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.
