I decided to go with jhuskey's suggestion. Wiped on a coat of Tung oil yesterday and plan to put another on this afternoon. It darkened the wood a bit, but still looks very good, with quite a bit of enhancement to the grain:
I was all set to use the Danish Oil, as I have a lot of it, but mine is all Golden Oak tint and I was concerned about possible orange coloration on the Red Oak wood. My rattle can of lacquer is about a hundred years old, so didn't dare use that. I'd never used the Tung, and had bought a can a while back, so figured this would be a good trial. Will post final result tomorrow.
Update: here's the finished product. I"m very happy with it. There's a little sheen in the hook/bead well but nowhere else. Thanks, jhuskey and all for good advice on finishes.