Burswood Steel String

Dreadnought, no cut away (not a big deal). Bookend top, no freaking clue as to what the woods are, but not expecting them to be great. I am somewhat expecting some of them to be basswood, but don't qupte me on that. Chrome tuners are junk, 2 are bound up on mine, but I also got this for free. It did come with a tuner, albeit inconsistant. You can get it to work, but it takes a bit of time. Came with a semi hard gig bag, so it might give it some protection. Glueing wasn't done well at all. Came with picks. I'd say this would be an ok beginner's guitar, but if you are going to buy one, you might as well spend the money on something else. Use google, or you're local guitar shop. Um, oh ya, top is a little wavy. I do suspect rosewood to be used on the bridge and fretboard, but I am likely wrong on that too. I'm going with a 3 since it does have a gig bag and tuner.

Kinda of bassy, but still it sounds cheap, which it is. Goes out of tune easily. Sound is ok at times, but not at others. Again, better options are to be had.

Action is incredibly high. Adjust the truss rod all the way, sand down the saddle, and the nut (which I forgot to mention are not great quality), used extra light strings, and the neck is bad enough to still give you a high action, too high for my taste, fingers hurt a lot after playing.

Finish is glossy? Inlays are sloppy. In all, I kind of look at it the way people put bondo on their car bodies to shape it because they can't do it with metal, for whatever reason, and it shows (yes, I know bondo has it's place, but it's not a substitute for quality).

Fit isn't aweful if you're a bigger guy, which I am, but the other knocks do not let me put this higher than a -3, however, 1 was the lowest they had.

It's not broken, but I take care of things. However, there are a few cracks from the neck and body. Bridge is wearing out too.

If it goes to hell, I'll care not, I have another guitar, and I have no problem enacting my final solution for Estaban's guitar via explosives. Which may or nat not happen depending on if the US is a socialist country by then, which may come soon (guitar breaking and socialism, we have a pool going). In which case, I will just hang this on the wall, and let it help me with girls. So I'm just gonna give this an N/A for the reason that I've never dealt with Estaban, nor will I should either of these events happen.

Um, don't do it, it's not worth it to a beginner to be time and time again be frusrated with this. Get something that your guitar shop says to get, but give them a price range. They should be able to give you a hand. They'll understand you're starting out, and will understand a small budget. So yes, I was a little silly in some of this, but you might get the picture.

Few special features. IT DOES hold it's tune relatively well --- important for a new user, because nothing discourages playing more than an "axe" that sounds sour every day when you pick it up.

Good value for money.

So it's unlikely that there will be a Jimmy Page or John Lennon signature model soon.

I'm not complaining. Buy a Ric or a Gibson if you want the real thing.

This is a "better" toy than the guitar player video game since kids will actually learn to play something real and useful.

Compared to a Ric or a Gibson, it's obviously 2 or 3/10.

But for what it's meant to be, I'll give it an 8.

Picked this up after 2 years of storage under bad conditions.

Took only about 2 minutes to get it into tune. I was impressed.

This is not the guitar to showcase your skills, but I was very glad to have it kicking around tonight during a brief Beatles-fest.

Own many more expensive and better guitars.

It is what it is. A decent beginner's instrument. It was good enough to get me playing again after 40+ years.

Year or model are unknown since the label inside the guitar was never marked with a model number or any number. Is marked made in China, and a signature is sprawled inside that starts with an E so I am guessing this is an Estban. Not a solid top by any stretch of imagination. And Estban will you please stop posting that this is a great instrument. People, please, before you waste a penny on this firewood, look at the Martin LXM or there X series guitars that sell for 250 to 300. A real martin, yes made in Mexico that will be playable and keep it's value.
O, body ply materal and neck woods,,,ah what wood? fiberboard doweled in, yes I said doweled in. (All real guitars are dovetail or bolt on with mortise and tendon joint) Finish, paint;Body dreadnought; actually I would dread a whole lot. Tuning machines; falling off.
Bridge style, interesting, it is shaped like a martin fish belly, but it has screws inside it going through the top bolted through the top.
I see this as causing rattles. Neck,well that's another story. I was given this guitar to fix, because the neck separated from the body. Hence I don't know what the thing sounds like. I have played other estbongs and they all sound like 20 dollar first acts.

I can't tell if it has any overtones ha ha ha, since the neck is bend inward but I did play a little slide on it and it was sick, in a bad way.

MMMM poor, cardboard box, fiberboard, ply-material. Neck separated from the body. Cheap Cheap Cheap, not worth 10 dollars.
Again Estban stop posting that you bought a bunch and loved them and gave them to you children, That's child abuse.

It did fall apart, that's why I ended up with it. and gluing the neck back will not help the warp that's in it. looks like a roller coaster.

What customer support, who is going to support this garbage.
I don't see how this product continues to be sold anywhere.

I have been playing guitar for 40 years and am a member of several guitar forums and groups. This thing is and has been the laughing stock of guitar players, and collectors everywhere. There is even an Estban project that send one of these things around the country and different people try to play it. Very funny.
There is nothing here, garbage. I will glue the neck back and tell my relative to use it as a wall hanger. Make a clock out of it.
You would do better with a martin; DM, LXM, or X look for deals on Craig's list. The LXM's are great for camping and knocking about.

qualit?? du bois normal, aucune anomali, acheter chez tigre g??ant au prix de 44.95 dollars canadien,

le son est riche et brillant, la boite de r??sonance est bien con??u et donne un rendement optimal pour le prix. assez exceptionnel

toutes les cordes sont bien et ils en viens un double set a l'achat,
le DVD de cours avec en francais et anglais est bien fait , parcontre le livret d'instruction montre les cordes a l'envers, l'ordre est invers?? alors m??fier vous, la corde grosse est la 6 et la petite en m??tal est la 1 et les note sont mi la r?? sol si mi. et non l'inverse. Mais par contre le DVD avec vid??o est bien fait.

La qualit?? semble ??tre tr??s bien, toutes les pi??ces sont bien fixer, rien n'est laisser au hazar et le tout va p^robablement dur?? tr??s longtemps, si on en prend bien soin.

vu que je l'ai acheter chez tigre g??ant, Giant tiger for englsh people, la garanti vas ??tre respecter par eux et on a jamais de probleme avec ce magazin.

D'apr??s mon exp??rience vous pouvez acheter ce produit sans probl??me, surtout au prix que nous l'avons ici au Canada a 44.95$, alors ceux qui disent que c'est pas bon et qui ne donne m??me pas leur nom, moi je crois que c'est pas fiable des gens qui veule rester annonime.

I am not sure when it was made I just got it about 3 weeks ago.
I got the model JW-41F. It has a laminated top. It came with a soft case, strap, picks, House of Blues Instruction dvd, turner. It also came with a little hex wrench that is used on the electric's.
I am just a begginer so I am unfamilar with the rest.

I think the high E is tinny sounding. It did help to put a better quality string on it.

The pick guard is not on straight. Otherwise I am not quiltifed to tell.

Yes I have practiced on it everyday for over 3 weeks and have not had any problems. The strap button seems ok. was not any on the neck.

Have not had to deal with company. Puurchase it a Target and they have always stood behind what they have sold in the past so I feel comfortable that they feel this product lives up to their standards.

3 weeks. I do beleive that I would. Unless I could find something better for less.

I got mine from wal mart... i know i know. i sold my other guitars and just couldnt afford a new one and i wouldnt punish myself with a squire. Its just your standard acoustic, came with gigbag strap allen tuner and a soft medium and hard pick. it has nothing to do with estaban. im judging its qualitys for its price of 100 dollars.

It sounds pretty nice, im comparing to a 100 dollar yamaha i got afew years ago. the actions better and i gets clear crisp harmonics from 5th fret.

the action is a bit high and i had to sand the nut down abit to get everything right in adjusting. but it was easy standard stuff i do with any guitar for my personal taste. no flaws, except the tuning pegs are all at different tensions. the finish is very nice and the detail great.

its well built, and seems that it should lastawhile but i just got it.

never dealt with company.

i have been playing about 5 years and i have owned a fender start a yamaha 100 dollar acoustic and a takimine classical. all were sold due do problems and thats why i got this guitar. if it were stolen id laugh because its a not a expensive piece and then id get a new one. its pretty basic and decent in all respects. a good buy for beginners and intermediate guiter players on a tight budget. i wont joke and say its better than more expensive guitars but for its price, its very nice.

ohh i like this guitar hahaha

aint bad.. i like it the sound

dont look too bad but could be better with a mad graphin on it

pretty durabl considerin i own one and its still in good nic... hahaha

yeah aint bad.. better than spendin 800 bucks for sumthin else.. it does the job

I'm 14, and i got this guitar about 2 years ago for Christmas. It was my first guitar and I love it! I got an electric guitar for christmas this year, and a Seagull accoustic guitar for graduation, but I still pick up my Estaban more that any of them! the strings are a little high, i'll admit. But thats good for a beginner I think, it helps you get use to all diffrent kind of guitars.

The sound is very full and bright, awesome

I don't think there is anything bad to say about it!

Definatly CAN depend on it

about 2 years. Seagull acoustic, Fullerton electric

Begginer, got taken by advertisment in the middle of the night while sleeping. Product arrived in a timely mannor, however (one day after receiving), had fourth string break while trying to tune using digital tuner. Then, immediately had replacement string break, repeating the process. The tuner gadget doesn't seem consistent. Main issues: Couldn't & still can't get a response from customer service (HSN), don't know what to do with the 2 day old thing, for fear of visible string frays from tuning instructions, they might break.--Would like to give the benefit of doubt of dealable product, but reluctant because of viewing testimonies of others AFTER trying to log onto customer service for answers. This was a birthday gift to me, & I'd hoped that I would be able to play a little something down the line as a sign of "thanks" to the giver & others. Esteban says to practice every day, but how can I with busted "new" strings, & fear of a stroke here or there can burst others. The disappointing testimonies of other patrons don't help either. Hopefully buyers would beware, & us "SUCKERS" learn from our mistakes.----If I'm mistakenly prejudging, I applogize. I just know that as of now, this birthday gift "SUCKS". In addition, those who plan on giving this item as a Christmas gift, cut your losses now & re-plan a different gift. There's no need in having your loved ones being disappointed when you mean so well!!!!!!

Haven't had a chance to find out. Prior statement self-explanatory!

Begginer, wouldn't be able to tell, just put everything back in the box & left it in the bedroom.

Look at above statements

Used to be helpful, but for some reason I've had long UNANSWERED phone waits for this particular product. Am very uneased.

--Haven't had a chance to learn anything!!
--Wished that everything stated was legitimate!!
--Don't know, haven't been able to use it!!
--Nothing to love yet, hate that I can't use it as indicated, none yet!!!
--No!
--Wish for a decent reliable guitar!
--Show a decent/dependable way of defending your product!!!

Im not sure when it was made, i think its china its got a "solid" top, nato back and sides mahogony neck and ebony fretboard

Now...i will admit, its not the greatist guitar, but it holds well, sounds good, and its pretty durable, for 100 dollars, thats pretty solid.

The action is kinda high, but then i fixed it so its not a problem anymore, my only problem is the neck. After playing my electric it feels awkward to play this beefy neck.

It withstands live playing, the quality isnt bad at all, and its a good guitar for a beginner or plays like a bitch with it.

Never dealt with them...YET

I dont really like it when people call esteban a fraud because he isnt. These are decent little guitars that satisfy all are value tastebuds.

All the basic dreadnaught guitar features with unlined gig bag, extra strings, picks, strap and video- all subpar.

Tone fair when playing in first position. Could not play in any other position as guitar would not tune properly due to horrible workmanship.

NOT a solid spruce top as advertised. NOT a mahogany neck as advertised. Neck NOT stright. Frets NOT dressed. NOT intonated properly. VERY high action. Trussrod NOT responsive. NOT a lacquer finish as advertised. One area of the top of the guitar was unfinished.

Within 2 weeks the black finish (paint?) on the neck was wearing off. Guitar overall very flimsy. Not durable OR reliable.

This is as blatent a case of false advertising as I have ever seen. This is an unplayable guitar made of inferior materials throughout.
I would NOT recommend this guitar to ANYONE of ANY level. You can get a much nicer guitar at any music shop for around a hundred dollars- it won't have everything that came with this package, but it will be a playable guitar. Stay away from Esteban Guitars!
I have been playing for over 40 years and just wanted a cheap dreadnaught to bang around with. This is NOT a playable guitar!

They give you a flimsy peice of crap gig bag, a video by the "great" Estaban master of the art of con and strings that ware down because of the frets. Made in China by 5 year olds. My friend tried to pursuade me inhto believing this peice of crap was a high ernd qualaty guitar(he said Gibson.)I took a look inside and saw the Burswood label. Again he covers up the fact this guitar sucks by saying it's the type of wood this "guitar" was made out of. Sad.

the sound sucks. it doesnt project at all. its constantly out of tune even when "fixed." when trying to enjoy the rining of the note it stops abrubtly.

the finishing gloss is horrible. on HSN it showed them crafting this guitar with flimsy wood they bent it with ease.

within the first week i fear it would shatter in hands so beware to begginer guitarists dont be conned into buying this crappy guitar.

to describe it in one word PATHETIC. dont waste ur money on this crappy guitar.

As far as I can tell, this thing was made by my 6-year-old nephew's 1st grade class in Buffalo. Solid top, you ask? Yeh, solid dog s%%t! The controls, funny enough, didn't work! You know, instead of listing ALL of these good points, let me put it like this... take a shoe box, strap a rake to it, attach 6(or 7, your preference)shoe strings to either end and, VIOLA!!! You'll be much better off going this route than buying from, as a previous reviewer said,"ESTEBUM."

You know, all 4 notes that I was able coax out of this beauty weren't THAT bad.

You don't wanna get me started on this topic.

I wouldn't use this thing as a prop in a grade school play. Actually, I bet if I put it on a stand in front of my amp during one set it would implode. Oh, can you depend on it? You can depend on your guitar tech laughing at you. By the way, I think the finish on this cream puff was actually nail polish. I'm not afraid it's gonna fall apart, I KNOW it will.

Not even gonna waste my time.

I've been playing for about 20 years now, and this is the biggest joke that I've ever come across.It actually was a gag gift, but I thought I would give it a chance. HAH! I've got two acoustics that I use #1. Collings OM-2H #2. 1995 Martin 000-42 EC. It may seem unfair to use these as a comparison, but I actually went into this HOPING to give a half-a** positive review. No such luck. Kids, if this is your only choice, take up the kazoo. I guarantee it will be more rewarding. I did actually see the HSN ad for this piece of crap, and I'm guessing they picked up "Esteban" drunk,playing in some low-rate Mexican joint in Scottsdale, AZ. I really don't care how much my bass player paid for this turkey because the laugh we got out of it was priceless! I've always wanted to smash a guitar on stage, and thanks to Esteban I finally got my chance. "Kerry / Esteban" '04

first off, if you are not sure whether to buy this and want to know more than what's on this list of reviews please email me and ask...bennyween@yahoo.com

2003 in china. hard case, a tuner that will get the job done. 20 frets. two lesson videos (4 hours of lessons) that are easy to follow. case and guitar strap, strings and 3 picks not just thrown in but with 3 diff levels of firmness.

brilliant sound...i really could not believe how full it sounded when i got it in tune. friend of mine has played for about 10 years and is a genius when t comes to guitars. he gave it the thumbs up for a great beginners guitar. when i got it the strings were super far from the frets.....easy solution....quit complaining and just file the bridge down to where you feel comfortable with the distance....after i did this the piece sounded even better. for first week had to tune and tune and tune but now it stays where it needss to be

tuning pegs were a little loose but did not effect much. nut was fine....minimal popping and creaking for first week but worked out.

for small jam session or something similar this guitar is just fine...perfect. great finish that will last. the first one that was broken had a few magic marker spots on it but they sent me one with now markings on it and i cld really tell the difference in them. i can depend on it definitely because i strummed the bastard like no other...dinged it here and there....guitar won;t give.

when i got the broken one i called hasn right away got someone on the phone less than few minutes. i was amazed because they said no problem we'll send you a new one....they didnt want me to send the broken one first....they said just send it back when you get the new one....amazing

i wld buy it again....but i think i wld get the one from gift og guitar...not the set but just the guitar.

I read a lot of the reviews on the Estaban acoustic guitar.I`m trying to learn how to play the guitar and from the HSN TV ad I thought this would be a good deal...however,the guitar I received didn`t look or sound anything like the one old esteban played on TV.Also,the guitar I received doesn`t even have a pick guard.Guess I should have went by the saying:"if it sounds to good to be true,then it probably is!!!" The guitar is junk,and Esteban should have to pay "all" the people double who he conned and lied to get them to buy his junk.Mostly,(beside myself)I`m upset with HSN for also getting fooled by this jerk.I will say that the dude can play good,but...I rate his guitar a big fat ZERO!!!

I do not know how to play yet.And I surely have nothing good to say about the junk guitar I bought from Stebum!

The one I received looks like a child painted it with a brush.You can see the brush marks.Also,no pick guard.

My brother-in-law plays the guitar and when he tried to play it,he told me that he didn`t know where I got this pice of junk at,but I needed to give it back.He could not play it because he told me he didn`t want it to fall apart on him!

I`m just taking a loss on the Esteban guitar I got off HSN.However,I did send the an email letting them know that I was not happy with their dealings with a con man.They was going to give me my money back,but I just decided to stop doing business with them!

I just wanted to let people know that Esteban got me too!

Let's get one thing straight from the beginning, there is no SOLID wood on this guitar. If Esteban says this is a solid spruce top, well he's lying! This is a terrible product for a beginner to buy because it's virtually unplayable. It won't take very long for most beginners to just give us as they don't know how to coax any sound from a cheap guitar.

Again, about the only sound a beginner is going to get from this guitar is string buzz. I have played and taught for 23 years so I know from whence I speak.

The action was too high for a beginner. Bookmatched top? What a laugh! Tuners are awful. This guitar won't stay in tune through one strummed song.

I don't think anyone buying a guitar of this quality will be doing any live playing unless they're drunk. Finish is too thick. If I went to a concert and saw someone with this I'd just walk back out the door.

Who knows but I bet they get a lot of calls.

As I stated earlier, I've played and taught longer than I care to remember. If you're a beginner go to a reputable guitar dealer. There are many fine, inexpensive instruments on the market now. Check out the action and the tuners first as this is the number one source of frustration for beginners. We all know where frustration leads.

I submitted a previous review, but left out an important comment. In the infomercial, Esteban is comparing the product features to that of a $2000 guitar which it was patterned after. He leads you to believe that this guitar has a soundhole rosette designed by him and an inlaid herring bone pattern down the center of the back. Both of these features are nothing more than a decal applied prior to clear coating. I was fooled into believing that if somebody went to to trouble of inlaying the rosette and back, then the instrument must have some degree of workmanship.

Do yourself a favor. If you are buying a guitar for a beginner or child and are not concerned about a high quality instrument, pick up a $9 guitar off eBay (+ $30 shipping) and save yourself some money.

Esteban's adevertised steel-string guitar on giftofguitar.com. Must have gotten a good specimen. Solid(?) spruce top, mahogany neck, dreadnought back and sides. High gloss finish on neck, back/sides, lacquer (sp?) on face on guitar. Chrome machine heads, plastic bridge, bridge pins, and plastic fret board, with MINIMAL evidence of magic marker touchup. Herringbone stripe down back of guitar, rosette around sound hole. Included accessories: non-padded gig bag, strap, allen wrenches, pics, 1 and 1/2 hour instructionsal video, and 3 pics, with extra set of strings.

Loud guitar. Rich, full sound, not quite a $300 Epiphone, but a 3rd place at least. I'm just beginning to play the guitar, and I have messed around with my friedns guitar, a Epiphone $300. This guitar sounds GREAT for the price. Very happy with it. Would be proud to show it to family and friends, and probably teachers, too.

Well constructed guitar for $115. Tuning pegs were a little loose, but bearable. Beautiful finish, all around, Smells faintly of cedar at the soundhole, which I find pleasing. Fretdots could be a little more flush with fretboard, but I would not consider sending it back b/c of it. Well constructed for the price. Perfect for students (like me).

It would most likely withstand live playing, but not everyday of the year. Coffeehouse gigs, church songs, etc. would fit it perfectly. Finish is very good on this guitar, shiny, with only a few (3-4) blemishes. Solid strap buttons. I feel I can depend on it for at least a year and a half or so, until I can learn the ropes and buy myself a better quality instrument. I would not hesitate to use it at a gig without a backup, unless I was playing for money, and not FUN, which is why I want to play it in the first place.

N/A
Haven't had to deal with them.

I have been messing around with this guitar for only about 3 weeks now, but I have been taking care of it, and not using it as a "throw-around" guitar. I have messed around with my friend's $300 Epiphone acoustic, and I am very happy with the sound of my Burswood. I would definetely buy it again if it were lost or stolen, you can't find anything better for the price. I love the sound of it. Rich, vibrant, beautiful. I hate nothing about it. I compared it to the Epiphone acoustic mentioned before. I chose the Burswood because it sounds GREAT for the price, and I just want a guitar to learn on, not to play professionally or anything with. I am very pleased with my purchase and I would not hesitate to reccommend this beginner package to friends.

Total piece of Junk, terrible finish. Neck is raised at the 12 fret making frets 10 and 11 fret at 12. (Does that make sense ?) 1st E string buzzes like mad and is visually lower than the other 5 strings. Truss rod adjustment made no difference... Tuners are junk.
Made in China.... great.

Actually sounds OK if you can ever find spost on the neck where the intonation is tolerable or it doesn't BUZZ.

Horrible. Crack running down the length of the neck. Finish along the fingerboard is garbage.

Only had it a day but seems like it is ready to implode.

Don't know yet. Going to call them tomorrow.

This is a big scam. I don't know who Escaban is but is he his a shill for endorsing this garbage. I hope HSN / Giftofguitar.com will take this garbage bag. I feel bad for the beginers who buy this thing because it is a tuning / intonation / buzzing nightmare. Frets 10-12 all produce the same note !

made in china, for a cheapie, looks nice

the sound surprised me, sounds like a medium priced guitar

the action on this guitar come set up nicly,

have not had it long enough to know how it will hold up, but will find out after the grandson gets it for xmas

none

been playing 30 yrs, have 3 martins, bought this to give away, but it plays nice, looks nice, and hope the grandson has fun with it. as far as replacing it, I just ordered another one for the grand daughter. I really don,t hate anything about it, just a good looking cheapie.

Basic features for an acoustic guitar, nothing extra.

I couldn't for the life of me get a good tuning out of this instrument. It reminded me of when you go into a discount retail store that carries off-brands and you pick one up, give it a strum and it sounds like crap even after you tune it. The actual sound of the wood was not bad, though - actually a little more projecting than my Takamine GS-330S. If I could have gotten a good tuning out of it, my opinion would have been more positive.

Action seemed okay, easy to fret, but I got some string buzz by not being used to the string spacing on this guitar or fret width.

Don't know - will be sending it back to HSN right away.

n/a

My other acoustic is a Takamine GS-330S. The way the guitar Esteban was playing sounded on HSN, which was supposedly the same model as this one, misled me to believe this would be a nice little companion acoustic. Evidently, he's playing the $3500 model "from which this one is modeled" or at least a souped-up version of this and b.s.ing the audience about it. I think Esteban is a fine guitarist but shame on him for calling this a guitar. As others have stated, DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR, not even for a beginner.

Features?!? It's a Chinese made guitar...what kind of features could I expect? I already play the guitar, so I haven't opened the video. It came with an unpadded bag which is okay with me since I have no love for this "thing". And it came with an extra set of crappy strings...joy!

It sounds very bright...I used to like bright, but this kind of hurts my ears, but that could be the intonation. I can coax some good sounds out of it but not on a consistent basis. The only hope for this thing is it does have a decent looking spruce top on it for a $100 guitar. Then again, I should probably get a mirror and see if it looks like spruce on the inside too!!

Craftsmanship [crapsmanship!!!]--This thing is riddled with problems:

The action is tooo high- I don't dare play out of the first position. I'd like to take it in for a set up, but I am embarrased to go into a repair shop with it...besides the materials may not be worth paying a professional to spend a bunch of time with.

The strings are not parallel with the neck. The string spacing is F'd up because the way the slots were cut in the tail piece. The first string is way inside the edge of the neck at the 14th fret, and at the first fret it is too close to the 2nd string. It needs a new nut.

I don't know what the fretboard is, but it was painted black on the edge. Many of the dot markers are not even close to flush with the fingerboard. The back and sides are made of a mystery wood (not rosewood or mahogany) that was painted a mahogany color.

Will this guitar withstand live playing???

That's a good question...my first response is, "I hope not...that would give me an excuse to replace it!"

But I think there is a more important question: "Will the audience withstand listening to this "guitar"?!?

It's HSN- I don't think I wanna find out.

I'm suffering from buyer's remorse. Before this, my only 6-string acoustic was a classical, so I wanted a steel string guitar. I also wanted a beater that my kids could play with and that I could take camping. For a hundred bucks I didn't think I could go wrong...I wish I knew about this forum before I impulsively listened to Esteban. I think with a little patience I would have done much better on eBay...The bottom line is just because it is imported doesn't mean it must be total crap. Then again maybe you simply get what you pay for.

Price Paid: US $89.00
Purchased from: HSN

Features: 8
This is a 20 fret acoustic with a solid spruce top and mahogany neck it came with a video, gig bag, picks, extra strings. This guitar cost $89.00

Sound: 9
This guitars sounds great to me, rich and bright. I have played it for friends and they can't believe the sound. I am a beginner and this is fantastic. I realize that there are many guitar snobs out there but for me this is great.

Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
I have a few flaws on my pick guard, overall this is a pretty guitar. I find the action a little difficult on the first fret.

Reliability/Durability: 8
I've only had it for three weeks.

Customer Support: 9
HSN is good with CS.

Overall Rating: 10
I don't care what the guitar snobs with lots of money say. For what I want it for, it is great. Esteban's deal is that he wants to introduce music in the guitar form to as many people as possible. I am playing the guitar now. I could not have afforded any other guitar.

This guitar is a complete rip off. My brother bought it without my consultation (I have been playing for 12 years) and having played it, it is the model for mass produced crap.

It sounds like a guitar made from plywood. It has horrible resonance and sustain. In addition, the action makes for difficult playing, especially for a beginner. It sounds like something you could by at a membership warehouse for thirty dollars.

Looks like it sounds, horrible. You can definitly tell this is a mass produced guitar made with little care. It comes with an allen wrench for ajustments to the neck but I found proper agustments to be impossible and I am a licensed guild serviceman.

One of the worst built guitars I have ever seen. The bindings seem weak and the case provided is unpadded.

HSN----Watch out

I have been playing for twelve years and have owned many acousic guitars in my day including Takamini G-series, Guild, Martin D-16, and a Yamaha APX-9-C. I play electric as well and own a Hamer,
Fender Strat American, and my pride an joy, a Gibson Les Paul Custom. DO NOT BUY THIS HOME SHOPPING NETWORK ESTABAN GUITAR.

I bought the package as advertised by Esteban on TV and for $100.00 couldn't be happier. My guitar is very, very nice except for a bit of a wow in the neck on one side where it joins the guitar body but it plays fine. I'm a new guitar player but have done a lot of musical theater including singing semi-professionally in Las Vegas. The finish is perfect so far and again, for $100.00 I feel blessed. Later, in a few weeks when I'm ready to play Carnegie Hall, I'll probably need a more professional one but I'm learning very rapidly.

I want to learn some folk songs and maybe play in some coffee houses. It has a bright, full sound and stays in tune (two weeks so far) I know I have a lot to learn but this has made things very easy for me. The video is just great as Esteban is likeable and makes things clear.

The action, fit and finish is first-rate except for that little wow along one side of the lower neck. I may try some more expensive strings just for fun.

I've only had it two weeks but have learned a lot. I've has no problems so far with tuning, pegs and if the action isn't perfect it would be because I don't know any better. I will ask my musician friends about it later on when I'm ready to play a few songs. Right now woodshedding with it is a very positive thing in my life.

Haven't had to deal with customer support as mine came in very good condition with no nicks or cover-ups. The tuning works fine. No problema. For crying out loud, the video is worth the lousy $100.00. I don't know why anybody else is complaining but you know how people are. Some people will never be happy no matter what they get.

If it were stolen or lost I might shop around for a more expensive guitar but for me it all gets so confusing dealing with salesmen it takes the fun out of it. I would probably just order another. I might get one for my new little chick if she keeps on being nice to me and then buy her a better one if she really takes to it.