Remember that "Curly Wood"
has allot of endgrain on each side of the curl
NO matter how big or small they are.
End grain soaks up finish & stains.
This will make a dark/light/dark pattern .
from side to side of the curls.

Experiment with the leftover top wood
you have to find the look you want.
Shellac-blond(dewaxed) will help seal & make your top finish
look great!
http://www.shellac.net
Mike

So I'm familiar with french polish, but is this brushable? Then FP over top?

Yep, FP generally starts with a coat or two wiped on. But wiping is tricky business too. You have to keep the cloth at a consistent wetness level, and move at a consistent pace, or it can look blotchy. The cloth wetness on the initial coat is what determines how deep it soaks into the grain and therefore how much darkening effect you get.

Another thing to try is hide glue sizing. Brush or wipe on a thin solution of hide glue, which doesn't soak in very deep, but does clog the grain so subsequent shellac wiping isn't so perilous. But test on scrap... I think I remember seeing something a couple years ago where a violin guy ran tests of various finishes on flamed maple, and hide glue was actually one of the best for highlighting curl. But the lack of soaking in deep seems like it would have the opposite effect.

I use hide glue on the heel and headstock endgrain to prevent darkening, but haven't tried it on curly wood yet, or as a soundboard sealer. But according to Somogyi's book, Eugene Clark does use it on the soundboard before French polishing. I need to try it one of these days.

Thanks- unfortunately I don't have any hide glue or a glue pot. Would fish glue work? I have loads of that stuff.