Esteban Burswood Acoustic

It has...uh...strings. For about 15 minutes, anyways.
Some do come with fancy designs on them so... I'll give it a 3.

Not too bad if you can actually push the frets ALL they way down, I can only assume this because the open stings are okay sounding.

Here is where it ABSOLUTLEY fails.

Action- What action? Steve Urkel gets more action than this. If you can get the four people required to play a G chord, then it isn't TOO bad. Otherwise, you just slit your fingers. The blood is a nice touch to the finish.

Finish- The paint actually just rubbed off on my hands.

Would you seriously consider even trying to gig with this?

Uh...Cheap pawn shop on the bad side of town.

I got this just because I wanted a decorative guitar to play at campfire/party settings and I have to say this:
No, just no.
I wasted 25 bucks because the pawn shop owner didn't let me try it.

Ahhh, the smell of plywood and wood glue! The smell of this thing is almost overpowering! And it doesn't smell like rosewood or cedar! An all plywood dreadnaught with a severely warped neck and the finish of a junior high school industrial arts project! How do you top it? I have played some cheap guitars going back to the 1960s Kingstons and such. This is as bad, BUT, as warped as the neck is, it has better action then they did.

Amazingly, the sound is not that bad! It's not good; it sounds like a plywood guitar should; but the sound is OK for a beginner guitar.
I payed $35.00 for the entire kit; guitar, case, strap, tuner, picks, throw-away strings; all like new. I intended to use it as a "Nashville" high strung guitar, which I need occasionally, but not often, and for this it works fine. And if I drop a Tele on it and smash it.....so what?

He He Hah Hah..........it is what it is.

Good enough for my uses. It goes out of tune easily but I can live with that. It adds a Rolling Stones like feel to things.

He He Hah Hah!!!!!!!

I've been playing for 35 years. I own or have owned about everything, currently Fender, Gibson, Larrivee, Tacoma, LaPatrie, Breedlove etc.....oh...and my Esteban!
It is a cheap guitar but it is exactly what you'd expect and does exactly what I wanted, for $35.00. If you paid more than that, you got screwed. If it crumbled to dust tomorrow, which it might do, if the glue ever dries, I'd buy another, for $20.00 to $35.00....no more...and use it as a high strung guitar. For that, it's fine!It even records well!

The body of this particular guitar is made of only the finest dried goat manure, aged balsa wood, and shellac. It features strings made of particularly brittle barbed wire and components made of the cheapest (and therefore, most cost-effective) plastic available.

One interesting new feature: Insta-Brake technology. The Insta-Brake system guarantees that each and every component of this guitar will break within the first week of owning. This is a refreshing change of pace for people who are SICK AND TIRED of guitars that actually last a lifetime... they have to sit around and wait for their guitars to become old and unusable and sometimes that never happens.

The music I play is Experimental Noise. I deliberately try to create atonal and un-musical sound effects, much like John Cage when he dropped random objects on piano strings. The Esteban is perfect for me because when I strum the strings, it doesn't sound anything like music! Instead, you get a repulsive squawk, like someone smashing a ball-peen hammer on sheet metal.

I firmly believe that musicians should have to WORK when they play guitar. A guitar shouldn't make the act of playing EASY... no, it should be a painful and difficult chore so that you learn discipline. Nothing is handed to you.

For my money, the Esteban is perfect in this regard. The incredibly high action is positively agonizing. My fingers were hemorrhaging blood within mere seconds. NO aspect of this guitar is comfortable, from the body shape (which could best be described as "shaped like a diseased rhinoceros") to the frets (that gouged into my hands like needles).

In other words, this guitar will make you a tougher player! Thumbs up! (assuming you have any thumbs left after using this guitar)

Personally, I'm really tired of guitars that withstand years of reliable and durable live playing. Where's the fun in that?? I mean, if you have a reliable and dependable instrument that you can count on to deliver the same quality sound every night, it can get a bit boring. Talk about predictable.

The Esteban models are guaranteed by the manufacturer to be in a different tuning each and every time you pick it up. In fact, all Esteban guitars are purposely designed to be so unreliable you never know what will happen next. In one case, my new guitar changed itself to open G tuning mid-chord. In another case, the bridge spontaneously fell off. Another night, it exploded, starting a fire and killing four people.

Yes, I gig with it! It's a blast!

I called HSN to congratulate them on producing such a unique instrument. I was placed on hold for 3 1/2 hours, after which time, I was transferred to a Romanian brothel where I was verbally abused in an unspecified eastern European language for 30 minutes. I hung up, called back, and was lucky enough to speak to a customer service rep who actually spoke English.

Her name was Liz and although she knew nothing of guitars, she introduced me to several new swear words. She explained that whatever my opinion, I was wrong. I tried telling her that I had nothing but good things to say and she told me to cram it. She then began screaming and crying.

There is no warranty, but HSN will charge me $200 to return my guitar. This may sound like a raw deal, but I get to keep my autographed photo of Esteban! That's right, you can return the guitar and they never ask you to return the beautiful photo of Esteban's lovely face. THAT'S a policy I can agree with!

This guitar is simply a 10!!! The sound sets you apart as a musician and tells everyone listening that you don't NEED to be in tune to sound good. The action and playability are so painful you will become a stronger player (if you survive). Truly, it's impressive. I couldn't make a guitar like this if I tried.

A friend from work brought in the Esteban acoustic that he'd bought so that I could tune it for him. I was looking forward to checking out an actual Esteban. Esteban's claim that it sounded better than his $5000 Martin was quite a boast. Or was that just a cruel joke on his part? I was eager to see for myself...

What my friend brought was a standard dreadnaught acoustic guitar in a shiny shade of black. It was way out of tune. And so, I started to tune it up.

The Esteban was hard to tune up. I even had an electronic tuner with me, so that I could show my friend how to tune his guitar using his own tuner (you have to know how to tune the guitar, right!?)

The open position chords had good volume. It seemed useable in tone to me at first. However, chords at the third fret and above were totally out of tune. After working with the guitar for a moment, I was pretty sure that there were some big intonation problems...

Big intonation problem? That was an understatement. Well, first of all, the action was really high, but buzzed and fretted out at the 5th fret, and the string tension unsually tight, even taking the scale length and string gauge into consideration. My first consclusion was that the guitar would need a major set up. I could only hope that the guitar had a trussrod.

While I was playing around with the guitar further, I discovered a more serious problem. The neck was dramatically warped. It just dropped off into space! It was so bent up and warped that I could barely fret notes at and above the 6th fret. The neck had a definite upbow from the nut to the 5th fret (where it buzzed), then fell away in a dramatic backbow. Imagine a compound bow and arrow, all twisted and squiggly! The sight made me quite sad...

One other strange thing was that the neck looked like major parts of it had been chipped away and sanded into shape, then covered over with a thick stain. This was suprising in light of computer routing of necks these days in mass produced instruments. I hadn't seen a fretboard that looked this way since way back in the day when cheap guitars were terrible to behold.

I give Esteban and HSC here a 1 because I think that they're sales pitch is deceptive and manipulative to the point of being fraudulent.
He and HSN aren't just making a sales pitch, they're hustling people, blatantly so. I'm telling you, you can get a heck of a lot more guitar for $200 from other manufacturers than what I saw in the Esteban I played.

This was really dissapointing. Sounding low-fi, harsh and strident is one thing, but being completely unplayable above the 6th fret is horrible for a student guitar. And I'm not talking just really high action. It was FUBAR above the 6th fret.

Here's the rub. You might say that the Esteban I play-tested could still work as a strummer. And, that a lot of acoustics are hard to play in the upper registers. And, that most people don't play up there on an acoustic anyway. But I'd counter that this is the sort of guitar that discourages playing, and discourages a student, in fact anyone, from learning simple but neccesary techniques like barre chords, or learning the neck.

This guitar reminded me of the 'beginner' guitars they used to have 30+ years ago. I beseech thee, if you're willing to spend $200 bucks, or even $150 for an Esteban, please consider acoustics made by Yamaha, Ibanez, Fender, Epiphone, etc. You won't get a Martin D-18 for your money, but you can expect something that approaches playability much more than the Esteban I played.

The sad thing is that my friend was such an inexpereinced player that he had no idea that anything was really wrong with it. He'd heard that inexpensive acoustics sometimes had high action. Heck, he'd heard all acoustics had high action. It was too late to send this lemon back.

In conclusion, the Esteban was black, shiny, and pretty from about 5 feet away. Yet it played like a mangler of music in the hand though!

Be warned. You are rolling the dice here. From reading these reviews it seems that the quality control for these is horrible. Maybe a few serviceable ones get through?

Much like the KFC recipe no one can really be sure what this thing is made of. I asked the aliens if they knew on my last abduction but they didn't have a clue either.

Very Shamuish.

Similar to the Roy Rogers model I drug around when I was six. Flaws? Read the reviews.

I can testify that it's NOT indestructable or flame retardent.

?

Great stand for my Chia Pet collection.

Tried this one from a friend. This was a plywood and plastic beauty. I wanted to smash it but it was needed for the school guitar class's winter concert. My instrument broke every string and I had to borrow this turd.

Plywood top, made in China, dreadnought body, 20 frets.

It ruined the ensemble. Tinny, dissonant, buzzy, and sleazy. Whoever said it sounded better than his pre-war Martin D-45 is deaf or kidding.

Uneven frets, slippery tuners that made me lose tune in the middle of "Jingle Bells," and cheesy finish that didn't mask the plywood ratwood/sawdust construction.

This lasted the concert and broke. Afterwards it smashed easily. There was finish on my hands after I played.

The teacher told me not to play a piece of junk like the Esteban anymore, but understood since I told him the story (my strings broke and I didn't have time to restring). No, I'm not telling you what guitar I have.

The person who owned this guitar was glad to have it smashed.

All the bells and whistles. Reminds me of my White Falcon.

Sounds just a wee bit better than my pre-war d-45. What's not to like? Sounds even better through my Dumble.

One of the snowflake inlays appears to gleam a little less than the others otherwise no complaints here.

Mine came with vintage gold grovers and was signed by Pete Townsend. Nice touch!

I'm sure Estebalm is very easy to reach. If not HSN can probably hook you up. Right?

Plays alot like my DAngelico New Yorker and has the same crisp tone as my koa V. I like playing it through the supplied 10w amp and a metal zone.

Butta.....

it has 6 strings, 6 knob things and a hole... actaully you get more than one hole... great vlue

I work mostly in atonal music, and ths guitar is perfect. It is not only that it fantastic at not staygin in tune, but it has magic in how it shifts flat and sharp by me just playing an open E then a G on the e string, and when I play an open "E" string again... there it is a magical F sharp

The splints cause some bleeding that really adds some aesthetice to the plywood fretboard.

It still kind if looks like a guitar... Amazing

I called and the great E-man answered the phone himself and explaind how to superglue the fret.

I haven't picked up my pink Savon Drugs 4" scale length since getting this beauty.

Looks like black varnished plywood. Some decorating trim around the resonator hole and a pinstripe(?) down the center on back.Cheap 20 frets, made in china and not a whole lot else to it.

Very very bright, almost tinny. I think that this is supposed to be a spanish guitar but those usually have a more mellow sound to them.

Very high action. The guitar stayed in tune well enough but it isn't the highest quality. The finish looks like a very cheap varnish but what does one expect for $99 on late night tv?

This guitar was bought for a 14 year old beginner and has stood up very well to the abuse that she has given it over the last year and a half. No major breakage or scratches, in spite of how many times it has been dropped, kicked, had kool-aid spilled on it, etc... The tuning keys are still functional and respond as well as one would expect and it has kept its same average tone throughout all of its abuse. I don't think that I would push the durability too much though, the plywood does look kinda thin. There is a little buzz but for the price what does one expect?

None yet

As I mentioned before this was for a young beginner and was excellent for a starter guitar. We really didn't expect much from it for the price that we were getting it for. It has stood up well and has allowed her to progress beyond the basics and now we are considering a new, better guitar. If you are not expecting more than a cheap guitar that a starter can learn on you shouldn't be too dissappointed with this one. As a player myself I would not advise getting this for a second guitar or anything, but for a starter certainly. There has been some comment from some instructors on the difficulty of this instrument because of the incredibly high action, but little else is really.

i purchased this guitar for pennies on the dollar on E-bay, and was still cheated. Thi is not a guitar, it is an abominaation, better served as a cheese cutter or a crickett wickett. The top was warped, the frets were uneven and had burs on the ends which cut my fingers. We are loosing rainforests by the thousands of acres. I wonder how much of the bad wood ends up in these gas filled stools. Neck was warped to, I live in Minnesota so I will wait until January and use it for kindling in my fireplace. Shame on you Esteban(by the way Segovia didn't name you, Esteban is Steven in Spanish. H was simply calling you by your name, STEVE.

Ugh, My parrot was killed by a Racoon when I left it on the porch one hot summer night, the noise was awfull, and isac was dead before I could load that coon's ass with buckshot, which I dean and blew him to hell. Those final noises of sweet Issac were lovely compaared to the dead, Dead, DEAD DEAD sond of this , this, this Wood thing.

If you are trying to build strenth in your hands for Ro-sham-bo, or thgumb wretling, then this is your instrument, but if you are trying to play music you are out of luck. Action, you have got to be joking. Fit? some of the worst workmanship I have ever seen. And the finish, it wipes off on your hands (including the fretboard

I wouldn't know how it sounds live playing, because it sounds so dead.
The harware will last, if you put it in the recycle bin before you burn it. Then it can be recycled into something that actuall;y works.

wouldn't know , I boutg it used

I've been playing for 20 years, I thought that I cvould use this for a road guitar when I travel. No such luck. I suppose i could use it as a planter or a place to put my dog's dookie when I clean the yard.

2005 or 06

low quality picks, but it's not expected

body, wood, well not the best quality, but for $46 bucks,, hell, i had low expectations, i figured my 5 year old nephew could play with it and i would have no fear of breaking something expensive.

tuners, seem jus fine to me, it stayed in tune for a few hours of fooling around with it.

bag, seems ok to drag round a cheep guitar, so can't complane too much,, i mean as they say, ya get what you pay for...

sound seem fine for a $46. guitar... i mean if i would have paid 200 or 300 for it, well, i would return it.

it's not rich/full, it's a $30 to $46 dollar guitar,, it's a toy, that is fun to play with for the price, i have spent more on gas for a short trip late, so i figure it's worth that at least...

it was set up as a cheep guitar should be. for fun.

it was glued together cheep, it was poorly set up, but hey it's a toy.

hum, live playing, im not sure, i don't play live, im no expert by far, and well, im just not sure.

not sure

made in 2005 very nice BEGINNERS guitar, made in China very well constructed

Well when I first got the guitar I changed the strings, because I did not like the strings with it, I put a set of Martin Eric Clapton's Choice Medium Bronze 80/20 on it and now she purrs like a kitten.

Action is great, Very easy to Play

Very nice guitar, the gig bag though was another story, it offers no protection, so I spent a little money and bought a noce Ritter gig bag. The video was no help ether, manly because it was VHS and all i have is a DVD. but with the private lessons I'm taking, and the Guitar for Dummies book, I am learning allot.

Have not needed Customer support

Very nice Beginner Guitar, had it a month, and playing songs I never thought I could play.

Well I dont own a burswood but the Feature on 1 of my reletives seems okay

there is nothing wrong with the sound maybe its ur tuning skills that suck

well I only played for a max of 1 hour but the only flaw I found was the whammy bar it always bends thats it

Im a Bigginer and I plan to get on getting my reletive's burswood but as I get better im goin to get something better and no I wod not use it during a gig

no

its pretty good as a bigginer guitar

Husband bought it for me this past Christmas direct from Esteban's website. Not sure if this is the exact model as the guitar didn't have anything included with it to say what it is. But it's an acoustic electric Esteban, that much I know. Tuners are chrome-plated plastic. Don't know if it's a solid top or not, looks like it but who knows. Included a hard case, strap, cable, practice amp, allen key (for adjusting the bridge, I guess), picks, chord chart, 2 instructional DVDs and a DVD of an Esteban concert.

Sounds okay, definitely not in the league of a $2,000 Gibson but for the price, sounds just fine. I think the sound from the amp sucks, but from what I hear the practice amps that come with any guitar package, including those from Fender and Ibanez, suck also.

I'm a born again guitarist (played as a teenager a LONG time ago) and wanted to get back into it. I had previously played a classical acoustic with nylon strings so the transition to a steel string was a vast difference. I don't think this is a beginner guitar for anyone but men with large hands. It's not very easy to play, especially not for women or children with smaller hands. Sounds good when I get my fingers on the frets properly and exert about 100 lbs of pressure. Action seems high. I have a heck of a time getting my fingers to reach the frets on some chords and sometimes feel like I'm spraining them in the attempt. I don't remember having that problem starting out as a 13 year old girl on the classical guitar I had. I did not notice any flaws whatsoever on this guitar, the finish is flawless and it's a very pretty instrument.

Seems pretty durable to me. I've been playing it for 3 months and so far nothing has broken.

Haven't dealt with them and didn't check the warranty.

Before my husband bought me this, he called a good friend of ours who is a professional musician. This friend had purchased an Esteban for himself and recommended it to my husband for me. I would never have bought it if it had been my decision. The problem is, my husband asked a very experienced male guitarist on his opinion for a good beginner guitar for a female. He probably should have called a guitar shop or gone on the internet and asked about a good beginner guitar for girls. I have gotten to the point where I've just accepted the fact that this guitar is just too big for me and after some research I purchased a Daisy Rock electric semi-hollowbody. I'm due to get it in a couple of days and I'm hoping that the guitar will be exactly as they claim, sized for the smaller hands of a female guitar player. If I had a daughter or younger son I most certainly would not buy this guitar for them, but if my husband or a male friend wanted to start on the guitar, I definitely don't think this guitar is a bad deal at all, considering what you get. Mine looks good, sounds good, good deal overall.

classic dreadnought, it is what it is. I actually only paid 20 bucks on ebay for it, a gig bag and extra strings. Thank God I only paid 20 bucks after reading reviews. It is not a rip off if you can get it for under 40 dollars with the shipping included. I see that people paid 200+ dollars, why? If you know what quality is and you've played for most of your life, I don't feel sorry for you for getting taken. You brag about what you own and how long you've played, if anyone should know better you should.

Great for my 20 bucks, I do kinda feel sorry for beginners who pay a lot for it and didn't know the difference or what they were getting into. Won't play gigs with it, but for just messing around the house, and not being too overprotective when the little kids get a hold of it, it's good.

Terrible for the price. great for my money

I wouldn't be too upset if the kids were playing with this instead of the taylor or fender. Reliable for around the house.

20 bucks, I spend more on gas to gigs. Don't need support. Don't feel sorry for me.

slightly used, but like new for 20 dollars is a great buy any day of the week. Cheaper than some child guitar toys. Good for a "toy" or mess around guitar. Wouldn't recomend for serious players. But then you didn't need my opinion, you have a thousand others on this page telling you the same thing.

2005
Where was it made?
Features? This is a ten. It came with a HARD SHELL CASE! I couldn?t believe it, a hard shell case. Now that was different. A guitar with a hard shell case? I just wanted to leave a good review after reading all of these bad ones. This guitar is the best guitar! It comes with a hard-shell case. My other guitars didn?t. I could have guitars like Martin, Taylor, Guild, Honda, or Ford, but I don?t. This baby even came with the DVDs, a chord book AND a hard shell case.

The sound quality is awesome. Have you ever hear the sound of a tree falling in a forest?

Reliability/Durability? I would give this a ten.
like the other player have testified, this guitar is extremely durable with a double E.
I don?t have anything to compare it to. Maybe a car?
If I got on a bus with fourteen other people and left the station at seven. How long would it take to build this guitar?

Durability? This guitar is like a tank...a big old hairy turtle of a tank. I could surf on this thing. If I had this the day my foot was bitten off by that shark, I believe I could have gotten it back with no strings attached.
Just ROCK SOLID!

I don?t know if I?ll live long enough to use the 'coustomer support' button that came with this guitar. I can?t play it because of that eel. After it removed the skin on my back my hands I knew I would never play the guitar again. This guitar will last for ever in that HARD SHELL CASE

This guitar is the best guitar! It comes with a hard-shell case. My other guitars didn?t. I could have guitars like Martin, Taylor, Guild, Honda, or Ford, but I don?t. This baby even came with the DVDs, a chord book AND a hard shell case. Soon I?ll be jamming with other satisfied customers like Cornholio to ALL the Korn tunes?.maybe some Lep-lin?
A fantastic value. A lot of guitar for.....well, not a lot of money.

Features? Some beautifull rain forest somewhere in indonesia was cleared (in part) to make this piece of crap. This was not the good wood either, I think it was made out of roots and leaves (the small percentage of it that is actually wood). The neck is bent, the frets have sharp burs and stick out. I once dropped a dinner fork in a garbage disposal and it looked better than these frets. The finish rubs off on my hands whenever I play it; It looks alot like that orange tan in a bottle, and appears as if was applied with a bat. It also has a peutrid oder emminating from it. It smells like a skunk humped an onion in it. What a rip off, what a piece of crap. F#&* YOU ESTABAN!!!!

You can play it with a pick, a file, or my favorite, a hammer. It makes absolutely no difference in the sound. The only place I can see playing it that would make it bearable is on the runway of a busy airport.(at least then I would not be able to hear it)If you were to shoved a bobcat in a rusty old piano, it would sound just like this guitar.

If I took an axe to a pine log, blinfolded, and tried to carve a guitar, it would have a better fit than this thing. And if when i was done, I pissed on it, it would have a better finish. Who ever made this thing must have been having a seizure that day.

The only thing I can depend on is the garbage man picking it up on thursday, and I can only hope he takes it. I fully expect to see it thursday afternoon next to the garbage can with a note taped to it(I am sorry, but due to the sheer volume, we are no longer able to take Estaban guitars)

Upon calling HSN I found out it had an unconditional warranty, under no condition is anything on the guitar warrantied. When I asked to speak to customer service, I was directed to a call center in India. When I began to complain, the man told me I was lucky to own a guitar. I told him he's lucky he's on the other side of the world, because; if he was'nt, I would kill him.

It sould have come with a lighter, so you can burn it immediatly after opening the box. It should also have come with some hand cleaner, to get the finish off your skin after playing it. The only other thing it should have come with is a rebate check for the entire purchase price. I have no other guitars to compare it to, But if I were to leve a nice classical out in the rain and sun for a few years, it would still sound better than this albtross.

Hmmmm......well......er......uh........nope, you've stumped me.

It sounds like what it is. A toy.

Horrible quality. I didn't own it long enough for the bridge to break, but the first time I tuned it the string broke.

This guitar didn't withstand 1 minute of playing.

Support was great. I called them, returned the "guitar", and got a refund. No problems at all.

I've been playing 23 years. I've owned 23 years worth of stuff, and played as many gigs as one would expect in that time. I mentioned to my wife that I'd like a nice acoustic, and she was trying to be nice and surprise me with one from HSN. I pasted a silly grin on my face and played it for a few minutes. She (a non-guitarist) looked closely at the guitar and said, "It's a piece of crap, isn't it?". Then a string broke. It's a piece of crap.

Features? It's an asscoustic guitar, but I'll try: Ratwood for body and neck, plastic everything else. Other stuff is included (just read the other reviews) but it's all of low quality.

"What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety?" STRUM STRUM STRUM STRUM because it's an asscoustic. Even the expensive brands are just STRUM STRUM STRUM but far better quality.
It can make other sounds too. BANG SMASH BREAK BOOM and KABONG!

To quote "Get Serious, Folks", "My geeky cousin who literally wears a pocket protector and Coke-bottle glasses has more action on a Friday night than this POS."
Then his guitar has low action. Well mine did too, in fact mine had action so low the strings buzzed left and right.
Nothing fit together on this guitar. The bridge fell off, and the neck and fingerboard fell apart. The frets are razor-sharp.
Finish rubs off easily. A four-year-old could do better...WAIT A MINUTE four-year-olds are making this deathtrap

Everything fell apart on this deathtrap.

HSN is too busy with women calling them raving about jewelry that they couldn't let an aspiring musician thru to return a sub-standard asscoustic guitar that fell apart. Stupid women.

I bought this since those boneheads suggest that I begin on an asscoustic. I already had an electric (Squier Bullet Special) and this seemed like a good deal at the time. Now I know never to buy anything from a TV shopping channel.

Just got my Estaban guitar. And frankly, I only paid $235 for the deal and as such I expect to get a $235 deal out of this. All you folks pissing and moaning about having all these expensive guitars and have played for years that require that I "do the math" need to stop lying to us and yourselves. If you really had expensive guitars and all those years of playing under your belt, what the hell are you paying this amount of money for?! All I can say is I'm throwing the bullshit flag on the play because I don't believe all these supposed accomplished players are actually telling even the remotest thread of truth.

Know what? I was able to get mine to tune just like Esteban's did in the DVD. *Shock* Should I sit and bitch because I apparently have a musical ear and can get mine to tune?

My guitar looks and feels fine. My problem is that my fingers are a little too short but guess what...when I went to my local guitar shop and tried out a few, my fingers were too short for those expensive ones too! My guitar looks and feels just as it should for the price I paid. If I wasn't a beginner, I would never have bought this instrument. Seems that should be another hint to anyone reading these posts...all these "accomplished" musicians spending the same amount as a beginner? yeah...I believe your posts ... sure I do....

I believe this will withstand live playing...what other kind of playing is there? I believe that I can depend on it as a beginners guitar. Would I use it on a gig? Hell no! I'm not planning gigs...I wanted to play for myself and myself only therefore, I am satisfied with my purchase.

I actually had to call customer support because they didn't include the chord chart. They were happy to send one out to me. Maybe you all called with attitudes?

How long have I been playing? 1 day...you do the math! If it were lost or stolen, I'd get it again because IT'S A GOOD BEGINNER'S GUITAR!

I think that people need to take these negative posts with a grain of salt. Think about it...if the poster claims to have all these other really expensive instruments and/or years, YEARS of musical ability that require the reader to do the math, then think about what you're reading. If the poster really has all these other expensive instruments and experience...WHY DID THEY PURCHASE A CHEAP DEAL WITH ALL THE FRILLS? Oh, wait, they expected more for their money and wanted something for nothing. They wanted the $5000 classical guitar that Esteban used in the infomercial or in the DVD...right? Yeah, that's what I thought. Grow up!

Yep, it's made in China. So what? My wife was made in china and she is faithful, beautiful,and an all around great person. The guitar doesn't have as many nice features as my wife, but it is still a good guitar. What's with all the Esteban bashing anyway?

Sounds better than I expected considering the reasonable price.

Maybe some of the flamers of this instrument are just that, flamers. Maybe the guitar has improved over the first ones produced. I don't know. All I do know is I'm very happy with mine. I suspect that some of the flamers are competitors, and hope by flaming this one their brand will sell better?

I've only had it a few months, but so far so good.

I haven't needed customer support, so I can't say one way or another.

I'M 59 Been playing since I was 8. Toured Europe with a blues group, still play nightclubs. Love this guitar. Bought it the first time for a friend's grand daughter, was so impressed I bought another for myself. For the price it is basically "disposable" not to worry if it get damaged or stolen. Never heard of Esteban before. Don't think I would like him if we met. He's the kind of person that makes me want to puke, but I do like his product.

i dont know whats wrong with people- either they thought they were talking about a different guitar or they just wanted to leave a bad review!! This guitar is the best guitar! It comes with a hardshell case, a 12wt amp that would cost 5o bucks seperately (it is so reliable i use it with my electric guitar)strings and extra strings that really sound just like Martin&co. Darco, a cord for the amp, two dvds that literately taght me everything, more than 15 songs including greensleves and my favorite,house of the rising sun. the dvds also taught me a whole bunch of chords and scales! a strap (it should have came with the button so u could use it though)and chord book!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sound fits any style!!!!!!! seriosly! when u do greensleeves it sounds sad and like its supposed to then go to a country song like wildwood flower it switches to country mode!!!!!!! any style u like this has it if it sounds good ill play it and everything sounds best on this! The variety of sounds depends on what song u play it sounds like anything it has wiked clear, bright but smooth sound. It is rich and has absolutly NO FRETFUZZ!! when i played this guitar i forgot what fretfuzz was! also when u plug it into the amp it has an overdrive button that suprisingly makes it switch to sound like Ted Nudgent!! OR AC/DC! any rock!! (bsides korn because korns like death metal and 5000000000000wt speakers and really is just alot of screaming THINGS MUST DIE)!!!!!!!! (they kick ass though)

it was set up set up so good!!!!!! when it came some retarded people reviewing this guitar said it came broken and the strings were all broken. DUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how stupid r u?? its called the strings are just put on u have to tune them!!!! Have u ever seen a guitar brand new before? It came so unbelievably shiny and bright! AND IT WAS DEFINATELY ALL WOOD!!!! dur! some people were complaining it's made in china WELL NOTHING IS MADE IN AMERICA! ibanez is made in china, stagg is made in china, Fender and squier are made in mexico What the hell is the difference! Everything was in exact order- the neck was gorgeous, nothing is wrong with the frets, NO loose controls

The guitar is Extremely durable! well i admit that since it was my first guitar that i had a lot lot of uh,ohs and oops and CRAP!! or even some F&*% u guitar!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!! Its been able to handle all of those "beatings" and shows up with an unoticable tiny scratch on the back of the neck!! I've had the guitar for a year now and it still smells like brand new finish! it still just as shiny and the finish never even started to were off. I can definately depend on it!! there is never any geto scenes that u have worry about this guitar having right when u r in a concert or any thing. And the strings that came with it- u dont have to worry about breaking. the stock strings lasted 2 months and they still didnt break after me playing it everyday and i just got board of the strings and wanted to replace then! I would definetly use it on a gig with no back up unless u have really cheap strings and they break thats your fault The strap button is plastic but big whoop! its not like it hurts any thing besides hard steel or bronze ones will probably break the strap!

I'm proud to say that iv never had to get the guitar repaired because of it's superb quality and duribility. I'm so stupid i don't know how long the warrenty is, but it doesn't matter because i deeply think that this guitar is gonna last a life time!!

I've been playing for a year but exceled as much as a 5 year experience. I own a yamaha acoustic that was 150 used with no case, amp, or electrical output. The esteban kills that guitar with its brighter tone and way better deal. I love everything about it and i dont hate anything. The only thing i wish it had was better picks* If it was stolen or lost i'd definitly buy a new one but black.My favorite feature is the price. But this thing isn't a cheapy, no, its not like u get what u pay for its like u get 10 times more than what u paid for. Also if u are a collector of vintage guitars, i have i 1964 Ventura Brund acoustic guitar. It's pretty rare. But i'll be honest- since back then they made them with plywood, it sank a little bit inside itself so the high E sounds weird, but it is fixable. I'll give to any one one willing to pay some where starting around 50 bucks. Email me at Yoshiparty5@aol.com. I'll send u a picture.

Features? This thing is made in China. Fake wood "instrument", bridge that falls off, sharp frets, those are the features.

Sound? It sounds like this: KABFFT KAWMP KABWANG! because I smashed it.

The fake wood (it's cheapo enough to be fake) is ugly, and the finish stinks of glue. Or Esteban's jizz.

The bridge fell off and broke, and I broke this thing, so it didn't last.

Well, it's smashed. I didn't smash my Squier Bullet Special, so that says a lot about the crappiness of this thing. Get any other instrument than an Esteban.

Features?? What features! It's an acoustic.
The only feature that I see is that you have to get a file, and some sandpaper to try and make this thing playable.
I had to file down the nut, and the bridge to TRY and make it so that I can maybe play this THING!
I took the strings off and sanded down the fretboard a little,
and after sanding off some of the finish on the back of the(guitar? is that what this is)? neck, I see that the neck is made of wood, and the fingerboard is also.
The neck actually looks like a cheap grade of maple, not sure.
the fretboard I can't tell as I did not take off enough to look at the grain, (if there is any).

Once that I filed down the nut, and the bridge, the sound is not that bad, It needs a good set of strings though.
I would not run out and buy one for the sound,
all I'm saying is the sound is not all that bad.

The action sucked, the finish on the body was ok, the fingerboard and the neck suck.
The intonation was poor, and there is no adjusting that on this acoustic without replacing the bridge.
The tuning pegs were not that bad, They actually keep somewhat in tune,
I still will replace them with some better ones though.
The frets are horrid!! I am going to have to hand file them to try and get them to be decent.

This axe is not for gigging at all, at anytime, anywhere except maybe in your house, all alone, with the doors and windows shut tight so no one can hear.

Never dealt with the company, I think that Estaban should at least get a better axe, with some better quality, this thing is horrible,
even though it may have one,or two things that are ok, it has numerous bad qualities.

I am going to tell the truth here, no reason to fabricate, you don't know me and never will, so the truth will prevail here!!
I got into a bad accident 5 years ago, and was struck by an un-insured motorist, leaving me with over $350,000.00 in medical bills.
I had to sell everything off, (an L-5, an ES 335), and an axe that was handmade for me, among other items.
So being as I was broke! I decided to give this a try as I could pay on time.
What a mistake!!
I would rather not play at all, than have to play solely on this piece of crap!
I am 60 y.o., and started taking lessons at age 7, so you do the math.
I graduated Berklee School of Music in '67, and played and taught professionally for many-many years.
Including being a studio musician for three major recording studios.
I am not going to get into the depth of my experiences,
suffice it to say, I have a tremendous amount of experience to justly give an opinion on this so-called guitar!
Although the axe has a couple of good qualities,--- overall, PLEASE,PLEASE, PLEASE, save your money and buy something better, anything is better than this, believe me.

I bought the Esteban Granada cutaway classical acoustic electric from HSN. I loved it. I have been playing for 30 years and have 11 guitars, Gibsons, a Fender strat, a guild 12 string, an Ovation etc.
however, I thought this might be too good to be true when I saw the commercial, and was quite nervous while waiting for it to arrive. When I got it.....I loved it so much I bought another. Anyone expecting something grand for $235.00 is a fool. It is worth every penny. The acoustic sounds from this guitar are mediocre, but it sounds great when played through the cool little amp that is included. This guitar isnt made in Madrid with the quality of a Cordoba or something. It is meant as a starter guitar for students! It is a good value for the money!! It stays in tune reasonably well, however I probably will invest in better tuning keys for it.Even a new gibson les paul comes from the factory with crappy tuners that must be replaced if you want to gig with that guitar! I dont understand why anyone has trouble with returns at HSN. As long as you ask them within the first 30 days they will replace. One of my Eseban guitar cases had a loose seam and was coming undone.............so I called HSN and was told to expect a new one in about two weeks. If it doesnt come in, I will let you all know. My hat goes off to Esteban for putting a decent, affordable guitar in the hands of new players. I support that idea because due to this rap trash that is being put out these days by morons with no talent....one day , actual musicians will be a dying breed. Maybe Im old fashioned but I think that for something to be classified as music, it should be made by an actual musician.....not some mouth-breather who just rhymes spoken words to (someone else's) records! OK im off my soap box now. Mmarksm404@apl.com

I bought the Burswood Classical from HSN. It was made in China. This guitar is strictly a first guitar for someone who doesn't know if he is serious about learning. I've had steel string guitars, but this was my first classical.

The strings sucked - had to replace them immediately. The tuners were okay - it did stay in tune.

Note that my ratings are for an entry level guitar.

The sound was okay - I've heard worse. After a few months however, I knew that I needed a new guitar with volume and a deeper, richer sound.

Action was actually very good - and there weren't any obvious flaws with the instrument. It was a cheaply made instrument though.

The guitar would not stand up to serious, long-term playing. I mainly got it learn classical guitar. This is strictly a beginning guitar. Never even think of playing this guitar for a gig.

Didn't need any.

After reading some other reviews, I must have been one of the lucky ones who got a fairly decent guitar. It all really depends on what you want to pay. Remember, that you will get what you pay for. Don't expect a fine musical instrument for $130.

After a couple months of playing, I realized I needed a better sounding instrument and ended up purchasing a true student quality spanish made guitar. I paid $700 for it, but the enjoyment of playing it made it worth the extra bucks.

I purchased this guitar for Christmas 2005. It is the 2005 cutaway model and arrived with a non-working amplifier. The amp is totally dead. The guitar falls out of tune within minutes, even after a week of re-tuning. The wood really smells--reminiscent of the fiberglass factory in Taiwan that custom made our boat. Just not happy with it and YES...I had to pay return postage to HSN. HSN would not even listen to the fact that it arrived broken. Never again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The amp came totally dead.

I'm not a musician, so how do I know. I just know the wood is crap.

Every time I tried to tune it, I would hear the neck "ping".

HSN was non-sympathic.

Played it 2 weeks. Gave up. I just wish something about it was worth the effort so I don't feel like a total fool for ordering it.

Look, at first when I heard that my dad ordered ANYTHING from home shopping network, I told him immediately that we were returning it and he said "No just give it a chance". Well, I got it today, and not only did it arrive broken, it doesn't stay in tune, its made of plastic and wood and you could probably make a better guitar out of tissue boxes and floss. We are sending it back and the only thing worthy of keeping is the guitar bag that it comes with. The guitar itself is a waste of time and money. It goes to show that you should NEVER buy something without playing it. Listen to other reviews and take advice when people say its a piece of crap.

It sucks. Any other guitar is better.

People, people... please. It is a guitar that sells for 'x number of easy payments' over a cable-channel shopping network or an late-night 'infomercial'. What on Earth are you to expect? It was made by Chinese child labor in a slave-hold somewhere. The absolutely cheapest parts and paints and glues were used to construct this rip-off. Anyone with only one name, like 'Esteban', should not be trusted to sell you anything that you cannot try before you buy. TV shopping is the electronic equivalent of buying from some guy's trunk, or from a guy you met on the train to work 'who knows this guy'. I cannot feel sorry for the suckers who get taken in by these TV hucksters and their unconscionable lies. You truly do get what you pay for. I have never, NEVER paid less than $100 for the INSTRUMENT ALONE, BEFORE SHIPPING/HANDLING OR A SINGLE ACCESSORY and still gotten a guitar worth a damn. By the way, 'Esteban' must be related to 'Marcos', the hat-and-shades-wearing Hispanic-looking guy responsible for the "learn to play harmonica in 10 minutes" crap. Why is it that the purveyors of such imported garbaggio all have to wear big hats and dark glasses...?

It is quiet, with no bad notes or buzzing. No intonation problems, no trouble with the tuners. That is because I picked it up once at a flea market, took one look, and dropped it like a hot potato. It is quiet because I will never play it, so it sits mutely in someone's pile of second-hand junk for sale in a parking lot in south Jersey.

My geeky cousin who literally wears a pocket protector and Coke-bottle glasses has more action on a Friday night than this POS. Bookmatched top? How about I put a lit matchbook on top of this plywood monstrosity and do the developing third-world nation's slave population a favor? Where is the Che Guevara of today to rescue these poor slobs from having to manufacture this manure? Harmony Central asked and answered their own question: Did the guitar contain any flaws? YES: misaligned bracing, poorly filed fretwire,
finish flaws, poor quality wood, rusted or oxidized hardware, loose tuning pegs, poorly cut nut, poorly fit saddle, noisy pickup selector, loose controls, etc.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? This guitar would not withstand the only thing I would do with it, which would be to drive over it with my vand and then set the scraps on fire.

Does the hardware seem like it will last? If you can find it at the city dump where I would throw it, go and check for yourself.

Is the finish good enough to last? I have seen Tammy Faye Bakker wear makeup that will last longer than this spray-paint. There is graffiti in NYC that has lasted longer.

Are the strap buttons solid? They might be, but not when they are screwed into this balsa-wood rattle-trap.

Can you depend on it? Yes... to sound like garbage and be worth $0.

Would you use it at a gig without a backup? I once found a guitar on the side of the road. The body was split along 40% of the top seam. I used, so help me, ELECTRICAL TAPE to bind it up, then I HOT-GLUED an old guitar pickup into the soundhole. I used a convenient chip in the bottom bout to hot-glue a jack into the thing, and I played that jerr-rigged, ugly freak of a thing for a solid year. It held up better at its worst than the Estupido TV Special.

You have got to be kidding. A guy in a big hat and dark glasses who goes by a fake name puts the aforementioned fake name on a useless/worthless piece of crap, and you want the nameless drones who answer the phones at HSN for 6 bucks an hour to actually help you? Anyone who tries to tell you that there are things that can be repaired or improved about this guitar should be arrested and shot.

I have been playing for 15 years. I have taught guitar and have been the owner of just about every major brand of guitar there is: Gibson, USA Fender, Rickenbacker and so on and so on. I have never had the guts to treat anyone so badly as to offer them a rip-off like this. I could not sleep at night knowing I had encouraged someone to spend their money on a plywood nightmare like this 'Excrement'. For the same money, and even less, I could send you to a store in New Jersey where the imported instruments are ten times better in quality, and where the prices and customer service are better than Guitar Center, Sam Ash or any other chain store. By the way, a little caution to the prospective buyer from/victim of EsteBUM: The book/video he hawks with this pile of crapola contains songs like Malaguena, House of the Rising Sun, Red River Valley and so on. ALL OF THESE SONGS ARE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. THAT MEANS THAT THE PUBLISHER OF THE BOOK DID NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYONE ROYALTIES FOR THESE SONGS. WHAT PERSON WOULD BELIEVE THAT A REAL MUSICIAN WITH SOME PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY WOULD BE PLAYING CONCERTS FEATURING THIS CRAPPY GUITAR AND SONGS FROM AN ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL MUSIC BOOK? Save your money, email me and I will get you a deal from the store I shop at that will make EsteBUM look like the crook he is.

This was made in 2003 in China. It looks like it is maybe a wood top, but it could be a composite. I have never seen wood behave this way. It came with a little amp and 2 dvds.

After using my exacto knife and sandpaper on the nut and bridge to get the strings in some semblance of proper height and location, I realized it vibrated seperately from my strum, it was like a ghost was inside of it. It has a wooden sound I think. It resonates loudly, but with no precision. I have not heard a worst sound in a guitar I dont think, but even still it sounded better than a washing machine.

There were some areas that glue was explosed. The wood was stained but not properly lacquered or the lacquer did not stick or the chemicals overall were bad. Stain cames off on my left hand each of the 5 times I have played it. The Bridge was properly placed but whoever set the height was wrong. All I can think of is that it is designed for giant margins of errors on the other end of the frets. The wood does not seem to actually be stained as much as painted. All the string string tightners were looser than they should be. I can't imagine how it holds a tune.

It was broken when I got it and something else has broken on it each time I have played it.

I have played since I was 12 years old, this makes 35 years now. I have a Taylor 910ce and Seagull S6. I wish I had asked how many were returned. This guitar cannot be stolen or sold, I reworked the face on the guitar and made it into a toilet seat for my outhouse at the cabin. The rest of it I am ashamed to say I put in the trash. I was afraid of the chemicals they used would poison me if I used them in the fireplace or used as mulch. This was an impulse purchase for a cheapie guitar for the cabin. All I wanted was a cheap cheap guitar. This thing is better as toilet seat than it ever was as guitar.

First, this thing was made in China. What a crock! It was basically glued together. They claimed this had a rosewood neck and on and on...no! This is basically particleboard. It's not a good guitar. It looks like crap. This wasn't solid at all. The tuners didn't do anything, more or less. The body was flimsy. What junk!

Sound? What sound? It was junk! The sound was terrible. High-pitched, stringy, non-musical. The only way to describe the sound of this guitar is crap.

Nobody took any care in setting this thing up. It was probably done by a machine. Nothing was adjusted correctly. The finish was horrible and rubbed right off. The tuning keys looked like they had been painted by a one-year-old. It sucked!

This thing didn't stand up to ten minutes of playing at home, let alone an hour of a live performance. You can't depend on it. You can't use it for a backup. Just forget even buying the damn thing.

The company? Don't even go there. This company was crap, too. I bought the thing direct from the TV Infomercial. When I tried to return it, they basically laughed at me. I ended up having to complain to an outside agency to get anything done. Took me almost a month.

It sucked. End of story. I ended up going out and spending a little more for a decent Fender at my local music store. They fixed me up with what would be top-of-the-line for that price range. The one I got is considered a "beginner's guitar", but it's far better than this piece of junk.

Terrible. Who is Esteban? I looked him up online. There is no info at all. You can look yourself up and find info, why can't you find info on him? He is obviously a NOBODY!!
World famous... yeah right. Jump in line sheep, believe everything you see and hear, just like my poor grandma who bought this for me from late night TV.
Anyone on here claiming that this guitar is anything but junk is a liar or an employee of Esteban.
Especially all these people who claim to play guitar for 35 years... Liars.

Sound quality is crap. Buzzing. To the guy who claimed that it needed a little work is an idiot. You should not have to put work into a brand new guitar. Anyone on here claiming that this is anything but a piece of junk is defrauding the good people of the United States of America and might as well go hang out on HSN w/ Esteban the loser scumbag.

This guitar was not set up at all, buzzing strings, frets popped up. Binding was fake, plastic, possibly even taped on. The wood looked like crap and the fret board was cardboard/particle board. How can people get away with selling people this crap. It makes no sense.

Cracked joints, imperfect finish.

I've read people saying that they didn't expect much, but a new guitar should be perfect, even a $100 guitar.

I returned this guitar after the frets fell off.

Unlike some smucks posting reviews, when the guitar breaks I return it I don't fix it, myself.

Customer support? Had to speak to a supervisor to get any results

I've ben playing for 15 years. I have a takamine acoustic, an antique classical, a tenor banjo, and a fernandez strat.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND EVERYTHING HOLY..... DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR. Spend $20 more and buy a yamaha, or a cheap fender, or better yet a Cord with solid spruce top.

2003 Chinese made Steel string dreadnought acoustic (Just a basic dreadnought) It is what it is , nothing fancy so there really aren't any feature flaws . But it did come with instructional videos, Esteban cd, hardshell case, extra strings, Tuner,strap & picks. I,ve also installed a Radio Shack Piezo transducer pickup in it.WHICH REALLY SOUNDS GOOD! IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A CHEAP HIGH QUALITY WAY TO AMPLIFY YOUR ACOUSTIC I RECOMMEND TRYING ONE. LOOK FOR RADIO SHACK ON THE HARMONY CENTRAL ACOUSTIC PICKUPS PAGE. THERE ARE SEVERAL GOOD POSTS IN THERE WHO WILL TELL YOU HOW. IT ONLY COST ME ABOUT $15 ( INCLUDING AN ENDPIN JACK) If you have any questions about how I did it just email me

it sounded pretty good out of the box. But after I shimmed the bridge saddle with a thin piece of cardboard which raised the strings enough to remove the buzz that everyone else has been crying about it sounds great. Is is kinda bright but I like the the tone. I also own an Alvarez Regent d5212 which has a much deeper tone so I'm glad the Esteban is a bit different.

Action was very easy, a little too much so as the A & D strings buzzed around the 9th fret. A little saddle shimming fixed that right up though, without any noticeable change in the action.
The finish is surprisingly nice with very few minor flaws ( this is a factory made guitar) the finish on the fretboard does rub off in time but doesn't make your fingers black like some others have said. I see this as no big deal considering the purchase price. I mean c'mon what do you expect for $100

Ive had it for about a year and a half now and it still looks and plays like new.

Very Nice budget guitar in my opinion. I've been playing for about 29 years now. I also own: 1988 alvarez regent D5212, 1993 Gibson Les Paul Studio, first act telecaster copy, 198? charvel jackson bass, 1992 Harmony 5 string banjo. If I had to do it over again I would surely replace it

2004 Chinese made acoustic dreadnaught. Included video,picks thin sided case. Very poor quality instrument. Tuners look like poorly plated or silver painted pot metal. Excessive glue slop and run inside instrument cavity. Horribly sharp frets, poorly finished. Fret board appears to be some type of pressed cardboard. I say cardboard becuase there is no wood grain evident. Finish is some type of flat black paint or dye that readily rubs off on your fingers.

Poor intonation. Poor sound quality. Dull buzzing. No depth or ring as in other brands of acoustics. Fretted chords are not recognizable as chords. What a truly shoddy excuse of a musical instrument for anyone to attempt to play much less learn on. The only guiatr you'll learn on this model is which one NOT to buy.

Strings are set to high for even experienced players. Gloss finish was not gloss. Guitar appeared to have been packaged before finish dried resuting in smeared crinkled finish from plastic packing sticking to guitar body. Sloppy neck joint fit. Neck and fret board uneven and bumpy. Shoddy workmanship.

What a pitiful excuse for a musical instrument. I wonder how many people will beciome thoroughly disgusted with learning the guitar after experiencing this rip-off. This instrument dosesn't even qualify as "toy" staus. Utter junk. Period!!!

HSN gives 30 days to return. You pay shipping, Try calling them for the unlimate in double talk and run around excitement. Returning this item is nightmare in itself.

I believe the reviews for this guitar are skewed. At the time of posting this review 32 were posted, of these 32, 12 were sent in by Marcus Hanton- check for yourself!!! I'm not sure what point he's trying to make but I can say in the 6 years Ive been playing and the approximately 50+ guitars I've either owned or played, this is absolutely this poorest excuse for a musical instrument I have seen. Estaban is a rip off. DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!

i don't know the specs on the features (type of wood, top, fretboard, bridge, etc.) as far asccessories: it came with a gig bag, strap, picks, polishing cloth, and extra strings. it looks good.

it sounds fine, a little buzzy, but i'm just learning so it's good for me to hear the buzzes. it makes me work harder to get the sound to be clear. as i advance, so will my appreciation for sound quality so as a beginners guitar i think it's fine. i do realize that it's not the top of the line as far as quality, but i didn't exect it to be.

it looks good sitting my my guitar stand. close inspection lets you see flaws, etc. the fretboard looks a little cheesy. but what do i know (it looks like a guitar that i paid under $100 for, new).

i don't think this is a professional's guitar or even an experienced player's guitar. while i'm not trying to become a pro player, i am trying to learn and i think it suits that purpose. it seems pretty sturdy to me for learnign on. if i were a professional or EXPERIENCED player, i can't imagine that i would buy a cheap guitar such as this one. for a beginner, it's a great value. nothing has broken off or fallen apart (i practice on it daily).

N/A

i've been learning to play for about 4 months. i got what i expected in this guitar which is a cheap, starter, learning guitar. i didn't expect a rich tone and professional sound from something i paid under $100 for. as i continue to learn guitar, i willl of course move on to better quality guitars. but for now i got what i paid for, it suits my purposes and i have no complaints.

Many people see this guitar and think it will it sound awesome. I can tell you right now that is the guy playing it not the guitar. It is a very pretty guitar, but the frets feel real cheap, and don't produce the best sound. The finerboard feel like a cheap wood, and the dot inlays are not smooth, some are out of place, and others are warped.

If you have 4 years of experience, and have really built those calus's on your fingers you can make this sound good, but for a beginner your going to get a muted sound, and even a buzz, from where you can't press down hard enough. I got this guitar two years okay, and after experience, i have just began to love the sound.

The action is high, and if you have been playing for years you can make this baby sound great. However, if your a beginner like most people, this guitar is going to make you want to give up guitar. Also there is a big buzz if you try to lower the action, and the truss rod will break if you mess with that.

I would not gig with it, or even play it with my friends. It is a nice wall hanger, and certainly nice for a starting sibling if you can get the action low.

This guitar is a rip off because they only show esteban playing, which gives you the wrong impression anyway. If your a beginner, spend an extra $100 on a dean, which has low action. Low action is a plus for beginner's, and want make you want to quit.

Features? What features? This guitar is the biggest rip-off that I have seen in my 53 years of life. I have been playing for 43 years and have purchased many guitars. All totaled I have 14 of various makes and models. This I decided to purchase for my son to play around with, what a mistake and an embarrassment.

The sound is very muffled and buzzy. Actually, you hear more buzz than note. Wouldn't matter much if you could get a decent sound, because you can't keep it tuned long enough to play anything!

Apparantly the body fo this thing comes pre-antiqued, because the finish is full of dents, scratches, and runs. Some of the frets have sharp enough edges that this thing should be recalled for child safety issues. The finish on the top of the neck starts coming off wiht just a few minutes of trying to play the guitar. I do mean trying to play, because after bending the strings a couple of times the bridge broke. The body must be made of Balsa wood, because if you just brush it against anything harder than mashed potatoes you will get a dent or the finish will come off.

This guitar has already fallen apart after less than a week! At my age I should know better than to ever buy anything from a con artist on TV, but I guess once in a while even the best of us slip up. That's what keeps these rip-off artists like Esteban going. Apparantly he is trying to make up for all the money he coudln't make while he was rehabilitating.

By the time I got through so many computerized menus, I decided that the $160 I paid for this junk was not even worth the aggrivation that I was going through trying to contact the company. It was better for my well-being to toss this thing in the trash, rather than suffer a stroke.

The most that anyone should pay for this piece of junk would be $25. And that, I figure, would be for the case, strap, tuner, and extra set of stings! The guitar should be thrown in free as a disposable accessory, because that is what happened to the one I bought. It is disposed of!

For any of you parents thinking of purchasing an Esteban guitar, do yourselves a favor and shut the TV off and go to your local guitar shop. Even for $100 dollars there are much better made and sounding guitars out there. A few after I made this purchase and tossed the guitar, my son came home with a guitar that he bought for $110 dollars at a local guitar store. It was a "New York", which I have never heard of, but it has the sound as good as any of my Fenders or Washburns and the fit and finish is great. So, there are some really good inexpensive guitars out there. Estebans junk just doesn't happen to be one of them!

DO your self a favour have a look at this URL,but,don't expect miracles from the other one either.

http://www.guitarimports.com/comparison-esteban.htm

I don't know everything aboout guitars,but, I do know not to buy the Esteban. Buy a Guitar made by a Guitar maker,even Squier,Encore or Dean Playmates.

It will sound terrible. For anyone who's played a Fender/Peavey/Ibanez or semi-decent acoustic, against a catalogue shop guitar, remember how bad the catalogue guitar was??

For anyone who thinks catalogue guitars are OK <<<< they usually are not, and ARE NOT OK in a very big way.>>>>

Please...

Nothing this cheap should live. I like cheap guitars, but, if this costs more than $12 dollars a unit in parts,I'd eat my trousers.

20 plus years loads of cheapo guitars and nothing over $700 dollars, I even like low end acoustics like Fender D10s and Crafters, I even own a Fender Gemini II, which would be like a Gibson J200 in comparison to this,but, there is a limit. This is it.

Folks, this is the FLOOR below the bottom of the barrel.

Negative rating here please. If you want One acoustic guitar to save you from this save for a little while longer and try a Yamaha F310 or any of the above mentioned guitars rather than this...this..."thing".

First off to the poster that had his Esteban modded to "Washburn styling", unfortunately the Guitar Center guys saw you coming. This particular model of guitar is perhaps one step above toy, and a badly made toy at that.

In the future, sell it at a garage sale and consider the money spent as a lesson hard earned and learned. You will never, repeat never get any fraction of the money back that you have spent on this particular guitar, instead, never return to the Guitar center, pick a reputable store and expect to pay at the very least 199.00 for a Washburn D-10 that is a Martin compared to the Estaban.

I own several high acoustic and electric guitars and even a Washburn D-10 and I can tell you from experience it is a fine guitar, especially when compared to the Burswood Estaban.

Consider that if you see it on TV, it usually means it is something that cannot be exhibited in public due to the fact that it will not sell. Estaban is a hack, a poor musician, and one step above thief.The only reason I know of the Estaban is because my neighbor came over with one all excited, I didn't have the heart to tell him what he discovered later, he had bought an inferior Chinese assembly line guitar bacause of seeing it on TV.

Worst of the worst.

Again, worst of the worst

I personally have been playing most of my life, I am 56 so do the math. I was very sceptical when I first saw a portion of the infomercial for this guitar and my experience with instruments prevented what others might fall for.

Estaban's steel string acoustic manufactured in china.not the nylon classical.Purchased two years ago from hsn at 99.00. I still think after two years i've gotten my moneys worth,This particular guitar has all the features advertised,The finish though not perfect was satisfactory, The neck of rosewood is straight and has been professionally checked. I have friends that play and live near the guitar store.both have viewed this instrument and criticted it.All agree if you want a $3000.00 guitar you have to pay $3000.00.I still play this after 2 yrs. It was a great learning aid,at a reasonable price,Exactly what mr. esteban intended i believe.

the tone and quality are good enough that i am able to play and be heard while jamming with pros that are teaching me.electric tuners Know an e,g,Etc and they are able to discern them in my guuitar. thats good enough for me. I have tried various string sizes,and still have had no neck problems,or failure of the tuner's etc. once tuned my burswood seems to retain tune through hours of play.

the action on the original strings were sluggish and sounded poor. A lot of this attribute to my inexperience.Since i've learned a lot of technic,and have gone to lighter strings. this improved the action,and tonal quality.By the way my wife now leaves the bedroom door open when i practice,that should be testimonial enough. ha.ha.

Other than changing strings regularly, and polisihing,My burswood has needed no repairs or repaint,the finish on the fret board has worn,other than that it is as clean and reliable as the day purchased.

I,ve had no reason to contact hsn or mr. esteban, or burswood,

Been playing for two years now, solely learning on the Esteban burswwod steelstring acoustic. I have played more expensive models and can tell the difference in tone and quality, i still highly recommend this for beginners, and children looking for an instrument to learn,or hobby.at this price you can afford your child to quit,or lose interest,as a beginner You dont need to pay a 1000.00 or 6000.00 to learn.I really feel for the persons that purchased one of these and had bad luck, no product is perfect,yet i wish they had gotten one as nice as mine,My only regret is not with the instrument itself but with me. IT IS capable of making lovely music,,I however am not.YET!!!

Ok i purchased an Esteban classical guitar off of the homeshopping network for like $139...personally I believe I got what I payed for... I have been playing guitar for quite a while and I know that some people say these are crap..but they arent if your a beginner it's a great guitar.. you can't expect a classical guitar for $139 to sound like a $3000 custom made guitar...personally I like the tone, sound, my guitar has a very nice finish on it.. and I rather enjoy playing it... I have had it for almost 2 years now I believe and havent had a problem with it...it came with the instructional video, softshell case, picks, and strap..Maybe ya'll got ripped off somewhere along the line but I know I didn't....I would recommend it for anyone who is looking to learn to play "Classical" guitar...but if your looking to play other types of music dont buy a classical guitar buy a steel string or an electric...classical is harder to learn... the frets are spaced further apart and the strings also.. the strings are nylon and you can't expect to get the greatest sound out of nylon without a mic'ed guitar...just thought i'd put my 2 cents in....I like this guitar...and I think for a classical, begginers guitar I got a bargain.

Sounds great

Finish is beautiful, fret spacing is a little wide....but it's a classical begginers guitar... almost every other classical begginers guitar I have picked up was the same way.

It's holding up really well. No problems... and no I wouldn't use it on a gig with no backup...its a beginners guitar...but in a pinch... if I were playing a classical set...i'd grab it.

didnt have to deal with the customer support area seeing as I had no problems.

Not bad at all for a beginners classical.

Purchased 1st one in May. Within 3 weeks the entire bridge fell apart and the strings were razor sharp causing finger cuts. After a battle with HSN Fulfilment Center they agreed to send out another. I waited several weeks and no guiter came so I again contacted HSN and discovered that the order to reship had never been placed. Well finally the 2nd one has arrived and is still in working order. I do think it is junk. the finish is very poor. YOu really do get what you pay for. I am sooo sorry that I didn't just go the thelocal music store and purchase the real thing.

Very difficult no impossible to keep in tune

Very poor finish

almost afraid to play it fearful it will fall apart just like the first one I had did.

very poor very hard to actually get through all the recorded messages to speak with a real person. I had to be VERY assertive to get any type of assistance.

Don't buy one of these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Purchased Xmas '03 on the home Shopping Network for my son. He wanted to learn the guitar. Three months later the lower bridge broke apart. The local guitar center told me that it would cost more to fix than it would to replace. I was told to stay away from these guitars in the future as they are cheaply made. You can buy a more reliable one for the same price from your local music store and get a guarantee from them if they are a large chain or a reputable business.

Couldn't find the company on the internet.

Basically, it's a bottom of the barrel standard acoustic. It was bought for my 9 year old cousin from some shopping channel. He didn't even play guitar up until this point, and he knew this guitar sucked already. Tuners look to be made out of a medium grade tin foil. The finish on the neck and back might be coffee stained....I can't tell for sure.

Imagine running strings over a piece of cardboard, with a hole in it. Oh wait, that's basically what this guitar is. It is the most quiet acoustic guitar I have ever heard...literally.

In all truth, the guitar didn't look to be set up. The frets were average..not coming off the board, but definetly not crowned or anything resembling that. The wood...who knows what it is. They say it's spruce, but I have my doubts. There were a lot of dead spots and it was full of buzz. I guess with a ton of careful work...it might be semi playable....

I seriously would not leave this guitar in the sun for more than 10 minutes..it might fall apart. You laugh...but I am serious.

No opinion.

It's now sitting in the back of a closet.


IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A DECENT ACOUSTIC FOR A BEGINNER, RUN AWAY FROM THIS ONE! THERE ARE MANY GOOD DEALS TO BE HAD.

The cheaper Ibanez acoustics, Agile, Washburn...any of those will play like a Martin compared to this turd.

CONCERNING THE ESTEBAN ACOUSTIC GUITAR, THE ESTEBAN GUITAR IS ACTUALLY A FINE INSTRUMENT GIVEN THE PRICE THEY CHARGE. IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR A SOUND AND AN ACTION OF A MARTIN OR A GUILD GUITAR ON A $100 TRAINING GUITAR YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED BUT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND FOR WHAT YOU PAY FOR YOU GET A FINE TRAINING GUITAR. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR 35 YEARS+ AND I BOUGHT TWO OF THEM ONE FOR MY DAUGHTER AND ONE FOR ME JUST TO HAVE AROUND AND PLAY.

IT SUITES MY MUSIC STYLE WHICH IS FOLK/ROCK VERY NICELY. I USE IT WITH NO AMPLIFICATION. AND SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE HEARD ME PLAY IT AND WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH IT'S FULL SOUND. IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A $3000 MARTIN BUT IT FAR SURPASSED MY EXPECTATIONS FOR THE MONEY.

THE ACTION IS A LITTLE STIFF FOR AN EXPENSIVE GUITAR BUT THIS IS NOT AN EXPENSIVE GUITAR. IT IS ADVERTIZED AS A TRAINING GUITAR AND THAT IS WHAT IT IS. YET FOR THAT I ENJOY PLAYING THIS GUITAR JUST AS AN INSTRUMENT TO PICK UP AND FINGER PICK AWAY.

HERE IS WHERE THE GUITAR COULD USE SOME WORK. THE FINISH ON THE NECK DOES COME OFF WITH USAGE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE CORRECTED WITH A MINIMUM OF EXPENSE. AND IN MY OPINION NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. STRAPS AND OPTIONAL HARD CASE ARE VERY GOOD. I BOUGHT A STAND AN ELECTRIC TUNER. GUITAR HARD SHELL CASE AND VIDEOS FOR $159

THEY WERE EXPTEMELY FRINDLY AND HELPFUL. THE FIRST GUITAR I BOUGHT HAD A BUZZ IN THE PLAYING OF THE UPPER FRETS. I HAD TO RETURN THE GUITAR AND HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH GETTING A NEW ONE OUT IN A TIMELY MANNER. HOWEVER THE COMPANY TOOK RESPONSIBILITY AND MADE IT WORTH MY WHILE. FINALLY CREDITING ME FOR A 2ND GUITAR WHICH THEY SENT AT NO CHARGE! FULLY SATISFIED

I'VE BEEN PLAYING 35 YEARS. I OWN AN EPIPHONE 12 STRING ACOUSTIC. FROM THE 1970'S $400 THEN, VALUED TOTDAY AT $1000+ AND A FENDER STRATOCASTER VINTAGE 1880'S $1200+

This guitar should be looked at as a "training" guitar. Just as a baseball player swings 3 or 4 bats at once before stepping up to the plate this guitar will train you to play any guitar. At first the action seems to be impossible, but if you press hard enough and develop enough callouses from bloody fingers, etc. then eventually you CAN actually get this guitar to make a musical-like noise. My fingers ached like they have arthritis, but eventually I learned to ignore that once I actually heard a semi-musical note come out of this guitar. This guitar is entirely hand made! The fretboard is hand-painted and you can tell that the neck was hand-glued, also. The glistening mother of pearl detail and rosette are beautiful, but I needed to re-glue some of it once I got it due to the shipping. The neck seems to be straight, but it seems to be rather thick, like gripping a baseball bat. with strings. Again, this helps me to "warm-up" and train to play any guitar.

The tone of this guitar doesn't matter since you have to work really hard to get this guitar to make much noise at all without breaking your fingers, so the volume is self-limiting.

This guitar fits you fine if you hold it just like esteban does with your head resting on top of it and all hunched over on a stool. I haven't tried wearing a bolero hat while I play yet, but that may help. The guitar came set up and ready to play, I didn't even have to tune it, which is a good thing because the tuners had to be reglued also. The first thing I noticed when I opened the case for the first time was a smell that seemed to burn my eyes, but after I left the guitar out of the case for a couple weeks the odor is barely noticeable.

I think this guitar will last a long time as long as the glue holds out.

n/a

On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this a B+!

Made in China. I must have got a "good" one, with all the negative comments I see here. Finish seemed fine to me, although I am a beginner, and the infomerical is what finally got me to try to learn to play.

Came with the hard case, electronic tuner, strap, video, guitar stand, etc.

The video was not all that bad, I was able to play everything on it in a few weeks.

Sound seems fine to me, again I am a beginner, but the sound seems full.

I do agree with you guys that the action is too high, or the string tension is too high. Maybe better strings would help. I am having some trouble with that, but as someone said, if I can learn to play that way, everything else will be a piece of cake. The neck on mine is straight, as far as I can tell.

So far so good. Finish is holding up, and I DO NOT have to re-tune it every day, after a few days of the strings stretching, it settled down nicely. You guys must have either all got lemons, or else I am totally clueless. Will it withstand live playing and going out on gigs? Probably not, but it seems perfectly OK to learn on.

Have had it a month, we will have to see if it holds up. But no problems at all so far.

Did not need any support, as far as I am concerned, it was as advertised.

Good starter guitar, got me learning to play, which I have wanted to do for years. Sure, I will buy another one, I can afford an expensive one if I wanted to, but this allowed me to make sure I could do this before making the investment. If I can play this thing, I should do fine with something better. I did not feel ripped off at all by the infomercial.

I can't find any features worth talking about. Its a piece of junk. The strings are almost an inch above the fretboard, some of the frets came loose and fell off. It feels like balsa wood, I like to call it ratwood. The finish is crappy. It looks like a 3 year old assembled it.

Sound horrible, doesn't stay in tune at all.

Fit and finish stink. The neck is all warped and twisted. Esteban ought to be forced to play one of these crappy guitars at his next concert.

Not reliable at all.

Forget it, they just give you the runaround.

I've been playing for 35 years on and off, mostly for my own enjoyment. The Kent guitar I bought in 1967 for 10 dollars could run rings around this one. I put the thing in the gigbag, then took it out to sell at a garage sale and it was in pieces, the neck came off and all the glue came loose, it looked like a guitar kit when I opened, so I just threw the damn thing out. I went solely by that Esteban dude on HSN and thought it had to be a good guitar. This guy should be in jail.

I, like many others got ripped off with this Esteban signature guitar..a piece of junk...The neck went out of line within a few days of playing..the fret board looks to be painted and you can see some paint runs..I purchased it thru the Home Shopping Network and tried to return it...but it went beyond the 30 days and they would not accept it back...I wrote to the Esteban website but never got a response. I even called the company that manufactored the guitar (Ingenious Designs) and they would have nothing to do with it...!!stay away from this Guitar...they are still selling these on HSN...buyer beware!! A local dealer was kind enough to give me a $55.00 credit toward a new guitar which was a "Montana"...a very inexpensive guitar but plays great and has held up well...costs the same as I paid for the Esteban ($100.00)...some not so nice people are making a lot of money off the Esteban guitar from suckers like me & others...I also complained to HSN but Esteban is still selling his inferior guitars.

Terrible.......neck went out of line shortly after purchase.

Bad!,,,,paint runs...fret looks to be painted...no quality.

Terrible....sold for another guitar

Absolute terrible....none....company or HSN would not even acknowledge the problem with this inferior made guitar.

Would not buy another Esteban signature guitar ever!!!!

this so called guitar is a piece of crap that is not even worth 20.00
not 10.00 !!! beware!! not suitable for even a 7 yr old...
cannot believe this esteban dude endorses such CRAP!!
what a scoundral he is to lie!!!

esteban should a ashamed of himself!!
yes, he can play classical- no question about it but the junk he endorses for the benifit of getting money from hardworking folks
is disgraceful!! he's a sell - out - for money..
trust me please & don't even consider guitars associated to him
or guitars he associates himself with... just being as honest as possible here you guys...

pile of crap, piece of junk just plain disappointing.
cardboard guitar would actually be better than one of burswood
guitars esteban endorses on HSN.
what they're doing should be illegal, selling shit guitar
with esteban playing a $5.000 REAL guitar (classical)
i'm fairly sure they've hawked literally thousands of these.
i hope they get their asses sued off...

this thing isn't even worth anyones consideration. period!!!
yep- get a brand name guitar. even a $99.00 special has to be better than estabans fully endorsed pile of disappointment!!
ARE YA LISTENING H.S.N. - or how about you ESTEBAN you crook!!
dressed like ZORRO - but he's a ROBBER!!!
a T.V. ROBBER no better than a COMMON THIEF!!!!

ha go suck mud......somebody will think this is a prank
writing, it isn't... i cannot believe there aren't 100's
if not thousands of ripped off folks out there who bought one of
these so called guitars ESTEBAN pushes on H.S.N with the pretty chick who actually doesn't know dung about guitars, but helps
*MR. ESTEBAN.... can't understand why a great player such as ESTEBAN would even associate himself with such CRAP guitar as burswood
UNLESS OF COURSE IT IS MONEY...
i'd like to ask esteban if things are so bad that he MUST rip off the masses of folks who'd like a REAL guitar....he's sosad!!

i wish i were kiddin folks but this no shit!!
do not waste your money or disappointment will be your only gain