Zager ZAD-50 Acoustic
Product: Zager ZAD 50
Price Paid: US $595
Review by Stewart Johannson
Email: stewie114 at hotmailcom
This is an American made guitar, manufactured in May of 2005. It is a full size dreadnought acoustic guitar with no electronics. The guitar has 20 frets and is made entirely of wood. NO LAMINATES. The bodies have a solid Spruce top, rosewood fret board and the sides and back are made of Mahogany. It has the inlay design and a tortoise pick guard. The top is a natural color with a gloss finish. The tuners are sealed Grover tuners. The guitar came with a couple pics and a stand and it came strung with genuine Martin strings and an additional set of Martin strings.
The guitar is excellent for my style. I am a beginner and was looking for a great sounding guitar, one that sounds full and resonates well. I wanted to make sure the guitar sounded great so I could concentrate on my abilities. This Zager fits the bill. And because I am a beginner, an acoustic was the least expensive way to go. The sound is full bodied and has impressed a all of my friends that have been playing lots of other guitars for many years.
The guitar was ready to play right out of the box (it was shipped through UPS). It only needed a couple minor adjustments to bring it into tune. Nothing that was not expected. This guitar is a Zager E-Z play guitar which means that it has been handmade to have a very low string action and the strings have been spread to help improve the ability to play. It is exactly as described on the website. I did actually purchase mine as a "second" (at a discount) and I was told there was a mare in the finish on the back. When I opened the box up, it was just like it was stated to me.
As an acoustic guitar it is well made. It has the cross members and is entirely made of wood, which allows it to breathe, expand and contract with the environment it is in. The all wood design and the great Grover tuners are above what I was expecting to get as my first guitar. I expected to end up getting a guitar that was barely finished and felt like a thin piece of unfinished balms wood for my beginner price range, but I found this guitar on the web and decide to spend a little bit more than a "starter" guitar would cost me at my local shop and got a well made, extremely well finished(this thing has a lot of coats on it)with excellent sound that I will be able to play and enjoy for a lifetime without looking to upgrade to a better guitar in a few years! The strap button is the only thing I would change, because there is only the one on the bottom of the body. The other will have to be added by a shop (at my expense) or by myself (which they do provide a video on their website to walk you through the process). The guitar is solid and very light!
I had many interactions with the Zager Guitars Company, through e-mail, before I purchased the guitar and each and everyone was answered in a very quick time line and the responses were not "pre-fabled" answers. They were complete answers to my question and not just a response by a salesman. Since I am a beginner, I was very concerned about investing in a guitar that I may not be able to play or wouldn't want to play for very long. I was assured by The Zager Guitar Company that I would be satisfied with the guitar and that it was not only a great guitar for long time guitar players but it was also the best guitar for a beginner. They assured me that if I did not agree after I received the guitar they would take it back and they would pay the shipping of it(no cost to me). That says a lot about a company. The guitar also offers a lifetime warranty. I have not had any reason to take advantage of this warranty.
I have been playing for a short time and this is the only guitar I own. I asked ALL the questions I needed to ask (Zager, guitar shops and my friends) before I purchased, probably more than I needed to. If this guitar was stolen or lost I would buy another Zager E-Z Play guitar, although I would invest in the electric acoustic model. I did not buy the electric acoustic to begin because of the additional cost and the fear that I may not be able to play the guitar or stick with it, but after just a short period of playing this E-Z play guitar, I am sure I will be playing the rest of my life. It really is easy to play and the sound is what you want to hear coming from something you are investing your time and energy into. I was not able to do a one on one comparison due to the fact that Zager's are only available on-line, but I did look at a lot of starter guitars and some solid wood guitars from Taka mine, Taylor, Yamaha and Washburn and all of the solid wood models were in the same price range but were not designed as an "E-Z Play" guitar. That is what drew me to the Zager and it was the right decision. This guitar looks good, sounds great, plays great, my friends are impressed and I don't have to look for an upgrade now that I will be playing for a long time to come!