Features : Made in 2010 modified by Zager in Nebraska. It has a solid cedar top with laminated rosewood sides and back. No electronics. Gold plated Grover tuners. Thin neck of rosewood. The only thing missing from comparable models (and not all in my research) is that the saddle and saddle are corian, not bone.
It's a standard dreadnought with the features you'd expect. This is a really beautiful looking guitar.
I thought the ZAD 80 compared VERY well in features and price with these models.
Sound : 9
I tried the 50CE first and found the sound too "brilliant" for my taste. But the sound on the 80 is a really nice, warm sound. This is what I was hoping for when I traded up from the 50ce. Very similar to some of the higher end Martins and Taylors I've tried, not quite as resonant or rich but pretty darn close. I want to try slightly higher gauge strings as I think that will make it a little more resonant and probably louder.
An experienced guitarist friend said the sound is very well balanced.
If you like a rich, warm sound you'll like this guitar.
Action, Fit, & Finish :
The action is very low, just as the web site explains. The extra light strings make it play almost like an electric. This is also one of the reasons I went with Zager: you get a good sounding guitar that is already set up well so you don't have to take it in and incur extra expenses.
The 50CE I got first had buzzing issues. They worked with me to try to get rid of them, but I could never fully to my satisfaction. The 80 has NO buzz (well, my instructor can make it buzz but he's pretty heavy handed), it feels really solid everywhere on the fingerboard. Not trying to discredit the 50, I may have gotten a lemon.
Can't find any flaws with the setup, I think it's excellent.
Reliability/Durability :
It has a high gloss finish that should hopefully stand up well. I'm an amateur who doesn't gig (my biggest concern is that my two young sons will knock it over :)). The construction seems very solid, but I can't really speak to this topic as I've had it less than a week.
Customer Support :
Zager is very good to deal with. They answer questions via email very quickly, and the phone support dude is great (that's right, it's a guy that picks up not a voice mail system).
I got the 50CE. Played for about 3 days. Went on vacation for 10 days. Came back and played for another 2 weeks. Tried to fix the buzz and became increasingly unhappy with the brilliant sound. Talked to Zager about it. They offered to send me the 80 so I could try it. No charge to me for shipping either way. I'm sending the 50ce back today and applying the cost to the 80. In my opinion this is EXCELLENT customer service.
Overall Rating :
I've been playing for about a year. Had an entry level guitar before this one. So my biggest hurdle to overcome in this purchasing experience is my own lack of knowledge. I've done a lot of research over the past month, including playing a lot of high end guitars, and have become much more competent when it comes to judging guitars.
The ZAD 80 competes VERY well with other guitars in the $900-$1500 price range. You get a lot of value when you purchase this guitar. And you'd be supporting an excellent independent family owned business by purchasing here.
The main reason I'm writing this review is to provide some useful information to folks looking at Zager, as I have learned a lot during my purchase experience (info I would have really liked to have).
If you are looking at
Zager Guitar, don't worry about purchasing online as this is not an issue. I recommend the ZAD 80 over the 50ce as the sound is better (at least to my taste) and you get something that has higher quality materials for a small increase in price.
Email: davidmoen
boingsoftware dot com
