Love the abalone shell that is everywhere on the instrument. Beautiful koa wood.
I have 2 Zaar guitars. My first is a Sketch Series, and it is awesome! I just got my Santos 420SE, and I am absolutely floored! I put both of them on par with my Taylor GS7e in quality of build, playability, and tone. I am by no means a great guitar player, but I am a gifted singer with a very good ear, and, I have a guitar "addiction". Hi, my name is Chris, lol! Zaar is onto something great! I do not believe you will find a better value in the guitar world. My Taylor GS7e had a retail price of $4500, and my new Santos 420SE at under $1400 sounds on par in terms of tone, sustain, and playability, right out of the box! I can't wait to hear what my luthier Jerry can do with her with a professional set up! You can't go wrong with a Zaar. Plus, they offer a 60 day guarantee. God bless the Zaar folks for bringing high end guitar beauty, finish, and above all, TONE, to the mid-range price point. Thank you to the folks at Zaar!
I could not be happier with my purchase. First the look of the koa wood is beautiful. And when I play it, the sound is incredible, very full and rich, it is a joy to play. The intonation is dead on and the action is very comfortable out of the case. Speaking of the case, I was expecting a simple black case, but mine came in a case that has a vintage suitcase look, might not be for everybody, but I like it, its very cool. And it has a built in hygrometer (I live in Colorado and it’s very dry, so keeping the guitar hydrated is an issue). Overall, I'm a big fan of Zaar and I highly recommend this guitar.
Beyond other instruments I have always found guitar uniquely challenging. At age 71 and three dozen guitars later, it remains so. Turning to singing covers, my prior acoustic was uninspiring. I wanted something different, beginning with a cedar top, and this Zaar showed up at the right time with the right attitude, and that gracious trial period. Its price was considerably less than what I had allotted.
Mostly tethered to electrics, I had forgotten about just being able to pick up and play. The 840 compels that. For starters. it is stark raving beautiful and demands to be taken in hand. The generous abalone binding is mind-blowing—uniquely both understated and unmistakable. The cedar top is perfect and the Ziricote interesting. Given the chance, I might have chosen solid over laminate, but every guitar remains unique and we know where tone really begins. The neck is not bound (tastefully) but has hard strips the perhaps could be more square. The box features an appreciated shoulder bevel as well as a comforting 5-inch to 4-inch taper (that is not unusual on modern dreadnoughts). The dramatic cutaway leaves no excuses.
Tuning stability is noteworthy. The action is excellent, and trying the alternate Stringjoy 11s did not require an adjustment. There is a slight volume loss with 11s but if you are recording through the jack it doesn’t matter. Speaking of which, the GT-6 system has great dynamic range and handy added reverb/delay and chorus.
All of this amounts to a well-crafted instrument that is expressively first-rate and a versatile pleasure to play. It pairs well with a Spark Go for backing tracks.
The hard case is next level. I was kind of stunned upon finding it.
Finally, I’m a fan of small business and Craig has been a complete pleasure with which to deal.
This is a very nice guitar. Easy to play and very well built. May buy again from Zaar in the future.
Sounds good. Not quite as good as I thought it was going to, but it is good. I'd like to get a case for it.
I was vacationing in Pheonix a couple of weeks ago and was able to visit the store. The staff was very knowledgeable on their products and was great to work with. While at the store I was able to try out several of their models. Out of all the great guitars they produce I kept coming back to the Z540 and that is the one I took home. So far, I have been very pleased with the Z540. Fit and finish is superb, playability is fantastic. The more it acclimates to its new environment, the tones really start to come out. Overall, I am very happy with the guitar. I purchased one with no pic-ups and will be installing the LRBaggs Anthem in the near future. I am really looking forward to being able to plug it in. If you are ever in the Pheonix area, stop by the Zaar store and spend some time with their guitars. No high pressure sales tatics, and very open about answering whatever questions you ask.
The workmanship and wood used is beautiful. I have been playing the z420 everyday since I received it. I’m not sure what strings are installed, but I will change them out stringjoys naturals phosphor bronze12-54.
What a gorgeous instrument! I’m so happy with my Zaar guitar, the tone is so pleasing, the size is perfect and she’s so comfortable to play! The action might be a bit high for me but I can have that adjusted. Overall so happy with finding this company and the work they do. Hawaii is one of my favorite places in the world so it’s such a bonus and blessing to have the body made of Koa!
Received my Zaar guitar few days ago and let it adjust to the its new surroundings. I would have to say the guitar is beautiful, fantastic quality, and sounds really good. I have 4 acoustic Martins, 2 acoustic Taylor’s, an acoustic Gibson, acoustic Epiphone and acoustic Zager; all good and great guitars. I would have to compare this Zaar to just about all of them. It has perfect weight, quality, sound and string action as the best ones. This is my first Zaar but it won’t be my last!! Best guitar I have in relations to price and quality!!
I wanted to express my sincere thanks on the incredible craftsmanship and tonal quality of my new Z840 Ziricote Acoustic. The guitar arrived incredibly boxed and wrapped both the guitar case and guitar were wrapped. I have never seen that level of care from the competition. The beauty of the ziricote back and sides is fabulous to look at and the tonal quality is outstanding. I have played guitar for many years and the care, build quality, detail and price point exceeded my expectations. For those who read this review, NO I do not work for Zaar Guitars and rest assured they are the real deal. Love the built-in electronics and tuner. You can’t go wrong with Zaar Guitars! Do yourself a favor and take one for a ride.
I had been wanting to add a Sunburst to my guitar collection for a little while now and was about to buy another Taylor when a friend sent me a link to Zaar. I’m very particular about my set ups so I reserved judgment until I got it back from my set up guy. It’s got great tone and balance, and is an absolutely beautiful guitar. For about half the cost of the Taylor I was about to buy, I am extremely happy with my decision and will no doubt be looking to add more to my collection.
I just got it back from my set up guy (Joe Massara of Fairfax VA) He told me after working 30+yrs with guitars he rarely seen Guitar this good out of the box. I AGREE! This instrument is pleasing to the eyes and easy to play. If Zaar will make a small body guitar? This one will be my first of many from this company. 6 star
I like the Guitar just fine I’m sure it will break in wonderfully over time n open up Too bad it’s made in China
Love this guitar! Excellent craftmanship,setup,playability,tone...Gorgeous too!
Received my new Z420E encased in a beautiful and robust hard case. Couldn’t be happier with both. Thanks Zaar and Craig for all your help throughout the purchase and follow through process. You all are GREAT.
I ordered a ZS720E and then communicated with Craig about switching my order to a Z420E. He could not have been more accommodating, agreed to the switch and two or three days later I received my new guitar. To say it’s a beautiful piece of craftsmanship is an understatement. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces of guitar workmanship I’ve seen and its sound…… fabulous. So, thanks Zaar Guitars and thank YOU Craig. Bill S.
I am a professional musician and have played a Taylor 710CE for years - which I really like still. But I ran across this ad about Zaar Guitars and Facebook and was intrigued. I listened to the demos of all the guitars and the Ziricote Z840 sounded really good to me. I had never heard of Ziricote before. So, that demo combined with how beautiful it looked, the very reasonable price and the 60 day return policy made me decide to take a risk of buying an unseen and unheard guitar. Having now received it, I have to say, I am very pleased! The guitar is gorgeous looking and the sound is amazing! The sustain is exceptional! The case is a really nice case as well! I haven't yet had the chance to try out the pickup - so I can't speak to how it sounds - but it's pretty great that it includes reverba and chorus and I'm looking forward to trying it out! If I had the money, I would buy one of the other models as well!