Risa Uke-Solid-Tenor

I bought this and I am very happy with this Uke because of five reasons:
1. It's very quite, so I can play anywhere I want You can hear the uke good while playing... 10 metres away no sound..
2. You can amplify it with a heaphone amplifier for bass or guitar or use with a regular amplifier.
3. It's very small, so it can easily be taken on a holiday for example.
4. Because it has no resonance box, it will not generate feedback. Even on a very high volume standing in front of my Fender Bassman 100 watt, while using a distortion pedal. And it''s sound nice too (even without distortion :) )
5. It's made solid ! Plays good an feels good.

Of course it's much nicer to play a good classic uke, because of it's sound. But hey, this thing is not meant for that.

The Risa Uke-Solid-Tenor is surprisingly easy to hold and play given the odd shape. It seems nigh-indestructible. I would have no worries about packing it in a suitcase as long as I loosen the strings first. It sounds great, and acoustically is very quiet. The overall experience feels more like a solid-body electric instrument even though the strings are plastic. So IMO it occupies a very interesting niche that you don't get even with an electro-acoustic ukulele. For that reason I recommend getting one of these as a serious playing instrument, not just for travel or quiet practice.

I deducted 1 star from quality as there are some VERY MINOR cosmetic issues with the build. The wood on the outer two counterbored string holes (G & A strings) is just slightly frayed. The serial stamped into the back could be cleaner and easier to read. Also a few barely noticeable scratches here and there around the points of contact between the wood body and the metal hardware pieces. Otherwise it's very solid, just as the name suggests.