Risa Musical Instruments Electric Tenor

2006 Model, Sunburst. The first review covered the details very well and I'll just add a few remarks. The gig bag is just "OK-" and I'm ordering a Protec Tenor Ukulele case which I'm 99% certain will be a good fit. (I use a baritone size Protec case for my "impossible to find a good fitting case" Applause/Ovation Tenor electric/acoustic ukulele.) The Protec case does not have a "bout shaped" compartment and the "rectangular" body cavity will fit the really wonderfully shaped body of this instrument. I'll post back if it doesn't. My only complaint is the selector switch position which is below the strings in a spot and it always makes me wonder it i'll bump down on it when palying...not a big deal but find a picture and see for yourself if it looks misplaced for you or not. Tons of features? It has all it needs, but I guess seperate controls for each pick-up would be only thing it doesn't have. It would get kind of cluttered that way and so I'd say it's fine with one volumn and one tone control. So 9 seems fair.

Acoustic and acoustic/electric ukeleles are what I play most. Does this uke suit my music style? Ah. Hum. Well, it's another color for my ukulele music palette and I'm working it in. Lots of fun so far. BIG guitar sound from this little guy...NOT A CHEAP TOY SOUND.
Matched up with a Fender Cyber Deluxe I can honsetly say this is a great electric instrument. String hum only on a few "amp settings" and what was said above about sound is correct. I don't have a problem with string hum on the "amp selections" I use so that's a non-issue for me. The sound is very good in my opinion. The lipsticks are very good quality, I have no desire to change them out like I thought I might have to and I'm curious about who makes them. The first review covered the sound stuff perfectly and that leaves me free to say that matched with a Fender Cyber Deluxe amp one has an amazingly versital electric sound range. This little guy really performs. There are NO DEAD SPOTS on the neck, plays really clean, string set was near perfect for me. Elderly recommended light strings...seems like mediums on it now. Risa's home web site has recommended string size for Low and regular G tunings...it isn't hard to figure out. I have not measured string thickness yet, but they seem to work fine as is. I don't think it has standard factory strings on it. Must be special for Elderly. It plays very well for a short scale and I have no complaints at all. I find it more comfortable to play then a Fender Junior if that helps anyone.

Action is perfect. Fit and finish...perfect. The finish is perfect. I mean drop dead sunburst wow perfect like it should cost hundreds more then it does. Perfect, deep and I am amazed for the money you get such a fine feeling, looking, sounding instrument. Looks wise I'd stack it up against any Gibson finish I've ever seen at any price. Maybe others will confirm this. Very impressive Germanic workmanship. The neck is satin finish smooth (plays great) and just the right thickness/shape for my semi-large hands. (If you've played a Kamaka Tenor...I'd call that thin....this one is thicker...more like the Applause/Ovation neck. That might help some of you.) The frets are clean and it plays great EVERYWHERE. The only tiny hastle was pulling the protective film off the lipsticks.

It has a heavy SOLID feel and the "funny" shape seems very logical when one plays it sitting down. I wouldn't change a thing...except the selector switch location which bugs my at times. Too close to my hand and I'm learning to not think about it too much, but I occasionally wish it were elsewhere. When you play/hold it you know it is well built...nothing cheap or cheesy. Oh, wait...one of the knobs was pressed on slightly angled, but they are good quality otherwise. Not serious enough for me to worry about. I guess that's the fit negative.
Finish is 10+++.

Based on two months use....I'd take it to any gig without a backup. The reviewer above said something like "overbuilt"...that's pretty much my feelings too. Solid heavy quality that makes one think it's worth three times or more then what it cost. No joke. I'll give it a 10 based on what it seems like so far. LONG term quality??? Can't say.

N/A. Warranty one year through Elderly.

Playing guitars 30 years, ukuleles about 5. I would buy another if lost, etc. It's the best stringed instrument bang-for-buck I've seen in a long, long time. I really love it's far out, unique, "art-deco" kind of look. I would have paid twice as much for this if I had found it in a music store. Honest. It just doesn't play, look or sound like a $400 instrument. I am enjoying this fabulous little electric and I have no desire now to get a Gibson ES-137 Custom I was thinking about a few months back. This little Risa is a gasser. If you like double lipsticks...this one will really make you smile.

Probably made in 2003. Website claims they are "handmade in Europe." This is basically a 4-string version of the Guitarlele (actually the Guitarlele is a 6-string version of the Tenor.) 17" scale length with a zero fret and 22 "real" frets (although the last two are shortened, as the fingerboard is cut at an angle.) It has a semi-hollow body with an odd sort of pineapple/single-cutaway shape and a comma-shaped soundhole in the upper bout. Red paint (other colors not offered when I ordered) Bolt-on neck with satin finish. Fender-shaped headstock with closed-back non-locking tuners. Through-the-body bridge with Fender-style individual saddles. Two chrome lipstick pickups are not custom-made for this instrument; instead they are tilted at a steep angle to sit under the 4 strings. White-black-white 3ply pearloid pickguard. Chrome knurled barrel knobs for volume and tone. 3-way pickup selector switch. Cable jack located on front, below and a little past the bridge. Frets are larger than mandolin frets and feel very smooth. Strap buttons are well-placed, feel solid, have felt pads between them and the body. I ordered this brand-new from the manufacturer with the plastic still on the pickguard and the finish is immacculate. Only complaint is that it smelled funny for several weeks. I give it a 9 instead of a 10 because it isn't fancy or tricked-out with "loads" of features. It has only the features one would expect from a quality instrument.

My musical style is very eclectic; I play anything from funk to rock-a-billy to dixieland to bluegrass to psychedelic, but most often I end up playing jazz and electro-folk. My first fretted instrument was a banjo, and though the tonal possibilities of the banjo are very limiting, I am firmly committed to the 4-string chord philosophy. I could never quite get my mind (and my fingers) around the 6-string guitar. So when I saw this Risa, it looked like just the right kind of thing for me. I play it through a tiny Danelectro "Dirty Thirty" when I want to be heard (unplugged it's audible but very quiet.) But I use it mainly for recording. I plug straight into the board, usually through a Danelectro Daddy-O and a vintage spring reverb. Sometimes I pile on wah and fuzz and flanger, but usually I just keep it clean. I have no comlaints with the sound. The pickups are only 2 inches apart, but the sounds they generate are distinct. The neck pickup sounds bright and throaty, the bridge pickup sounds bright and nasal, and both pickups together have a full, warm sound. I'm not sure, but I think the pickups may be wired in opposite directions to act as a humbucker when both are selected, since there is a noticeable tone cut in the center position. I also noticed a tendency for the pickups to hum when I'm not touching the strings. However, touching the strings or the pickups or the switch will ground the circuit and quiet the hum. This isn't really a problem, since 95% percent of the time when you're playing you will be touching the strings. But there's always that opn G chord... Ground hum appears to be a standard issue on most electric instruments I've played, and most of them solve the problem exactly the same way: by running a ground wire to the bridge and incorporating the strings in the circuit. This instrument has all the versatility of a full-size electric guitar, and it definitely sounds much bigger than it is.

Factory setup was for a tenor ukulele tuning, which I immediately took off and re-strung for plectrum banjo (open G) tuning with which I am most comfortable. This involved putting on heavier strings than the ones from the factory, and nut slots had to be widened. This was easily accomplished simply by "rasping" the end of a wound string in the slot until it was wide enough. No need to worry about nut height since the Risa has a zero fret. The 17" scale will take all kinds of different tunings, and Risa provides a handy chart on their website telling you what gauge strings to use. This is not only handy, it's very important. There is no room to fudge on string gauge with this instrument. I had trouble finding a .019 so I substituted a .018 for my B string and I simply could NOT get the intonation right. I'd get it set "correctly" using the octave harmonic, and all the lower frets would be crazily out of tune. I finally got some .019s from JustStrings.com and like magic the problem was solved! Intonation is fairly accurate all the way up the neck on all 4 strings. String saddles are fully adjustable, and there is a truss rod. Don't be fooled by their tiny size; Risa instruments are PRO quality instruments. Setting the intonation and action was a snap (once I had the right strings.) The action is lust about perfect, and I have had no problems with strings buzzing. You do have to learn to play lightly, though, because pressing down hard will make the notes go sharp. Frets are closer together, obviously, than on a guitar, but wider than on a mandolin. For a 4-string I find it to be very comfortable. The 3-way selector switch is in an awkward place where you are likely to bump it with your hand when you get to strumming - but the body is so small, there isn't anywhere else to put it. I found no flaws in the finish or the construction. The frets were smooth, the weight is balanced, the neck is straight, and it's a joy to play.

I haven't played much with it live, but it is built as solid as any semi-hollow or solidbody electric guitar. Its small size actually makes it seem MORE solid, almost like it was overbuilt. But that may just be a reflection of the stereotypical belief that tiny=fragile (which in this case is definitely not true.) I realistically expect it to withstand all the rigors of normal everyday handling and to last me a lifetime. The chrome on the bridge got dull right away because I forgot to wipe it off one night, but other than that it's holding up great. I should also mention that the gig bag provided with it is very well made, cutom-fitted, sturdy & padded to protect from bumps and dings, but it won't save your Risa if you drop it off a bridge or your drummer steps on it. I would take this on a gig without backup and I look forward someday to playing a gig where I can bring it. Right now though, I'm officially a bass player on gigs, and I play my Risa strictly at home for fun.

Everybody says that Rigk at Risa is the nicest guy ever, and I have no reason to doubt that. My order was handled very professionally, and it was shipped quickly (took only about 8 days to get here from Europe!) packed very securely inside its gig bag, inside a box with plenty of padding. I haven't had any problems needing repair or any questions that weren't already answered on the website, so I can't give an honest opinion about Risa's customer support.

I've been playing keyboards for probably 20 years, playing fretted strings and doing home-studio recording for about 10 years. I started with 5-string banjo and graduated to ukulele, mandolin, lap steel, and bass. I've played bass in a church gospel group for 3 years, and finally got an upright 6 months ago. Recently got into a still-forming bluegrass group, and a jazz quartet. I've had my Risa for a year, and there is nothing that could induce me to part with it. If it was stolen or lost I would definitely get another one. I love its 4-stringedness, its comfortable size, its light weight, its wild mod/vintage look, and its versatile tone. I don't like how the selector switch gets in the way of energetic flailing. When shopping I compared it to vintage electric tenor guitars, and new ones such as those made by Earnest Instruments and Amistar. I decided on this one because it was cheapest. One thing I wish it had was a larger body and a full tenor scale (about 22" if I remember correctly.) But it's pretty great the way it is. I call it a "fantastic value" though typical 6-string players probably won't have much use for it. Neither will those tough-guy rockers who are afraid of looking silly, since it is very small and red and kind of dinky in appearance.