The sunburst version seems to be laminated.
The sunburst has a "Foto Flame" finish, similar to the process Fender Japan used.
The finish may show a 2 or 3 piece grain pattern but below will be different. The body is also protected by a thick poly finish, no easy task to remove.
As for the quality of the bass, they are good. The single coil P-bass was a very simple design, all you really need is a comfortable neck; an area where the PB-50 excels.
Many buy the PB-50 as a 'mod' platform but the truth is there is very little requires changing unless it is for cosmetic reasons. Reshaping the peghead to Fender's original is an obvious mod, takes around 10 -15 minutes. Bridge and tuning pegs function, I still have the factory fitted parts on my PB-50 bought over 10 years ago
The pickup is where most, mistakenly IMO, think they can somehow 'improve' the PB-50; here I stand with the guilty
Over the years I've tried various Seymour Duncans, a Fralin overwound, the pickup from my Paisley Fender, custom built singles with low wire counts and high wire counts, hum cancelling splits/stacked; all powered by different strength Alnico/ceramic/Neodymium magnets. There I can honestly say any differences were so subtle they were of little consequence, no consequence apart from the damage to my wallet