My Esteban Guitar Review

This is the un-boxing for my Esteban guitar review videos. First some background on why it took me three years of watching the HSN Esteban guitar hour before I decided to go ahead and purchase it. I took guitar lessons when I was about 10 years old for about two years. I owned a Yamaha beginner's guitar. I never got much farther than playing jingle bells and free Bird.

I gave my Yamaha away when I was about 18. So I haven't played guitar in about 25 years. I always wanted to learn how to play Malaguena. Then Esteban showed up on the Home Shopping Network and stated that I could play it if I bought his package within 45 minutes of opening the box. That sounded pretty good to me. Also the package offered was very complete including a guitar and stand, amplifier, extra strings, chord chart, 5 picks, strap, polishing cloth and of course the 10 DVD's. Seemed like everything you would need to get started was included.

The main thing that stopped me from buying this for several years was, that if it was so easy to learn Malaguena why couldn't he teach the HSN hosts to pluck the song out on stage with him. In fact some of the hosts like Shannon and Callie had sat next to him for years and still did not play a single note on stage. The other thing that stopped me from buying it was he talked about the handmade guitars and the shop in which they were built. I had a feeling that the low price the package was offered at the Esteban guitar shop with master craftsman must be located in China.

After searching on the Internet and watching some YouTube videos I could not find any disclosure about where the guitar was handmade. What pushed me over the edge and made me purchase was the five flex payments. Today I received the package and HSN delivered it three days before the target date. So I made a video of the un-boxing and plan on making future videos about how it sounds and what the lessons are like.

My first impression is that this is a very complete package worth the money and that the guitar itself is very nice. On the Internet I have seen reviews of the Esteban guitar that were very unkind. They talked about string buzz and poor finish. So far I am very happy with the finish. Although the action is low I am not experiencing any string buzz. Keep an eye out for new videos about my Esteban guitar package.


Also check out the best version of malaguena I have seen on YouTube. Its from the beautiful and talented Edina Balczo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdY0DrpTSp4

Category:

Music

Tags:

• esteban guitar review
• HSN guitars
• malaguena
• reviews of the Esteban guitar

[MrGrandsOuttakes]

Nice vid! How's the case? Some of the prices don't seem to bad, just for the case and stand...assuming they are any good.

[MarkHorseman]

@MrGrandsOuttakes The guitar case is interesting. It's a cross between a soft and hard shell case. It has a Styrofoam core covered in fabric. So it is light but provides good protection as well as being nice and furry inside. The stand is simple and sturdy appears to be real wood. I have no buyers remorse on this purchase so far!

[djkappri]

yea i own 2 of them one with the cut away and one with out it it actually plays really good

[MarkHorseman]

@djkappri I have to say that I like the way the guitar sounds.

[MissPickletoes]

Are you ever going to post a video of you playing this guitar?

[tenthousandflushes]

MADE IN CHINA ... Gee, now there's a big surprise. However, I thought it all oozed out of SA. Either way, I would never buy one of those "packages" at any price, let alone from HSN. My advice to anyone wishing to learn how to play an instrument is to BUY THE REAL THING. You can never go wrong that way., and if you should decide to give it up, you have something with resale value.

[needanap624]

I have one of these and it is the biggest hunk of crap I've ever played.

[doriangray2012]

I bought this package. The DVD's are excellent and I like Esteban as a guitarist. That being said, I am VERY disappointed with the guitar. It is very "buzzy" especially on the 4th string. Stretching and re-tuning does not help. I went to the Best Buy music shop and tried out a Yamaha, Epiphone, Taylor and Martin Guitar and like the guy below said "You get what you pay for.". I'm thinking of gifting my guitar set (I'm keeping the CD's) to my brother in law for his birthday and buying a Yamaha. 

[overlook77]

If you are in the market for a beginner's guitar, look for a used one on craigslist. You can get a better guitar for the same money. Most beginners choose a guitar based on the paint or finish, not realizing that they can paint anything and make it LOOK good. Get someone you know that is a serious musician or guitarist to give you advice before ordering something like this.

[sammyers81]

I'm amazed that you're surprised at the fact that this stuff is chineese. You get what you pay for, pal.

[SensiRootsBoy]

i love esteban and hes got great value prices for entry players. But like you said, most of his guitars are mass produced and made in China. I've been playing guitar now for 4 years, but i started on an Esteban i bought from QVC, great starter guitar, but after some time playing the tuners would go out of tune, and it really lacked a rich tone, so i sold it.

[hairmonster12]

@mrhonkee ive been playing my esteban for 9 years now and it stays in tune, sounds very good, and never had a structural problem with it. one fine guitar for $100

[sc12100]

American Legacy - MADE IN CHINA WTF?