Doc;
With all due respect to the Green Hornet's right to his opinion, there IS a difference between the first 488 & the MkII. I bought a MkII for myself and, 7 months later, found a used 488 for my songwriting partner (so we could exchange tracks over the 800+ miles between us). At any rate, the 488 has fewer features and is less user-friendly (IMHO)than the MkII. If you have the choice between the two, I heartily recommend the MkII over the first 488. I hope this has been of help.
Chipper