ZAD50OM
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on october 26, 2012 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 550
Purchased from: Dennis Zager
Features: My 50OM acoustic guitar is 15% smaller than a standard dreadnought, so the waist is a tad smaller and it's easier to get your arm around. You will lose a tiny bit of sound compared to a full size, but I purchased this as a guitar for my own personal playing, so this slightly smaller guitar is perfect for my needs. Grover tuners, Martin strings, unique neck design that feels right in your hands. Glossy finish. Solid spruce top. Beautiful reddish back and sides. Looks much prettier in person compared to the photos. Unique look but not garish. // 10
Sound: I am not using an amp with this acoustic version, but you could get the 50CEOM acoustic electric and plug in if you needed to. I like the bouncy sound of spruce, and it compares with my Martin OM-18 that I sold about 8 years ago. Everyone I play for loves this little guitar. It has a surprising sound for a slightly smaller box. One night my buddies and I did a sort of blindfold test between all our guitars when I first got the Zager, and they were giving me crap for buying a "no-namer"... And I hate to say my Martin-playing friend was embarrassed when he chose the Zager over his own guitar! Ouch. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Denny's setup is different from most I've seen or had done. It is ready to play out of the box, and stays in tune for weeks. The woods are matched, and the finish was flawless. It arrived packed securely and without a fingerprint on it. Very clean and professionally done. The action is a dream. So easy. It's not one of those one-size-fits-all setups that you can pay $$$ for, it's structurally designed for easier playability without sacrificing anything else. Important. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this guitar, and I would recommend it to others based on my experience with the Zager brand. I am actually a hobby luthier (10 years or so). This guitar I have had for 3 years and is the only guitar that I did not build myself that I will not part with. All other of the shelf guitars I had have been sold except for a Taylor I recently bought in bad condition and rebuilt, and though a nice guitar it is for sale. The ZAD50OM I play daily, and will not part with it. It just gets better with age. Sitka spruce, in comparison to other top woods, has superior tensile strength: it will bend a lot before it breaks. // 10
Impression: Buying a Zager guitar is like going into a new restaurant and getting your dinner and knowing this place is ran by a real chef instead of a bunch of out of touch businessmen, know what I mean? Denny's been doing this his whole life; it's his trade. His son is in the business too, but the fundamentals of their guitars are all based on years of testing and real use by a pro player. It's a great thing and I've pretty happy at the quality and service these guys put out. No anxious feelings and no regrets on this purchase. // 10
ZAD50OM
Reviewed by:
wilsonrichards, on november 28, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 595
Purchased from: www.zagerguitar.com
Features: I've recently received my new Zager ZAD-50 OM, orchestra model acoustic guitar and I'll have to say that I almost didn't order it, due to a few bad reviews that I had read. What a mistake I would have made, not ordering this great guitar! I ordered it, received it and I'm totally excited about it. They offer a 100% money back guarantee, how could I loose on that kind of deal!? The OM model is about 15% smaller and it's exactly what I was looking for. The guitar fits me really nicely and the guitar is very easy to handle and is extremely well balanced. I also ordered the case for it and am I glad I did! Wow! For the money, it's an outstanding quality case. I don't put this guitar away very often! It's a joy to play and I'm now a believer in the "E-Z Play" system. Thank you Denny for spending the time that you did, concerning the professional setup on this one! It's awesome and I appreciate it very much! // 10
Sound: The sound is vibrant and projects very well. The fact that this is a OM size model did not seem to affect the volume at all as compared to full size guitars. It has a very rich full sound both when fingerpicking and strumming. We looked at many different guitars and the sound quality of the Zager is far superior to any in this price range and as good as many priced much higher. My brother-in-law is in a band and talks music/guitar night and day was extremely impressed with the sound and could not believe it was coming from a guitar that only cost $495. I had to show him the Zager website to prove it to him. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: As I stated above the action and set-up is what really makes an already excellent guitar stand out. The custom work done by Denny is outstanding. His process of lowering the stings closer to the fret board along with a slightly wider stance and a thinner neck make this the easiest guitar to play that I have ever tried. My brother-in-law has 14 guitars with 7 having special set-up work done and the Zager is in my opinion better than any of them. The Zager guitar probably saved my daughter from giving up on her guitar lessons and renewed her excitement for playing, something that I will be forever grateful to Denny Zager for. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This guitar seems to be built extremely well. I've got others that simply don't seem as solid. The finish seems so nice and so flawless, it should be very easy to keep it that way. Let's face it, we do have to polish 'em now & then! The strap stud is nice and solid and Grover tuners are awesome. The nut, bridge and saddle are solid and well done! It holds tuning very well... I forget to change strings. My guitar stand was stolen at a gig, so I did without for a while, and my guitar got knocked around more, but survived. // 10
Impression: Well, I played many years ago, about 35 years ago to be exact. Too busy with the career! I'm now retired and wanted to begin learning again. I'm so happy that I found the Zager guitar company and took my time and did my homework, before making a purchase, that I might have been sorry for from other makers. I love the way this guitar feels and handles and it going to make this so much easier! I would certainly recommend this guitar or any from Zager for that matter. If my guitar ever gets lost or stolen, I'd order another one from Zager Guitar in a heartbeat!
