Thanks Mcgaz and Hardcoretroubador for making me use Ebony. I was considering it but in addition to bringing out the grain, it evened up the 3 distinct pieces of wood.
I tried to make a paste, but being impatient I gooped it on and used a damp rag to rub it around and in.
I thought I was following the Colortone dilution guide, and got an almost imperceptable shade of pink.
So a 3rd of a bottle, almost 1 to 1. With the help of a heatgun, 2 more coats after this and it's RED!
Some neckwork tomorrow. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy so far. It's just gotta play well and stay in tune! The bone nut seems a worthwhile upgrade after I popped the plastic one off.