MAKERS II 4/4 CELLO WITH SUBTLE ANTIQUING FULLY SET UP W/JARGAR STRINGS INSTRUMENT ONLY

I’ve been playing this Makers II cello for three years now. The look is very interesting, featuring a Cremonese style antiquing. It’s a specific aesthetic that some will love and others might not, but I think it gives the instrument great character.
Most importantly, the sound has matured beautifully over the years. It's rich, projects well, and the playability is excellent. It feels very responsive and is a joy to play.

The images of this Cello you see above is not indicative of the finish you will actually receive. Actually, these images could be argued to be deceptive. The actual finish will vary greatly! The actual finish is 'antiqued' which means that the Cello will have areas that staining and lacquer was not applied to. When it arrived, my wife thought that I had found it at the local tip as it appears to look VERY second hand. On close inspection, the finish is just poor in so many places. Antiquing is one thing, poor workmanship is another! It may pass quick inspection is a store with low light, but sitting with the instrument for a while reveals the lack of attention. Are the makers taking the micky out of us or what?
This Cello was ordered online, and because I chose to purchase it with a case, Paytons shipped it to Better Music first to be put into the case before finally being sent. It is unknown if anyone at Paytons actually played it, as better Music have stated that it was not played there, and rely on the wholesalers to do the whole setup.
I had to order online as there are no music shops withing several hours drive of where I am. If I hadn't been swayed by the nice pictures above and actually seen this Cello directly before purchase, I would have passed on it without reservation.
I will have to live with this considerable purchase now, hopefully some decent sound will eventually come from it.
Honestly, I was tossing up between this (unseen) and a similar priced Arioso Cello at Simply for Strings (unseen). I wish I had gone with the latter!
VERY disappointed in this Cello, VERY VERY disappointed in Better Music for allowing this to go through to the Keeper (Customer)!
You have been warned.

I have already reviewed it but they won't publish it here.
Not a good instrument!

Overall, I think I'm ok with the experience. Initially (pre-ourchase) I was super pleased with the support. I still think it was great and the guys were genuinely helpful. I've got heaps of attention, details, answers, and with no particular pressure to buy or upgrade. As a matter of fact, I was going to buy a product way cheaper, but I ended up happily spending more than planned. And I'm still happy with that decision.
After the purchase, I was a bix perplexed by a couple of details with the instrument itself (especially considering that a person mentioned a quality control pre pick-up). Among other things, the cello had a decent amount of sawdust inside (see attached photo of a detail). Also, there was some "gluey" product under the bridge (photo attached). I'm not an expert but my uderstanding is that the bridge should be kept in position by the string's pressure, without any "stuff" (I might be wrong). Finally, at one extremity of a "f hole" the varnish "filled up" the little gap, and it is my understanding that it is no good because it affecs the vibrations of the instrument (BTW, I fixed it myself).
Finally, but this is just my personal opinion, the llo's sound is possibly ok but to my untrained hear it doesn't sound better than my previous $350 "object shaped like a cello". I'm not complaining about this because I don't rate my listening ability.