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Zager Acoustic

snyder66

By snyder66
in Acoustic Guitars

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Brindleleaf Newbie

Brindleleaf

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Lol...this is like watching a film about the first world war...! (Massed charges against machine guns, trench warfare, and abysmally unsophisticated propoganda...!).

I live a LONG way from Nebraska, and had never even heard of Zager guitars until I arrived here, so it's kind of bizare (but entertaining!) reading all this stuff.

I've got a simple question for Guitar Hack...

"Given that people here tend to be pretty helpful and FAR from guitar snobs (check out any thread where someone asks for advice about a cheap guitar, and look at how many different brands and models are suggested), why exactly do you think that SO MANY don't like Zager's? (People here are open to virtually all styles and types of guitars, and are very helpful in advising about choices, setups, repairs etc etc....)

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FretFiend. Rookie

FretFiend.

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I've got a simple question for Guitar Hack...

"Given that people here tend to be pretty helpful and FAR from guitar snobs (check out any thread where someone asks for advice about a cheap guitar, and look at how many different brands and models are suggested), why exactly do you think that SO MANY don't like Zager's? (People here are open to virtually all styles and types of guitars, and are very helpful in advising about choices, setups, repairs etc etc....)



You can't argue to a Zager schill [sic] with reason and logic. :rolleyes:

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sixgunner455 Newbie

sixgunner455

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Not in my experience.



That's quite an assumption on your part. The brick and mortar aspect of how Zager sells his guitars is of no interest to me. I find it more likely that the people here who take the time comment one way or another are mostly honest and know what they're talking about.



Good for you, why not?




No.


With alluring photos like these:


zagerheadstock.jpg

zagertop.jpg

zagerback.jpg

It was easy for me to get taken in by all the EZ play "string science" bull{censored}.


Due to a severe on the job injury requiring triple fusion of 3 neck vertebrae resulting in a weak and nerve tingly left hand, I wanted to believe there was such a thing as "string science" because my beloved Guild D55 (a TRUE) cannon had become difficult for me to play even with an excellent setup.


I put 900 or so on my credit card and waited with hopeful anticipation for my Zager ZAD 80 to arrive.


My 75 yr old stepdad came into the livingroom for the unboxing after UPS left. The guitar was really really shiny, very heavy gloss finish-but it looked great. I got out the tuner - tuned it up and hit a few minor chords. {censored}. Pure {censored}. {censored}tiest sounding, drop dead gorgeous pieice of Pac-rim crap I ever heard. All for 900 and change!


I looked at my Step dad and said "Did you hear that"? He asked, "hear what exactly"? I said how crappy that guitar sounds- he looked relieved and laughed saying, "Man, I'm sure glad you said that because I wasn't going to say anything but yeah. "Can you send it back"?



The ONLY redeeming thing I can say about my personal Zager experience was the return was very graciously handled with no drama.


Buyer beware.

 

Am I counting right? Could that really be a six-piece back?

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FretFiend. Rookie

FretFiend.

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Pretty much. I definitely like spreading the strings a little farther apart at the neck. I use scalloped braces. I like nice low action.

 

 

Spreading the strings a little further apart on the neck without widening the neck means that the first and sixth strings will be too close to the edge of the fretboard. They will slip off the ends of the frets too easily when you try to play.

 

CF Martin has been scalloping braces for quite a while before Denny Zager showed up.

 

If you want low action, take the guitar to a tech and say, "I want a low action." If he charges you more than fifty bucks to do it, he robbed you.

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Guitar Hack Newbie

Guitar Hack

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"Spreading the strings a little further apart on the neck without widening the neck means that the first and sixth strings will be too close to the edge of the fretboard. They will slip off the ends of the frets too easily when you try to play.

 

CF Martin has been scalloping braces for quite a while before Denny Zager showed up.

 

If you want low action, take the guitar to a tech and say, "I want a low action." If he charges you more than fifty bucks to do it, he robbed you.

 

"

 

Guitar Hack rolls his eye at the innanity of the statement as it is a common request of luthiers to do just that, spread the strings a bit further apart at the nut. I don't have any problems with it.

 

CF Martin has been scalloping braces for a long time. You are correct. BUT, you don't see scalloped braces on the guitars in the Zager Price range. Such as the D-15 any of the dx versions or the D-16's. It's only found on their upper crust geetars. Even the run of the mill D-28 doesn't have scalloped bracing. Now you will find it on some of the Pac Rim geetars such as Blueridge and Recording King. Also fine geetars. I own one of each.

 

Low action now that's what everyone wants but try to get that when you order a guitar from Musicians Friend or Guitar Center. Ain't gonna happen. You can if you order from a brick and morter store such as Maury's but you're gonna pay extra for it. The set up on a new guitar is built into the price at the brick and mortar store. You may think you're getting it free but you're not.

 

Jack Wagon! :-)

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Guitar Hack Newbie

Guitar Hack

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The picture of my first build is just below my name. It's a Martin HD-28 Kit that I bought and substituted out the Sitka top with a master grade adirondack top. I have two others nearly done. I have a HD-28 style guitar with a sinker Redwood top and Osage Orange back and sides as well as an OM Mahogany/sinker Redwood top guitar which I am making for my daughter so have to have it done by X-mas. The finish is on both and I am in the process of sanding and polishing the finish. I put in my own tailpiece as well.

 

I did the HD-28 over a year ago. Great sounding guitar. The Adirondack has a much more balanced tone that Sitka.

 

Not sure how to post a photo as I don't have any on line that I can link too.

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gthom Newbie

gthom

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BUT, you don't see scalloped braces on the guitars in the Zager Price range. Such as the D-15 any of the dx versions or the D-16's. It's only found on their upper crust geetars. Even the run of the mill D-28 doesn't have scalloped bracing. Now you will find it on some of the Pac Rim geetars such as Blueridge and Recording King. Also fine geetars. I own one of each.

 

 

So, you dont' find scalloped braces on guitars in that price range....except for Blueridge and Recording King...and you own one of each....but you sold your Zager and kept those two. Got it. Thanks.

 

Am I missing something here?

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Guitar Hack Newbie

Guitar Hack

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So, you dont' find scalloped braces on guitars in that price range....except for Blueridge and Recording King...and you own one of each....but you sold your Zager and kept those two. Got it. Thanks.


Am I missing something here?

 

 

Actually I had the Blueridge BR 240 which has a Mahogany back and sides. I made a Martin HD28 kit which had a EIR back and sides as did the Zager. I preferred the sound of the Adirondack Spruce so I sold the Zager which had a cedar top. I bought the Recording King 12 string a couple months ago. So the bottom line is I didn't need two EIR guitars.

 

I am currently finishing an Osage Orange/Sinker Redwood guitar which I am told should come close to rivaling Braz. I really like the sound of the sinker redwood I have heard. Very complex sound with lots of overtones. I'm not sure what I will get rid of when that is done. Maybe the Blueridge.

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valentsgrif Newbie

valentsgrif

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My Zager is not a favorite guitar for me. I still own it, but rarely play it as the reason for buying it, namely, an arthritic condition in my hand, has passed with the purchase of my Gibson WM-45. (low action wasn't any relief- short scale was).

That being said, the Zager was easy to play and sounds on par with the other imports in its class. It ain't on par with an all solid Martin, Gibson ect. but it is constructed well and is not junk and did not sound dead. I couldn't care if you all bought one someday or not. But my opinion is as valid as yours, and probably more so as I've owned and played the guitar since it was new. Few others on here can say so. And even if yours was a piece of crap, so what? Every other Gibson thread on here has a Gibson sounding awful at Guitar Center when strummed for 4 minutes. Do you kill a whole line because of this?
Denny Zager makes money selling these to noobs. Good for the noobs Most noobs get a guitar at Best Buy or Sears, try to learn from a book or online, and quit soon thereafter because their fingers hurt or the chords are too hard to play. Zager has stepped up to show them a way in, a way to actually get playing on a very easy action. The big harm? Geez, maybe they stick with the instrument long enough to eventually buy heavier strings or trade the thing in for one of the better mid grade instruments.

Noobs, unless someone they know educates them, don't know about $50 set ups (my shop charges $85 + tax). they just know their pawn shop acousitc is hard to play. So, it ain't the end of the world if they get a Zager.

If you want to inform an inquiring noob to not get a Zager based or price or as a matter of advertising ethics, thats fine. But making the instrument out to be junk, when its not, is a matter of spite.

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katopp Newbie

katopp

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I have no issues with 2agers, since they are not available here on my side of the pond.
My only issue is, that Denny 2ager sells his setup as snake oil "string science", when there is no science at all involved, just a butchering of an otherwise probably decent guitar.

My problem with 2agers is, that due to the fact that he grinds his frets down to a point where there is no meat left for a fret dress and re-crown, I feel he's butchering the guitars. That's all.

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Bubbalou Newbie

Bubbalou

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About 2 years ago I bought a Zagar. It sounded good but I couldn't make a standard F chord on that neck. Drove me crazy and between that and the Firestorm here I chose to get rid of it. I then bought a Martin D16 that played and sounded like a dream. It was not as good as the D28 (my favorite) but much better player than the Zagar. I returned the Zagar just in time for a refund . BTW: The Zagar Came with a "FREE" target for those here to shoot at ;)

I quit this forum because it was always the same, some poor unsuspecting slob like me wandering in to the " Zagar shooting gallery" and barely made it out alive. All was then fine with me but the Zagar thing just kept coming up and each and every time was met with fierce resistance. I lost pleasure in this forum as a result. After almost 2 years I came back a week ago and just in time (according to Totamus) to see the only Zager thread they have had since I left. I guess I am a "Zager Magnet" . Anyone know how to effectively discharge this dreadful thing? LOL

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