Bulletin Board: Uke-Ellie (new RISA product)

Original Post By: Guest_Rigk (RISA) Date: 5/14/2005 Someone found Uke-Ellie a little too early (see a few posts down "RISA concert"). This website was still supposed to be password protected. However, let's talk about Ellie. I officially opened the webpage now. You can get some information about Uke-Ellie by clicking the animated button on our English website: http://www.risa-music.de/English/english.html I like to answer some questions here, because I received a lot of emails during the last 24 hours. All with the same questions: Price and availability. You probably have realized that the pictures on our website are not photos. These are rendered 3D-graphics. They are based on our CAD-drawings and were made by Alexander Grigoriev, who is an outstanding computer artist. We are not done with the prototyping yet. Therefore it is still difficult to give a reliable time schedule for this project. We are aiming to manufacture a limited number of Uke-Ellies for the Halifax Ceilidh in October. We should have the series production up and running end of October. The price cannot be set before the prototyping is finished, but it will be a little more than the RISA-Uke-Solids and less than the RISA-Electrics. We will probably not offer all the six colors like they can be seen on our webpage, but we are aiming for at least three different finishes. I appreciate feedback about your color preferences. Posted By: Guest_dj Date: 5/14/2005 I like to hold the uke with my forearm, freeing my wrist and hand in the traditional manner. It seems like you have taken off too much of the lower bout and body thickness for this. I don't want a strap or I to have to sit down and lean over laying it on my lap. How have you adressed these concerns? Posted By: Guest_Anton Date: 5/14/2005 Hi Rigk: I'm looking forward to meeting you in October. Of the colours offered, the Sunburst is, to my eye, the most attractive. Have you considered doing any designs? Since this would be a great traveling ukulele, perhaps a Maple Leaf design. I'm sure our American friends may be attracted to something with stars, and stripes. A natural wood finish would also be attractive, perhaps a koa laminate, or some other highly figured wood. Since the Ellie is based on ellipses, why isn't the hole an ellipse? Finally a question I asked earlier. I dislike friction tuners, what would be the extra charge for geared tuners, like in the banjo, or mandolin solid? Since the strumming happens between the soundhole and fretboard, it looks like there's plently of room to plant your forearm, but that's the kind of thing you'd find out if actually held a physical version. I love the design. The Tenor Solid was the one ukulele I knew I was going to buy in October, but now I'm not so sure. I'm looking forward to checking out both. Congrats on great addition to your instrument lineup. Posted By: Guest_FranSpain Date: 5/14/2005 Uke-Ellie is going to be a great success. Flea and Fluke are a standard in the market (like Martin or Gibson in old times). Uke-Ellie will be another historical uke, I'm sure. My first baby will be born in october, like "Ellie". I'll buy one to show him/her how to play... Really thanks for your work, Rigk Posted By: Guest_Rigk (RISA) Date: 5/14/2005 dj, holding the uke the traditional way will be no problem. The length is identical to a standard uke. It seems to be small, but it actually just appears to be small because of the long bridge. Anton, no design finishes planned yet. We tried an elliptical soundhole, but the proportions seemed to be odd. Geared tuners will not be available, because they are too heavy for a Soprano, but we use Grover 3W tuners. These are very good and precise friction tuners. Posted By: Guest_Anton Date: 5/14/2005 Another thought about finishes. How about a texture? I prefer a strap because I find a nice shiny ukulele just slips around to much. Perhaps some kind of a texture finish on the back, or even something on the front would help elimate that problem. Posted By: Guest_dj Date: 5/14/2005 Very Cool Rigk- Thank you for clarifiying. I'll try one out when I see it. Posted By: Guest_JazzUkes! Date: 5/14/2005 Rigk, Once again your designs are most captivating, and I am sure that this instrument will play as well and sound true as the Tenor UkeStick (always a UkeStick to me) . I will wait till October. Hmmmm. This could be an early Christmas gift to me from me..... (good marketing Rigk) Best of Luck! Peace Mark JazzUkes! Occhionero http://www.jazzukes.com Posted By: Guest_Pauline Leland Date: 5/14/2005 Rigk, I think Ellie is a real winner. Congratulations on combining traditional, novel, and cute so successfully. Even the peg arrangement on the headstock is good. Will the model logo show up on the uke? Color preferences? The natural 'burst, mango, and then I'm not sure. The two at the bottom look like this year's fashion colors, nice, but will they be passe next summer? The Flea pastel colors came in a bit before the colors were so big in fashion, lucky for them. I wonder about propping a plugged-in Ellie on one's thigh and strumming or picking. It seems like it would be pivoting on the cable jack. I guess it must be held traditionally or strapped. Mr. Grigoriev even varied the string guages on his renderings! Pauline Posted By: Guest_FranSpain Date: 5/14/2005 BUAAAAAAAAAAA :_( I WANNA GO TO HALIFAX!!!! I WANNA BE IN THE GREAT OPENING OF "UKE-ELLIE"!!! Posted By: Guest_Ralph Date: 5/14/2005 A pineapple finish would look like a natural! Posted By: Guest_RevRob Date: 5/14/2005 My vote's for the sunburst finish. The design is great! Posted By: Guest_Rigk (RISA) Date: 5/14/2005 Thanks for your kind feedback. Looks like the sunburst finish will be the first we'll produce. It is also my favourite. Pauline, Ellie will show-up on the headstock. I uploaded the headstock-logo to the Ellie webpage. I hope you like it ;-) Posted By: Guest_Pauline Leland Date: 5/14/2005 Oh yeah! Posted By: Guest_Anton Date: 5/14/2005 Oh nice, what's wrong with you people? Have you never raised children? If you give Pauline everything she wants, you'll just spoil her rotten. Which,(if we reap the benefits), is a small price to pay. I think Pauline should ask for fret markers on the side of the neck, and see what they can do about the markers on the neck itself. Given the neat design, little dots is kind of boring. Pauline, if you could do the lip quiver, foot shuffle routine, I'm sure Rigk will cave in right away. Posted By: Guest_DGB Date: 5/14/2005 rick, i would really like to put my vote in for the blue "ocean" finish, it works well off of the surfboard theme of the case and uke-shape. for us hawaiian jammers we'd prefer a nice sea-blue. Posted By: Guest_Ed Date: 5/14/2005 I can't wait to hear what it will sound like. I like Fervor and Ocean in addition to the Sunburst. I think it is a great idea. Posted By: Guest_Pauline Leland Date: 5/14/2005 Anton, It may invite envy, but being spoiled rotten has always been my goal. The fingerboard dots echo the shape of the soundhole and the tuners (viewed head on). Just think of it that way. Also, click on one of the 'photos' to get an enlargement. Side markers!! See, isn't it nice to be spoiled? Pauline Posted By: Guest_ookoo lady Date: 5/15/2005 How much will they weigh? Posted By: Guest_Rigk (RISA) Date: 5/15/2005 It is exciting to have a virtual ukulele. You can do any change without expensive prototyping. So give me all your ideas, e.g. look at this picture http://www.risa-music.de/Temp/ellipse.jpg and you will probably agree that an elliptic sound-hole doesn't look nice. The sound will be similar to the Uke-Solid. The weight will be a little more than a standard acoustic soprano. About the side dots: You will even get side dots on both sides for all the lefties out there ;-) Posted By: Guest_c3go Date: 5/15/2005 Definitely the round soundhole. It contrasts yet works best. Too many ellipses spoil the broth. Posted By: Guest_Ed Date: 5/15/2005 I vote for the round sound hole as well. Posted By: Guest_Bertrand Date: 5/15/2005 Hi Rigk ! the sunburst as it appears is really the most appealing to me. As a side note, though it wasn't often updated, I miss the "news" section of your website. I understand this may not be easy to maintain in two languages, but it was nice for people like me who are very interested in your products (I personally own and enjoy three risa uke, and often recommend them). Also I've been told (can't remember where) that you plan to stop your low cost line of acoustic ukes (made in china), is it true ? Posted By: Guest_Diesel Date: 5/15/2005 Odd man out here. I like the elliptical sound-hole; gives the whole uke a forward feel, a lateral look, a horizontal holiness, a vertical veritas. And like that. (Then again, I also thought ukesticks in rare woods would be a sure-fire collector megahit...) Posted By: Guest_CraigS Date: 5/15/2005 Hi Rigk, I liked the aqua one the best, probably elliptical sound hole as well. Or maybe you could leave it round, then put a speaker in it. Posted By: Guest_JazzUkes! Date: 5/16/2005 to continue with the virtual design ideas.... the diagonal racing stripe as on the 60's Fender Mustang in the classic Fender red would give that reto surfer look. marko http://www.jazzukes.com Posted By: Guest_Tonya Date: 5/17/2005 Oh, the Fervor color, please! Not Sunburst, unless there are other options as well. Second choice for color: Ocean. Will the sound be roughly like the Uke Solid? Or more like the electric? Posted By: Guest_Shorty Date: 5/18/2005 Hi Rigk I like the sunburst finish and the round soundhole! Does it sound like the Uke-Solid-Soprano? Greetings from Germany!

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