I have used flamed Maple quite a bit, as well as violin varnishes, both work well.
Only thing I would say is that the rough shaping needs to be done "right" and or fine sandpaper/scraping should not be done until the final shape is done in order to not impart grain mottle into the "feel"
Flamed maple, if sanded and shaped improperly will start to develop "mottle" and or the paper will start to accentuate the "ripples" in the grain thus making it feel lumpy/bumpy
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