Zager ZAD-80CE

Made with love in the USA. Small family company doing everything the right way. Top of the line throughout. Must see to believe.

Built in transducer and electronic package - Fishman

Solid Cedar/Rosewood, Full abalone inlay - Beautiful guitar

Real nice Grover tuners


Comes with electronic humidifier, picks, autograph of Deny Zager, Martin strings, T-shirt.

Great rich, full sound. Sounds better than most guitars that are three times more expensive. Sounds like a thirty year old guitar. I play with it unplugged a lot. When I do plug in I use a Roland acoustic amp.

The only guitar I know of to travel half way across the country and be in perfect tune when I took it out of the box. This is a quality guitar.

The action is set low for easy playing. The strings are also set a little farther apart to make this guitar the easiest guitar you have ever played.

Finish is fantastic. Can't beat the electronics or the Grover tuners. Overall, a solid guitar through and through.

Best custumer support. Can you you say you talked to the president of the guitar company you bought from. I did. I had a few questions and received e-mails back in under 10 minutes. Promised if I didn't like it for any reason I could return no questions asked and of course no restocking fee. Not many companies do that.

I have been playing for a relatively short time but I looked at and tried many different guitars. It would not be fair to say, "for the money this is a great guitar". The reason is because this is a great guitar despite the fact your not paying thousands of dollars. All my friends that spent large amounts of money on their guitars are green with envy. Looks great, sounds better, and a small family that cares about their work and product.

This is a solid Cedar Top, Redwood back and side guitar with a cutaway. It comes with an electronic tuner and pickup and plugs into any board or speakers (1/8 plug). For the price, the finish and style are best of the best.

Perfect note quality and great tone, especially when plugged in. Again, this guitar is far less money than top end Taylors and Martins, but sounds absolutely terrific.

If you have other guitars, even very expensive, high end guitars (like I have), and you wish to continue playing those guitars on a regular basis, then do not purchase a Zager. You will (and I don't believe there will be any exceptions) play the Zager more than any other guitar you own, no matter how much money you spent on your other guitars.

Guitar seems very well made (I believe the body work is made in the Martin factory). Denny Zager sets every guitar up himself; a custom set up, by the master.

Hard to say how the quality is long term, since I recently received the instrument, but the initial quality is excellent.

Absolutely top notch - check out my final comments below.

Being a chronic skeptic, I ordered a new 80CE from Denny with an exaggerated sense of trepidation. While the testimonials on Zager's website are quite impressive, infomercials regularly line up willing and able customers to help peddle the latest gadget or poorly constructed piece of rubbish. When the gadget arrives, and typically after only a few uses, the item does not live up to your most watered-down expectations. And then you enter the unsavory black hole of waiting on hold the equivalent of the running time of the TBS "Old Testament" mini-series, waiting for a live person to get on the help line, just to learn to your utter dismay that you are more knowledgeable about the product than the underpaid, temp worker on the other side of the planet, whose remedial English is the tipping point between sanity and the beckoning abyss.

Needless to say I've had my share of bad internet experiences, just like everyone else.

My experience with Zager guitars was the exact opposite; it was absolutely first rate. The guitar is a gem. Like other buyer's on this page I own several high end instruments (Taylor, Ibanez, etc.) and the quality the Zager 80CE is absolutely terrific. The Zager guitar is the best instrument value offered by anyone, anywhere - period. I think Denny is a saint for sticking to his guns for so long and selling direct, cutting out the middle man and passing the savings on to the customer. The tone of the guitar is excellent. My daughter is a gifted musician and music composition major in college, and she called the clarity of the individual notes on my Zager, exquisite. And to top of a great price and great sound, the guitar is downright addictive to play. I can sense my Taylor 814CE begging me from across the room to pick her up and play her a little bit, but I just have to get one or two more licks in on the Zager, and a couple of licks turns into a couple of hours of playing. This guitar is easy and fun to play. Try one and tell me differently...you won't.

And finally, the customer service is second to none. I had a minor issue with my 80CE and made a suggestion for a very fair resolution to the issue. Denny Jr. blew me away when he addressed the issue beyond my idea of fair, making me feel like I was part of the family; I guess I am part of the family now - the Zager family. Because, not only am I buying a second guitar to add to my collection, I will be a life long advocate of Zager guitars.

Here are all the high-end appointments of this fine guitar:
- EZ-Play Modified
- Full size dreadnought box
- Solid Cedar Top
- Venetian Cutaway
- Rosewood Back & Sides
- Rosewood Bridge
- Rosewood Fret-board
- Gloss Finish
- Scalloped X-Bracing
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
- Abalone Inlay on Binding
- Abalone Inlay Rosette
- Tortoise Shell Pickguard
- Genuine "Martin" Strings
- Built-in Transducer & Electronics w/easy access battery compartment

An exceptionally bright, deep, piano-like, FULL sound that seemingly emanates from the entire guitar. It suits two of the styles I play, which are bluegrass and folk. Notes are very clear and concise, which makes you want to work on your chording so that the notes ring out even longer. Great for flatpicking.

Guitar was given the Zager EZ play-treatment, so the action is low as physically possible with NO buzzing and lots of resonation and sustain. Lots of attention to detail here, all geared towards making the guitar more playable. Yet, there are also enough high-end appointments to make the guitar a "looker," too. Will definitely keep this one in the case and away from any visitors, taking it out for private moments when I want to treat myself to a nice playing experience.

No flaws at all (and this guitar was sold to me as a demo model).

The guitar seems almost too beautiful to play, though the workmanship tells me that if I were the kind of player that didn't care about the condition of my instruments, this guitar would probably take a lot of punishment. Finish is glossy and pristine and will probably last a while. Hardware is very solid and durable. Too nice to gig with, quite frankly, but that's okay -- I bought it for studio work, not for banging around at the local bar. No strap buttons.

No need for repairs, though Denny and his crew have been very responsive through emails and making sure that I like the instrument. They are exceptionally friendly and considerate, making me feel as though the happier I am, the happier they are. Good feelings that come seldom in this guitar-buying business. Wish they had more guitars left (this was the last of its kind to be made by Zager).

I've been playing for over 20+ years, professionally and otherwise. I've been through LOTS of guitars -- vintage, new, high-end and low-end, from holy grail guitars to no-name pawn models. I own about 7 other guitars, most of which are electrics. This is my only dreadnaught guitar, and I typically don't like Dreads but I do like this one. If it were stolen, I would visit every Pawn Shop and frequent eBay until I found it again. If I have any gripe, it is the fact that the finish is glossy (I am partial to satiny finishes), though the finish is smooth enough that I'll get over it. I love the tone and the overall vibe it has. Owning it makes me feel like I have some sort of secret treasure that only certain players have discovered.

I only wish that Denny Zager would NEVER EVER retire from the guitar-building business. He is an incredible craftsman and one I am proud to call a colleague in the guitar-playing, guitar-loving universe. If you love guitars, you need to pay him some respect. He LOVES guitars enough to make guitars that the world loves, too. Best wishes, Denny.

The ZAD-80CE is a full size dreadnought electric acoustic with Fishman electronics.
It has an excellent gloss finish, Grover tuners, flat neck, rosewood sides and back with solid cedar top and Abalone inlay on binding and rosette. (Beautiful)

I play contemporary, country and western. No string buzz, thanks to Zager's String Science. Rich, full sound from the cedar top. Great sustain. I like everything without exception.

The action defines the Zager - it is setup perfectly!
No flaws anywhere on the guitar and the overall fit and finish of the wood is outstanding.

I would say this ZAD-80CE will be around for a long time. It is a quality instrument, well made and deserving of its fine reputation. All parts are solid and show top craftsmanship overall.

Zager has the best service of any company. 100% money back guarantee and a Lifetime Warranty. The Zager staff is knowledgeable, friendly and courteous. They talked to me and answered all my questions. I felt like I was a family friend!

I have been playing 40 years and would certainly replace my ZAD-80CE if something happened to it. I've played them all and I'll go out with my Zager!

Solid top USA made, fishman electronics, on-board tuner that works wonderfully, Grover tuners, 20 frets, abalone inlay, cutaway, nice workable thin neck, simply will WOW you.

Crisp clear precise.

Almost flawless. Truly a joy to own.

Any fine instrument will give back to you according to how you care for it. I would play on stage with it, but it is always prudent to have back up.

If ANY company has better customer service, they are very unique. These guys are always available. Feels like dealing with friends.

I own a zad 80ce, an ovation collectors edition shallow bowl 1986 model (purchased new) and a Taylor acoustic electric. I also own a PRS and Stratocaster electric as well as a Yamaha acoustic electric classical. All expensive guitars. The Zager was the least expensive
out of this group, however, I like it the best. It is very very nicely fit and finished, great action on the neck, light weight, and nicely in tune all up and down the neck. A "C" is a "C" everywhere on the neck. No slightly off notes. I hate when open chords sound good and then bar chords are a little off. Maybe I am just lucky, but my Zager is beautiful, flawless, and playable for hours with no fatigue. I spent $2700 on my Taylor and had to have it adjusted to make it more playable and it is still not as nice as my Zager. I have been playing for 41 years and I am in no way reimbursed by Zager
for this review. I am sorry that it took so long for me to find out about Zager and purchase one. I love the instrument. You will too.
Try it. You too will be amazed.

This 2008 model ZAD 80CE is made in USA By a family owned company!
Full Size Dreadnought
Venetian Cutaway Design
Scalloped X-bracing
Gloss finish!
Solid Ceder Top!
Rosewood Back & Sides
Rosewood bridge
Rosewood fret-board
The Zag CE80 has 20 hand filled frets!
Hand-Carved Custom Nut
Hand-Carved Custom Saddle
Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
Abalone Inlay on Binding
Abalone Inlay Rosette (Laid by hand around the entire outside edge of the sound hole)
Tortoise Shell Pickguard
Genuine "Martin" Strings
On board equilizer to include on board tuner!
Controls Made by Fishman!
The controls include 3 sliders controlling your Highs, Lows, and Mids, a single slider controlling the "presence" of your guitar through the amplifier, and a single knob to control the volume level.
Plus a built in transducer! installed by pro luthier Denny Zager(bringing out the extended bass response and rich ambiance of your guitar's wood plugged into a amp like a electric)
Included was a guitar stand - Zager T shirt - light Zager guitar picks!

I play Folk rock and Christion rock!
This guitar is perfect for my style of music!
I am plugging into a Crate GT212 Guitar amplifier!
The sound of this guitar is rich and pure with no buzz!
The guitar sounds just as good unplugged in as it does plugged in only louder!
I also use this guitar with TC electronics guitar effects with awesome results!
This guitar is not noisy at all just pure rich Full quality sound!
I can play this guitar soft or loud with very little effort!
I have no dislikes about this guitar!

The action of this guitar is fantastic.
My fingers do not get tired when I play this ZAD 80CE.
The pickups sound better than other acoustic guitars I have played!
This guitar arrived in tune only needed a slight adjustmnt to be ready to play.
With no flaws!

I have no dought this guitar will work great for live playing.
I have not owned it long enough to say for sure!
I bought this guitar for performing live as well as use in my home recording studio!
It is put together excellant.
The strap buttons are very solid.
I would not use any guitar on a gig with no back up!

My e mails have been answered very fast!
Customer support has been great.
I have not had any issues with buying a guitar from this company.
I belive 100% if I have a problem in the future with my guitar I will be well taken care of.
There is a full 100% money back guarantee!
To include free shipping on the return if ever needed.
Add that with a life time guarantee and it does not get any better than that for customer support.

I have been playing guitar for 39 years!
I have owned Yamaha acoustic. Jay Turner Electric Les paul . Kramer Electric strat style electric.
And a Sigma Martin acoustic!
I will not be playing my other guitars much any more.
If this guitar where lost or stolen.
I would replace it with another ZAD 80CE as soon as one could be shipped!
When this guitar arrived it took less than one min to be fully tuned and ready to play.
I have played several guitars befor decideing to buy the Zager.
I played Martins Taylors Guilds Gibson etc.
I have a good ear for sound and this ZAD 80CE guitar sounds as good as most of the major brand guitars priced several thousand dollars more.
Some of the guitars I played in stores sounded flat compared to the quality full rich sound of a Zager guitar.
I am also impressed with the Gloss finish and quality craftmanship of this guitar.
I play soft and hard rock for differant sound effects and this ZAD 80CE has had no problem creating the sound and effect needed for my original music!
With less pressure on my fingers due to the low action set up by Denny Zager!
The only thing I wish is I had heard of this company sooner as the price is affordable and I could have been sounding better a long time ago!
Steven J

My guitar is a dreadnought size acoustic/electric it has a "Fishman" electronics unit that includes an equalizer, tuner and volume control. I find it very handy to have the tuner built in. Construction is rosewood for back, sides and fretboard and a solid cedar top. It includes Grover tuning gears that I really like. I purchased the Zager case with the guitar that fits the guitar nicely it came with a temperature and humidity indicator. It doesn't have a built in humidifier but I live in Florida and have no use for one. The only thing I could possibly add from new is a button to hold the neck end of a strap. The positioning might be a matter of personal preference so maybe better left to the customer discretion to install. Another feature I like is a thin neck which works well with my stubby old fingers.

The guitar has a rich deep tone. I play it lightly and get plenty of volume. I think is sounds great compared to any guitar I've heard. If you want a brighter sound you should look at the smaller version.

I am very satisfied with the light action which fits my style and ability. I haven't noticed any flaws or fitting problems with the guitar or the "EZ-Play" setup from Zager which is just that. I have had some very accomplished musicians play my guitar. They have commented very positively on the setup.

I believe this guitar to be a finely tuned instrument, I treat it as such. I haven't had any problems and don't think there will be any. I'm aware of professional guitarists using Zagers that love them. If you like to play with heavy strings and heavy hands you might run into problems. I don't believe the design is geared for that type of playing. They do have a lifetime warranty.

The company is incredible to work with. They have communicated better and answered my questions faster than I ever would have expected. They give you personal service that's hard to beat. I haven't had any particular problems with my instrument but feel confident that they will stand behind their satisfaction guarantee and lifetime warranty.

I have friends with more expensive big name guitars that are considering a Zager as their next purchase. If it was stolen I wouldn't think about purchasing anything else. This guitar with its direct from Zager pricing is loaded with features and is the best value I have found out there.

Love this new acoustic from Zager. Solid Cedar top. Has fisher pick up with built in tuner. Really nice. All and all beutiful guitar.

This guitar has a rich full sound. Sounds great through an amp or pa.

The set up on this guitar is where the rubber hits the road. It makes any other acoustic guitar I've played seem like a stick with strings. It is gentle on the fingers while projecting nice volume.

Its brand spanking new but it appears to be a well built guitar.

The service was amazing. The first guitar I received had a slight string buzz. I contacted Zager and they assisted me on line in trying to correct it. Ultimately they emailed me a shipping label and offered to ship it back at thier expense and fix it. I was so impressed that I asked if i could upgrade from the ZAD50 to the ZAD80. They even sent me the ZAD 80 before they had received the ZAD 50 back.

Every Friday night I jam with some really great musicians here in Seattle. I brought in my new guitar and didn't get to play it because everyone was so impressed by the sound and playability. For the money I spent and the sound I got I don't beleive there is any better value out there.

This is an accoustic/electric guitar with 20 frets. It is Solid Cedar/Rosewood, Full abalone Inlay, Gold Hardware, and is beautiful to look at! It has a built in tuner. I bought the case, which locks, has a humidistat and thermometer. It came with an extra set of strings, wrench, and access to online videos for care and use. It's a great set up for someone without a whole lot of experience using or caring for a guitar. I purchased it for my daughter, who is a talented player, but doesn't have a whole lot of experience with an instrument of this caliber.

My Zager was purchased as a gift for my daughter. It is an accoustic/electric guitar. She hasn't used it with an amp. The guitar has a rich mellow sound that is loud but not excessively bright. It sounds incredible whether strumming or picking. The string position makes it as easy to pick as her classical guitar, but with the lower action, neither of us experience near the finger fatigue we had with the classical guitar

The guitar arrived still perfectly in tune from the factory! The low action makes it a pleasure to play, with minimal fatigue. It has a built in tuner to get us up and playing quickly. I didn't find any flaws or problems with the guitar. Its set up couldn't have been better. It arrived ready to go. I went over it with a fine tooth comb and couldn't find a flaw.

The Zager has all the bells and whistles we were looking for. It has a beautiful finish that is smooth and flawless. It holds perfect tune, and certainly is dependable for us. I wouldn't recommend anything else if your budget and sound quality are important to you!

I haven't needed any service for this guitar. When I was considering a guitar purchase, all my inquiries were answered professionally and courteously in less than an hour. Dennis Zager was very friendly and prompt. The guitar was packaged very carefully and arrived with new strings and all the info I needed to start playing and caring for this instrument. It has a lifetime warranty.

I have played for 30 years, my daughter has played for two years. She is ecstatic about this guitar. We also own yamaha classical guitars. This is an amazing instrument for the price, which had to be a consideration. It sounds better than the guitars we tested at the Guitar Center, for sure! It has a mellow, rich, full sound that isn't overpowering or tinny. I'm having a difficult time coming up with any complaints. I can't imagine a better value for the money spent!

DreadNought with venetian cutaway, Solid Cedar Top, Rosewood Back and Sides, Grover Tuners - Gold, Fishman Electronics with Built in Tuner, Abalone Inlay, Tortoise Shell Pick Guard, Hand Carved Custom Nut/Saddle, Hand Filed Frets, Scalloped X-bracing, Rosewood Fretboard, Rosewood Bridge.

The guitar has a rich full sound when playing classical or fingerstyle. When strummed with a pick it is bright and clear. I play it through a Fender Acoustasonic SFX ampifier but it also sounds great unplugged.

This guitar is setup to be easy to play. The action is low and fast and it produces a good clean sound. The guitar's finish is excellent. There were no problems with the guitar when I received it.

The hardware, wood and craftsmanship on the guitar are of the best quality. With proper care there is every reason to beleive this guitar will last a lifetime and would withstand live playng.

Zager guitars customer service is great. I emailed and called many times before and after I purchased the guitar. Everyone was friendly and extremely helpful. Also, they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

I've been playing guitar for 43 years. I own Guild, Gibson, Lowden, Taylor, Alvarez, Fender, Yamaha and Ibanez guitars. The Zager guitar is easy to play, sounds great, looks beautiful. This guitar is one of the best I've ever played.