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.

Esteban is actually Stephen Paul, the 58 year-old son of a steel worker from Pittsburgh. He first appeared on HSN in November 1999, and by July 2001 he was selling 56,000 CDs in a week. How did Stephen become Esteban? He spent an uncertain amount of time in the 1970s with Spanish guitar legend Andrés Segovia, who he claims gave him the name 'Esteban' (Spanish for Stephen).

Esteban has used Segovia heavily in his marketing, citing himself, for example, as being "one of 14 guitarists in the world endorsed by the legendary Andrés Segovia." Critics have pointed out that Esteban began making these claims only after Segovia had died, making them impossible to verify, and that it is unlikely that Segovia, a classical purist, would have approved of Esteban's form of popular music

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!

You have got to be $@!&!NG me LMFAO This is amazing that people could actually script this whole thing like to sell a product. So I guess that whole story of how he was in some accident and could not play for ten years is part of the plot. And that Zorro outfit must have been so guys who knew him did not recognise him. WTC where did you find this out .This is Classic, and it is even more mind boggling that there is actually a group called the REAL GUITAR LEGENDS OF TRUTH headed by Allan Holdsworth. It is as if this all came out of a National Lampoon Magazine.

LIES, ALL LIES!!! Esteban is the greatest living guitarist. Forget about your Van Halen, Clapton, and any other player you may like. If it weren't for Esteban, none of these players would exist. LMAO...I thought most guitarists knew how fake Esteban is/was, and I figured the only people who fell for it were the uniformed viewers and people's grandparents who watch infomercials and shopping networks...

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

Always knew there was something a little fake about "Estaban". Dude looked like a fat SRV want-a-be has been. LMAO.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

LOL

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!

Of coarse I think it’s a spoof…..stumbled onto the article somehow while doing research on different Amps……thought it was friggin’ hilarious and thought I would share..I did a search for REAL GUITAR LEGENDS OF TRUTH and came up with nothing but still funny as H*ll…LMFAO

Can’t figure for the life of me what crack head would buy an Esteban balsa wood guitar anyway. Some how this dude makes money lying and dressing like a damn fool…….seems like a good job to me…And if Allan Holdsworth has to create an investigative organization to expose a guy as just some Joe from Pittsburgh trying to do whatever he can to make a buck (something everyone in the world with an IQ over 50 already knows); then he is an idiot!. Which I don’t believe was his intent… here is Allan’s web sight and I don’t see any thing in there about; Real guitar legends of the truth.

Nothing funnier than someone starting a scandal about a person no-ono really gives a crap about anyway….LOL

http://www.therealallanholdsworth.com/allanshome.htm

Cheers
Bill

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!

Guitars made out of discarded telephone books and medical waste

Well we may as well get used to that idea. Sooner or later the green gang are going to completely stop tree felling.

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No no and no

Damn, just as I was about to pull the trigger on that "super limited edition Rose Red" guitar on Ebay.
It even came with 6 monogrammed picks from the master himself.
I have to be alone now.

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The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say.

This story is ridiculous. Who cares what a guitar player claims?

Why would Allan Holdsworth be a part of, nevermind be the president of, such a useless organization. Of all people, why Allan Holdsworth? More people probably know about Esteban more than Holdsworth. He has about several dozen people showing up to each of his shows. If he isn’t too worried about that, why would he care about Esteban?

Anyway, you can’t believe everything on infomercials. Do you really think everyone loves Vince the “Shamwow” guy’s nuts? He says you’re gonna love his nuts when he demonstrates the “Slap Chop”, but I doubt they are universally appealing.

Esteban a fake? Say it isn't so, please! My heart is broken.

That's it, I'm done with Strats and all guitars forever.

I'm taking up the accordion!!!

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You dig?

Esteban is the great,great, great, grandson of Zorro! Unfortunately, political correctness being what it is today, he was obliged to mothball the traditional family business handed down to him, and step out into greener pastures. Unfortunately he failed to watch where he was stepping and is apparently into it up to his c-----s.

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"Another day in paradise!"

WTC you should go down and get a job writing for Saturday Night Live. I still cant get over how you came up with that REAL GUITAR LEGENDS OF TRUTH and to pick Holdsworth as the head was just brilliant.

It's copy and paste, this happened in 2005......

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It's a mix between Jazz and Funk, it's called "Junk"

OK I thought he added the guitar legends part. It still does not make it any less funny though.

Don’t read into It….Its a JOKE…….!!

The article came from Rock and Roll Confidential (a spoof/humor/parody/satire sight .

The joke is on Allan Holdsworth, not to mention the countless that paid good money for a sub standard low quality Esteban “GSO” = Guitar shaped object; By some dude from the mountains of PA who found a niche selling crap to late night insomniacs. He Seems have found a niche as well because uninformed consumers are buying them.

Anyway now that there is an opining I wonder how the buying public would feel about Esteban selling them Oxy clean and Kboom, and will oxy clean really remove the sweat stains from countless world touring on Esteban’s stylish sombrero.

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!