Monday, July 5, 2010

Zager ZAD 80CE Review By Robert Pedersen

Features :
The top is solid cedar and the sides and back are rosewood with a gloss finish. The neck is rosewood with 21 frets. There is abalone inlay on the neck, around the edge of the top, and the rosette is abalone as well. It has a Fishman transducer with a built-in tuner. The tuners are gold Grovers. I'm not sure what if anything else I would want in an acoustic guitar, so as far as I'm concerned it's got all the features I need and want. The built in tuner is one feature I wouldn't want to be without, and worth the extra money.
Sound :
I find the sound rich and full. I have not plugged it into an amp yet. I'm extremely pleased with the tone of this guitar.
Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
The fit is nearly perfect. The finish has just a couple very small beads of varnish or whatever the clear finish is at the top end of the head. Other than that, the finish is perfect.
Reliability/Durability : 10
I'm not a professional, but the guitar seems very solid. I'm not the abusive type, and take care of all my stuff, and I expect this guitar to be with me as long as I wish!
Customer Support : 10
I have talked with the company several times, and found them to be very friendly. It's a BIG plus to have a human answer the phone, and when they're friendly and helpful, WOW! They have a 100% money back guarantee - if you don't like it, they will have it picked up and returned and pay shipping both ways plus refund the purchase price. Can't beat that! Their guitars carry a lifetime warranty.
Overall Rating :
I'm first a piano player. I have played around with guitars for several years, and quite frankly never was happy with the cheap ones I could afford, and just couldn't justify spending the kind of money I thought I had to spend to get the feel and sound I wanted. Because I traveled a lot, I ended up with a Baby Taylor that I kept for a few years. It lacked depth of tone, and it wasn't particularly easy to play, and so I sold it. Then I went shopping at local guitar stores, and discovered that I was going to have to spend 1500 or more on a Taylor to get what I really wanted. Since I'm not a pro, I didn't think that was the way to go. When I found Zager Guitar, I really felt it had to be to good to be true. Their guarantee gave me the courage to call and talk, and I decided to try them out. I ended up buying their most expensive model, the ZAD 80CE, with a case.
So, now I have an acoustic/electric guitar with a built in tuner, a nice sturdy case with a temp/humidity sensor for under a grand that looks good and sounds great! I think the biggest testament to it's sound and playability is the fact that I don't want to put it down! If you only own one guitar as I do, this model is a perfect choice. If you own many, you ought to have one of these as well! As an aside, they also include a set of strings (Martin) two picks and a t-shirt. These folks are doing everything they can to provide a serious musical instrument at a more than fair price in my opinion.

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