WTB: Risa Stick soprano

[fretie]

Looking for a good deal on a Risa Stick soprano.

 

[Paul Dominic Martin]

I would sell one for $225 shipped.

 

[Inksplosive AL]

Nothing against the poster above me but my suggestion having bought two Risa sticks in the marketplace. Having been surprised by both of them showing evidence of fret tampering by PO's that claim no such tampering they recall. Buy new! No surprises and you'll have the latest version.

There is quite a difference between a 1st and 2nd gen stick starting with geared tuners over friction.

Another thing to think about is the only thing that changes with size on a stick is the fret board. A tenor really isn't that much bigger only the spaces between the frets differs ever so slightly and might be better depending what you are looking to do.

Good Luck
~AL~

 

[fretie]

Thanks for your suggestions, Al. Yes, I am looking for the second gen Stick with its geared planetary tuners. Not sure which gen yours is, Paul....?

I plan to take this instrument with me when I travel to places where keeping my luggage to a minimum is a must. So small and sturdy is the name of the game here.

 

[SweetWaterBlue]

What the heck is fret tampering?

 

[Paul Dominic Martin]

Thanks for your suggestions, Al. Yes, I am looking for the second gen Stick with its geared planetary tuners. Not sure which gen yours is, Paul....?

I plan to take this instrument with me when I travel to places where keeping my luggage to a minimum is a must. So small and sturdy is the name of the game here.

I'm not certain. Will research it and get back to you. I haven't tampered with the frets at all. Here's a pic of the soprano against my outdoor ukulele. I travel a lot for work as well as I work for the aviation industry and this is perfect in a rollerboard or even in a carry-on backpack.

 

[Inksplosive AL]

What the heck is fret tampering?

Sorry not to hijack but to answer a question.

Fret tampering: Tampering with something in this case the frets with no reason. Making an issue or problem with something where the result is damage due to trying to fix something with little skill or knowledge. My 2nd gen soprano stick had a hell of a buzz corrected by me with foil tape in the jack area. My 1st gen concert stick has no hum but like the soprano odd fret wear like somebody was bending notes and even side to side scratching on the fret board area.

The fret wear I describe should be impossible to happen as both show this wear on the zero fret also so this makes me believe they were filed for no reason. The string simply cannot slide across this area to wear this fret due to its design. The concert stick with the side to side scratches has a bit more evidence of tampering but the PO had no recall of this, it is what it is. I PMed another member who bought one new and was assured the frets are a work of art on a new Risa.

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?101083-refretting-a-ukulele

So this makes my advice to anyone looking to buy a Risa stick. Buy new or in the least ask for closeups of the frets. The fact I snagged two either mean I have bad luck or there are many tinkerers that like to tamper with things causing more damage than good.

~peace~

 

[Inksplosive AL]

Paul it looks like your Risa is a 1st gen with friction tuners as seen in the picture.

New Risa sticks are now being sold for just under $250 with free shipping. http://www.ukuleleworld.com/RISA-Uk...GEARED-TUNING-PEGS-AND-Gig-Bag-and-Strap.html

A few dollars more buys a tenor: http://www.ukuleleworld.com/RISA-Uk...D-NEW-MODEL-WITH-PLANETARY-GEARED-TUNERS.html

The soprano is 20 1/2 inches long while the tenor comes in at a whopping 22 inches. If you want to plug in and play with electronic sounds the longer fret board would be nice. The body size for both is the same. As much as I hate concert and tenor size ukuleles over playing sopranos with a Risa the difference is hardly noticeable until you look for notes you cannot reach.

~Good Luck~

 

[igorthebarbarian]

I got one direct from Germany. Shipping was pretty quick to Arizona. Plus the exchange rate on the dollar to Euro makes it a good time to buy one.
I would've bought the soprano but didn't like the too-white colored wood, and got the concert instead.
Nice high quality Ukes.

 

[coolkayaker1]

Ukulele Pua Pua stocks them.

http://www.hawaiianukuleleonline.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=Risa

I love my Risa stick soprano. Took it on recent two week trip out west. So quiet, so suitcase and hotel perfect. I play sopranos so the sop stick is ideal (and cheaper than concert or tenor models). Note: I own version 1.0 with friction tuners, no issue at all for me (but, I prefer friction tuners in the whole over geared or planetary). Recommended.

 

[fretie]

Cool, thanks for all the suggestions, guys. Looks like there's some good options if I want to buy one new.

 

[wildfire070]

I just placed an order on ukuleleworld for the soprano stick and it was $235 for a brand new one and free shipping! Great deal! Normally they sell it for $250 but there was a coupon code that took off $15. Just wanted to let you know in case you were still looking.

 

[fretie]

I just placed an order on ukuleleworld for the soprano stick and it was $235 for a brand new one and free shipping! Great deal! Normally they sell it for $250 but there was a coupon code that took off $15. Just wanted to let you know in case you were still looking.

Thanks for the heads up, Wildfire, I bought one used from someone right here on UU so I'm good to go now!