Here it is, for all those "guitarded" people who can not play anything below the 12th fret. The all new Z2 body style. Very COOOL! It has a small body, its light and it plays like no other.
Body - single piece Cherry; Neck - single piece Mahogany; Frets - super jumbo;
Picups - DiMarzio Virtual 90; Tuners - Gotoh Vintage; Hardware Finish - all nickel (not chrome)
Dammit Alex!! I can't keep my hands off this guitar!! I feel like a teenage momma's boy who somehow got a date with a porn star every time I play it, the amazement still hasn't subsided. The other guitarist in the band I play for loves it, I'm trying to talk him into getting one. My drummer who dabbles in guitar on the side agrees it's the best guitar he's ever played. My brother-in-law who went to Red Wing for guitar building was left speechless from the moment he picked it up ( he went to school there in the mid to late 90's, maybe you met him if you were there at that time, Derek Hunt???). Anyway, I was a luthier's apprentice for a while recently. I never got very good at it, I was more concerned with getting general knowlege about building than actually becoming skilled in the craft. I worked at a music store setting up guitars and doing minor repairs. So needless to say, I'm no expert but I certainly know what to look for in a guitar. I know a great guitar from a shitty one (I'm amazed at the guitars Fender sends out of their custom shop with a $2000 price tag, and certainly not amazed in a good way!!). Anyway, I'm not trying to kiss your ass or anything, but I know you grow very attached to your guitars and I only want to assure you that this one is being fully appreciated, understood, and treated like a princess. Her name is Lucy. Sam
Hey Alex, Mozart was poor. Look what his efforts did to the history of music. Most people with innovative ideas are never fully appreciated for those ideas untill well after their time is up. I believe you are a good example of this, your ideas are ahead of their time. To the average guitar player, your ideas seemingly come from nowhere and contradict almost everything they've come to expect from a guitar, and they never realized there was anything wrong with their Paul Reed Smith. Many of these guitar owners probably feel personally attacked by hearing what you have to say about the guitar they just spent three thousand dollars on. I have a lot of respect for you as an artist and an innovative thinker. Not many people realize how much work goes into a hand-made guitar and the lack of work that usually goes into a machine made carbon copy of the guitar that came before it on the assembly line. But it may be quite some time before you get the credit you deserve, so be patient. In the mean time, try to be content with the fact that you're doing what you do because you know it's right, don't be discouraged by those who don't catch on quickly. Keep up the good work. Sam
Damn Alex, the more I play my new Z2 the more I love it! The pictures really don't do it justice, it looks so warm and inviting in person, the pictures look very bland in comparison. The action and wider than normal string spacing take a little getting used to, it's very different, but after the first few hours of playing it feels very natural and comfortable. The sound is great, I'm amazed at getting so much tone and sustain from such a lightweight guitar. Before purchasing this guitar, I've never owned an instrument where I didn't change pickups or hardware or something else that needed improvement. But I can assure you, everything is too perfect to mess with. I couldn't be happier. Sam
Alex, I just played the guitar at band practice last night. It's hard to KNOW a guitar untill you're in that setting, where you're not just playing, but contributing to a part of something bigger than yourself. The Z2 exceeded my expectations, felt very natural. I own some other guitars that I've been happy with, but the most they could ever ammount to was a TOOL, a transparent element with which you can channel what's in your head. But even then I was limited by my own imagination and abilities as a musician. You get nothing from it that you don't put into it. The Z2 takes this one step further, it's not just a tool, but a source of inspiration. It has a life and sound all its own. I've always been a bit if a shredder, playing as fast as possible. With my new guitar, I can very easily do this, the action plays effortlessly. But very often I find myself playing slow, really giving the unique tone a chance to set in. My playing is changing with this guitar, and in a very good way. I'm enjoying this guitar very much and look forward to when I'll be in the position to buy another one. The CD is coming along very well. I'm having a great time writing music I wouldn't normally play to showcase the amazing range of tones my guitar offers. I'll keep you posted, I hope you keep in touch as well. Sam
Price Paid: US $1500 Purchased from: N/A Directly from Zachary Music, www.zacharyguitars.com
Features: 10 - This guitar was made August of 2000 by Alex of Zachary Guitars in Canada. It has a 1-piece 24 fret mahogany neck, 1-piece cherry body, 2 Dimarzio Virtual p90 pickups, hard tail bridge, and entirely hand made by Alex. Also includes hard case. Controls are simple, 3-way toggle switch and a coil tap, 1 volume. The design is elegant in its simplicity. no gimmicks, no fancy top, no plastic finish, no fancy inlays, no leather seats, no cup holders or night vision goggles. Only what it needs to function, and it functions PERFECTLY
Sound: 10 - I play for a heavy metal band and dabble in just about everything else on the side. The guitar sounds amazing whether on clean or overdrive. The virtual p90 pickups are pretty versatile, the neck position is very smooth and jazzy. The bridge position is bright but not at all harsh. And with the coil tap on, you can get great sounds from Strat, to Telecaster, to Rickenbacker Distorted, the guitar has a very brown sound, great for all kinds of rock. All positions are well defined and very well balanced, you hear every note in a chord very clearly. Great for all types of music. The sound is very warm and has a life of its own. Most other guitars sound like a dead piece of glass by comparison.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 10 - Alex is very passionate about his work. He has insanely close attention to detail, he carefully sets up and ships out every guitar himself. The action was perfect right out of the box, the finish is clean and very natural where you can feel the texture of the wood. Alex carefully chooses each piece of wood, not for perfection and fancy figure, but for depth, originality, and character. Some woods he uses contain imperfections or flaws, this is part of his philosophy that a unique guitar is a better guitar. Since the guitar is a very different design concept, it does take some getting used to, it feels very different at first.
Reliability/Durability: 10 - The finish on a Zachary guitar is made to age gracefully, it's not made to look brand new forever and I don't want it to. Even though the guitar is very lightweight, it doesn't feel fragile, it feels very solid. And the neck has a dual-action truss rod so it won't need to be adjusted. It's designed to be very low maintenance, and it will probably last longer than I will. It stays in tune like a dream.
Customer Support: 10 - Alex is a very busy guy. Even so, he takes time to promptly answer emails, update his website, even took some time to talk on the phone with me on a few different occasions to answer some of my questions. Alex also has some very strong opinions about his guitars and guitars in general. Don't confuse this with arrogance, he's only very confident about his guitars and has very good reason for this, because he's right!! When corresponding, he's very friendly and professional (try calling Ed Roman on the phone, he's an arrogant dick who doesn't even act like he wants your business). Alex really cares about his guitars and making sure they all go to good homes. He's really a pleasure to do business with.
Overall Rating: 10 - I'm a semi-pro guitarist, I've played well over 10 years. I won't bore you telling you all the gear I use, I'll just say I've played this guitar through several amps, pedals, and processors. I've owned about 25 guitars, played almost every kind of guitar you can name. Zachary guitars are by far the most unique, best sounding, best playing guitars you'll ever find. I'm not kidding, these guitars are beyond comparison to any other guitar I've played. They're priced so most serious guitar players can afford them, not just collectors. These guitars are meant to be played and enjoyed, not hung on a wall. Being pretty well educated in guitar building, I have a great appreciation for what Alex does. And for what he puts into these guitars, he's selling them dirt-cheap. If it were lost or stolen, I'd be crushed. Since every guitar Alex makes is unique I could never replace it, and I'd never ask Alex to compromise this practice by duplicating it. But I would definately buy another Z2 in its place.
Submitted by: Sam at 09/27/2003 00:57 sjm_empty@hotmail.com (from Harmony Central)
Hey Alex, I still continue to keep up with your site regularly and continue to look forward to seeing your new creations take shape. It's close to 1 year since I've purchased my Z2 "Lucy" (named after Lucy from Charlie Brown who I've always had a thing for).
Since then, Lucy has seen a couple dozen re-strings, about 20 live performances, 2 studio recordings, and a couple hundred hours of practicing. In that time, I've had no need to have repairs made, action adjusted, or any modifications of any kind (aside from cleaning the pot with contact cleaner). While playing live, I do not need to tune between songs EVER!! My backup guitar sits idly and collects dust. I have not broken a single string on this guitar, EVER. This is simply the finest instrument I have ever played, and now it's the only guitar I play. Just thought you should know. Keep up the great work Sam Myers
