Esteban D-100 American Legacy

How could anyone give this guitar less than 10 for features? It probably includes more options/features than any guitar ever sold. My wife bought this (for me) for Christmas and I was stunned to keep pulling one item after another out of the box. Just when I assumed I had found everything included, there would be another pick or two, extra set of strings or another book or so. Even if the guitar alone were not so well-made with such good sound, the package contents alone make this a great deal for the buck. Estaban has made a good choice in aiming for the high-middle ground for everything included. Example: they could have included a 5-way instead of a 3-way selector; a 15watt instead of 10watt amp; a hard case instead of a hard nylon case, etc. But... they could have also aimed at the bottom denominator and produced this as a bottom-of-the-barrell package like you see offered through K-mart, Targets, Sears, WalMart or any of the guitar store chains which offer el-cheapo guitar packages with mediocre elements included throughout.

I use a special "sideways/flatside" of pick strumming method which produces a great sound on certain types of guitars... but not on all. This technique makes my Martin sound even better than ever. I was pleased that this Estaban also benefits from this technique. Honestly, I was scared that my wife had purchased a guitar which I knew nothing about and had never played in a store. My fear was that it would be a total piece of crap. To my relief it has a very full, pleasant sound with the only fault being some occasional buzz produced by the low E string. I have to make extra effort to hold the low E down sufficiently to solve the problem. It also sounds quite pleasing when played through the amp with the controls adjusted correctly.

I love to slide bar chords up and down a guitar's neck with my short stubby fingers. Even many expensive and well-known acoustic guitars are not easy to quickly move bars in this manner. I've been disappointed with many a guitar for this reason. Estaban has adjusted the string-to-fret ratio perfectly for my style of playing. My Martin actually produces more soreness in my left hand than this Estaban seems to. I've had this less than a week and haven't noticed any major flaws in finish or construction. For a Chinese-built guitar it seems to be pretty well made. I've read some very unfavorable reviews of this guitar and so I suspect there might be some problems in quality-control at the factory. I would rate mine as excellent but there are others who rate theirs as poor... I don't believe this discrepency is a matter of opinion but of actual manufacturer variations (too big).

I haven't owned it long enough to make this evaluation. If it keeps up the way it has for this first week, it will probably be a reliability winner. Example: I had a hard time tuning it the first day... had to retune it on the second day... I haven't had to retune it at all since!! Only time will tell.

No contact whatsoever with c.s. I haven't had any reason to contact them.

I have played for 25 years. I own an acoustic Martin, an acoustic Ibanez, and two B.C. Rich electrics. My wife made this purchase based upon the excellency of the TV ad... not on any knowledgable experience or recomendations. I feel blessed that her purchase turned out to be a winner when it could have been quite negative. I'm not sure I would buy another if this were stolen, simply because I'm not sure of Estaban's quality control and I might not get another as close to perfection as this one is. But... if I was reassured that Estaban could produce every guitar this well... and at this incredibly low price, I would definitely replace this with another Estaban!

Guitar was bought off of QVC,,,that says it's mass made & cheap. It came with somekind of amp, which will just sit around waiting for someone to ask if they can have it, a fake hardshell case, a allen wrench to adjust the neck if it ever warps, a set of strings, a pick or two & a funky factory smell. I'm not complaining or anything, just saying what it came with from QVC.

For a mass made cheap guitar,,this thing sounds loud, clear, & pretty damn good, better than my acc.-ele. Takamine,,,,,if you don't plug it into the amp. that came with it. I haven't had it long enough to try it on my Peavey Envoy 110 & Boss GT-6. I think the frets are a little wide because after playing this sweet thing, it takes me a few minutes to adjust to any of my other electric guitars.

Everything set up fine except the tunning. Small amount of glue showed somewhere but was small & I have now forgot where it was. Didn't mean much to me anyway.

Haven't had it long enough to bang around,,but it is in a kid free small home studio. Looks like it may be pretty tough & could be a good traveling guitar.

Don't know about this,,can't help here.

If it gets stolen,,I'll buy another one. So far this guitar sounds great if played acc., but like I said, the amp that came with it is a dust gather'er. Maby the Peavey will make it sound better with electricty, but I don't look for it to. I will probely use this guitar acc. only. It sounds great that way.

2004 Acoustic/Electric - solid spruce top, 3 band eq. Not sure what the sides and back are made of, but I believe it is all wood, not plywood.

Includes an amp, and hard case, along with strings, and instruction dvd's.

This guitar sounds great. I've compared it to my friends Yamaha, and the Peal JC-Deluxe Spruce, and it sounds brighter and clearer than both side by side. Not sure the amp is all that great, but for a beginner, it is something to tinker around with, and certainly is loud for a little box. The real beauty in the sound comes just through the guitar itself without an amp. Stays in tune well also. No dislikes soundwise except a minor buzz when strumming hard. Simple setup from the guitar store guy will fix that.

I can see some imperfections in the construction. There is glue visible on a few places, and you can actually see light through the sound hole. The wood top looks very sharp, nice chrome tuners. Overall, the guitar looks great from 10 feet away.

I've banged this guitar around the house, as has my 6 year old, and it holds up great. I've used this guitar to practice consistently for 8 months, and no finish has worn off. This guitar seems like it is sturdy, even if it has a couple of minor imperfections upon close inspection.

dunno

I've only been playing 8 months. I feel like I'm looking for that next guitar, so not sure i would buy this again, but for the price, I have not seen a better value. I've matched this with 400 and 800 dollar guitars (including Yamaha), whose owners admit this guitar sounds better. Don't let the bad press fool you. The early guitars were junk, this is a great beginner guitar, and an unbeatable deal.

customer service sucks, held on line for over 25 minutes and then they disconnected me, never getting to speak with anyone only all lines are busy will be treated in line of calling. This is very frustrating.

customer support sucks a big one. held on line for 25 minutes and then they disconnect me and i never got to speak with anyone. This is very fustrating.

been playing for over 35 years. love the guitar but the amp is wor
thless because it dosn't work.
Own both estaban guitars.black mist the midnight legacy and the solid body. both are nice guitars. the solid body amp is fine but the legacy one doesn't work at all. couldn't get any response from company and am very dissapointed. this is customer service???????????????????

Features - This is a Chinese guitar that reeks of bad quality and imminent dissapointment. It is an acoustic electric, with some sort of Piezo Electric pickup beneath the poorly crafted bridge. There was a lot of glue that had oozed out of the joints. The guitar that I reviewed came with an amp, case, and instructional materials.

The sound is passable as an acoustic, but as soon as you plug it in it's like biting into a crap sandwich.

The frets suck, but that deficiency is overshadowed by the string spacing at the bridge. The strings on this guitar are grouped into 3 sets of 2 strings. It is very hard to play.

What can I say. It is a poorly constructed guitar.

I did not deal with the company.

I have been playing for 30+ years, and all I can say about this guitar is that I would not take one, even if it came with a bucket of cash! I have lots of different guitars, and a decent home studio. This guitar belongs nowhere near it.

Do yourself a favor and buy a real guitar, this one is a piece of #$@!

Esteban Acoustic Elecrtic made in 2004. China, standard frets. Solid top, piezo pickup with active electronics. The active preamp is on the top side of the guitar and has bass, mid, treble, volume. There is a "low battery" led that lights up only when battery is low. The tone sliders and volume knob are solid and precise. Spruce top and mahogany sides, glossy finish. Dreadnought style body, sealed tuners. Neck is standard size with thin frets, rosewood fingerboard. This was a Home Shopping Network special, and included a hardsell nylon case, extra strings, strap, picks, instrument cable, two dvd's, two instruction manuals, chord chart, and 10 watt Esteban amplifier. All this for $179 plus shipping.

I'm using this to perform a few acoustic numbers for a retirement home. I won't be using the amplifier or any effects, just a solo acoustic act. The guitar sounds full and bright, even with the stock unknown strings. Keeps in tune well, but you have to cross check the tuning. After tuning to an e-chord check at the a-barred chord position, try at the D-chord, e-chord, etc. With the little included amplifier it was quite loud, and I'll sell the amp to a lady in town who needs one, I use a p.a. My likes: sounds clear to my ears. Dislikes: The bridge vibrates a little when you strum hard but I guess that's to be expected.

When I received the guitar, it smelled like it had just come off the assembly line and some of the sealants were still drying. Had a very nice smell, though. All the paint and details look a bid hasty but from a distance this guitar looks pretty sharp. It has simulated abalone binding that looks really sharp, it goes around the top of the body and around the soundhole. From a distance this guitar looks really expensive. There are small blemishes in the finish throughout the guitar but I expected this from a guitar offering this much for $179. For the price, I don't have any complaints, if I wanted perfection I could have bought a Taylor or Martin for $2,000. For looking sharp with an inexpensive guitar that will catch the stage lights, this one is pretty good.

I've had this guitar a couple weeks and accidentally banged it around. All the joings are rock solid and the wood is decent. I pulled at the neck a couple of times and it didn't budge. I think you could hit your unemployed brother-in-law with this one and it would withstand the impact of another hard wooden object (his head!) The strap button is metal and I tie the strap with string to the neck under the strings. I think this is a dependable guitar, and I would gig with it without a backup

I didn't receive a couple items with this guitar and wasn't sure I was even going to keep it. When I called HSN they immediately drop shipped the missing items and sent me a prepaid shipping label. Very helpful, excellent service. If you want a good starter guitar they sell a complete kit for $99, without the electronics. Great how they back up their products with 100% satisfaction.

I've been playing for about 30 years and was a professional bass player. I started out playing rhythm guitar thirty five years ago and switched to bass in 1969. Now, I play for my own enjoyment and for a retirement home once a month. I've owned very expensive acoustics and cheap ones. This guitar is like me in my playing history: It has a few bumps in the finish and isn't the prettiest guitar in the bunch, but it is attractive enough and has a lot of heart. I thought Esteban guitars were a joke until I tried this one. If this one were stolen, I would buy another one, and as a matter of fact, I'm going to buy a $99 special to bang around at work with my co-workers.