Esteban Midnight Legacy Electric

I just got one for our daughter for Christmas, and my husband was unable to tune it, so I took it to the music store. They said the action is too high, which means the strings are too far up from the wood. One of the strings had a spot of corrosion on it. The music store is going to replace the strings for me, and maybe the keys, because they don't seem to stay in place. They said it would cost around $25 to fix it, and that's ok with me. It's a pretty guitar for a girl, and it has a case, and amp, and the instructional DVD's. It's better than what the music store had for the same price, a cheap pink guitar for a girl. It will be a fun toy for her to open on Christmas, and she can do the DVD's and maybe learn something. It's not a good guitar, just an ok guitar for a kid. I still liked the looks of it better than anything in the music store (but I'm a girl). I think Esteban's heart is in the right place, but it would be nice if they would put $5 into slightly better strings and position them a little lower.

The amp matches the guitar, but we haven't tried it yet.

Action is too high, tuning was way off.

No, I don't think this guitar will last very long, but I'll keep taking it to the shop. At least the local music shop will make some money for labor, probably more than they would if I bought a guitar from them!

I love HSN, I buy things from them a lot.

New to playing.

It has a body that looks like a Les Paul, 5-way switch (2 single coil pickups), and 2 tone knobs.

Seems to have lots of dead spots and is horrible for anything on the three thinner strings.

Pickups are horrible and the strings it comes with rust out very quickly.

I wouldn't use this guitar in the first place

HSN doesn't do customer support I'm sure.

This guitar is cheap but you can definitely find something better for the same price. I suggest looking into some lower models of Epiphone or Fender Squire.

This guitar has a pretty nice finish, solid black, glossy. It looks like a copy of a Les Paul, cutaway. It has 22 frets although the cutaway on it isn't necesarrily good, kinda weird to reach higher frets. It also has a whammy-bar and a volume knob and 2 tone knobs.

It's an ok guitar for a beginner but wouldn't recommend for an advanced player to use it. Not necessarily the best sound. The strings are crap which contribut to the sound. Just replace the strings when u get it. The amp isn't all that great either. Distortion is terrible, it is loud, but don't go overboard on the gain(When u go past 5 on gain, BLEH)

I was told that it was SUPPOSED to be handmade in a workshop in AMERICA. It said made in China. The pickups were kinda loose, not bad tho. Bridge is ok, not properly routed. when I got it, the pickguard was already scratched up.

It could probably withstand live playing.I'm always in my garage playing it so, y not. I havn't actually played it 2 much when i first got it. I only actually started using much last year. So it could probably last another year and a half. The straps won't hold on my guitar for 2 long so it's always dropping so the paint is chipping off of the bottotm of the body and actually the finish is chipping off of different parts of my guitar and I havn't dropped it on there.I would not use it on a gig period. I'd use it in my garage when i'm practicing but I wouldn't rely on it for an actual gig.

I never tried to get it repaired. It was under warranty but, I was a naive beginner. The warranty lasted for 30 days. I realized it was pretty crappy about 2 months after I got it. I never actually dealt with the company my dad did, ask him. lol.

I've been playing for 3 years. I don't hav enough money rite now to get another guitar so I don't hav anyting else. I don't really regret not asking anyting about it bfore buying it. If sum1 stole it or I lost it I would be happy so then I could buy a different, better guitar. Wat I love about it is the "signature" of Esteban on the "E" shaped headstock. Wat I hate are the strap buttons, my guitar keeps falling. My fav feature is whammy bar. I compared it to a Les Paul in terms of it's design. It looked like a copy of of a Gibson Les Paul. I don't hav anyting else I'd like to share

The guitar has a black glossy finish: not very thick I thought (it started to chip off of mine). It looks like a weird Les Paul with a three single coil Strat-like setup. Trem bridge, tuners are eh. The 22-fret neck is fine, kind of sticky because of the gloss finish on it. Mine came with a whammy bar, little amp, picks, strap, the normal stuff in a pack like this. I have no idea what wood it is made out of. Probably freaking sawdust and glue. It was wood enough to play at least.

I think overall in this category it was fine. It came with all the tools to get me started.

The sound was pretty dull, kind of thin. The pickups and wood were probably the cheapest possible they could use: my more recent alder-body humbucker pickup'd guitar sounds worlds better. If you didn't know any better (or are a beginner like I was when I got it), it, again, is enough to get you started.

The action on the guitar was excellent on the guitar I received. There was zero fret buzz, however the strings they shipped it with were, in retrospect, the worst strings I've ever played. The replacement strings they send with the guitar aren't any better. I thought "I just need to get calluses." But even now the old ones still seem like murder. Definitely change the strings when you get yours. There was some shoddy finish work around the neck, the finish was thin, and the body wood is...questionable.

The guitar lasted me for the 6 months or so I played it. It was solid, the finish on the neck never started to wear off or anything like that, just some chipping of the finish. The strap buttons were kind of a joke, I replaced them with some strap locks. I guess I would use it to play without a backup, I mean, the guitar wouldn't break, it would be the crappy strings they put on it.

Don't know any of the specifics here.

I've been playing for a year now: I own a guitar that I built, and a Line 6 Spider II amp, so I've effectively replaced all of the Esteban stuff that came with the pack.
Honestly, I wish I had done some research before getting this guitar, but it was also a gift (grandmother's love watching HSN, I guess), and I wasn't even sure if I wanted to play guitar.
If I lost it, I wouldn't shed a tear, considering I have a much better guitar now. I won't say I don't like the guitar because I still will take it out sometimes and use it, but it almost feels like slumming. I pretty much like the way it looks, I'd just rather it have quality parts to back up the cosmetic aspect.

To sum it all up, I wouldn't say the guitar I received is a terrible guitar. However, reading some of these reviews, I was one of the lucky few who got an Esteban that wasn't god awful. I would not recommend risking getting a lemon: if you're looking for a starter guitar, tell your grandmother to turn off HSN and look at Musician's Friend for a real guitar company. There are plenty of quality guitars out there that will be much more suitable for a beginner, and that can be grown into much more comfortably.

no comment. What features? Oh,, you mean parts that fall off or cut your hand while attempting to play. Pure garbage.

awful. refused to stay in tune and buzzed the entire time I had it.

refused to stay in tune and the frets were hanging out of the fretbaord. poor quality.

no comment.

non-existent. I attempted to call their so called customer care and the people in another language hung up on me. never again. Esteban & HSN should be ashamed of selling this trash.

Scary. I found this after feeling I got duped in buying this soon to be firewood for this winter.

so-called ?Guitar legend? Esteban was stripped of his legendary status this week when it was discovered that he is an entirely fictional character created specifically to sell pressboard guitars in infomercials.

Allan Holdsworth, guitar legend and president of ?Real Guitar Legends For Truth? released a statement on Monday calling for the immediate cessation of all applications of the appellation ?Guitar legend? to the television character known as ?Esteban?. According to the statement, ?Esteban is a fictional character created by L.A. session guitarist Dan Fernaueu for the express purpose of marketing a cheap, poorly constructed guitar-like instrument on the Home Shopping Channel.?

The scandal intensified when the Recording Academy revealed that claims that ?Esteban? had won ?several Grammys? were false.

These charges come on the heels of last month?s statement from the Musical Instrument Manufacturers Association that the ?Esteban? guitar could not, in fact, be classified as an actual guitar due to the fact that it is constructed out of reclaimed materials such as discarded telephone directories and medical waste. The MIMA demanded that the instrument be classified as a toy.

And you call yourselg a guitarist Esteban. Your pathetic.

Bought it in 2006; no idea of when it was made. It was made by Kung Fu himself somewhere in China. Everything is made in China now so it has to be good quality, right? I think it has 20 frets and the cool cut-away design so I can play those lower frets (I never knew that you could!). I'm guessing that the top is solid. It has a really good glossy paint job on it so it's hard to tell. You can't see the grain. I was going to get the natural color one but the crap-brown amp just didn't cut it with me. A gay amp? I don't think so. It is the acoustic electric so you can pop in a 9V battery and hook up the whiz-bang 10W amp and blow the doors off a house of cards. Just kidding, it's not that loud. Definately wood but I don't think it says what kind it is. The mother of pearl inlay looks pretty good but I think Kung was a little tipsy when he painted the white line around the perimeter of the neck. Either that or he had hay fever and kept sneezing. Maybe he outsourced that part to someone in India and they didn't know it was supposed to be a straight line. Did I mention the hard case? They said it was made from the wood from Jimmy Hendrix' coffin but I think they were just kidding. I plan to take it surfing though because I saw someone on here said it was really good for that. I'm also thinking to keep it in the trunk of my Honda Civic as shock absorbing material in case I get rear ended. The neck is kind of fat; you know like those fat guys who have rolls on the backs of their necks? Only without the hair. It came with the hard case, extra strings (I changed to some real ones and it sounds much much better). I'm hoping to get the bandages off my fingers so I can play it again. THe original strings sliced big ol honkin' divots in my fingers. Oh, it also came with a wimpy strap, 10' cable to the amp, the amp, a hex key, 4 bags of silica gel (I put those in my gun locker), 5 DVDs that are actually pretty good. He could have saved money though and put all 5 on one disc...quite short. BUt seriously, it does play quite well with the Slinky strings. They were out of Super's so I had to get regular.

I actually don't have any style; nor can I play a guitar well. I do like the sound of the guitar though and it stays in tune. I was going to tack weld the tuners if they slipped but so far they've held. It is also easier to re-tune without the weld. DOdged a bullet there. The 10W amp sounds OK but the overdrive sounds pretty bad unless, of course, you are into whining feedback. The pre-amp has 3 adjustments and a volume control. It also has a low battery light but I think you would figure that out when you couldn't hear the amp any more. I definately like the sound, very rich. I saw a Fender in Sam's Club that looked just like this guitar but it was $149 and I don't know if it included an amp. I was going to play it but some budding musician keiped all the strings. I started to open a box to re-string it but the floor manager had different ideas. So after I kicked his a$$ I had to leave the store and forgot to pay for the deoderant that I went for in the first place. I was going to return to pay for it but I figured they had me on camera. I'll just stay away from the store for a few weeks. They should have a 100% turnover in staff by then so I shold be OK. Oh yeah, the guitar sounds real good. The Esteban, not the Fender.

THe action, fit and finish is probably up to par for Chinese made guitars. The fit and finish on my GMC truck is much better but it doesn't have any strings....yet. Hold on, this gives me an idea. It's mine don't any of you steal it. backspace backspace backspace

It is still together and the strings are still in tune after a few days so I'm happy.

I have no idea if this guitar would withstand live playing. I don't play professionally. I'm sure it will last for what I use it for...unless I need to beat my son with it. I probably wouldn't try that though because his bass is way heavier. If I didn't take him out on the first swing I'd have to try to out run him. I wish he smoked, that would make things easier.

DIdn't deal with them. I'm sure the specs of the warranty are on HSN's website. I figured if it lasts through the 30 days no-questions asked return policy, I'll be good to go. The lady that was on TV with him seemed real nice so I don't foresee any problems with that. I think I'll call them and see if they have any copies of the Kenny Rogers Quick Pickin' Fun Strummmin' Home Guitar course. That would be sweet.

I've been playing guitar for a long time but I'm not any good. I just enjoy playing with them. I have a seagull 12 string and the quality of it is much better than the Esteban. I'm sure it costed a whole lot more too. I don't know though because my wifey bought it for me. I wish it had a cupholder so I could put my beer can in it. Maybe a rear-view mirror...nah, that would be silly. Or would it? I called it first.

5 sound settings, amp is decent, Looks nice.

I'd give sound a 4 when I first got it. Low E buzzed, High E was dead. After professional tuning and adjustment, and new strings put on for under $20. I'd give sound a solid 8. It made the world of difference.

Guitar came in flawless condition, needed to be adjusted and strings replaced with better one, by professionals. Don't play out of the box or it will sound like crap.

Very durable, I havent used a case and it is fairly resistant to scratching. Very solid, it has a good weight to it.

Again, i'd give it a 4 before professional adjusting, and a 7 after. It obviously not at nice a squire or epiphone, but it sounds great and has made me happy

Asslectric guitar with crappy body, ratwood neck, 22 frets (dang! my Squier has 21!), strat-style but the body is reminiscent of a Les Paul (eccch...Gibson), made in CHINA (chinka-dinka-winka-dinka)

It hardly suits my style (crap-rock) and it sounds like "Twang STRUM buzz BEEW BWAAH" (Esteban sound)

Action! Ten Miles High! and the thing didn't fit. Finish? I'm finished with this thing.

It's Esteban, what do you expect? Gig? Live playing? I can't do that with crap-rock music. Even if crap-rock were to become cool, I'd be laughed at for using Esteban.

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 guitar. Stupid women.

I should have learned my lesson with the Esteban asscoustic.

2005 Made in China
22 frets
1 Volume control, 2 tone controls, 1 five-way switch
3 single coil pick-ups
Midnight Black finish
Included 15 watt Esteban amp, strap, strings, picks, cable, DVD

Approx $130

Sounds pretty good. All switches operate as expected. Not bad at all for the price paid. Quite a bit of variety in sound with the 5-way switch, tone controls, and amp controls.

The amp is OK. Of course my Marshall 15 watt sounds better and is louder, but the Esteban amp is reasonably loud and is clear. There is a slight hum when all is quiet, but it's not noticeable while your playing. All amp functions work as they should.

Straight from the box, the action was low and very playable. There's a slight buzz on strings 5 and 6 at times, but not too bad and can be compensated for easily while playing.
The finish on the body is beautiful.
The edges of the neck have a few sharp spots where the gloss black finish gives way to the painted fretboard. Easily fixed with my wife's clear nail polish and not noticeable without close inspection. The dot inlays needed cleaning as they were covered with some sort of sticky adhesive.
I'm not crazy about the painted fretboard. It looks a little cheap.

So far, so good. I've only owned this guitar for 30 days, but I've played it every one of those days. It looks and operates today the same as it did when I pulled it out of the box.
I hardly use the amp anymore unless I happen to be in that seldom used room.
The guitar finish seems very durable. Hardware appears durable as well. The strap buttons haven't failed me yet and show no signs of weakness.

N/A

This is a $130 guitar and amp package. Everything operates as it should and I've had no reason to attempt warranty service.

This is my first electric guitar and it's really not too bad for the price paid. I've picked up quite a few others in the shops and it seems like I'd have paid around $100 more for the next step up.

If it was stolen? I'd probably buy something a little higher quality.
I like the fact that it's cheap, sounds good, and I don't worry too much about the kids picking on it from time to time.

The instructional DVD is actually pretty good. I've seen MUCH worse, even some produced by name brand music companies.