What is an ebonized fingerboard?
This has become a marketing word that usually means that hard maple or another wood has been stained black so it resembles ebony. As long as it is a hard wood (there are many variations of maple, a very hard variety must be used so it resists wear) it’s no sin- my old Kay had a maple board for several years. However, as it wears, you may need to restain it for appearance’s sake. There is a perfectly good reason maple isn’t used without a stain or coating. Our finger oils get into the wood and turns it an ugly gray and black, as you may have seen on old guitar and bass guitar maple fingerboards where the finish has worn off.
