The Happiest Place on Earth » Tom Recommends

My new Zager ZAD80CE acoustic electric guitar

Tom Meny — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:45:18 +0000

A couple of months ago a facebook friend from Norway sent me an instant message asking about my opinion of a particular “Zager” guitar that he saw on ebay. I told him I have NEVER heard of a Zager guitar. My friend proceeded to tell me about all of the fantastic reviews and how he heard that these guitars were “like” Martins and Taylors but cost much less. My initial reaction was to tell him to forget about it and buy either a Martin or Taylor. However, I took a minute to search for reviews of this guitar.

First I checked out the Zager site. I wanted to see what they looked like, the different models and options etc. I was impressed! From what I was reading it was apparent that Zager was using top quality woods and parts. Then, i started looking up YouTube video reviews and other blog reviews on the net. Everyone discussed the quality of the build, the low and fast action, and the phenomenal sound. Now I was intrigued.

I contacted Dennis Zager Jr. and discussed some of the different models and options. Dennis suggested the ZAD80CE and agreed to send me one. I received the guitar just a few short days later. I’ve been playing it ever since.

Denny Zager sets the guitars up personally before they are sent out. The action is low. The neck is thin. It’s extremely easy to play. The sound is deep on the low end and the highs ring like a bell. This is perfect for the style of music I play. I like to make my guitar almost sound like a chugging, powerful train sometimes… and at other times I want it to sound almost percussive. This guitar does that for me perfectly. This model sports a cedar top and Indian rosewood back and sides… a genius combination.

The electronics on this guitar are phenomenal as well. This guitar has a fishman clearwave 60 onboard system with a built in tuner (EXTREMELY important). It sounds phenomenal plugged in.

Grover tuners keep this thing in tune. It comes with a hard shell case (with a humidity monitor)… they throw in an extra set of strings too!

Here’s the way I see it. Zager uses the highest quality parts. The set up on the guitar is world-class. If you can save hundreds or even a thousand dollars over other guitar makers, simply because they cut out distributors and music stores by selling online… wouldn’t it be beneficial to give it a test drive? Buying a guitar is like buying a car. It’s a long term item. You wouldn’t just go to Ford or Chevy in an age of a struggling economy… considerations such as gas mileage and warranty are important. Zager comes with a life time warranty!

So, if you’re in the market for a new guitar… go out and play some Martins and Taylors. THEN, come back home, get online and go to http://www.zagerguitar.com/ check out the different models and options and order one. They don’t charge to ship it to you and if for any reason you don’t like it, you can ship it back… they pay for that too!

I sincerely recommend the Zad80ce acoustic electric Zager guitar.

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Tom recommends: Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Austin, TX 5th Street

Tom Meny — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:31:26 +0000

I went to Eddie V’s on 5th Street here in Austin this past Saturday and had a fantastic experience. My friend and I were treated to what I consider world-class customer service, so I made a point of emailing the corporate office in order to get our server recognized. Not only did Jim VanDercook, the President/CEO of Eddie V’s call me and leave me a voicemail, but he emailed me as well to ensure that I was aware he was going to recognize our server, Ben. It is THAT kind of customer service that makes this place the tops in my book. Going above and beyond, AND the culture of rewarding it’s employees for great customer service. Bravo Eddie V’s! I’ll be back.

Oh, by the way the food was spectacular. Undoubtedly the best meal I have ever experienced.

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Tom Recommends: Santa Fe Enchiladas at El Arroyo. Austin, TX.

Tom Meny — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:41:27 +0000

Santa Fe Enchiladas, El Arroyo, Austin, TX

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Delta Airlines… You’re OK in my book!

Tom Meny — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:02:11 +0000

In my experience, if you have an issue and want resolution, try and get in touch with the people that can ACTUALLY make something happen. I had a dilemma concerning a flight on Delta. Delta had done nothing wrong. I made the mistake. They went ABOVE and BEYOND to help me out, even when it was clearly something they were not obligated to help me with.

If you write a polite letter explaining your situation, sometimes it works great.

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Wanna record your own music? Get yourself a MAC!

Tom Meny — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:18:38 +0000

If you’re a musician, new to recording and want to learn how to do it yourself, GarageBand is the program for you. It’s free as part of the iLife suite on Mac computers. It’s VERY user friendly, as are all Mac applications and with a cheap midi keyboard and microphone you can make great quality recordings.

Here’s an idea I was playing around with…

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

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Strengths Finder 2.0 – by Tom Rath (review)

Tom Meny — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:14:32 +0000

I was asked to read this book as part of my yearly development plan at work. For the first time, I AGREE with something that has been presented to me at work (this also has to do with the much more laid back and open minded culture of my current company, a sharp contrast from my previous job).

Here’s the main point: Historically, through school and then work, we have been programmed to focus on our weaknesses. We spend a lot of time trying to improve on our weak areas, we stress over them, we even become disgruntled at work. This book, with data collected from the gallup poll argues that you should focus on your STRENGTHS instead of your weaknesess. You read 30 pages, which outlines the idea, and then take a 20 minute online assessment and it then kicks out a report of your 5 greatest strengths and how to improve

upon them.

The rest of the book, covers each strength in detail.

The cheapest price I’ve found for the book is $12 at Walmart.com. Here’s a link

http://www.walmart.com/ip/5512335?sourceid=1500000000000003260340&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=5512335

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Review – Your Mom’s Burger Bar – Austin, TX

Tom Meny — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:23:20 +0000

Glen,Worm and I went to Your Mom’s Burger Bar in Austin, TX (located at 1701 E. Cesar Chavez St. 474-6667, www.yourmoms.net) on Saturday night, on a recommendation by Glen’s wife Dana. This place is “AUSTIN” if I can use that as an adjective. Or.. how bout this… It’s very “Alice in Chains”… that would be another good way to describe the feel. Anyway, the burgers are stuffed with cheese, meat and other assorted goodies. As a baseline I had the regular cheeseburger and it was definitely memorable. I’ll even go as far as to say that it beats the previous favorite “Dan’s”.

The cheese is cooked right into the center of the beef. It’s like a cheese volcano. It’s ridiculous. The bun was not too big. That’s the sign of a great burger in my opinion. If the bun is the size of a football, it’s shit. Also, the fries stand out (chili powder flavoring), the onion rings stand out (perfect size, beer battered, they do NOT fall apart), and according to Worm, the mac and cheese is way above average.

HIGHLY recommended. Check it out. You’ll thank me

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Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More

Tom Meny — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:52:09 +0000

i HIGHLY recommend this CD. An instant favorite for me. The mp3 album on Amazon is only $5.

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Le Creperie Cafe (Long Beach, CA) – FANTASTIC!

Tom Meny — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:55:54 +0000

La Creperie Cafe

562-434-8499

4911 E. Second St., Long Beach, CA 90803

Neighborhood: Belmont Shore

website

I flew from Austin, TX to Los Angeles to try this place in Long Beach, CA. On the recommendation of my girlfriend, who used to live in the area, we took a small overnight vacation to have dinner at La Creperie Cafe.

Compared to the other restaurants in this area, this place is a bargain. It’s a small cafe that is filled with old Parisian furnishings and decor. When we arrived, we were greeted by live music… a jazz piano and saxophonist.

It’s a long way to go for me, but we will be flying out from time to time to get to this great cozy restaurant. This place is a must-visit recommendation from me.

I’m not much of a drinker so I ordered my usual iced tea. I am NOT exaggerating when I say this is the best iced tea I’ve ever had. I even made a point of asking our waiter what brand of tea they used. He said that their secret is adding “rose water” in with the standard iced tea. From the “savory crepes” menu I ordered the Crepe Carbonara (Chicken breast slices, mozzarella and smoked bacon in a creamy garlic parmesan sauce with pesto). It’s $11.95. This is the best meal I’ve had in 2 years. It was a large portion, it was nicely presented, the service was fantastic and the atmosphere was memorable. After my girlfriend finished her entre, she ordered the “Romeo and Juliette” from the dessert menu (Nutella, fresh strawberries and bananas, $7.95). I had a small taste and it was exquisite. This was also a hearty portion and was presented nicely.

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My most influential albums….

Tom Meny — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:10:10 +0000

Although there are probably a hundred albums in between, here is a listing of the albums that got the most playing time in my life…

When I look back, some of these are kind of questionable… but I won’t make any apologies..

(If you’re a guitar player, and haven’t heard either Monte Montgomery album, go out and get one)

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