Esteban D-100 American Legacy

Just bought (oops!). Pretty cheaply made but looks good. Included the usual package (strap, cord, strings, amp, case, etc.). Everything in working order. Would have liked a strap peg by neck. Only use sitting for now. First performance coming up and will mostly have as a nice looking backup to my Martin and Yamaha.

I have liked the sound un-amped. Changed the strings to bronze, my preference, which gave it a richer tone. A brighter sound than my other 6-strings. Amped up sounds better through my old Fender Reverb with a reverb pedal. A little difficulty with alternative tunings on the 6th string (fret spacing?), so I will likely keep it in standard. Amp that came with package picks up a local radio station when in my upstairs playing area, but not in my rehearsal room (basement). Rating would be higher if amp not considered.

The action is the best part. My Martin has high action but the Esteban is more like my electric. Easy to play bar chords and may have my daughter-in-law try it (she's a beginner). Frets may be a bit rough for her but she's only using first three right now. No problems with tuning pegs or other hardware (yet?) and may revisit this site when more time goes by. Finish looks good except for some excess glue spots by the first fret.

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I've been playing for 25 years. I own five acoustics (including one 12-string) and one electric. I would not have bought the Esteban if I had read the reviews first, but have been happy with the guitar, so far. It offers a brighter sound than my other 6-strings, and the action is almost perfect. I will always prefer my Martin, which I use for Open D, DADGAD, double drop D, etc. the Esteban will join the Yamaha for standard tuning songs. It has got me playing again (I set my guitars aside a couple of years ago) and I look forward to having it in my arsenal. I hope it holds up better than its predecessors did for the other reviewers.

junk

junk

junk

junk

none

this will cause your beginner to never pick up a guitar again.
go to guitar center and buy the 139.00 mitchell its a real musical instrument thast will inspire the beginner. forget the accassories you dont need them. a pack of picks and a strap will cost you 10.00
its not an electric guitar and will never sound like one no matter what amp you buy. you can buy an electric guitar and amp beinner set at guitar center for 199.00 so for 339.00 you have gear that he/she can use for years to come. be smart

Made in this millenium (I think) in China...a real "vintage-classic" instrument of sheer torture and shame. 22 frets of some inferior razor wire (should rust up nice and quick to make it a "relic"!) The top? It's a top...maybe a paper mache laminated in boat expoxy (whatever it is is biohazardous and never goes away...I mistakenly left it in a warm garge to "cure" and the glue weeped out all over the place...kind of a psychodelic lookin' glob of "stuff" both inside and outside this "instrument". Pick ups? Maybe....can;t tell....the stupid amp it came with smokes (maybe more of that glue holding things in place?) Neck....cool neck! Not only was it horribly bowed, but it was tweisted like a curly fry! "Custom" I call it. The "truss rod" seems to be scrap metal from a cheap plumbing place. The acti0on at the nut was probably 1/4" and at the 12th fret about 7/8"....I though of using this POS as a stand up or wastub style bass! Bridge? No bridge, really, jjst a chunk of uncompensated plastic to run the crappy strings over...but that glue? In three days, the "bridge lifted and shifted....kind of like a gyroscope...never in the same place! Tuners? I guess a vice grip might fix them, but that crappy foil over pot metal (maybe they call it custom chrome?) set of tuners won;t hold a tune...not even a half note! The frets stick out about 1/2" from the sloppy fretboard and cut you to shreds (kind of a new term for "shredding"!) and the finish comes off on your hands, arms, everywhere!

If I was totally tone deaf, one handed, possibly a devotee of self inflicted pain and audible torture, this would be a ghreat guitar, but...since I hate my in-laws, I can use it to "play" for them....loving every horrible, distorted, out of tune and crappy noise this monster bad *** cranks out! The sound is consistant...consistantly horrendous and painful! It can make a cat bury its head!

Nice action if you like stand up 3/4 basses....or cellos! The pick ups donp;t "adjust"...they barely work at all (a Godsend, really!) Flaws? THAT they have matered! Flaws enough to suit a full size orchestra and then some!

Well..."will it withstand playing"....no....it isn't playable at all...it's a cheap and poor toy at best, a nifty wall decoration at worst (it would have been cool if Esteban supplied one of his plastic Zorro hats and a cheap pair of suinglasses to complete the display!) I can depend on it to be as crappy as it was Day One. A back up? Sure...just not another Esteban!

I don;t think Esteban has a phone...maybe in China....a party line, most likely.

I have been playing 30 years (long enough to know that an Esteban isn't a kinda Martin or Taylor)...I should have asked about materials, features, and all that, but I am sure I would have encounered a shoe salesman, fast talkin', New England/New York guy with a headset ("Are ya followin' me, camera guy?!)

If it were stolen or lost, I'd say a prayer (I'd claim it was a Martin Dreadnaught...Esteban makes it sound like one, so why not?)

I hate everything about it but love that this thing sounds so terribvle that I actually enjoy banging on it to annoy my inlaws!

Compared to other guitars? Really....I can;t compare...it isn't a guitar; it's a chunk of decaying, chemically soak, poorly painted, POS OSB or something!

Saw it advertised on HSN. Have a Washburn guitar but was enthralled by all that the it included.
Guitar, 10 instructional dvd's, a hard case, extra strings, an amp, and a chord chart for $205 to my door.

Didn't sound bad after I got it tuned. Played a G chord just fine and then when I went to a C chord----sounded like fingers on a black board. Finally realized that the second fret was higher, much higher, than the rest.
Guitar was useless.
Thought I'd take a look at the instructional DVD'S but the sencond one in the set appeared that it had been dragged across the cement. Wouldn't play past the 5th track.
Such a shame.

Don't know much about guitars but it was average compared to my Washburn. I bought it mainly for the instructional DVD's and to have a second guitar for the kids or wife should they decide to learn. Obviously cheaply made.

The guitar and package lasted about 3 hours whereas it was packaged back up and dropped off at the local UPS pick-up to be sent back to HSN for a refund. Since the guitar was junk and the DVD's appeared to be used and scratched...........I opted to have nothing more to do with this.

Sent an email to Estabon web site just to let them know that they were sending out junk and received no reply.
Happy to get my money back but it's too bad that he attaches his name to so poor overall a product.

Gave it a try. Didn't expect to sound like the one on TV but expected it to be playable.

This guitar was made in China and has 22 jumbo frets. Appears to have a solid spruce top. Finish is really quite nice, although it does have the "glossy" manufactured look about it - what did you expect. I have heard horror stories about other Esteban guitars, but I was pleasantly surprised. Hardware is not top-notch but not horribly flawed either.

I play mostly rock, so I use acoustics on a limited basis for ballads or when I'm writing songs around the house. I've run it through an old Peavey TNT amp and it actually sounds okay (I use it to play with drop tunings). This guitar is okay, very similar to my Yamaha D-75. I like a bit more trebly sound like I get from my Takamine, but all in all this guitar was acceptable.

The guitar did have some setup problems, in particular the action seemed to be set exceptionally high, but all in all, about what you'd expect from a mass produced axe. A couple of hours work got it into reasonable shape. Otherwise, I was pleased with the construction.

I think this guitar would withstand live playing, though I would change the tuners since they seem to be the weak link in the hardware chain. I wouldn't gig without a backup, but that's true even for my Takamine.

I got this guitar in trade for a frankenstein solid body I had put together from spare parts so I've never had to contact customer support. I think the guy I got it from had the whole package, but all he gave me was the guitar.

I've been playing for 20 some odd years and own a Takamine EG561 and Yahama FG75 as well as a few assorted solid body electrics. I was completely surprised by this guitar because I had been given an Esteban earlier by a friend of mine that was absolute crap. I don't know if they found another manufacturer or what but there has been a 180 degree turn around in quality. It sounds decent amplified, so the pickup is not bad. I would say this is probably a case of you get about what you pay for or maybe even a little more since I know these things are not expensive. I don't know that I would necessarily buy another if it was lost or stolen, but I think Estebans are sometimes given a bum rap (and I've experienced one of the awful ones myself) but the one I own now is not that bad.

The guitar is JUNK! It had to be returned and I can't seem to get a replacement! Yet alone get a descent guitar!

Like crap! The neck was faulty bowed and warped. It hurt my fingers to even attempt to play.

Looks good on the outside! Very poor quality! Stay away from this one!!!!

Recieved as junk! It can't even be fixed. I wanted a replacement but the company can't seem to find a good one to send. Or that's what it seems like... it has been impossible trying to get a replacement!

Worse than the guitar!

Stay AWAY!!!! VERY FAR AWAY FROM THIS JUNK! They take your money and don't give you anything in return!

Iam 67 yrs old.I have 2 Gibsons a Greco,a Wayman banjo.I have had a
Country Gentleman,a Fender Bass,a Strat,Gibson L-60,a Pat Mathaney
GR-700,a George Benson and others.I purchased the Estaban D-100 for my
grandson.I may buy another for myself.Sounds great,the action is as good as you could expect for this style guitar.Only a very slight flaw
on the outside edge of the 18th fret.A touch of furniture polish and
it's fine.The amp,strapes,cords,strings,CD's,and case were nice extra's.I would have bought it without them.

I saw it on HSN (where I get all my jewelry from) and was won over. I thought it would be a good gift for my beloved Sonic.

When I got it, it was a plywood abomination. "Frets" were practically barbed wire. The fancy designs were just painted on, and the wood was plywood rejected from cheap furniture. The "tuners" don't do anything to change the pitch of the strings.

My boyfriend says it sounded horrible, and it makes my singing sound good. (By the way, my singing sucks.)

After he played this guitar, finish was all over his hands. He says I could put strings on my big squeaky hammer (I call it Piko Piko) and it'd play better than this.

The neck cracked shortly after he started playing it. The tuners slipped and sent the strings flying. Shortly after, the frets stuck themselves in his hands and it took three hours to pull the frets out of his hands. The finish rubs off on everything it touches.

I don't play guitar, I only bought this for my boyfriend who was picking up guitar. He saw what a deathtrap it is and dumped me. Meanwhile Sally goes out and buys him a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Marshall stack and he now loves her.

In short, this guitar is so bad I lost my boyfriend to it. Don't buy.

It is made in China, with 22 frets. Think barbed wire. The wood has sap dripping out of it on the inside of the guitar.
Apparently, they're not beating the children who make these often enough, because the quality is that bad. If they beat them more, or made them carve the wood with a real metal tool, instead of flint flakes, this guitar would be greatly improved.

The frets are made with barded-wire fence material, make sure you're up on your Tetanus shots.

It sounds great if you can tune it to an Open G-Chord and just strum on it.
Outside of that, you're stuck, because no human being on earth could contact the strings with the fretboard beyond the 5th fret.
It simply cannot be done.

Yikes.

This guitar is not well made.

The neck is warped. The wood is green. I lit mine on fire, and after the paper-think laquer finish burned off, it went out because the wood was still wet.

The sunglass-clad Zorro strikes again.

Fraaaaaaaab...(no comment)

Like a sappy greenwood box, with a heavy urethane finish should. DEAD!

When We tried to adjust the action via the truss rod, It maxed out the rod, leaving the action at about 3/8" at the 12th fret!! What a pile! This ain't a cello gang. I guess Your supposed to take it to The local luthier to have the nut and saddle shaped, after the neck reset....

A cheesy yamaha, or even a first act would smoke this heap.

My leather Zorro hat is off to this clown for conning so many with the "Handmade" rap.Just because some guy in singapore hits it with a buffing bonnet,Doesn't mean it's Friggin Handmade Pal.
Guess It'd make a swell canoe paddle.
Do Yourself a favor and get a used Yamaha,or Kay or silvertone or washburn or Ibenez or fender or Etc...