Zager ZAD 80CE

2006 Zager ZAD-80CE Acoustic/Electric Dreadnought Cutaway. Has 21-frets solid cedar top with Rosewood body. Has Grover Tuners. Has Fishman electronics including tuner. Also, purchased the Zager Hard Shell Case with humidifer. The case is very sturdy and stylish; as well as; practical.

I also have a Zager ZAD-50 Acoustic.

My music style is soft rock. I use this with a Fender Acoustasonics Jr. DSP amp. The guitar produces a very rich sound. I love the feeland the action enabled by the EZPlay String setup. It makes this guitar so easy to play and significantly reduces the usual sore fingers. It is such a joy to play.

The action is fantasic. The guitar arrived tuned and in flawless shape. I was able to plug it in and play without any adjustments.

I do not play live. However, I play ALOT. This is my second Zager and both have served me well. I have zero complaints and am very pleased with them both.

Only thing that shines brighter than these fine guitars is the Customer Support. I must tell you these folks are a dying breed. It has been literally decades since I have seen a company take such personal pride in not only the product, but ensuring the customer remains happy long after the sell. No ONE can touch these folks in this department.... NO ONE!

I have tried to play off and on for 15 years. I have owned Ovation, Martin, Gretsch and an assortment of others. This has been the only guitar that has gotten me past the previous obstacles. Using the Zager guitar with EZPlay string, Zager online tutorials and the pleasant one-on-one customer relations has allowed me to play like I always wanted to. I am not a Pro, so I can only honestly speak to the majority (non-pros). You should seriously consider a Zager. They provide you with everything you need to play like a pro, without expensive lessons/high-end guitars. You get a beautiful high quality guitar, if you chose to online tutorials that are top-shelf and EASY to learn from and HANDS DOWN the best darn customer service I have seen in my LIFE!

I am so happy with their product and support; I have no problem with giving you my name and email (ask me questions anytime):

Larry Diercks (ldiercks@cox.net).

2006, USA
SOLID SPRUCE TOP
SEALED GROVER TUNERS
BUILT IN TRANSDUCER
ONBOARD ELECTRONICS
ROSEWOOD FRETBOARD AND BRIDGE
TORTOISE SHELL PICK GUARD
HAND CARVED
CUTAWAY, MANY MANY FEATURES!

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL SOUND, WORTH EVERY PENNY!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

PERFECT IN EVERY WAY

VERY HELPFUL, FRIENDLY, WITH AN "AT YOUR SERVICE" ATTITUDE.

Zager guitars are made in Indonesia and modified in Lincoln, NB. Cedar top, rosewood back, sides, fret-board and bridge. Fishman Classic 4 electronics. Grover tuners, Venetian cutaway, 21 frets, abalone inlay rosette and binding, very thin neck, dreadnought with cutaway (CE),

I haven't plugged in yet, but the tone and projection is quite impressive for an $800 guitar. The cedar and rosewood give it a nice balanced tone. Not as "bright" as my old Maple Taylor ... a little warmer tone. Nice sound for extra light strings. (Part of the EZ Play set-up). You can check out their website for that philosophy. I have not tried heavier strings yet.

I purchased this guitar because I had an accident that required surgery to my left arm. Limited mobility, etc. The Zager EZ-Play name sounded a bit "hokey" but the money back guarantee was worth the price. It really is the easiest playing guitar I have ever played. Very low set-up. Custom carved nut and saddle. I was expecting buzz, but have not gotten it. I have no problem with the action, fit or finish. It is set-up as they indicated.

The guitar feels as solid as any of my other guitars. No reason for me to feel as though it is not as durable as "premium" guitars. No strap button on the neck. I don't think you should ever go to a professional gig without a back-up, but not because there would be concern with this guitar breaking while playing. Dropping, stepping on it, etc. is another story.

These guys were amazing. They told me that if I could not play this guitar to my satisfaction, they would refund my money, send UPS to my house, pick it up and pay for the return postage. Lifetime warranty.

They act like people that want your business in the future. Bottom line is I would recommend this guitar. Nice guitar at a good price.

I've been playing for 30 years. Used to Mic-up with friends a couple of times a month. Had a bad accident that required 2 surgeries and left me with limited flexibility in my left hand. I bought the Zager because they professed to have the easiest guitar to play. I was expecting to sacrifice something in a guitar in the $800 range. The rosewood grain on my previous Taylor was a little tighter and prettier, but I can't say that the tone was significantly better. This guitar is 1/3 the price. It's a good deal.

This is a high spec. Fishman equipped cutaway dreadnought style electro acoustic. I have to say I was sceptical when I read all the reviews but Denny Zager's low key selling style convinced me to purchase. I was visiting the USA so I had it delivered to my hotel as Zager do not ship overseas and I have to say that I am well impressed with the guitar and the service. It's so easy on the fingers and is a pleasure to play.( the action is so low and the neck that its like playing an electric- I have strats and a tele in my collection. I don't have a Taylor or a Martin, but it more than matches my Ovation and my mates Takamine for tone and is easier to play. I find it amazing that so much can be done to improve the playability of a high quality acoustic. I guess maybe what puts people off is the name EZ Play- sounds like a beginners instrument. and that like Martin Sigmas it is made in Indonesia, but its what happens in USA- the set up bridge and nut work- that makes this special This is an allrounder and would grace any professional stage. Solid Cedar top Rosewood back and sides and bridge. abalone inlays. Complete with plectrum, certificate of authenticity T shirt extra string set and online video assistance plus live help. can't say much more. Sorry put all my narrative in one category- hope this is ok (Keith UK)

Sorry I made all my comments in the first box but yes I would buy another. I am thinking of buying a dedicated acoustic only model due to the impressive action.and mocve a couple of my collection out.
I suppose the only thing I could fault is that the second strap button at the neeck /body position is not fitted to allow for those who want to use the headstock, but the online video explains in great detail how to fit one. I personally would have preferred it fitted by Zager

1-crafted in indonesia & modified in the u.s.a year 2005
2-20 frets
3-solid cedar top
4-fishman , built in transducer,onboard electronic & e.q, onboard electronic tuner
5-rosewood back & sides, rosewood fretboard / bridge
6-clear gloss finish
7-venetian cutaway box
8-sealed grover tuning gears & thin neck with hand filed frets
9-accessories-strings ,plecs, t-shirt & guitar stand

no such style yet, still learning but i can assure you after hearing my instructor playing it , it has a beautiful rich warm sound plugged or unplugged, he rekons it compares to any guitar he's played

this guitar was sent to me in scotland (uk) from america. it arrived still in perfect tune with incredible low action. the guitar itself was in perfect condition, could not find anything at all wrong with it

this guitar just has a feel of quality as soon as you pick it up, being a joiner i work with wood everyday and i know this was built to last and the hardware according to my instructor rekons its as good as you'll get

this family run buisness must be a bit special, i deal with different companies every day & i cannot believe how helpful & patient they were with this order,there cannot be many left, this is one of the reasons i am doing this. to make things even better there is a lifetime warranty

i have been playing for about a year, i also have a tanglewood tw49 dlx which just gathers dust now.if this guitar was stolen or lost i would not hesitate to get another one because of it's stunning looks & it's value for money is incredible. i have compared this guitar to my mates takamine ean 46cx & apart from the price there is not alot of difference sound wise (which he agrees)but i find the zad-80c3e easier to play with its low action & bigger spacings between the strings.the only thing i wish this guitar had was a better player behind it because it certainly deserves it.

This is a venetian six string acoustic guitar with a 21 fret neck, cedar top (solid), Fishman pickups, Clearwave 50 pickup onboard electronics with a tuner and brilliance, treble, middle, and bass slide nobs. The neck is in the thin to medium range and made out of rosewood. It has scalloped X-bracing, with hand made nut and saddle. Has excellent filed frets which makes its playability incredible.

The guitar sounds great unplugged and plugged. The Fishman pickup doesn't hum and you lose little to none sound quality (depending on the amp) when plugged in. The guitar has beautiful rich sound. It plays well for any type of music. It sounds great soloing with blues and jazz, and for church I love it because it has the susstaining full sound when you play chords. For finger style it is excellent because the sound carries so well.

My biggest concern was going to be the filed frets.I have seen other guitars be destroyed by filed fret jobs. No problems with this guitar at all. They are finished beautifully and it doesn't buzz on a single note. The action is INCREDIBLE! The easiest accoustic I have ever played and it sounds terrific. The finish is beautiful with abalone inlay bordering the outside edge of the top and encircling the soundhole. My only complain is that the pick guard sits a little high off the top.

It has top of the line pickups and a great finish. The strap buttons are solid and I don't foresee any need for a back up acoustic guitar. I can't wait for it to age because the sound well only get better.

There is a 100% MONEY BACK GAURANTEE AND LIFETIME WARRANTY which covers shipping and handling both ways if you are not satisfied with the guitar! Customer service is available through his website www.zagerguitar.com. Enough said

I am cofident that I will keep this guitar for the rest of my life as my main acoustic. There isn't any reason to change. I have played Martins and Alvarez's and I prefer this guitar to anything I previously played. I love the sound and numerous features that come with it. I am extremely happy with this guitar and would recommend it to anyone at any playing level.

Purchased in 2005. Modified by Denny Zager. This is the more expensive of the two Zager acoustic-electric guitars that they sell.

The built-in tuner works well and included was an extra set of strings and an allen wrench.

You can look up all the features on their website.

I play mostly country and light acoustic rock. This guitar sounds great. The highs are very bright and clear. It came with Martin extra light strings which seem to fit the guitar and my playing very well.

The setup was perfect. The finish looks great. No flaws that I have found. The pick guard looks like an afterthought but other than that, perfect.

I can't really comment on this yet but so far, I don't have any doubts about the reliability or durability of this.

The warranty is a lifetime warranty. I have not tried to have it repaired or had to use the warranty yet but in my dealings with the company, they are very helpful and friendly. They have a great website with lots of good information about their guitars, how to take care of them and plenty of useful videos for download.

I've been playing off and on for 4 years, every day for 1 year. I love the sound that this guitar has. Also, it is much easier to play than my previous guitar which is a Dean Tradition Acoustic. The fretboard is very smooth which makes sliding up or down much easier. The guitar is easier to chord and to move around the fretboard than my other guitar. It doesn't take as much effort on the fretboard to play this guitar. I have compared the sound to a much more expensive Taylor and my Zager sounds as good, if not better than the Taylor. If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would definately replace it with another Zager. I was nervous about buying a guitar sight unseen but the company offers a 100% money back guarantee and if you aren't happy with it, you can return it and they will pay for shipping both ways along with a full refund. I am very pleased with this guitar and I look forward to playing it for many years to come.

I evaluated this Zager guitar in my studio in Phoenix on November 8, 2005. The guitar's owner is a client of mine who was experiencing buzzing (frets) and humming (pickup). I have no competing interest or disinterest in Zager or any other brand guitars. I do not sell guitars.

Instrument is a brand new (2005) Asian made Sigma guitar, rebranded as a Zager ZAD 80-CE. Solid top, laminated back/sides.

Fishman active electronics with barn door preamp. Battery compartment was wedged shut and unable to open. Zager authorized the owner/client to take it to a local luthier, at Zager's cost, for evaluation and repair. Local luthier found that a battery wire had wedged into the battery compartment door making it difficult to open. Problem was resolved with very little work by the local luthier. Owner was not charged anything for that simple repair.

Output jack on the guitar is UNSHIELDED. Plugging the guitar into any of several amp/preamp/PA systems results in an unacceptable level of AC hum. The hum was temporarily reduced by wrapping the jack terminals with conductive foil. Spending a couple of dollars more on an output jack would have improved this pickup system from UNACCEPTABLE to ACCEPTABLE.

Case was NOT included in the $795 price paid for the guitar.

Pickup and electronics are unacceptably noisy with AC hum due to the unshielded output jack. Fret buzz and poor intonation render the sound unacceptable.

I don't know if Zager or Sigma installed the electronics. I would suspect it was Sigma. However this should certainly be something
that Zager should catch. In order to properly do a setup, it's necessary to measure the note frequencies with a strobe tuner. The guitar pickup output is typically used to drive the strobe. I was NOT able to get my Peterson virtual strobe to read the notes from the pickup output, it was reading the frequency of the 60 Hz hum.

Despite the relatively high action, strings buzz on the frets, particularly when fretting near the middle of the fingerboard, from about 4th through 8th frets.

Denny Zager does a setup on the guitars before he ships them. He gives that a name he calls "EZ-Play".

In theory, this is the same setup that we all should be getting ONCE WE OWN THE GUITAR. I emphasize the "once we own" part because...Zager does the setup in Nebraska. Then the guitar ships to you, wherever you live. The shipping, and then the acclimation to YOUR climate, playing style etc all affect that setup and might render it essentially useless. You should have the setup done locally, by someone that knows your playing style, string gauge etc.

OK, now my observations on Denny's "setup".

Frets - Denny has filed the frets with a flat file.

That's the first step in a fret leveling job. BUT - he hasn't completed the job. The treble and bass ends of the frets are all FLAT. He hasn't recrowned the frets to their half round shape. So the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th strings all fret to a FLAT topped fret, not a properly rounded fret.

That caused the guitar to buzz and it would NOT intonate properly.

Bridge/Saddle - The bridge had a plastic, drop in, intonated saddle. Standard Martin/Sigma part. But the saddle was canted FORWARD toward the headstock by perhaps 10 degrees. Ideally it should be straight
up and down (zero cant) or even better, canted BACK by perhaps 5 degrees, toward the bridge pins.

We loosened the strings and pulled the saddle.

There is a Fishman undersaddle pickup AND there is a 1/32" plastic shim UNDER the pickup element. The plastic shim appears to be a piece of plastic wire tie. The thickness of the shim PLUS the thickness of the transducer caused the saddle to ride so high in the slot that there was only 1/8" of saddle in the slot. That was contributing greatly to the exaggerated forward cant of the saddle.

The CORRECT way to install an undersaddle pickup, is to REMOVE the shim and install the transducer in it's place. That's generally the purpose of the shim in the first place. To make it simple to install a pickup without filing the saddle or re-routing the bridge slot.

The overlooking of the saddle/shim problem is unacceptable, particularly for someone that calls himself a "Master Luthier".

Measured action -

12th fret open - 7/64 bass, 4/64 treble
12th fret with capo on 1st fret
6/64 bass, 3/64 treble
(this indicates to me that the nut slots
are cut correctly. There is not a large
change in action when the nut is taken
out of the picture)

Neck relief (truss rod setting)
7th fret open - .004 inch bass, .004 inch treble
(This is EXTREMELY shallow for a steel string
acoustic)
7th fret with capo on 1st fret
zero or not measurable, bass and treble

Nut relief. Capo between 2nd/3rd frets. Measuring
distance from top of 1st fret to bottom of string.
All strings within acceptable limits of <.005 inch.

Unacceptable for live, or any other type of playing, regardless of skill level of the player.

Electronics are virtually useless in their current state.

Intonation is VERY poor, surely do to the sloppy saddle mounting situation described above.

Playing anywhere between 4th and 8th frets is impossible due to buzzing.

Playing anywhere higher than the 8th fret is possible but the intonation is so poor that it sounds horrible.

When the owner first received this guitar he noted the buzzing frets problem AND the 60 Hz hum in the electronics. He contacted Zager and asked how to proceed. Zager had the owner send the guitar back to Denny's facility in Nebraska. I'm not sure if the "Flat Filed Frets" occurred before or after that warranty service. I didn't see the guitar until after it had been returned from the warranty work.

The owner said the 60 Hz hum was present both before and after the warranty work. That suggests to me that Zager did essentially NOTHING to address the hum problem.

Again, I can't see how Denny or his son Dennis Zager, were able to do a setup on this instrument because they were unable to use the preamp output AND a large majority of the frets would not intonate or even play.

I have played for over 40 years including several years as a professional L.A. studio musician in the 60's and 70's.

Overall impression of the Zager...An acceptable $300
Asian made Martin copy (way overpriced by Zager at $800),
ruined by Zager's "EZ-Play" setup. The frets are now
filed beyond repair. It would take a $200-$300 fret
replacement to remedy his poor workmanship.

I would not allow a guitar student of mine to learn
on this Zager instrument as it is simply not playable.

As much as I'd be happy to be proven wrong,
I find it very hard to believe that this particular
instrument is just one that "slipped through the QA cracks".
The fact that it's been BACK to Zager for evaluation and repair,
and the saddle/frets/pickup problem has NOT been addressed suggests
to me that Zager simply doesn't know what he's doing.

2005 Manufacture, my ZAD80 has a solid cedar top, Rosewood back, Rosewood sides and Rosewood fretboard with a gloss finish. It has an Abalone inlay which surrounds the soundhole and around the edges of the top. It uses Fishman electronics for sound.

I AM IN LOVE WITH THE ZAGER. I cannot express how this has grown on me. The mellow woody deep sound, intonation, volume and highs are better than either of my guitars, and better than I believe I have heard from others.

This is apparently their trademark purpose for the Zager guitar line. Their info states that their actions are prepared prior to shipping by a luthier, hand adjusted and customized for the best play and actions possible. On arrival, I checked and it did not even need tuning. I absolutely agree. If you look closely, you can see that the frets and saddle have been professionally modified by hand.

All componentry was without flaw and beautiful. The only area I wasn't happy with was the Martin guitar case itself which arrived with a small cosmetic discoloration. Zager is replacing this as we speak without cost (including shipping costs).

I have owned this for two days now, so I couldn't possibly provide an honest assessment for reliability. Concerning durability, all componentry appear well built without flaws. I would make the same comment about my Ovation which has lasted for years.

I would echo everyone else's comments. When you call, you get the owners son without going through a phone tree, and they answer immediately. If you email, he answers immediately. It is so weird to have a salesperson be so quick to meet your needs completely. Their support would get a 20 in this class. I mentioned that the case had a small cosmetic problem regarding what looked like a black shiny glue material on the Martin case which could only be seen at an angle and up close. It wasn't a problem and I was asking how I might take it off. They said my replacement case was on its way and would arrange for UPS pickup the old case once the replacement arrived. WOW!

The mellow woody deep sound, intonation, volume and highs are better than either of my guitars (12-string Fender and 6 string Ovation acoustic), and better than I believe I have heard from others. One of my friends who owns a Taylor 814ce Grand Auditorium loved it, and I believe he paid over $3,000 for his. If I were to replace this due to damage or theft, I would buy another ZAD80 without a second thought.

I want to show this to another one of my friends by the name of Randy Angella who owns and builds the Angella line of guitars. His prices begin at the $4,500.00 end and quickly move up. He is known throughout the world for his classical and flamingo acoustic nylon string guitars. I would love to hear his opinion!! ...

This is not a plug for his business, but it may very well become another high five for the Zager guitar line. I will let you know what he says. I am one highly excited 52 year old customer who has been playing guitar off and on since high school!

Terry Godchaux

- Venetian cutaway box
- Solid Cedar Top
- Rosewood back & sides
- Sealed "Grover" Tuning Gears
- Built in transducer
- Onboard electronics & EQ
- Onboard electronic tuner
- Guitar strap audio jack
- 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

Easy to play, great sound accoustically and brilliant when attached to my AXC1000 Behringer ElectroAccoutic amp. I handed the Zager guitar to my tutor (30+ Year Professional Guitarist) who plays a Martin usually. What he could make this guitar was astounding. I love the sound that comes out of this guitar. When I requested an opinion he remarked that this guitar is "Perfect". He suggested that it was a great guitar for the price. He went further to say that I should expect to be very happy with it for a long time to come. I agree.

Arrived ready to rock. In tune and ready to play. Perfect!

I expect to be able to use this guitar for everything and anything. It came with a 100% lifetime warranty and 100% money back guarantee (including shipping).

This is where I was totally sold. I would stack these guys against any 10 other guitar distibutors/manufacturers. My first ZAD 80CE didn't handle the shipping too well. No physical damage but my guitar tutor felt that the E base was not strong enough when used with an amp. Denny Zager Jr. arranged for a second guitar to be shipped immediately upon hearing my concerns. I was so releived by the by the supportive conversation. As at this writing I still have both guitars.

Beginner. Yamaha Keyboard. Behringer ACX1000 ElectroAccoustic amp, MIDIMAN midisport 2 x 2. Yamaha Accoustic 6 string.
The Zager is the best part of all. I would replace the Zager with another exactly the same in a heart beat if it were stolen. As a beginner I don't think that I can qualify or disqualify other guitars but my tutor, and another guitarist, that I requested opinion from are certainly qualified and they both agreed it was as good as guitars twice the price.