Plain top is fine with me for playing but I must admit that Maple does such a great job of being beautiful that it would be a shame to just paint over all of it with black or gold. I like flame more than quilt MOST of the time, there are always exceptions. http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/69176-crazy-quilt-top-no-hamer-content-just-a-crazy-quilt-top/