NUD Risa Stick; Suggestions?

NUD concert Risa Stick. I was in Europe recently and thought I'd pick up one of these while there. Wrong! Only saw one music store and the owner was closing up just as I arrived! So, I ordered it from Ukulele Pua Pua in Hawaii! Still struggling a bit with tuning, but it will come. Wanted a bulletproof traveler. This is it.

Any suggestions for a small amp or a headphone amp I could use with this?

Randy

I loved my Smokey amp when I had a stick
http://www.smokeyamps.com/products/...-smokey-amp/?gclid=CM2Rrcmutb4CFcQ7MgodwEQAxw
beyond that I use the danelectro HoneyTone

I know it's not super portable but my Yamaha THR5a has the best sound quality IMO out of any of the small acoustic amps out there.

Thanks for the input! Any thoughts on the Vox headphone amps? They look small enough for easily throwing into a backpack on a trip.
Randy

I use a Marshall micro amp with mine. I also have Vox AC1 and a Vox Mini 5. I like them all.

Ok I have a couple of Risas I also have the vox ac1 which for 49 is worth it's price.

Other than that if you are an iphone or ipad user, I highly recommend Investing on the apogee jam ios interface instead. It's the small, it will let you use your ios device as an amp, recorder, looper etc.. You can then output to headphones or a streo/amp/pa system etc.

As for travel, it's perfect for the risa as an iphone or ipad will provide similar volume as a mini amp, and of course the use of headphones etc

Apps I,would recommend alongside the apogee jam would be garage band, jamup pro, and loopy hd. All great stuff.

Good luck.
Ivan

Hi Olarte, thanks for the info. I've never heard of the Jam. I notice there is also a Jam 96k. Do you have a suggestion as to which of these to consider? I always have my iPhone when traveling so this could be a perfect companion for the Risa.
Randy

I think the ONLY difference is that one uses up to 96khz while the older model is 48khz.

They both now come with both the 30 pin and lighting connector. Keep in mind it's only a 1.5 foot cable.

If I were to buy new I would probable spend the extra 29 for the 96k model why not.. But the old 48k is excellent as it is. You may also want to look at their apogee mic as well. Excellent products.

I tried and I rig and it sucked...

My ONLY complaint and it is a big one! is that both of these products do not let you charge the ios device while they are connected. So you need to make sure you have enough juice in the device to last your recording session.

Otherwise, this setup is so well worth every penny.

I got. 3ft guitar cable to use with it So if you travel, your whole jam/cables setup can fit in a sandwich bag.

And it opens up the whole ios to using jamup pro, loopy hd, audiobus, garageband, and many many other apps.

Incredible stuff.

Have fun, you can't go wrong with apogee!!! They rock :shaka::music::rock:

By the way if you eventually get the mic, then definitely get the long cable so worth it.

If you want to check out the quality of either product, check out my youtube videos you will notice no hiss, and a nice clean sound (except for my crappy playing haha).

By the walk i love Risas I'm receiving a concert one tomorrow... I'll try to post a pic of the family.

I got a Risa LP, and all 3 sticks... They are great!

Congratulations on the new Risa! Can anybody say built like a tank?

Ivan, thanks for the amp/iOS info. I don't have a Risa, but the app and amp suggestions are very helpful for recording.

Good advice. Thanks! I've ordered the 96k. I have seen and enjoyed your YouTube vids and love the sound (and your playing!). Didn't realize what you were using. This should be perfect for traveling. And even without an amp, it's been fun to play. I was able to practice after my wife went to sleep last note and it didn't disturb her at all! (And usually, I'm pretty good at disturbing her!).

Yell the apogee ios setup works for me for all sorts of things from Cajon, voice, acoustic or electric instruments.

I love the mic and jam pair.... And I love having video or audio with zero hiss.... Keep in mind these work not just for audio but even for video. So it's an instant upgrade to your youtube videos...

Oh and be sure to check out loopyhd it is amazing with this setup...

peaceweaver3 said:

Congratulations on the new Risa! Can anybody say built like a tank?

Ivan, thanks for the amp/iOS info. I don't have a Risa, but the app and amp suggestions are very helpful for recording.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your kind words *blushing*

I would love to hear your impressions of what ever you end up getting.

By the way if you want to check out some excellent risa videos look for,Steven strauss. He and his group are the reason why I became a fan of the risa products.

I love the risa for noddling in bed while watching tv as well. I can hear if but it does not disturb anyone else... They are awesome.

AKuker said:

Good advice. Thanks! I've ordered the 96k. I have seen and enjoyed your YouTube vids and love the sound (and your playing!). Didn't realize what you were using. This should be perfect for traveling. And even without an amp, it's been fun to play. I was able to practice after my wife went to sleep last note and it didn't disturb her at all! (And usually, I'm pretty good at disturbing her!).

Click to expand...

Olarte said:

Ok I have a couple of Risas I also have the vox ac1 which for 49 is worth it's price.
Ivan

Click to expand...

I totally agree!
I also have a Vox AC1 Rhythm amp, and it is an amazing package!
I love it how it has 2 channels, one for cleaner tone and one for crunchy distortion. Plus it has built-in drum beats, "E" tuner and headphone/mp3 ports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjShld9Fn0Q


Another great option is the Orange MicroCrush.

If you can get something a *tiny* bit bigger, but still battery-powered, the VOX Mini3 or the Roland Microcube series are the next level up in tone quality.

Thanks all for the info! I'll try a small amp a bit later. Give the jam and iOS a try first. I read a fairly long thread that approved of the Vox mini3 and the Roland cube, so they'll be high on my list.

Olarte: I've seen Stephen Strauss' videos and he's amazing. I saw one he did in a park, Stardust, I think. It was fantastic and he made it look effortless! That was the first time I'd seen the Risa. Wanted one ever since.

I'll let you know how the amp 's go. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the Risa for practice especially in the evening! And it fits perfectly in my backpack!

It's not the Risa Stick, but here is something I recorded on the VOX AC1 today


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpn5bN2l1M

Lovely little amp!!

Wow, Kissing! That was fantastic! So well done! And the amp sounds great, too! I'll put the Vox AC 1 on my list.
Randy

Here's my latest project, recorded with the apogee mic. Notice the lack of hiss... The violin was recorded with the mic as well on garage band and mixed with the video track in IMovie.

Love the apogee products...

With my RISA i use a couple of Joya amps I got on EBay. These amps are in the $10-15 range, battery powered and have MP3 plug-in capability for play-along. They work well enough fir the money and are very convenient.

The Joya JA-3 (the smaller) is earphone/headset only. There are various models (acoustic, lead, metal, etc.) and I've found that the acoustic works the best with my RISA.

The Mini-Amp has earphone/headset output and a speaker. The projection is a little tinny and not that loud, but good enough for practice by oneself. It is not gig-able.

AKuker said:

NUD concert Risa Stick. I was in Europe recently and thought I'd pick up one of these while there. Wrong! Only saw one music store and the owner was closing up just as I arrived! So, I ordered it from Ukulele Pua Pua in Hawaii! Still struggling a bit with tuning, but it will come. Wanted a bulletproof traveler. This is it.

Any suggestions for a small amp or a headphone amp I could use with this?

Randy

Click to expand...

I have a vox headphone amp and its a piece of crap with terrible sound.
I have a honey tone mini amp i actually just got which i use with my konablaster.
its very small and portable not high quality sound but decent for the price and size
and it actually cranks up pretty loud and also has a head phone jack for private pratice.
i think their as cheap as 17-20 bucks on amazon.