[Steven S]

I’ve had the ZAD-900CE/Aura/N for at least a couple of years. I admit I was seduced by the “easy play” advertising — even the inside sticker includes EASY PLAY (I wish it didn’t; kind of like having a nice motorcycle with the label “training wheels included”). And there’s no question that light strings and low action make it RELATIVELY easy to play — though most acoustic guitars can be set up that way. Anyway, my several guitars all have their own use; I bought the Zager for flat-picking, keeping it in standard tuning. Another acoustic is usually in open G, and a Cordoba classical (C5-CE) is always available, just because I love the sound and sensitivity of nylon strings. The Zager really needs to be kept in its case, with some kind of humidity boost. If you’re in a climate of extremes (high humidity down to bone dry air), you’ll likely experience soundboard cracks, as with any other guitar, even if lightly strung. Should your Zager get bone dry, there’s a video on the Zager site about how to revive it. The Zager is heavy, feels “substantial.” The build quality and finish are pretty close to top shelf. Full of electronics, including a built-in tuner. All that said, there’s no reason why a guitar should be considered “good” just because it bears the Zager name. Zager doesn’t build the guitars. Zager imports the guitars, sets them up, and sells them. (Nothing presumptively wrong with imports, which is why I played a Japanese trumpet (Xeno). One of my brothers, a guitar player, lives in Lincoln, NE, home of Zager Guitars, and once called up and asked to visit the business/factory/showroom. It was a quick “nope.” There’s a reason for that. I do also get a bit of bad vibes from the perpetual “retirement”/”act fast!” sale, which understandably makes folks wonder what’s actually going on.