Esteban Steel String Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

So, what is it? Acoustic or electric? Wanting to re-learn the guitar I started to look for acoustic guitars. I’ve had Yamaha in the past, so a safe place to start now. The ‘silent’ guitar fitted the bill perfectly. I don’t annoy anyone but can play for hours. But… You will see below the ‘would I recommend it' is NO, and 'is it comfortable to play' is OKAY. Why? The NO is because you must understand what it is. I didn’t know and you can’t quite tell from the photos and videos. I thought I was buying an acoustic guitar (PMT have it in the electro-acoustic and acoustic sections). But it is not. The designer has flubbed it for the desperately simple reason of the body width. Because you create the sound with the body of an acoustic they are wide, deep. Not so here. With no need for a body it is a shallow, electric guitar depth. So when I set up in a classical guitar position, I was all wrong; far too close. The designer should have made the outer body shell deeper, AS IF it were a classic guitar depth. So, what is it? It is an electric guitar you can play 'silently’. Hence the reason why the recommendation is NO, If you want a ‘silent’ acoustic, this is not really it, unless you are happy with the electric guitar body depth. And the OKAY recommendation is there because if you are expecting a classic acoustic depth, as I was, you will be disappointed, despite the excellence of the kit. This then brings along another annoyance. Luckily, I decided upon getting a strap. Handy really, but now the lack of body means a lack of good balance. In an electric guitar the body weight ‘holds’ the guitar down, here the neck is the heaviest item and it just feels a little odd as, sometimes, I get the feeling the my left arm isn’t so free because it is forming the chords/riffs AND ALSO supporting the guitar. That is probably just me being finicky, though. Or, at least, it is my excuse why I can’t form the chords/riffs quickly enough whilst re-learning. So I am now going to get some Ernie Ball electric guitar strings, as I had on the Gibson twin, and work it as a ‘silent’ electric guitar. As noted on PMT, it has been on stage and I would be happy doing so later, if that is where I intend to go. To end on some positives, the ability to dismantle it saves some great space when transporting it in the half-size bag. The electronics in the guitar completely fool the mind into believing you have a real, live acoustic guitar in your hands. The action is superb. Overall, do I like this kit? Am I pleased? Would I change? Yes, I do like it. Yes, I am pleased. No, I wouldn’t change. I now know what it is, what I am doing with it, and where we can go together.Mr R.

After touring with a full-size acoustic guitar for so long, and having to do too many fly-dates with it, I had to either accept that at some point I was going to wind up with a case full of splinters, or find a better alternative. The silent guitar is that alternative. It plays and sounds great. Would I record with it over my good dreadnought? No, but live through a PA it sounds fantastic. The on-board effects and tuner are decent. Nothing fantastic, but do the job if needed. It loses a star, however, because the strap buttons (which also double as the top frame set-screws) tend to loosen when using a strap. I'll have to find a way to keep that from happening in the future. Otherwise, though, this is my new touring acoustic, and I will accept the small infractions while making my travel life way easier.Mikey

Okay, so it sounds great. The neck is lovely. It stays very much in tune, and it makes a terrific practice instrument when I'm out of town. But it could be so much more! The biggest flaw is that when you put a strap on it, the strap actually loosens the bolts that screw the upper bout into the unit. Using a strap will potentially make the guitar come disassemble. I could probably rig something but right now I'm giving up on playing this standing up. Also, the jack does not work will with an angled plug, particularly when standing. Even when using the straight end, the cable can readily disconnect while playing standing up (highly disconcerting). Another oddity is that –for me — the instrument isn't particularly comfortable. I'm 5'8" and of smaller build and when playing seated in the classical position (yes, that's how I learned) the upper bout's contoured edge digs into the chest. After a while, you may find yourself looking for a cloth to drape over that edge to provide cushion. The reverb effects are over-the-top and not terribly useful. The chorus is nice, but I wish I could tweak the depth/speed on it. Finally and sadly, I'm discovering it hungrily eats batteries (AA), or at any rate it signals "low-power" after only about 5-6 hours of playing. The case is okay, just large enough to accommodate the instrument but not much else. I got mine used and it was a good price. I'm glad I own this, but I'd be disappointed had I paid full price. With improvement, this could be a gigging instrument, but in this edition, it is a fun travel/practice instrument.JD Cazador

I've owned one of these for years. It doesn't hang well (neck dive), has the sound that you'd expect out of a shoebox sized cavity (no bass), and is over priced. The only reason for owning one of these is if you are severly cramped for space. Get a Baby Taylor, instead of this thing. They are close to the same price, the last time that I checked.Ken

When I first saw these in the CF Martin catalog, I thought how weird looking they were. When I asked at a local shop about them, I was told they would order one for me, but I would not like it! But I liked classical, nylon string guitars and I wanted to own something from CF Martin. Other than this, Martin GTR does not make anything else like that, unless they invented something since I quit looking. I was very fortunate to discover Musicians Friend, and they at one time had these with a passive pickup. These were on sale at a very good price! I ordered one, it arrived in very good shape, in very good time. I fell absolutely totally in love with it, weird shape and all. You could tell it was a Martin, it reeked quality. It's small, the tone is great, but the volume is not huge. Use it for travel, camping, hanging on the wall for odd moments of practice. It's not a case queen, fussy little guitar, but protect it from too much heat and moisture, it is made with wood and glue. With a pickup you could probably blow away a concert hall with it. Look in the sound hole, it will say where it was made there, and tell you to always use extra-lite nylon strings. No truss rod was standard for ages with nylon string guitars, the Backpacker does not have one. Most guitars eventually need the action adjusted to suit the player, including ones costing 10 to 20 times as much as this one. Mine came with a very nice strap and a special gig bag, both very useful. If this appeals to you, don't hesitate to give it a try. I've had mine for years and still love it. Check on you-tube.Still Learning

I have had mine for 10 years or more and enjoy it very much. It's not full body sound it's there to have something to practice and play when on holiday or outside on the deck enjoying a cold one. It doesn't take up much room when packing the car either And yes the one I have is an actual classical backpacker guitar that Martin made years ago. I use it with high tension strings DAddario Pro Arte at standard tuning and it holds up very good stays in tune never have a problem with it going outGerry

Got this from Guitar Center Cerritos. Priscilla and the tech provided excellent customer service. The guitar required no setup, great sound, and yes it's perfect for me. I i recommend it and the Cerritos store.Pancho M

I bought this as a present for my daughter, it's her first guitar and the 3/4 size fits her perfectly without compromising on the sound. Excellent quality from Fender, would highly recommend.Christine C.

I purchased and Artist AB1 41inch acoustic for my son's 13th birthday. At this price I was not expecting much quality wise, but more something my son could cut his teeth on. The delivery arrived early within 3 days and I opened the package first to see what I'd actually received. My first thoughts were this is a good looking guitar. I grabbed a pick and had a play myself before wrapping the present. Wow what a surprisingly rich tone and nice low action. I am very impressed at the build quality and sound of this guitar. For the price, this is a very good value guitar for a beginner to get going on. Thanks Artist, Justin.Justin H

I bought the Artist AB1 guitar as a muck around sort of acoustic to play on, I primarily play electric. First thing I noticed when I started playing the guitar was how good the action felt, expected for a beginner level guitar but unexpected on something of this price point. The sound was also noticeably good for a budget guitar, perhaps not outstanding but not as bad as similarly priced guitars. I enjoyed playing this guitar for about 5 months before the guitar slipped slightly from a low height and the head of the guitar bumped the coffee table holding it up. To my own surprise, the head had actually been completed detached from the neck. The guitar was in two. This was greatly upsetting given how highly I regarded this guitar. As a result, I contacted Artist to which they promptly responded and offered to replace it. The customer service was fantastic and I could not have been happier to still be able to play one of these guitars. Had it not been replaced, I would have probably bought another one anyway given the value for money for this guitar. I cannot speak more highly about how great the service was and how fantastic the product is. I would definitely recommend the Artist AB1 to beginner or budget guitarist and even those looking for something to muck around with.Arun

This backpacker guitar is a good value for $35. Sounds decent for size. Smooth fret ends. The action is a bit high and I will file down the nut and bridge a bit. Also, since the bridge was in the wrong spot – its held down by string tension – I easily moved it to the correct spot after loosening the strings. Distance from nut to 12th fret = 12th fret to bridge. The fingerboard dot is at 11th fret, should be at 12th. A few finish blemishes. Dear readers, do not expect this guitar to be just like a $319 list price Martin Backpacker which costs 9 times more. This purchase is a complete package with nylon (not padded) gig bag, strap, extra set of stings and 3 jumbo picks.fuzzyace09

Great deal for the price, but this is a toy at best. Now having said that, it can be made playable by investing in some $14 ebay acoustic guitar tuners and a new graphite or bone nut. Then after filing the existing bridge and moving it to about 23 inches from the replaced nut you will have a playable instrument. It will sound a little tinny or banjo like, but actually plays ok and you can throw it in the trunk for campfire songs without concern for a higher quality instrument.Jayson

My daughter got one for me for an early Father's Day present. Was very excited about it and grateful for the thoughtful gesture. Unfortunately, Low quality….the strings are a little too close to each other to feel like a normal guitar….not helpful for normal practice. Also, the size makes it awkward to hold, unless you have it strapped on. Not nearly as natural feeling as the Martin Backpack guitar. Seems like a great deal, but really hard to play, and sound is poor because of all of the finish on it. Tuners are a little suspect, too. Wouldn't recommend, but for $25, not a lot of risk.Santa

I HAVE BOUGHT OTHER LEARNING MATERIAL FOR MY HUSBAND TO HELP HIM LEARN TO PLAY BUT THIS WAS THE BEST. ESTEBAN GOES INTO SUCH GREAT DETAIL AND IT HE HAS YOU PLAYING THE GUITAR IN NO TIME. GREAT FOR A BEGINER OR MORE ADVANCED.WORKS EVEN ON PLAYING AN ELECTIC GUITAR ALSO..PLUS THIS IS A GREAT PRICE FOR EVERY THING THAT COMES WITH THIS PACAGEinlovewithmyhoney

The Guy can Play. He (they) are also marketing masters. Unfourtnatly it has more to do with sales than actually wanting to teach you anything. There are far better Methods on the Market and of Course Don't Forget the Ulimate accessory: The Real Life Teacher. If you've ever seen the Infomercials and you say, "Whoa I didn't know it was that easy!". Well, it's not. To Play Guitar Takes real Work. Not to mention most of the Real Important Stuff You Really Need to Know to Learn an Instrument isn't even touched upon. Then again that kind of Real World Stuff Don't Sell Books/DvDs. EASY! SELLS! Easy, is also an untruth. And if you need more proof just read the reviews of a couple of beginners right here in this review section. Then consider the Infomercial where he pulls a complete beginner (never touched a Guitar before)up on stage and in a few seconds he's playing away. Now, why is it that this person (who's never touched a guitar before) is playing away in a few seconds, while our reviewing beginners are struggling to catch on. Well, that's because our struggling beginners are telling you something Esteban is not: The Truth. Playing takes work and time. Anyone who's played and taught as long as I have know what a joke his whole marketing system is. Sorry, I've nothing nice to say about the guys whole system and seriously save yourself some cash and get a qualified teacher and some real study materials that focus on things you need to know, such as How to Practice etc.clittlern1

IT's good instruction and easy to follow. The teacher is patient and is knowledgable. He makes guitar look easy. I don't dislike it at all. I"m using it for home school music instruction along with another book on famous composersmapyourfuture