What you can try if you are up to it.. I don't know how you did the finish on the outside bits... but I imagine that you were using a HVLP with a nitro-cellulose lacquer. Have you thought of tinting the finish with your umber red to give the colour that you had but still maintain a level of opacity so that the grain of the wood still shows through? If you laid a coat or two of tinted and then clear you will have a spectacular look giving the best of both worlds.
Now personally, I find the unber red a bit too bold for me. I think that something more of a black cherry so that you can see a rich detail of the grain with the contrast of the blacks in the grain. Now you might need to experiment on some test pieces before you give it a go on your speaker. Consider using a dark sanding sealer before the tinted lacquer to make it pop.
Just a thought.
ie:
