FWIW, back in the late 90s, I bought one of the first Epi EB-0s - the ones made in Korea. I still have it, and it's a solid, great playing bass, if a little uninspiring in the pickup dept. The newer ones are a far cry from it in almost every respect. I'm toying with putting a Model One in it (got a couple of Gibsons with REAL muddies already), but the black finish bugs me a little. I'd REALLY like to find one of the original M1s with the brushed aluminum finish.