Estaban on HSN

As I don't go over my friend's house much, I asked him to bring it into work tomorrow (we work together).

If he remembers to bring it, I will test it out and post a review. Maybe even a sound clip!

Mike

A guy I work with got drunk and bought one. He brought it to work once and I like my $65 Rogue 100% better. The hard case that came with it was alright but besides that, its crap.

I do like the Geico commercial though I thought it was funny.

A guy I work with got drunk and bought one.

Bad way to ruin a good drunk! But thats the way it happens.

BTW Isn't Estabon Steven in another language?

I nearly fell for his pitch a few years back till someone I know slapped me to my senses.

His name is Stephen Paul - there's an article on him:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2000-09-21/news/feature.html

I watched a guy bring one of these "cardboard guitars" into a local music shop for a re-string. He put on Elixers!!!! For a decent and graphic review on the Esteban guitar go: http://www.guitarimports.com/comparison-esteban.htm

A guy I work with got drunk and bought one.

Imagine waking up next to one of 'em. :lol:

I had the oportunity to have a look at one of these guitars the other day.
After reading all the reviews I wasn't sure what to expect.

Well he must have found a new factory or something because it was a fairly decent piece of work.
If you held it up at the right angle you could see a couple of very minor blemishes in the finish but generally unnoticable ones.
In the problem department,the slot for the saddle hadn't been cleaned out properly so the saddle had a bit of a wobble but that was a 2 minute fix.
The main issue was the nut slot had been cut incorrectly,roughly 1/8 inch lower on the High E side,they had attempted to compensate by slotting deeper on the low side but it wasn't perfect.
The 19th fret wasn't seated properly so the "G" string was flat when played at the 18th,probably just need a tap with a hammer and a gentle filing,but since there is no cutaway,you'd never play there anyway.

The sound was good for a cheap beginners guitar,especially through the little amp that came with it.
I wouldn't have minded keeping the case it came in,if they sell them seperately I'll buy one,it's a hard case with a padded covering and a zippered pouch for books or similar.

At a guess the nut slot was a one off problem (too easy to spot and rectify if it was a manufacturing issue).Same with the saddle,just a couple of stray wood chips.
The included books aren't much ,I never looked at the DVD but since it covers the same ground as the books I wouldn't expect much from it.

For a beginners kit,it's probably not too bad a deal for $200,although not an exeptional one.

I saw the commercial last night and had to track it down today. This was my first look at the guy. Was he aiming to be Bandaras' double for Zorro? WTH is that about?

Anyway, for your viewing (dis)pleasure:

http://www.estebanmusic.com/videos.html#geico

Bottom of the page.

Have you notivced that even his hat isn't real? It's plastic!

His guitars must not have the money rolling in, late last night I saw him on a Geico car insurance comercial.

Well, last night it finally happened... a brand new student came with his brand new guitar. Yep, an Esteban. The first one I've actually seen in person. So now I can give an informed opinion!

Is it junk? No, not really. It's a playable guitar - at least the one he had. Action was comparable to other guitars I've played marketed as 'beginner models'. I have had some students show up with far worse instruments... although the majority of brand new students do come with better guitars.

So is it a bargain? No. He said he paid about $150 for it. I've played a large number of better guitars for the money. Given the materials and workmanship, a guitar similar to this would probably price at $80-110 retail without the marketing hype.

Does it sound good? Too early to tell. He still had it detuned from shipping, so the lesson time (with two retunings) wasn't enough time for the strings to settle and give me a decent idea of the tone. It's got the volume you'd expect from a dreadnaught, though. I'll have a better idea of tone after the next lesson.

Is it well constructed? Sorta/kinda/maybe. Yeah, the materials are really budget. There's not a lot of solid wood on the guitar. On the other hand, it's pretty light... which tells me it MAY have decently designed bracing (or the top will start bowing pretty soon, in which case I'll report it here). Maybe next time I'll take a quick peek with an inspection mirror.

There you have it... a first-hand impression.