Though maple is a highly respected tonewood when it comes to mandolins, banjos, and the entire mandolin family, it's traditionally been a less-appreciated choice for guitars. Trevor will tell anyone who asks that his favorite wood to build with is maple, and the tone that he brings out of this red cedar/maple combination (his choice) is very impressive. As with all of Trevor's guitars, the fingerstyle player's needs are central to the design of the instrument. A graceful venetian cutaway allows easy access to the upper frets. A very slightly widened fretboard with double purfling is beautiful and ensures that you won't ever slide off the edge when bending either E string. A full, warm tone with pronounced bass response with plenty of responsiveness for the player who prefers bare fingers, this guitar is going to bring plenty of smiles to the face of its future owner. Gorgeous padauk accents give a vibrant accent to the neutral color tones of the soundboard and back/sides woods. The light mark on the cedar top is under the finish - the cedar top appears to have responded to the moisture in the finish in that one spot, and the swelling of the wood fibers gives it a slightly different appearance than the rest of the top. A brand new handbuilt instrument from an experienced, highly-regarded luthier with full warranty offering excellent value at Trevor's very reasonable pricing.