you know, they have a 100 % money-back guarantee so I thought, why not? I'll give them a try. I am so glad I did because I have been out there playing every guitar that is made and there is no comparison. I am extremely picky. This is the guitar I am going to play all of the time. The others are going back into their cases! I really can't believe that I got this fine of an instrument at such a GREAT price. It is worth so much more. YOu have to check out the website, Zagerguitar.com.

I like all kinds of music. The Zager is going to handle rock, blues, country, jazz and anything else that gets thrown at it. The solid cedar top lends itself to a soft, mellow, very sweet sound. I like the clarity and fullness that flows from it.

Because I have educated myself on how guitars are made and because I am so picky, I can tell you that this is a very well made guitar. I examined it from all angles under all lighting conditions. Denny Zager, of Zager and Evans, "The Year 2525" fame, personally checks out each guitar. This is not some assembly-line made fiasco. This is the real deal. The E-Z play feature that Denny came up with is also the real deal. I really didn't think there was a way to get over the sore finger bite , but I can play three times longer with this guitar. Isn't that what we all want?

Gold sealed grover tuning gears, Martin Strings, an awesome gloss finish, solid cedar top, and top of the line rosewood all contribute to this awesome instrument. Try it! What have you got to lose? Denny promises a quality instrument. This is not a gimmick. He delivers what he promises. He just wants to share his love of music with us by delivering a quality instrument. He also offers really classy, easy to understand, inexpensive online lessons. He has proven to me that he is an honest man; so refreshing in today's business world.

Remember when you could go to a gas station and three guys would run to your car to change the oil, fill the gas and wash the windows? (Yeah, for you young guys and gals, that really happened)! Well Denny and his family are running their business like they were run in the good old days. They are personal, always remember to call or e-mail you back, and they usually respond to my questions or comments in less than 24 hours. I even got extra little surprises sent along with my order. I have never bothered to review anything before but am so pleased with Denny and his company that I just had to share. Check out the website : Zagerguitar.com and browse around or join the live chat with the family and ask anything you want to know. They are really great.

I wish I would have found Denny Zager, his unique easy-to-understand lessons, his quality guitars, and great customer service years ago. Thanks for reading this!

ZAD 80 was made 04-2005 and Professionally set up with Zager EZ Play string science personally by Denny Zager Sr. in Lincoln, NE.
21 Fret dreadnought, solid cedar top (straight and very tight grain), rosewood back and sides, rosewood bridge and fretboard, mahagony neck and head, high gloss natural finish, gold plated Grover tuners, narrow neck, Martin extra light 10-47 strings (extra set included)
Abalone inlay around entire edge of soundboard, soundhole and fretboard, tortoise shell pickgaurd.

This guitar fits me to the T. I play bluegrass and fingerstyle. It has a deep bassy rich full sound. Tone and resonation are outstanding and this guitar is brand new. I have played it side by side with a couple of older martins in the 1600.00 range and the Zager definitely sound as good if not better to me. But the best part is that it plays so much easier than any other guitar I have played because the set up done by Mr. Zager is top notch. Intonation is right on the money.
Oh I forgot to mention the price, are you ready for this? 595.00 and no sales tax, and it comes with a LIFETIME full money back refund, no quetions asked! I ask you, how can you not try one of these? I was looking for a good quality guitar at a reasonable price and I found it in the Zager 80. I love it and their service is second to none.

As I stated the setup is absoloutely 1st class.

This guitar goes in tune and stays in tune.
the finish does not have a flaw.
How i'm being honest here. If it did I would gladly say. The finsh is really beautiful, it will stand the test of time.

Emails are answered vey quickly and I have sent several. Never waited more than an hour or two.
Let me state the warranty again. LIFETIME. NO HASSLES. You want to return it, you can. They will pick it up and pay for shipping back to them. I know of no other company who offers that. Do You?

I was skeptical about purchasing a guitar over the internet, so I got the answers to all of my questions before I decided to go ahead with the purchase. I knew that if I was unhappy with the guitar, I was out nothing. I would simply send it back. I have been playing guitar for about 10 years.

I would like to add one final thing, I am not a devotee to anyone or anything as some may have you beleive. I know a good deal when I come across one. I am not sorry about owing this guitar. I only wish it had ten years of age on it! can't wait to hear it then.

This is my first serious guitar after attempting to teach myself to play on and off for decades on an old acoustic. Not only did the Zager pitch to try their EZ play system draw this small-handed player in, but their classes convinced me that they were a company I could trust.

When my guitar arrived it was so beautiful I was afraid to take it out of the case! I can't believe how much easier it is for me to navigate the neck, even using steel strings for the first time. The sound is so good, even my skeptical husband was impressed and started messing with my new baby!

Dennis Zager has responded promptly and helpfully to my every email, every question, and even helped guide me in my choice between the ZAD 50 and 80. He recommended I go for the best bang for the buck, trying to save me a few hundred dollars on my purchase. I went for the 80, for the look and deeper sound, and absolutely love my new guitar. The on-line classes are very easy to follow, and are an incredible bargain considering the cost of lessons. I hope to master the Zager method, and love that I can go at my own pace.

This guitar has a lovely rich sound. I hope to learn to play classical style in addition to my efforts to master chords & notes for rock and folk tunes. I write children's songs and want to be able to accompany them instrumentaly if I can ever switch chords fast enough! My new guitar should make this possible for me.

My guitar arrived looking beautiful and nicely tuned. The EZ play system was just as promised...easy and exciting to play.

I haven't used it for very long, but I am kind of a quality snob and I have to say I am really happy with the look and feel of my new guitar. The finish is flawless as far as I can tell and the hardware looks very high quality.

Incredible. I had mentioned that my pickguard looked a bit scratched despite its plastic wrapping, and they responded immediately with a new pickguard, a complimentary set of strings, and a surprise gift which I will keep to myself as I don't want them to end up doing this little extra for everyone or they'll go broke. Suffice it to say I have been very pleased and am spreading the word to all of my guitar playing friends.

I think I've answered some of this already, but yes, if it were to disappear I would go back to the Zager company. I can't believe I bought this online, but it was a great value for the rosewood/cedar combination. I didn't shop around too much, except for used guitars on ebay and at a Taylor sale at my local music store. The Taylor I played was going for about $1200, and the only thing that really wowed me about that one was the solid wood neck. It sounded really nice, but I have to say, I think my ZAD 80 sounds really rich.

it was made in may 2005 in usa
21 frets
solid cedar top
rosewood body, fretboard and bridge
glossy transparent finish with full abalone inlay and tortoise shell pickguard
dreadnought style
grover tuners
hancarved custom nut and saddle
handfiled frets
tool and t-shirt was included

suits perfect to my style (a mix of all)
it is not that noisy than sprucetops but that's just wonderful
sound goes from rich and full to bright depending how you are playing it - so there pretty much variety.
mainly the sound is more soft and mellow.
i tried hard but i could not find any dislikes!

The EZ-Play? modification process involves:

Lowering the strings closer to the fret board so you no longer have to press hard to form a chord.
Widening the stance of the strings so there is more space for your fingers, while keeping the neck shallow so its easy for small hands.
Modifying the saddle, bridge, neck and nut in harmony to amplify the tone and resonance.
The result is a guitar that is 50% easier to play with a sound that rivals guitars costing 5 times the price.

with this set-up - what should i tell you more - everybody must be happy

after checking many times i did not find any mistakes on it.

this guitar - i'm sure - will last and sound better with every year!

this is the best company i ever met: great homepage with videos and
instructions, helpful and friendly, 100% money back guarantee,..
warranty is a 100% lifetime warranty.
what more can you expect?!?

i love that easy playing with danny zagars setup and this great sound
of this very nice looking guitar

I CAN TELL EVERYBODY THAT THIS IS NO WAISTED MONEY - THIS IS A BIG
OPPORTUNITY !!!!!!!!

solid cedar top with abalone- I think it is real- not for sure-but doesn't matter because it looks good to me ,sides and 3-piece back are laminated-but some of the most beautiful wood I have seen on guitars -for more than this price, bound rosewood fingerboard, rosewood bridge, gold plated grover tuners-nice playing frets, extra set of strings-case costs extra-nice looking guitar

this guitar has a nice sweet broken in sound with plenty of bass for my style of playing country or bluegrass, I like it because it is not harsh sounding-the strings that came on it were 0.10 to .047 gauge- I like the guitar with 0.11 to 0.52 gauge for flatpicking

the action on this guitar is what I have been looking for because I can play it and not get tired as I do on some of my more expensive guitars cause I hate to start having set-up work done on expensive guitars because sometimes they never sound as good as they did-the workmanship on this guitar is above the average for a guitar of this price

I will never treat this guitar bad so I can tell how it would hold up for some one else-but it is built solid as to me-good hardware, good finish-I would depend on it by the way it is built

they have been nice to me in communication about the guitar- and I have no reason to believe they will not stand behind their guitars-the guitars have a lifetime warranty

I own several guitars-some are very high priced-I would not hesitate to compare this guitar with any I own for being a good buy -this guitar in the way Mr. Zager does his set-up on it-is what makes the guitar different from others you will buy in this price range-I do not believe you will find a better sounding or playing new guitar for the money you spend for this guitar-I would buy another one soon if this one ever was lost or stolen-because I would miss it's sound and the way it plays easy

Made in USA
Acoustic Dreadnot
Solid Cedar top
3 pc Rosewood back

Great set up for finger picking
Rich/ full sound

Set up perfect at factory, was still in tune on arrival.
Not a single flaw.

For my personal playing 2/3 times a week, I believe it will last me a lifetime.

100 % money back guarantee, including freight both ways.
Company personel very efficent & friendly.

I have been playing on & off for 30 years.
I have always wanted to learn to finger pick.
This guitar is perfect for that. I own 4 other guitars, including a very expensive Ovation I have owned for 20 years. It used to be my favorite. The value received for the price, I have not seen on any other guitar, and I have looked at alot of them.

You can read about all of the ZAD-80 features on www.zager.com

I went to three different shops and played guitars ranging from the $900 to $2500 range. I must say that the sound of the Zager ZAD-80 is absolutely beautiful and without question will austound even the most loyal Gibson or Martin fans. The moment that I opened it up from being shipped it was perfectly tuned and ready to play. They even sent an extra set of strings!

The real beauty behind the Zager E-Z play guitar is that it's not only so "E-Z" to play but so much fun as well. The action of the guitar makes it possible for me to increase my playing time without fatigue by about 20 to 25 minutes. This will without doubt improve my overall playing skills very rapidly.
The finish of the guitar is truly stunning as well. How they can produce this much of a quality prodcut that delivers so much in performance, esthetics, playability is beyond me. Outstanding dollar value without question.

THe ZAD-80 is made with very high qulity components like Grover tuners, etc.
As for reliability, I haven't purchased a guitar in 20 years, I plan on this being with me to the end!

This is really were Zager Guitar shines.
In todays business world most companies talk-the-talk but don't always walk-the-walk.
I spent about 3 days e-mailing Dennis, Jr. back and forth with questions. He would generally respond to each of my questions within 10 minutes.
I had one tiny little issue when I received the guitar after being shipped and literally within 5 minutes of me e-mailing them with the problem, it was handled. Done, finished, end of story.
It truly is an honor doing business with people who take such pride in their company and their product. For me, this was a purchase about a passion and through my experience with them the Zager Guitar Company is passionate about what they do.

If you are thinking of buying a new guitar, do yourself the favor and look into a Zager product before you buy. It's very doubtful that you'll look much further.

Zager ZAD 80 this is a new model in the Zager "String Science"line up.The ZAD 80 is a solid cedar top full size acoustic dreadnaught.It features a 3 peice Rosewood back and sides and Rosewood fretboard with a gloss finish.Abalone inlay Rosette surrounds the soundhole.Full abalone/pearloid inlay laid by hand around all edges of the ZAD 80 face and fretboard make for a beautiful acoustic guitar also with a tortoise shell pickgaurd.The ZAD 80 features scalloped X bracing and is imported by Denny Zager.Like all Zager acoustics it is modified by hand by Mr.Zager with his "String Science".This includes a hand carved custom nut that sets the strings lower and slightly wider apart with no string fall off.The saddle is hand carved so the strings are set lower to the soundhole.The frets are hand filed to reduce string bite and finger fatigue.These are options you will not find on acoustics in this price range and makes the ZAD 80 very easy to play and a lot more fun to play.

The solid cedar top ZAD 80 has a mellow,darker sound than the solid spruce top ZAD 50.All Zager acoustics are strung with Martin extra light strings .10-.47 but when strung with Martin or Elixir custom lights .11-.52 they really reach there full potential of volume and sustain and you can make the change with no modifacations to the "String Science".I have also used light gauge strings with no set up problems.The ZAD 80 scores a knock out in the sound department with the cedar and rosewood combination.

I'm not sugar coating anything about the ZAD 80 and try to find a flaw in this set up but I can't.I read of many new players who bring there guitar to someone for a set up because they are in need of some help with high actions and sore fingers.So they pay an extra $25 to $75 and still are not happy.This is all eliminated with the ZAD 80 the set up is pro style with a very light touch to the frets to form chords the "String Science" modifications help speed up play and takes the worry out of how hard to press the fretboard.The ZAD 80 is set up and tuned to bring perfect inotation.Every thing is refit by hand by Denny and flaws are weeded out.

I own both a ZAD 50 and ZAD 80 and I'm very proud of that.I once had a small collection of acoustics from some of the best guitar makers.I am very fussy about sound,fit,finish and set up if an acoustic has one flaw it will bug the heck out of me and I will sell it.The ZAD 50 and 80 right no are my only 2 acoustics in my house.

This is where the ZAD 80 and Denny Zager shine.I have not come close to any one who has the customer support of Zager Guitars.When I read people saying they will not buy on line or with out seeing first that makes sense because you do not want to be stuck with something you don't like.Well the Zager's changed that because they will take back and refund total purchase price of your acoustic if you are not happy with it.The warranty is lifetime and judging from sales Denny and son Dennis are going to be around for a longtime.They are a small buisness so they really get to know there customers and take the time to answer all questions by email or phone.

I've been playing a long time and cooled off for a decade or two to raise a family now that I'm pretty much have a lot of time to my self I play more than ever.I'm very happy with the ZAD 80 for $545 it easily compares to a $1200 to $1500 acoustic with a better set up than many guitars in that price range out of the box.The same said for the ZAD 50 they make a good pair for any acoustic player.If you are a beginner start with a vist to Denny's web site and if your an older player like me why spend big bucks for an acoustic when you can get one of the best looking...sounding and best set up guitars for a price like this.