Bart's Special is very much like his Standard model, but with a maple neck and natural finish on the maple shell. Since maple is a lot more dense than mahogany the Special does sound a bit different as well. With time, both the maple, and the lacquer finish, darken a bit to a warm amber color. The scooped fingerboard allows you to get your right hand further from the bridge if you're after a more plunky, mellow tone.