Product: Esteban AMBER ICE
Price Paid: USD 199.95
Submitted
08/17/2009
at
10:30am
by
Guitar123
Features
:
10
This model made by Esteban is the Jumbo Amber Ice.
The paint is gloss with a redish sunburst finish.
The sides and back are made of linden wood.
The neck is made of maple with a rosewood fret board..
The fret board has nicely designed inlayed fret position markers.
The rosette is designed with two inlayed mother of pearl rings surrounding the sound hole. The purfling is also mother of pearl. The bout of the guitar has a nicely designed artwork by Steve Anderson consisting of about 1400 or so amber crystals. The back of the guitar also has a larger artwork version of amber crystals.
The tuners don't have a brand name, but are well made with a nice gold finish.
I bought the guitar package through HSN and it comes with a nice case, 10 instructional dvds by Esteban, extra set of strings, picks, cleaning cloth,amp cable,hex key wrench for adjusting the truss rod, and a chord chart.
It was made in China in 2009.
The top is made of spruce wood.
It has a piezo pickup under the bridge and a 3 band Opus brand equalizer.
Sound
:
10
I play different styles of music including rock, popular, and classical. The guitar has a very good rich tone that projects good volume. I like every thing about this guitar. The guitar has nice action, comfortable to hold, and stays in tune. For me it is the best jumbo guitar that I have played. I think it sounds as good as other brands costing 3 times as much as I paid for the entire package. It is certainly one of the most beautiful guitar that I have seen.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
When I received the guitar, it was already setup and ready to be tuned. It stays in tune after the strings were properly stretched. The guitar did not have any flaws. The finish is beautiful and the design of the guitar and artwork looks great.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I only play for myself, but I believe the guitar can withstand live playing. I have owned it for about 3 weeks and have played it for about 20 hours with no problems at all. The gloss finish seems to have plenty of coats of paint. I play seated but, the strap buttons are solid. I don't use them. As far as I can tell the guitar seems dependable.
Customer Support
:
10
I have contacted Esteban's customer service in the past and the responded quickly and sent the replacement parts free of charge. They have a 1 year warranty. Out of the 10 Esteban guitars that I have bought, I have only had to replace 1 tuning knob on a classical guitar and an equalizer. This is over the last 8 years.
Overall Rating
:
10
I have been playing for 30 years and rate Esteban's guitars as excellent. This Amber Ice is really the best jumbo guitar that I have played in guitars costing up to $1000. I own 20 guitars including a Carvin, Gibson, and Manuel Rodriguez and rate this guitar equal to these if not better. I compared it to an Epiphone Jumbo and for the price, the Amber Ice guitar package was bar far the best. I love the looks, quality and the sound of the guitar. My favorite feature is the mother of pearl rossete for looks. Esteban seems to get a lot of negative comments on the internet, but for the money you can't beat this guitar and accessories.
