Ebony is not only scarce but abused. Bob Taylor here reveals that 10 trees are/were cut down to get one black ebony tree. Until they are felled they dont know what colour wood it is. So 90% of ebony was left to rot.
This is also informative
http://solutionsfordreamers.com/art...to_know_before_you_buy_your_next_acoustic_gu/
Ebony is my favourite fingerboard wood. I do like like rosewood at all. I have worn out two rosewood fingerboards in my lifetime so far. I will not pay more than £1,000 for any guitar with a rosewood fingerboard.
I am perfectly happy with torrefied maple (heat treated maple) as a substitute. I also have guitars with artificial fingerboards. They are fine. Hagstrom resinator, Flaxwood, and now ebonite. In future we may have to make do with artificial materials. The good thing is that they are available now and work as well (or arguably better) than wood.