Zager ZAD 50-CE

The features on my Zagar were excellent. It was a beauty to look at and it came with a tuner built right into the guitar! Very well built instrument.

As far as real features...it is a guitar with 6 strings... the tuner is all I got regarding features.

The Zager also sounded great. This guitar was very bright sounded that was extremelly clear.

ACTION: This is where my problem is. I have two Gretsch guitars (Brian Setzer 6120, and a 5120), a Fender Strat, Ibanez Artcore...and all of these play much better than the Zager. I was so looking forward to getting my Zager because of all the hype on the website (and reviews seen here) and boy was I disappointed. As soon as I took it out of the box I played it for about 30 minutes and was not impressed. So after dinner I thought I would give it a second chance...well after about 30 minutes of playing I noticed that my hand began to cramp because I was trying so hard to fret the strings without making them buzz. I could not beleive how bad it played.
I even thought that maybe it missed the "Zagerization" process or something like that. Also note: I have another Harmony brand JCPenny acoustic and this too seemed to play better than the Zager. So with much regret I say Action/Playability are a big fat 0.
I am sure that I could have taken this guitar to my tech friend and had him work his magic on it... however why? This guitar is touted as being the easiest to play.

FIT:
The guitar felt great in hands, weighted very well.

FINISH: Fantastic Finish. This thing would look great on anyones wall as a decoration.

P.S. I rated this catagory as a 2 rather than a 1 becuase there is nothing wrong with the fit and finish, however I think that ACTION/PLAYABILITY are hugh when rating a guitar. After all you can't see it when you are playing it...you can only feel it and how well it plays.

No comment becuase I returned the guitar about a week or two after I bought it.

I will say that the customer support is FANTASTIC. I returned my guitar about a week or two after I received it. They emailed a prepaid shipping label and I dropped it off at UPS. They stand behind their guarantee and I think that makes trying a Zager worth it. I mean with the 100% money back guarantee it made trying this guitar a no brainer. Becuase of the steller customer support and the 100% money back guarentee I give them a 10 on customer support. IMO very good company, however...for me the guitar did not measure up to all of the other reviews.

Overall the guitar looks good, sounds good, however it's main selling point being an "EZ-Play" guitar...it was not. That is why I am giving it an overall rating of 3. I really had high hopes for this thing.

- Full size Dreadnought
- Venetian Cutaway Design
- Solid Spruce Top
- Mahogany Back & Sides
- Rosewood Bridge
- Rosewood Fret-Board
- Gloss Finish
- Built in Transducer
- Onboard Equalizer
- Onboard Electronic Tuner
- Scalloped X-bracing
- Hand carved custom nut
- Hand carved custom saddle
- Hand filed frets
- Sealed Grover Tuning Gears
- Abalone inlay rosette
- Tortoise shell pick guard
- Genuine "Martin" Strings
- 100% money back guarantee
- Lifetime warranty

Rich full sounding guitar. The X-bracing is scalloped to provide more flexing of the top (this is how a speaker works) giving it a very deep tone from top to bottom.

The guitar was set up perfectly, it was still in tune after shipping. Nut and saddle are hand carved providing a vey low, quick and easy action up and down the neck. The cutaway design allows for comfortable hand placement, the electronics are great. It has a built in tuner making adjustments easy and accurate.

I've not had it long but everthing I see with this guitar tells me it will last. Aside from that it comes with a LIFETIME gurantee. How can you beat that?

The customer service and support I have experienced is a lost value in today???s business world. Zager truly makes this a personal experience and shows that they care about their customers.

I presently own an Ovation 1771 Balladeer and Epiphone 12 string; there is no comparison to the beauty and playability of the ZAD50CE. The ring and tone are remarkable for a guitar in this price range.

Denny Zager will always be remembered for the great hit ???In the Year 2525??? but immortalized for the gift he's giving back to the guitar community and folks like myself who play purely for the love of music. Not only are the skills of playing the guitar conveyed easily on his website, the life lessons communicated through his teaching are beyond measure. The impact he is having on people through his work is truly commendable.

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.

acoustic with a great sound, case and easy to play. electronics are great with an tuner that really works. The finish and style is beautiful.

My style is contemporary gospel and the sound is great; through an amp or not. It is full and bright. Total good sound.

Action is smooth and because of the string and fret adjustments done by Denny Zager, no more sore fingers for beginners. It can be played for hours with ease. As I play hours each day and can attest to it's features.

Very reliable, finish on my is blonde, natural. Absolutely beautiful. I only use a 12 string, not as a back-up but just to use on a few songs that I prefer a 12 string on. I have no hesitation about using this guitar anywhere I play.

Great customer support with lifetime warranty. And that is a fact! Zager Guitars stand by this. They want only satisfied customes and believe me, I am one.

Sorry, but I have to rate Zager and the 50-CE with a 10 overall rating. Yes, a 10. so there it is.

This guitar has an on board tuner, EQ, volume control, and grover sealed tuners just for starters

Nice smooth clean sound.

Finish is awsome, action is very nice

Solid construction / very well made

You can not ask for better customer support. No match on the planet in any industry.

A 10 is the least I can give.

My guitar is a clear finish acoustic/electric with Grover tuners, solid spruce top, mahagony back and sides, and a rosewood neck.I don't know much about electronics so I won't offer an opinion. I am not sure where it's made, but the "easy-play" is put on by Denny in Nebraska I believe. It arrived in perfect condition. It is definitely not a "student grade" guitar, I'm dreading the first scratch I put on it.

I took my guitar to my instructor for his opinion and he was very impressed by the sound and how much bass it had being new. The cutaway style does diminish the volume some over my old full size acoustic, but the tone is far superior. I like to play Bob Segar, John Mellencamp, some Pink Floyd, The Beatles and any classic rock that has a rythm that you know without a word of the song being sung. If you ever hear me sing you'd understand why. Songs with a variety of hammer-on, slides, pull-offs and the like sound really well because the fullness and clearness of this guitar is fantastic!

This is where this guitar shines in my opinion. I'm a 53 year old lefty who has only been playing for about three years. I was ready to just hang it up because I just didn't have enough flexibility to advance and after just thirty minutes of playing, my right hand would ache from the base of my thumb to base of my index finger. I can now play for two hours with hardly any discomfort at all. It didn't turn me into Clapton, but just being able to sit down and work on my playing for hours is definitly helping. Chords are easier to form and the guitar stays in tune.

This guitar is very solid and the the finish appears very durable. How well it would withstand live playing I would imagine would depend on the style you play. It is strung with extra light strings and heavier strings are not recomended. If you like to hammer your acoustic, this is probably not the guitar for you. The sound is full and clear, if I was performing in public, it would be the guitar I would choose. Everything on this guitar reflects quality. Can you play a guitar any other way but live?

The guitar has a lifetime warranty and barring any problems with the electronics, I don't expect I'd use it. This was the only choice they offered for a lefty like me. I wasn't looking for anacoustic/ electric guitar when I started out so I felt I was paying an extra hundred dollars for a built-in tuner, but now that I have it, I just gotta get an amp. Denny jr. has been very prompt at answering all my questions although their website is set up so well that I didn't have very many to ask.

I have only been playing for three years. My only other guitar is a Hohner acoustic with a solid spruce to and maple back and sides. My daughter has a very nice Alvarez and my Zager blows them both away. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. For us lefties, there are not many choices sitting out there in the music shops. You either get the student special or the professional performance model that is priced in the thousands. Nothing I picked up played as easily or sounded any better than my Zager. I would put it up against anyone of my friend's guitars.

This is a full size dreadnaught,cut away acoustic electric guitar.
It has mahogany back and sides with as solid spruce top. The fretboard and bridge are rosewood. Grover tuning gears. The inlays are abalone. Electronics has a threeband equilzer and a LCD tuning setup.
This is a high gloss finish which allows the beauty of the natural wood come through.

The sound is incredible for a guitar in this price range. It sounds great both plugged in and unplugged. It compares favorably with a number of higher end guitars I have tried.
I would classify this as a bright sound with excellent sustain.

The guitar arrived well packaged and in tune. It has a very low action, requiring very little finger pressure to produce clear chords.
The fretboard is wide with a shallow neck which allows one to easily get your hand around the neck. There were no flaws in the finish or the craftsmanship of the instrument.

A very solid instrument, should last for years of regular play. this guitar would be excellent for a solo gig because of tone and finish. It looks and sounds great.

Have not had any repair issues, yet it has a lifetme warranty.
All correspondence with the company has been excellent. Very quick responses to all emails with complete answers to any questions.

I have been playing off and on since the early 1960's. I currently have this ZAD 50 CE, an Ovation and an old Epiphone. I am very pleased with this guitar and would replace it if something happened to it. I am very impressed with the action and easy playability of this instrument. The other guitars are gathering dust.
I would suggest getting the highend case with the humidity sensor in it. I did, it is strong protection for a favorite instument.

This is a basic acoustic 6 stringer. It came with an allen wrench and an extra set of strings, which I did not expect. It was completely in tune. It was signed by Mr. Zagar with the current date and an individual serial number. The neck is thin enough to accommodate my small hands and the strings are very close to the neck, to make for great ease in playing. It came in a cardboard triangular "case" which nested inside the packing case. The triangle case is reusable and perfect for storing and protecting the guitar from nicks scuffs and home atmosphere changes.

I am still learning to play and this guitar is cooperating beautifully. The sound is everything I could have wanted and more.

Everything about the action, fit and finish is first rate. No flaws from everything I saw or heard.

The guitar is well built and appears that it will last for a long time. The finish is gorgeous, flawless, and durable. The strap button is solid. The whole thing looks extremely dependable and I would use it on a gig without a backup anytime.

The company was extrordinarily kind and accommodating.

I'm a longtime beginner because I could never find a reasonably priced guitar for my very small hands. I'd definitely get another one from Zagar if anything happened to this one. It sounds clean and bright and best of all, it really fits my hand so I can learn to play instead of always just strive to avoid fatigue and pain.