They look different but sound pretty much the same. Better looking species (eg.. AA-AAAAA grades) are more expensive, of course. Ordinary maple Flame (=Fiddleback=Tiger Stripe) maple Quilt maple ($$$$$ for a big slab like this!) Bird's Eye maple (Look at the little bird's eyes!!!) Spalted maple (The maple tree was already dead for a while and rotting inside when it was harvested, hence the high contrast in wood grains.) *Sorry, can't type Chinese.