Out of curiosity... for those rosewood fingerboard users: Do you find the initial polish given lasts very long? Or, how long does it last?
Indian rosewood varieties seem 'softer' to me when working with it than other woods like pau ferro, ebony, or ziricote. In my experience softer woods tend to be less abrasion resistant which theoretically indicates the initial gloss should wear off quite soon.
Also, along that same line, the openness of the grain tend to reduce the surface consistency as the edges of the surface pores get 'rounded' off effectively widening them. With used fingerboards I have seen this time and again. Softer open grained woods seems to perpetuate more roughening of the surface over time. This is particularly noticeable around inlays where the rosewood has worn away.
Here's where a good fiber hardening, non-building treatment might come in handy. "Finish" of course is widely interpreted, so let's narrow it down to only non-surface building types that harden the fibers.
My question is this: if the fingerboard was treated to be more resilient, yet there was no appreciable surface build, why would this not be desirable?
Opinions welcome... it's a curiosity.
-Doug