Risa Uke is $295. Peanut is $120. For a slab of wood with strings, I'm not sure how much better the Risa would be. It might be great, but for three Bens, I'd be going for something else. For one Ben and change, I'm sticking with the Peanut.
You may be surprised. As simple as the Risa uke solids look, there is great attention to detail and innovative features that makes that humble block of wood a high class instrument.
I've had more than a handful of Eleukes and Risas in my collection. They come and go, and some stay.
The general trend is:
-Risa: Higher quality parts (more cost), Made in Germany (and its benefits, as opposed to mass produced in China), much better setup.
The sound is different to an Eleuke. Of course, the sound is heavily influenced by the amplifiers used and effects, etc. But on a raw level, the Risa has a more rounded, smoother-edged sound as opposed to Eleuke's very intense, high-powered, acute sound. The Risa has great tonal balance between the strings.
-Eleuke: Lower cost (Made in China), action comes a bit high, but can be given a setup after purchasing (or if you buy from Mim, I heard it comes with a good setup).
But other than that, it is GREAT value for money.
Not that there's anything wrong with being Made in China. Most ukes around the world come from China these days, and a lot of them are great.
But then again, it still isn't the same as one handcrafted in small batches in Germany, as the Risas are.
chindog is right in that the price jump from the Peanut to the Risa is massive. If you're just looking for a decent electric uke to plug and play, the Eleuke may be more appealing. Risa is more of a specialty electric ukulele market - for seasoned players who have delved deeper into the world of electric ukuleles and know exactly what they want.
Eleuke have done a fine job in marketing electric ukes towards a wider, popular audience - for just about anyone who would like to try an electric uke.
The other key difference is the electronics. Eleukes have an active system run by a 9v battery with tone and volume. The output is so powerful that if you have it on full volume, it might distort on some amps even on a clean setting. I find myself having to keep the volume knob at around 50%-75% to get a sound that isn't so overpowering. I also find the Eleuke a bit difficult to get the tonal balance right. The inbuilt pre-amp has a tendency to overpower the lower tones, but when you turn the treble up to compensate for it, you get a very brittle, harsh high sound. The main advantage of being active is that you can plug it into anything, and it will play. From amps to large PA systems. Everything you need is built into the Eleuke.
Personally, I find the headphone input a bit useless. When you want to play silently to yourself, the gentle acoustic sound that the strings make is far more pleasant to listen to, than the headphone sound. The mp3 input may or may not be useful for some people. I have never used it myself (and besides, most amplifiers have a mp3 input too).
The Risa doesn't have any batteries (it is passive), nor any control knobs. So the sound has to be shaped completely by the amplfier or sound system you're plugging into. Because it's a passive, it would require an external pre-amp or DI box if you want to plug it into a PA system. But it works perfectly fine plugged directly into a guitar amplifier. Also, it
may have a slight hum with some amps or cables you use. And if you use a cable that is too long, you can lose a bit of signal, since there's no battery to boost the signal along.
At this point, you may have ended up more indecisive about which is the better choice.
I think the answer is, it depends on so many factors like the ones I've stated.
As I've already mentioned earlier, generally speaking, the Eleuke is the one to go for if you don't know much technical stuff and just want an electric uke that does what an electric uke does. The Risas are more of a specialty range of instruments for those who know exactly what they want.
I like both companies. I think the Eleuke is more the fun, multipurpose, with a touch of novelty type instrument.
The Risa is a more practical, no-nonsense, performance instrument.
But it can go either way (Eleukes can be practical and professional, and Risa can be fun and novel too LOL).
