Looking for a good laugh? Read some Esteban Guitar reviews

[Jeff M]

Not all that long ago, I noted to another forum member about how generally useless Harmony reviews were.......and got roundly thrashed by that member.

Gee...........

[riverman]

I have to agree with you jeff, most reviews (not all, but most) are made by people that harbor much bias towards their instruments. I mean, they don't want to admit that their shiny new guitar doesn't sound as good as they were hoping for.

[Acoustic Rick]

I found one review where the guy said there was a freakin fly stuck to the finish on his Estabomb. BWAHAHAHAHA!! That's funny right there.

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by Acoustic Rick

I found one review where the guy said there was a freakin fly stuck to the finish on his Estabomb. BWAHAHAHAHA!! That's funny right there.

He paid extra for that.
Was told it was one off "custom finish" job. Highly collectable.

[rbbambino]

Originally Posted by Jeff M

He paid extra for that.
Was told it was one off "custom finish" job. Highly collectable.

And what the heck is a "multicolored pearlesque soundhole".

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by rbbambino

And what the heck is a "multicolored pearlesque soundhole".

It's a company secret.

[zookroo1]

Reading all these posts is making it really hard for me to wait for my 'Fall Limited" Esteban to arrive!

[mmmaak]

Originally Posted by lofapco

Apparently it only takes a week or so for an Estaban to "Open Up"

Sounds to me like it was "broken in"

[dawhealer]

Originally Posted by riverman

I have to agree with you jeff, most reviews (not all, but most) are made by people that harbor much bias towards their instruments. I mean, they don't want to admit that their shiny new guitar doesn't sound as good as they were hoping for.

So why do they post a fake review if that's the case? Wouldn't it make sense that someone who's disappointed in their instrument would just be quiet about it? After all, who's going to know, right? OTOH, if they really thought they got a good instrument maybe they just wanted to steer someone else in the right direction.

Based on online reviews (Harmony Central, to be exact) I tried out and ended up buying two models of guitars that were favorably reviewed and was not disappointed. There's nothing wrong with being biased towards a truly good instrument. End user feedback is a great way to start one's search.

I DO take all FAVORABLE Esteban reviews with a grain of salt, though.

[66strummer]

Originally Posted by preston

I'm always amused by things like this and some of the comments were hysterical, but you can't blame poor 'ol Esteban for just proving P. T. Barnum's cogent observation. He's an excellent musician, from all accounts a nice guy, and no one can dispute his talent for making money with ease. Caveat Emptor.

Esteban guitars, like many other things in the world, appeal to people who want something for nothing. The saddest comment on all of that is how offended they get when this dee-lux high grade instrument they bought for the same price as a good pair of shoes turns out to be worth about what they paid for it.

You see the same folks buying cars, appliances, clothes, and whatever based on the same criterion - if it's cheaper they'll buy it. I'm more in line with old John Ruskin who opined that "when you pay too much sometimes you lose a little money; but when you pay too little you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought is not capable of doing what you bought it to do".

1 other note: Referring to the above posts mentioning Harmony Central, I'm sure there is some hype in those reviews as well as some inexperienced (and perhaps biased) reviewing, but I have found a lot of valuable reviews on H.C. too, that were quite accurate.....

Ryan

Like P. T. said, there's a sucker born every minute.

In a way, I only half agree. If an Esteban Guitar went for 50 to 100 bucks, fine. Assume it's junk (junk price), but having played a few of the laminated Blueridge guitars that can be bought for a few hundred, IMO low prices dont necessarily mean you're getting junk these days. It just depends on what you're playing (hopefully not an Esteban! ). These comments (reviews) are killing me! The campfire one was crazy hilarious!:

[66strummer]

Originally Posted by dawhealer

So why do they post a fake review if that's the case? Wouldn't it make sense that someone who's disappointed in their instrument would just be quiet about it? After all, who's going to know, right? OTOH, if they really thought they got a good instrument maybe they just wanted to steer someone else in the right direction.

Based on online reviews (Harmony Central, to be exact) I tried out and ended up buying two models of guitars that were favorably reviewed and was not disappointed. There's nothing wrong with being biased towards a truly good instrument. End user feedback is a great way to start one's search.

I DO take all FAVORABLE Esteban reviews with a grain of salt, though.

Plus 1! I have gotten a lot of good and fairly accurate info off of HC. I'm skeptical when I only see 1 or 2 reviews for a product, but if there are a lot of favorable ones I tend to lean toward purchasing it with confidence. It's worked fine in the past for me anyway.....

[Tony Burns]

i like the one about the girlfriend who's boyfriend dumped her -I should buy one of these to have my daughter give her boyfriend for Christmas -( just kidding he's a great kid ) anyone who would love them because they bought them a Les paul would be better off without that person. In this case Esteban did that young lady a favor ! ( but that post sounds like a phony anyways -someone just trying to be funny)

[djphelan01]

I found the one about the girl being dumped hilarious. I wonder if she is willing to buy her next boyfriend the Marshall stack and the LP!

I do read the HC reviews of any new guitar I'm thinking of buying. I take them with a grain of salt and read the age and experience of the writer. When a 12 year old with 6 mos of experience playing guitar writes a review I don't consider it too be good advice on that guitar.

[banjar]

Originally Posted by Jeff M

Not all that long ago, I noted to another forum member about how generally useless Harmony reviews were.......and got roundly thrashed by that member.

Gee...........

The useless ones are usually easy to weed out. They start out "I've been playing guitar for less than a year now", or say something useless like "Great guitar, love it". I look for the ones that say "I've been playing for 35 years, and...". I bought a used Gibson J-100 based in large part on reviews there, and I wasnt disappointed. Almost all the reviews were very favorable, some obviously more credible than others.

[BBWW]

Originally Posted by rbbambino

And what the heck is a "multicolored pearlesque soundhole".

I take back about lack of "mother of toilet seat". Think of the grandparents spoiling the grandchildren. (SIGH)