Zager Guitars - Awesome?? or Overrated??

[riffmeister]

I bought a first year Chevy Vega so what do I know?

 

LOL!

 

You are very welcome here.

[HarleyGator]

LOL! You are very welcome here.

 

Thanks Riff!

[babablowfish]

You are all right, HarleyGator - I look forward to seeing you more on the forum.

 

So with a screen name like that should I conclude that you wrestle alligators while riding a Harley?

[HarleyGator]

You are all right, HarleyGator - I look forward to seeing you more on the forum. So with a screen name like that should I conclude that you wrestle alligators while riding a Harley?

 

Thanks baba! My screen name is that because I ride a Harley and I am a Florida Gator fan.

 

PS. I did wrestle a bear at the local fair many years ago though..................I lost!.....big time.

[babablowfish]

Thanks baba! My screen name is that because I ride a Harley and I am a Florida Gator fan. PS. I did wrestle a bear at the local fair many years ago though..................I lost! .....big time.

 

Wow, that is so cool. I have read about stuff like that. I remember reading about a chimpanzee who was undefeated wrestling or boxing. The little guy was only 5 ft tall, but chimps have 3x the strength of humans so no one ever even came close. I also remember watching a video of a bear running full speed up a tree. Those things are frighteningly strong. Great story you got there.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

With that said I look forward to all of the experience and wit to be found here on this forum. Now it is time to go play!

 

Nice to have you on board HarleyGator. Thanks for the enjoyable post and your introduction. Enjoy your guitars!!!

 

All the best!

 

OGP

[IbanezDtryr]

Ok....I have seen all of the stuff going on here about Zager and his guitars and I have not "joined in" as I am new here. Since I do own one,(ZAD80CE) I will comment. I have many guitars and have bought and sold countless others. I spend alot of time at my local music store(ask my wife:mad:)and have played probably everything they have. Here is my opinion: I have played good Gibsons and bad Gibsons, same with Fender, Martin, Taylor, Ibanez, Epiphone...etc, etc. So I usually won't buy a guitar unless I have played it. In the case of the Zager, I will admit that I was "intrigued" by his claims of EZ play, and I spoke to my local tech about it. He told me that he had a friend that had bought one and let him examine it. He said that it had a real good setup and was a nice guitar with a good sound. I ordered one soon after as I knew I could send it back if I didn't like it. That was a little over a year ago and I still have it. I do like it. It plays good, sounds good. It is not my favorite guitar to look at but it isn't bad. I seem to play cleaner on this guitar than most of my other acoustics,(which I have had setup) not sure why but I do. Anyway I found it to be a keeper. Whether I paid too much for it as some folks say, well thats ok. To each his own and so on. I am an old fart with thick skin. As far as the ethics of Denny, well I don't know him or what his deal with Martin or Sigma is so I leave that stone unturned. If he was doing something wrong to them I would think that something would have been done by now. But hey, I don't know. Did I get ripped off? Hell, I bought a first year Chevy Vega so what do I know? Anyway I agree with the folks here that say if you like it, keep it, play it. I have had this same type scenario with motorcycles. I ride a Harley these days. But I have owned Honda's, Yamaha's and will gladly ride with anyone of those today, no problem. I will not, however, get into a Vega again! With that said I look forward to all of the experience and wit to be found here on this forum. Now it is time to go play!

 

Exactly! Great post. Welcome my Zager bretheren! I had a friend who dropped a 350 in his Vega, that thing was a death machine!

[HarleyGator]

Exactly! Great post. Welcome my Zager bretheren! I had a friend who dropped a 350 in his Vega, that thing was a death machine!

 

Thanks Ibanez! I also considered putting a 350 in mine too, but common sense took over!

[the_cunning_1]

i bought a zad 80 ce a few months ago. largely based on the testimonials on their websight. genius i tell you, pure genious. anyway, when i first got it, i thought that it sounded nice and played pretty well. i will stand by that assessment. the playability is very good, the sound is just good and the guitar feels a little boxy and heavy. when i emailed their customer service, i got a lot about how the guitar will only sound better with age and that other guitar makers (namely taylor) age the wood for their guitars, so naturally the taylors would sound better. so i decided to give it a little play time and see what happened. it doesn't sound any worse, but......

 

the reason i went with the zager in the first place is that i hoped to find a guitar for under a $1000 that sounded and played like the $3,000-$4,000 guitars (like the taylor 814). what i got was a guitar that cost $800 and sounded like a LOT OF OTHER GUITARS in the same price range. so. it's not that i'm unhappy with it, it's just not a great bargain.

 

after having played (and buying) a larivee J-09, i relized the depth of my mistake. granted i paid a bit more for the larivee, it was very well worth the extra cash.

 

i also have a 1970 yamaha fg-180 (an absolute BEAST of a guitar) and recently i got an fg 345ll (1973 model). of my guitars, the zager is the one i like and play the least.

 

if anyone is looking for a newer ZAD 80/CE (with case) i'd sell it for less than i paid.

[babablowfish]

i bought a zad 80 ce a few months ago. largely based on the testimonials on their websight. genius i tell you, pure genious. anyway, when i first got it, i thought that it sounded nice and played pretty well. i will stand by that assessment. the playability is very good, the sound is just good and the guitar feels a little boxy and heavy. when i emailed their customer service, i got a lot about how the guitar will only sound better with age and that other guitar makers (namely taylor) age the wood for their guitars, so naturally the taylors would sound better. so i decided to give it a little play time and see what happened. it doesn't sound any worse, but...... the reason i went with the zager in the first place is that i hoped to find a guitar for under a $1000 that sounded and played like the $3,000-$4,000 guitars (like the taylor 814). what i got was a guitar that cost $800 and sounded like a LOT OF OTHER GUITARS in the same price range. so. it's not that i'm unhappy with it, it's just not a great bargain. after having played (and buying) a larivee J-09, i relized the depth of my mistake. granted i paid a bit more for the larivee, it was very well worth the extra cash. i also have a 1970 yamaha fg-180 (an absolute BEAST of a guitar) and recently i got an fg 345ll (1973 model). of my guitars, the zager is the one i like and play the least. if anyone is looking for a newer ZAD 80/CE (with case) i'd sell it for less than i paid.

 

THREAD HIJACK!! - I want to hear about the Yamahas. Anything you can tell us about your FG-180 and your FG-345II ? I have the FG-340 and absolutely love it. I have an FG-365S also but put it up for sale in a local shop as I have decided to pare down to my 2 best guitars - the FG-340 and the Parkwood. We have seen/heard Paul Brady play his FG-180 on Youtube - sounds great. What is the 345II like? Sorry for the hijack, but inquiring minds want to know.

 

Edited: Sorry, that was rude of me. Welcome to the forum! It is nice to have you join us.

[daklander]

... after having played (and buying) a larivee J-09, i relized the depth of my mistake. granted i paid a bit more for the larivee, it was very well worth the extra cash. i also have a 1970 yamaha fg-180 (an absolute BEAST of a guitar) and recently i got an fg 345ll (1973 model). of my guitars, the zager is the one i like and play the least. ....

 

Welcome.

 

I also have a pair of Yamahas, a FG150 and a FG411S. Love them both though the FG150 is due for a neck reset. Love 'em.

Yammies get a lot of love around here, as do Laris.

[Buck62]

I have an old Yamaha FG-335II that I bought brand new in 1981.

 

I've had a dozen or so other acoustics that I've bought since then (including Martins, Taylors and Breedlove guitars) but sold them all and still kept my old FG.

 

Next on my list is a hand-made Yamaha LL16.

 

I was curious about the Zager's, but I just can't get over how much incredibly great the LL16 sounded and played when I checked it out a few weeks ago. It rivals my partners $2,500 Northwood guitar... seriously.

[Bobredding]

I own a Zager 800ce Aura. I love it! I travel the country and look at lots of guitars and I haven't found a better quality guitar for anywhere near the price. I can't understand why people bash them when they obviously don't own one. As others have said, try one and see for yourself. If you don't like it , send it back. They pay the shipping both ways. Do you know any other company that stands behind their product like this? I ordered and received a 800ce OM model and played it for a couple of months. I usually play fingerstyle and decided I wanted a guitar with more volume because I play around campfires as I travel the country. I e-mailed Dennis at Zager and explained I would like to exchange the OM model for the droughtnot model and he said he would, and he did. EXCELLENT SERVICE!!! If you don't own a Zager, or any other guitar, you should keep quite and let people hear from those that know what they are talking about. I am definitely a Zager fan, but it's because rhey have earned my respect. I own a Taylor, Fender, Gretsch, and Gibson but my Zager is the one I travel with.

 

Nuff said😃

[FretFiend.]

Not nearly "nuff said." A one-post wonder reviveing a seven year old thread to extol the virtues of Denny Zager and his guitars. Reviving a zombie thread and shilling for Zager all rolled into one. Says a lot about your motivations and intentions.

 

You're not the first one to hand us this line of bullshit, and I guess you won't be the last.

 

Sorry, but no prize.

[katopp]

When I was passing through the loan shops of the a bit ruff side of town, I actually saw a Zager. According to the paper glued to the back it was a 80 series.

So I faked serious interest and tried it out. Mind you, this is the first time I had the chance to test one for a bit longer.

First, it is not a bad guitar, this. Comparable to the better MiC guitars out there, I would say from materials and construction on par with the Thoman own brand Harley Benton that sells for $350ísh. So on par with Yamaha FG, I would say.

It was neat and tidy, so much is true.The neck was about straight with almost no relief at all and the action was about average. I thought, the action would have been lower - but not with this one.

What was lower was the height of the frets. It was easy to play, I give it that. The frets were so low, I could for the life of me not pull it sharp by pressing harder on the strings. Beginner friendly, I would say. Strings were light, light lighter. My guess would be 0.010, maybe even 0.009 and t 0.048, tops 0.050 for the low E. Those light strings need more room, they tend to vibrate more than fatter strings and that is possibly the reason for the higher action.

With taller frets and fatter strings, a bit more relief, it would have been a good guitar, comparable with a Yamaha FG-series.

But the catch is the price tag. Denny Zagers Magification adds so much to the price, it is no relation to what you get. If I would buy a really good Yamaha for what Zager calls up for, I would have a hugely better guitar. .

[Bobredding]

Hi FretFiend. I am wondering if you have ever played a Zager guitar, especially a ZAD800 Aura. Everything I stated is true about the guitar and the service I have had. If you have played one, what was your problem with it? My Zager sounds better than my $3,800 Taylor DDSM, at over half the cost. Just wondering if your just a basher or if you really know what your talking about.

[FretFiend.]

This subject has been bashed to death here numerous times in the past by shills better than you.

 

The bottom line is that if these Zager guitars were worth the ridiculous amount of money he asks for them (about four times what they're worth), plenty of credible people would be raving about them. It ain't happened. That says what needs to be said about them. (IOW, nuff said.)

 

Is Zager still paying by the post these days for these shill posts?

 

There was a time when there was enough membership here to call these Zager shills. Maybe that time is gone.

[panhandler]

Overpriced average guitars at best. Played a few, wouldn't have one if you gave it to me. Not because the guitars are mediocre, but because of the douchebaggery science associated with them. I won't support or perpetuate the BS.

[kwakatak]

Aaaauugh! Zombie Z@$€£ thread! KILL IT! KILL IT!!!!

[kwakatak]

Seriously, whether the pattern of registering a new account in a dying forum and reviving 7 year old threads is a mark of sheer marketing genius of the proprietor or a testament to the naïveté of his customers is debatable. What I will say is that the claim that a Zippy gitbox plays better than $3k Taylor for more than double the price of a similarly constructed guitar plus the tools required to do the setup yourself or the cost of a setup done at your local music store simply tells me that somebody spent more money on gear than on lessons and that the immortal words of P.T. Barnum still hold true to this day: "there's a sucker born every minute."

[FretFiend.]

My Zager sounds better than my $3,800 Taylor DDSM, at over half the cost.

 

 

BULLSHIT ALERT.

 

Edited July 2, 2015 by FretFiend.

[Etienne Rambert]

I see a lot of spam here for these Zager guitars and how great they are.

But in every several acoustic guitar forums I visit (very reputable ones) they say that Zagers are kinda junky or of marginal quality' date=' sometimes having poor fretwork, so-so tone, etc, etc.

Is it possible that the other opinions are wrong?... or dead on correct?

From their website, they look pretty decent to me. But I have no personal experience with them, other than what I've read, which seems to be... well, not very enthusiastic, to say the least. Yet, at this place, I see folks who swear by them.

Admittedly, I don't hang in this forum as often as most of you, so maybe I'm missing a big joke here.

Anyway, here's your chance to sound off on these guitars. Your opinion will be just as valuable as the overt spammers that have plagued this forum.

So, here we go... let's put this to rest!

Zager guitars, yay?... or nay?

Inquiring minds want to know!

(poll to follow)


(Edit: I'm going to be buying a new dreadnaught with my tax return money and would consider a Zager if they're really as good as people claim.)
.

Awesome! What else?No company -none - zero - can match Zager's warranty until the year 2525...or is it 3510? Whatever, that's a hell of a good warranty. Edited July 2, 2015 by Etienne Rambert

[Bobredding]

Until I joined this forum I had never heard of the word "shill", but I guess it means someone who has a personal benefit to back a product. I assure you I am not a "shill", but just putting out my honest assesment of my Zager guitar. I really do like the Zager better than my Taylor because it has better sustain, a slightly better sound, and easier to play. I find myself playing for hours now. I didn't know it was a old thread, I just clicked on the first forum that came up. Since then I checked out a few other forums and found everyone that likes their Zager is bashed. I guess when someone pays a lot more for a brand name guitar they subcontiously can't admit it so they bash out. I really do feel I have a great sounding guitar for far less money than a brand name charges. I also bought a Tomasso bike online with top of the line components for less than half the price of what Trek charges, and I love it. I feel I'm a good at getting the most for my money, that's why I retired at 54 (8 years ago) and now traveling in a 40ft class A motorhome touring the U.S.. I'm not cheap, I just research to get the best buy.

 

However, in some of the other threads people raved about Larrivee guitars, so I'm looking into them. I want to compair it to my Zager. If it's a better sounding guitar than the Zager will be hanging on my wall at home and I'll carry the Larrivee in my travels. Right now the Zager is the best sounding guitar I have, and it's easier to play. If "string science" is bs than why can I play so much longer before my fingers tire out?

 

I've got better things to do than argue over guitar's, so I'm gone. Best wishes to all. Nuff said😃

[FretFiend.]

Zager has a simple formula:

 

Start with an average $200 Pac Rim guitar, something like a Samick.

Lower the action.

Put on extra light strings.

Mark the price up a couple of hundred percent.

Represent this product as a miracle of modern science and craftsmanship, worthy of the exorbitant price.

Exploit all available media resources to build this image by flooding them with fake endorsements and false praise.

Nuff said. :-)

Edited July 2, 2015 by FretFiend.

[EdBega]

They're made by Sigma so probably decent though I think the extra light strings are a big part of the equation/science but I'd be curious to know if they are built with lighter bracing specifically for the extra light strings in order to still sound decent.