Posted: 12/1/2025 12:09:24 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mach][Edited]
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Anybody have one? Wondering what you think. Going to look at a ZAD 50 CE OM for $600 solid mahogany sides and back |
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I’ve had two. Bought my first one in a pawn shop and it started me on my current trajectory. First was a ZAD 50 mahogany. 2’d was a ZAD 80 with a cedar top. Knowing what I know now, they were “okay” beginner guitars. They seem thrown together assembly line products with the cheapest components you can find and still make the claims they do. “All solid wood” Yeah, that’s true…. But it’s the cheapest crummiest possible wood. The binding and purfeling are equally cheap. I gave the 50 away and sold the 80 at a small loss. I don’t miss either of them. I do like their picks though and I still have a couple sets of “pillow touch strings”. Keep looking-you can do better. |
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Well I bought it. It is the model with Fishman Presys electronics and included the case. I played it for about 20 minutes. I paid $600 and it doesn't have a scratch or a bump on it. It definitely resonates better than either Yamaha. It sounds better than the Yamaha FD01S and FG800s which I found uncomfortable to sit and play because they keep sliding off my leg even with my knee elevated. It is an OM size. I wanted a smaller guitar and I guess this fits the bill. It is solid Sitka spruce and mahogany and I know there are grades of guitar wood, but $600 for a guitar that sells for $1400 was a decent deal. it is an upgrade from what I had, but it was sort of a spur of the moment thing. still unsure if I should have bought it or not. I think the bottom line is I do like it for the price I paid and I am going to sell the 2 Yamahas I have. I really do not want a room full of guitars and this makes 9. |
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Originally Posted By BTccw: I've had two. Bought my first one in a pawn shop and it started me on my current trajectory. First was a ZAD 50 mahogany. 2'd was a ZAD 80 with a cedar top. Knowing what I know now, they were "okay" beginner guitars. They seem thrown together assembly line products with the cheapest components you can find and still make the claims they do. "All solid wood" Yeah, that's true . But it's the cheapest crummiest possible wood. The binding and purfeling are equally cheap. I gave the 50 away and sold the 80 at a small loss. I don't miss either of them. I do like their picks though and I still have a couple sets of "pillow touch strings". Keep looking-you can do better. I think the Zagar if I keep it, will be my travel camping guitar, the case is really nice. Also the fit and finish on this Zagar looks really nice too but so far this $600 Zagar is the most expensive acoustic I have picked up so my standard may not know any better. |
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Originally Posted By luv_the_huskers: Zager was part of the duo that sang the 60's hit "In the Year 2525". He is from Lincoln NE and the company has its headquarters there. |
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Originally Posted By Hillcountry: Just as good as any other high end guitar! I've had 2 and bought one for someone else. You're buying from the manufacturer and not any "middle man" They are also set up for EZ Play! Grab one! You won't be sorry! I think it is a marketing thing for new players, an accomplished player will not be swayed to buy, by having something called easy play, so not real sure what he is going for with this. |
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“Although they do not have any partnerships with other manufacturers, some Zager guitars are manufactured in Indonesia. Any guitar that has “Zager” written on the headstock is made in the USA. If the headstock says “Easy Play” it means that this guitar was manufactured in Indonesia.” Is it signed on the back upper bout bass side by Denny Zager? |
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Originally Posted By BTccw: "Although they do not have any partnerships with other manufacturers, some Zager guitars are manufactured in Indonesia. Any guitar that has "Zager" written on the headstock is made in the USA. If the headstock says "Easy Play" it means that this guitar was manufactured in Indonesia." Is it signed on the back upper bout bass side by Denny Zager? |
Mach
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Originally Posted By BTccw: That is a good step up from your Yamaha's. Keep the momentum going and don't tell the wife cause all guitars look the same. Right? wife doesn't mind my guitars at all. In fact she acts like they aren't even there unless I play an acoustic then she does run and hide in the bedroom with a book. She will read a book right next to me when I play an electric though with it hooked up to headphones. Going to get rid of the Yamahas, and let someone else enjoy them like I did. Played the Zager for several hours today and I do like the tone much better, although I think there is still a Martin GPC16E in my future. I figure one mahogany ( although which type mahogany is not specified ) and one rosewood guitar will be the collection. |
Mach
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I have come to the conclusion that Zager guitars are NOT made in the US. There is no address on their website except for a town and state. Google maps has 2 locations in NE for Zager guitars. 1 is an office building and google street view shows no sign for them and the other is a condiminum complex also with no sighn for them on street view. No info, no pics, no video on their production process or actual location. I think Denny Zager is a scam artist. They are probably made in Indonesia or china or both. The guitar I have seems very similar to a Recording King in the local shop, that is clearly made in china. Same style binding. The guitar does sing and resonate so it may very well be solid mahogany and maybe even real Grover tuners but the whole "where is it made thing" is a big red flag to me and smacks of intentional deception. It has been well over a year since people on line doing reviews of their guitars have called for transparency on where they make their guitars and nothing but more vagueness and lack of answering the question from the company. Like I said, for $600 it is a nice guitar |
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I think Zager sources most and probably ALL its pieces from overseas and then “assembles” them here. That’s nothing unusual. Martin, Gibson, Taylor…everyone does that. Zager just uses really cheap stuff and throws them together in some warehouse shop space somewhere. Acoustic guitars that are built with Maple or Walnut or KOA with some flavor of Sitka or Red spruce, or Cedar or Redwood top would be your mostly USA sourced guitars but even then…. I’ve mentioned Breedlove in this thread and I often find myself sounding like one of their reps. My two favorite performance guitars are Breedlove. They really are one of the most honest and responsible builders with (some) products that are sourced from primarily USA woods. I have an all Myrtlewood (Northern CA-Southern Oregon coast) but it has an Ebony fret board so even that is not 100%. I bought it right out of their showroom/shop. It’s not everyone’s tone but I appreciate their commitment to sustainability which is in keeping with their shop/production/showroom in Bend, OR. The sign out front says; Two Old Hippies.  They also had THE industries best stash of exotic and rare tone woods at one point. If you like the OM size… look for a Breedlove REVIVAL OM (the older ones-early 2000’s) They were designed and influenced by a guy named Preston Thompson and built with skill, precision, and GREAT woods. If it has a Jason Bowerman signature on the label along with Kim Breedlove… it’s going to be an amazing guitar. They can be found for maybe twice what you paid for your Zager and they are the screaming deal sleeper guitar that will not disappoint. Sell the Zager…. Keep trading up….its a journey-enjoy it. |
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Originally Posted By BTccw: I think Zager sources most and probably ALL its pieces from overseas and then "assembles" them here. That's nothing unusual. Martin, Gibson, Taylor everyone does that. Zager just uses really cheap stuff and throws them together in some warehouse shop space somewhere. Acoustic guitars that are built with Maple or Walnut or KOA with some flavor of Sitka or Red spruce, or Cedar or Redwood top would be your mostly USA sourced guitars but even then . I've mentioned Breedlove in this thread and I often find myself sounding like one of their reps. My two favorite performance guitars are Breedlove. They really are one of the most honest and responsible builders with (some) products that are sourced from primarily USA woods. I have an all Myrtlewood (Northern CA-Southern Oregon coast) but it has an Ebony fret board so even that is not 100%. I bought it right out of their showroom/shop. It's not everyone's tone but I appreciate their commitment to sustainability which is in keeping with their shop/production/showroom in Bend, OR. The sign out front says; Two Old Hippies. They also had THE industries best stash of exotic and rare tone woods at one point. If you like the OM size look for a Breedlove REVIVAL OM (the older ones-early 2000's) They were designed and influenced by a guy named Preston Thompson and built with skill, precision, and GREAT woods. If it has a Jason Bowerman signature on the label along with Kim Breedlove it's going to be an amazing guitar. They can be found for maybe twice what you paid for your Zager and they are the screaming deal sleeper guitar that will not disappoint. Sell the Zager . Keep trading up .its a journey-enjoy it. I just spent 2 hours adjusting the relief on this guitar. It was way higher than I realized. I didn't bring any tools with me yesterday and I could see that visibly there was too much relief in the neck and the action was high and the intonation was slightly off, but I didn't bring any tools with me but I did not realize it was so very high. The relief was 0.026 in, so I took my time paying attention to not breaking anything and adjusted the relief to 0.10 in. And now the action on the low E is about 0.090 or so and the high E is 0.075. So it is about where it should be and the intonation is perfect. It was slightly off yesterday and I bought it like that figuring when I adjusted the relief to where it should be that the intonation would be better, at least that is what I was hoping and it turned out great. It plays much better than I am used to and sounds much clearer and articulate than I am used to. I really like the tone compared to what I am used too. I am now glad I bought this, I was having second thoughts, but after setting it up, I really like it. |
Mach
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I got up this morning at 0430 and started playing it. Could not put it down. I just finished only because I have shit to get done. I played it straight for 6 hours. 6 solid hours, I stopped twice for 5 minutes each to piss and pour more coffee. I think I love this guitar. I lowered the neck relief to 0.004 inches and have no string buzz. Pure tones and now the action at the 12th fret is Low E 0.080 and high E 0.060 inches and intonation is still dead on. ETA: Raised the relief back up to 0.007 because although I was not hearing a buzz, the high E had lost some sustain because it was very lightly touching the next fret when barred on the third fret. it plays beautifully and sounds great! |
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Wait til you discover Carl Miner and all the different guitars and tones.  Santa Cruz 1934 D Acoustic Guitar Played By Carl Miner |
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Originally Posted By BTccw: Wait til you discover Carl Miner and all the different guitars and tones.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6It-DM5dlQI do find it amazing how well this guitar plays. I never played an acoustic where I could move up and down the fret board with barr chords before, the actions were just too high with the others. This one came from the factory with very low action after I set it up fwith the proper neck relief. I do find the tone inspiring and I am really astonished how much better it is in tone, play-ability and setup. This experience has made me decide to go play some Martins and maybe Taylors and Breedloves and Eastons at a shop, probably Guitar Center, but it is a 3 hour round trip into the city but if I can get a jump of the same magnitude that this Zager was from the Yamahas and go from Zager to Something like a Martin GPC-16E in Rosewood, I will be more than willing to drop the money including a nice case if need be to get a guitar much higher quality guitar than this Zager and if I do, I will simply keep the Martin at home and take the Zager when I go camping and road trips. Although I fully understand if the Martin ( or whichever i end up with ) is much better, I may just sell the Zager, if the difference is also astonishing, just like I no longer want to play the Yamahas. I also understand I have zero experience in high end acoustics, but I have experienced this with electrics, and I am now hooked on acoustic playing, but as I have said I am in uncharted territory for me, so who know what will actually happen. What acoustic strings do you recommend? I am some martin custom light 80/20 bronze but I am guessing there is something better. But I really do not want to start a collection of high end guitars |
Mach
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Originally Posted By BTccw: Wait til you discover Carl Miner and all the different guitars and tones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6It-DM5dlQI will never be good enough to justify very high end guitars, plus I have too many other hobbies |
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Originally Posted By Mach: WOW! in both guitar tone and talent. I will never be good enough to justify very high end guitars, plus I have too many other hobbies I know your health isn't exactly an A+... FWIW... I just want to say it's nice/inspiring to see someone who hasn't given up on his own joy. 
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Originally Posted By splitbolt: I know your health isn't exactly an A+... FWIW... I just want to say it's nice/inspiring to see someone who hasn't given up on his own joy. Originally Posted By splitbolt: Originally Posted By Mach: WOW! in both guitar tone and talent. I will never be good enough to justify very high end guitars, plus I have too many other hobbies I know your health isn't exactly an A+... FWIW... I just want to say it's nice/inspiring to see someone who hasn't given up on his own joy. I am mostly doing much better than 1 - 5 years ago. All of my symptoms have improved. I still get them but not nearly as often. Some days I do pretty good, not back to normal but much better. I am old enough I will probably never see normal again. I picked up the guitar again when I had to get through a whole series of shit. I had to just go through it head on and playing guitar helped me cope and I think contributed to my health improving. It has been a fight and still ongoing. |
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Originally Posted By Mach: I really do want this to be a big collection. I am currently cleaning up the 2 Yamahas I have ( polish, oil, frets ) , putting new strings on, setting them up and going to sell them cheap and quickly. I just don't want them anymore. I do find it amazing how well this guitar plays. I never played an acoustic where I could move up and down the fret board with barr chords before, the actions were just too high with the others. This one came from the factory with very low action after I set it up fwith the proper neck relief. I do find the tone inspiring and I am really astonished how much better it is in tone, play-ability and setup. This experience has made me decide to go play some Martins and maybe Taylors and Breedloves and Eastons at a shop, probably Guitar Center, but it is a 3 hour round trip into the city but if I can get a jump of the same magnitude that this Zager was from the Yamahas and go from Zager to Something like a Martin GPC-16E in Rosewood, I will be more than willing to drop the money including a nice case if need be to get a guitar much higher quality guitar than this Zager and if I do, I will simply keep the Martin at home and take the Zager when I go camping and road trips. Although I fully understand if the Martin ( or whichever i end up with ) is much better, I may just sell the Zager, if the difference is also astonishing, just like I no longer want to play the Yamahas. I also understand I have zero experience in high end acoustics, but I have experienced this with electrics, and I am now hooked on acoustic playing, but as I have said I am in uncharted territory for me, so who know what will actually happen. What acoustic strings do you recommend? I am some martin custom light 80/20 bronze but I am guessing there is something better. But I really do not want to start a collection of high end guitars Originally Posted By Mach: Originally Posted By BTccw: Wait til you discover Carl Miner and all the different guitars and tones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6It-DM5dlQI do find it amazing how well this guitar plays. I never played an acoustic where I could move up and down the fret board with barr chords before, the actions were just too high with the others. This one came from the factory with very low action after I set it up fwith the proper neck relief. I do find the tone inspiring and I am really astonished how much better it is in tone, play-ability and setup. This experience has made me decide to go play some Martins and maybe Taylors and Breedloves and Eastons at a shop, probably Guitar Center, but it is a 3 hour round trip into the city but if I can get a jump of the same magnitude that this Zager was from the Yamahas and go from Zager to Something like a Martin GPC-16E in Rosewood, I will be more than willing to drop the money including a nice case if need be to get a guitar much higher quality guitar than this Zager and if I do, I will simply keep the Martin at home and take the Zager when I go camping and road trips. Although I fully understand if the Martin ( or whichever i end up with ) is much better, I may just sell the Zager, if the difference is also astonishing, just like I no longer want to play the Yamahas. I also understand I have zero experience in high end acoustics, but I have experienced this with electrics, and I am now hooked on acoustic playing, but as I have said I am in uncharted territory for me, so who know what will actually happen. What acoustic strings do you recommend? I am some martin custom light 80/20 bronze but I am guessing there is something better. But I really do not want to start a collection of high end guitars Acoustic Tone Whores United! Strings do make a big difference in tone and playability. You’ll have to experiment around but on that guitar I would stick with light gauge strings. I’ve generally use Martin and daddaro xs But someone said Ernie Ball Aluminum were good to go? I haven’t tried. They might be too bright for my tastes. I like dark moody guitars and tones. I heard Tommy Emmanuel say he use baritone strings on his guitars. He’s a mutant so don’t try what he does at home. Anyway, It’s just vanity… at some point you realize you’re just a guitar junkie. You have to admit it… own it… and hope the next one is your last.  Does (this) rifle actually shoot more accurately than my other dozen or do I just shoot this rifle better? How accurate is good enough? Jeez… I missed the heart on this deer by 1/4”…. Humm it still died. Imagine that. Fun thread. Thanks. |
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Originally Posted By BTccw: Acoustic Tone Whores United! Strings do make a big difference in tone and playability. You'll have to experiment around but on that guitar I would stick with light gauge strings. I've generally use Martin and daddaro xs But someone said Ernie Ball Aluminum were good to go? I haven't tried. They might be too bright for my tastes. I like dark moody guitars and tones. I heard Tommy Emmanuel say he use baritone strings on his guitars. He's a mutant so don't try what he does at home. Anyway, It's just vanity at some point you realize you're just a guitar junkie. You have to admit it own it and hope the next one is your last. Does (this) rifle actually shoot more accurately than my other dozen or do I just shoot this rifle better? How accurate is good enough? Jeez I missed the heart on this deer by 1/4" . Humm it still died. Imagine that. Fun thread. Thanks. Originally Posted By BTccw: Originally Posted By Mach: Originally Posted By BTccw: Wait til you discover Carl Miner and all the different guitars and tones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6It-DM5dlQI do find it amazing how well this guitar plays. I never played an acoustic where I could move up and down the fret board with barr chords before, the actions were just too high with the others. This one came from the factory with very low action after I set it up fwith the proper neck relief. I do find the tone inspiring and I am really astonished how much better it is in tone, play-ability and setup. This experience has made me decide to go play some Martins and maybe Taylors and Breedloves and Eastons at a shop, probably Guitar Center, but it is a 3 hour round trip into the city but if I can get a jump of the same magnitude that this Zager was from the Yamahas and go from Zager to Something like a Martin GPC-16E in Rosewood, I will be more than willing to drop the money including a nice case if need be to get a guitar much higher quality guitar than this Zager and if I do, I will simply keep the Martin at home and take the Zager when I go camping and road trips. Although I fully understand if the Martin ( or whichever i end up with ) is much better, I may just sell the Zager, if the difference is also astonishing, just like I no longer want to play the Yamahas. I also understand I have zero experience in high end acoustics, but I have experienced this with electrics, and I am now hooked on acoustic playing, but as I have said I am in uncharted territory for me, so who know what will actually happen. What acoustic strings do you recommend? I am some martin custom light 80/20 bronze but I am guessing there is something better. But I really do not want to start a collection of high end guitars Acoustic Tone Whores United! Strings do make a big difference in tone and playability. You'll have to experiment around but on that guitar I would stick with light gauge strings. I've generally use Martin and daddaro xs But someone said Ernie Ball Aluminum were good to go? I haven't tried. They might be too bright for my tastes. I like dark moody guitars and tones. I heard Tommy Emmanuel say he use baritone strings on his guitars. He's a mutant so don't try what he does at home. Anyway, It's just vanity at some point you realize you're just a guitar junkie. You have to admit it own it and hope the next one is your last. Does (this) rifle actually shoot more accurately than my other dozen or do I just shoot this rifle better? How accurate is good enough? Jeez I missed the heart on this deer by 1/4" . Humm it still died. Imagine that. Fun thread. Thanks. The junkie is always the last to admit it. Anyway, I have a set of Martin Acoustic Custom Light 11 80/20 bronze. I guess i will put those on. I also have a set of Martin Silk and steel, but those are kinda light on the low E |
Mach
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I spent some serious time this afternoon in the acoustic room at GC. I played nice guitars from Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Yamaha and a few others. The difference between very similar guitars from the same manufacturer is surprising. I played a D-18 that blew me away and another D-18 variant that sounded like a cheap, entry level guitar. Same with a Gibson Hummingbird and J45. My overall impression is that across the price spectrum, Yamaha more than held it's own against the other big names. Any random Yamaha was more likely to impress me, than any of the other brands. I didn't delve too much into Taylor, which has a fantastic reputation for consistency, because I already have one. After today, were I to buy a multi-thousand dollar guitar, it would almost certainly be a Martin or Yamaha. The Taylors I played did nothing for me, even though I have a Taylor that I like. They have a 2018 Yamaha TransAcoustic (I had heard of them but had no idea what they were) that blows away some of the higher end guitars I played. At $440, I thought about buying it, but then remembered the "love it the first time, meh the second" phenomenon I mentioned earlier, so I'll try it again next time, if it's still there. I think it has some tuner issues, which would add to the cost, but man, that thing rings like my Yamaha FG3 and has more punch, especially in the bottom end. |
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| There is too much variation from one acoustic guitar to another, even amongst two apparently identical guitars of the same model. I would never buy any acoustic guitar without playing it first, and even then the strings make a huge difference. |
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Originally Posted By tonysoprano150: There is too much variation from one acoustic guitar to another, even amongst two apparently identical guitars of the same model. I would never buy any acoustic guitar without playing it first, and even then the strings make a huge difference. ETA:I went with the Martin Authentic acoustic Custom Light 11-52 80/20 Bronze. |
Mach
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Originally Posted By tonysoprano150: There is too much variation from one acoustic guitar to another, even amongst two apparently identical guitars of the same model. I would never buy any acoustic guitar without playing it first, and even then the strings make a huge difference. Now that I have more hands on experience with a lot of acoustics, I think it will be much easier to stick to the "buy in person" commitment. |
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I realized I never posted any pics, so hear they are. I have been playing this guitar for over 4 hours per day since I got it. I absolutely love the sound. The guy I bought it from only had it a few months and never put the black pickguard on it that it came with. I didn't like the solid black pickguard either and I had seen the Yamaha LL-TA series with the clear pickguard and really like that look, so I bought a clear pickguard and put that on it. I really like the way it preserves the top of the guitar and is just about invisible. It peels right back off very similar if not the same as a phone screen protector. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
Mach
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