I have had a really long love-hate relationship with the Risa ukulele stick.
In the last 10 years or so, it has entered and left my collection so many times I actually lost count how many in total have come and left the collection. I've had the Soprano at least twice (or 3?), the Concert once and the Tenor 3 times (I think?)
Every few months/years when I don't own one (such as now) I get a strong craving to have it.
I am playing around the idea of getting the Tenor Risa stick again.
I'll list a few pros and cons I have come to know on the Risa stick over the decade.
PROS:
*Cool, simple design. Minimalist but very functional electric ukulele
*Great quality electronics - no batteries required (passive, Shadow) which is a plus for me. Works fine with my amps and pedal board setups.
*Well constructed in general, "Made in Europe" - every one I have owned came perfectly finished and great fretwork
CONS:
*The wood dents easily, especially the Walnut Tenor. Ironic as it is a uke that is implied to be tough and great for travel - but it dings a lot more easily than other woods. And when it dings, it is very easily on a crucial functional part of the ukulele, like the back of the neck (where you will be able to feel it) or on the fretboard itself, where it will be annoyingly noticeable to you.
*I haven't found strings snapping to be a major issue.. but some strings don't work well (eg: forget about Aquila reds).
*Plastic saddle - limits your options in adjusting the action. The action comes too high on the Tenor for my liking.
You can lower a bit by sanding the top of the saddle a bit, but must be very careful not to shave too much as replacement saddles are not easy to come by (you are at the mercy of Risa).... or laboriously making your own saddle out of TUSQ (you need to sand it very thin so it fits into the slot)
Certainly not recommended by the manufacturer - I had to take matters into my own hands to get a usable action.
*Plastic saddle - forget using any Wound strings!
*Plastic saddle - wears out faster than bone or TUSQ
*Bit expensive for what you get. I like them, but they are quite expensive - there is a lot of more affordable competition especially if you include acoustic-electrics, Eleukes, etc.
*Could hum a bit in amps plugged into mains power.
*"Sticky tuning" - sometimes tuning pegs unresponsive due to strings "sticking" at certain pressure points. Need to manually stretch with fingers.
*Strings stay in place at the "head" area as a knot wedging into a pinhole. Sometimes the knot gets stuck in the hole during string change, and it is an absolute pain in the butt to resolve. The strings "dig" into the wood at the pinhole, and I wonder how durable this is long term. Feels like constant wear and tear on the wood at that part.
For me, they are a bit of an acquired taste.
Despite all the cons, I still want one (though I am fighting the urge).