Fretless Fingerboard Wear?

This has been covered a lot, but just to recap:

Depending upon your type of strings and your technique, fingerboards can last a really, really long time. Round wound strings are fine, but play with a light touch and don't use a side-to-side vibrato that drags the sring across the board.

Harder woods like ebony are better than softer woods like maple. Rosewood is plenty hard enough and will last for years.

If wear starts to occur it can simply be sanded out. Like frets, nothing is forever and a badly worn board might need to be replaced, but that would take many years.

 

You gotta have rediculous cheap qaulity frets for sigificant wear in even a decade imo. Id pick ebony board for best resistence to wear. While still looking great and giving little extra snap to sound.

 

wont tear up the FB unless you have crappy fretless technique

you generally don't bend strings & you definiately dont do vibrato the same as on a fretted 'guitar'

you play with violin/cello technique - watch JP play on the Tube

you roll you fingertip to change pitch not bend strings most of the time

regardless it takes years to wear down a good ebony or RW or PF or maple FB

I use nylon tapewould LaBellas - no issues and almost as alive as Rotosounds

 

Purpleheart is harder than rosewood and softer than ebony. It would make a perfectly fine fingerboard (and look sharp while doing it!).

Seriously, play with a light touch and don't give it any more thought. Any type of string will be fine.

 

You can also go the extra route and epoxy your neck.