What do I think of him? Not sure tbh; expect he's a decent bloke but haven't watched any of his vids for long enough to comment on his playing. I've heard of him, and we're all discussing him which I guess means he's winning in this day and age.
I think evolving in the face of local competition and from taking on board feedback from some who'd perhaps not had such good experiences. Just a guess though.
Fwiw I've owned both 55-02 and 55-01, both had very good playability, particularly the 55-02 which was a more recent one that gets plekked (action pretty much anywhere you wanted it) and no issues like the OP is experiencing. Very good basses imo