Awesome bass, just not for me. I love the look, but my fingers prefer a pickguard. The finish is antique ash and the pictures do not do it justice. Other upgrades include a birdseye maple fingerboard, a 5 piece neck and luminlay side dots. I do not know the year, but it is the newer style without the neck plate. The previous owner removed the preamp and made it VVT. I installed a Nordstrand 3b4a. The controls are stacked volumes, passive tone that's push/pull for active/passive, stacked bass/treble and middle that's also push/pull for a different frequency center. Includes a Carvin soft case. Price drop to $1250 + shipping.