| Do you know what the species name is for your fretboard wood? "Brazilian rosewood" is not the same stuff as traditional rosewood used in fretboards. It depends on exactly which species you're using, but more than likely it's going to be quite a bit harder than a traditional rosewood fretboard.
The company I work for imports brazilian hardwood flooring, so I'm pretty familiar with this stuff........you've probably got tamarindo, or a darker piece of jatoba. (most jatoba is referred to as "brazilian cherry")
Regardless, fretboard wear is going to depend mostly on your vibrato method. With a fretless, you should be wiggling your finger along the length of the string, not bending it side-to-side. Bending side to side does still work just like on a fretted bass, but using "cello" style vibrato is much more effective - you can probably do it a lot faster and with more precise control. And of course, bending side-to-side will wear the fretboard a lot quicker.
Even if you do everything wrong - play super-hard, lot's of two-step bends, etc., you'll still probably get at least a year or two out of it without need for resurfacing. |