Well, I wasn't going to open this one back up, but at an open mic about a week ago, I finally saw, heard, and played a fellow player's Upton Hybrid. Those don't get down here to Atlanta too often and it is easy to see why. In all honesty, I can't say there was anything special at all about that bass. Both bass shops here that I visit regularly have basses that will blow the Upton off the map for about the same $$. It wasn't a bad bass, it just wasn't any better than the average bass that shows up there. That would include several all laminated basses as well as some Christopher hybrids (which IMO, all sounded far better), a hybrid Eastman (quite similar to the Upton in a lot of ways by sound but just looks better built), a plywood Johannes Kohr (sp?) that actually shouldn't sound nearly as good as it does. The
really good sounding basses I've heard at that club were either older carved German basses or carved Hungarian basses.
I think if someone (Michael Case for example) has a Strunal, he might already be ahead quality wise. The owner of this particular Upton bass (it was the bigger shouldered hybrid one, not the Hawkes, and about a year old) was not that thrilled with it either and was already looking for upgrades. That fellow was a really good player, IMO.
I'm not saying the Upton is a bad bass, it just comes no where close to living up to the TB hype. The fellow running the open mic (a very accomplished bassist in his own right) told me he has seen / heard / played 3 or 4 of them and he wasn't too impressed at all.
As far as the "finished to the customer's choice" option;- take the factory finish on the Gliga whatever that is or the upgraded Wulter finish. I had my nuclear nitrocellose
(Ken's favorite cheap finish 
) Kremona there to compare and I'd prefer that any day to whatever was on the Upton. There were quite a few bassists at that particular jazz open mic and it is heavily attended by Georgia State College jazz program musicians. From what I could tell among those that tried both basses (understand I did my own set-up on the Kremona;- no adjusters and low string height) there was a rather distinct and unanimous preference for the Kremona as well as a rather mistaken perception that it was a "very expensive" carved bass. There aren't many Kremonas in Atlanta either, but I think there might be a few more soon. Guesses on the Kremona price from other bassists were starting at 3x what I paid for it and going up when I said, "no that's not what it cost..."
I've got no personal or business interest in pushing Kremona, Christopher, or any make of bass;- just happy to have a Kremona and apparently some others would be happy to have it too. I've just heard enough of this "I've heard them side by side and you haven't" bull over at TB that works up until I finally do hear them side by side. What a joke!
OK, so all that said, I'm going to the woodshed so someday I might be worthy of something like Bollbach's Palotta.....