I *honestly* don't know the difference between Rosewood and Burnished Maple..I'll openly say I'm tonewood agnostic*, but I do have the Burnished Maple on my 2011 Gibson SG Melody Maker 'HotRod Deluxe'* and I can't tell the difference, I didn't know such a thing existed and believed it was just Rosewood and until I found out after a year of owning it.
I think the tonewood thing is much more relevant in pure acoustics and next in hollow/semi-hollow electrics.
There's also a school of thought that acoustic players at least, are a highly conservative bunch who want to see the basic traditional construction methods and materials maintained and used.
I guess I'm somewhat in that school myself, primarily because the basic art of
guitar construction has been evolving over a couple of hundred years now, and steel arch-top/flattop construction for about a hundred.
Plus I love wood and am prejudiced against synthetics/composites for sound bodies, or even major parts like necks.
I ABHOR Martin's stratabond necks for example.
Some people might have a problem with a non-rosewood board, just saying guys; not me. And as you both know.. there are LOADS of near Rosewood relatives that can be used.. Fender switched to 'Ironwood' aka Pau Ferro, I don't hear a difference. And *maybe* because its more compact it *might* add sustain.. which if that happens is a nice plus.
Yes there are lots of suitable woods and I have heard that proposition that fretboard material can color tone particularly in electrics, and if Pau Ferro actually improves sustain I'm all for it.
But let's call a spade a spade and acknowledge that in most maker's cases for volume production instruments it's all about cost, and cost of materials is one way to lower 'em.
I'd bet Fender is going for the Pau Ferro because it's not CITES listed so it's more easily imported.
That in itself is a form of lower cost.
I also believe there's a lot of misunderstanding about how CITES works and why or even if certain woods like rosewood are actually going to become unobtainable.
Is it going to go up in cost?
Sure, but not because of CITES which will only marginally increase cost due to the need for documentation of sourcing, and screening at ports of entry.
The real reason cost will go up is the same reason it has historically: Supply vs demand.
Demand continues to increase in growth markets like China in particular.
But this also has the effect of stimulating farming of East Indian Rosewood.
OK it may not be "old growth" but there's going to at least be a supply for the forseeable future..