: If you want black, why not try ebony? For small inlays it would work just
: fine, for full length strips it would be way too heavy AND expensive.
: Stewart Mcdonald Company, a luthier supplier sometimes has 2nd quality
: ebony fingerboards for about $5. 24" x 3" x .5" Woodcraft
: also has the Transtint brand of tints and it comes in black.

Ebony is a very hard wood. It wears very well (look at the black keys on an old piano). That's the great part.
Here's the not so great part. Ebony is really hard. Too bad cedar isn't. when you sand the 2 woods inlaid together you'll be in for a real chore. The ebony will be the hill and the cedar will be the valley.
some people search through piles of cedar looking for that ellusive dark board.
I used black walnut. Its good and dark but not near as hard as ebony.

Roger