I just found this small but informative thread. I am in the same boat, comparing the Ashbory and Kala Ubass. I have played a Ubass and liked it a lot, I have not played the Ashbory. What I did not like about the Ubass was the passive pickup, no control at all. The Ashbory has a certain "Geek" factor, I've never heard of one around here and there are lots of musicians in SE Florida. But by the time you buy the Ashbory and put the Pahoehoe strings on it you may as well just get the Ubass!
I will have to either wait for the solid body Ubass or maybe convert a baritone uke, adding an active pickup system. That way I can have fun building it and save money too.
At least there is no rush, I can investigate the options further.