I like an ebony tip. I also like a nicely proportioned schnabel. Depends on the style of the rest of the stock, and the eye of the beholder. I doubt anybody would fault you for putting an ebony tip on said fancy grained stock, and most would agree that it fills the bill for that American "classic" look. I like the schnabel when executing a dainty Euro-style stock with a relatively short fore arm. One thing I don't like is a schnabel shape executed in the ebony tip.
Funny how aesthetic standards develop, and how people meld them into their psyches. I betcha if Townsend Whelen, et al, had insisted on naked women figureheads on fore arms a hundred years ago our definition of classic stocks might well be different today.
Now if you really want to jazz things up, there's always the white line spacer...
