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On the tone properties, ply sounds tighter and punchier than pine, all else being equal. Pine is 'sweeter' but can have more odd overtones. Ply is still more resonant and vibrant than particle-board or MDF though.
Generally I would avoid pine if you're going for heavier distortion sounds, although it can sound very nice for cleans and light overdrive.
Don't try to make the baffle from pine whichever you choose, always ply.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Because the grain goes in different directions a dovetailed Birch ply joint won't need any battens. A fingerjointed cab should be OK, but relies heavily on the glue, whereas the dovetail is a mechanical lock. I had a Fender cab go loose on me, finger joint glue didn't hold.
Yes always round over the outer edges, at least a 12mm radius it makes covering easier and when it gets a knock it's less likely to get damaged.
Ordinary ply is going to cause you problems, the laminations are too thick 18mm ply is 11plies IIRC.
http://www.ladybayartglass.co.uk/Private/HywelHarris-StuffForSale/StuffForSale.htm?ssm=89
Dont underestimate how difficult it is to get a good, square cut on 8foot of heavy timber. Even with my Makita table saw it needs 2 people and great care, and even then the blade isn't exactly 90° to the table.
I have one of these.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-dovetail-jig?gclid=Cj0KEQjwsb-vBRCLj7TvqpGx_MoBEiQALgFGnuFdLsN1EHtB5NZRQ-tP1RZmgoiVgB2ggPaMiMA0wzQaAuE_8P8HAQ
But when I bought mine it was £35!. I can get it to take 300m wide timber by removing the left hand stops. I have a beast of a router (2.3kW) and it makes short work of it. It will also do finger joints but tbh, why would you not do dovetails with this? Needs a bit of setting up each time. I run up a couple of pieces of scrap to check cutter depth and jig setup.
Going to try it on 18mm pine next to see it I can get better fit - will make one with dovetails and one with dowels to compare and contrast. Thanks for the steer!
Then take two or three passes with the router before going to full depth in the guide slot, it helps to prevent breakout. Make sure the cutter you have is really sharp, they are cheap enough to buy.
Then when glueing up soak the joints (ideally with a diluted glue) before applying glue otherwise the glue starts to thicken due to absorption of moisture by the wood before you get chance to knock it all together. I use a wooden mallet to bang them together. Finally check that its all square before allowing to dry. If not apply some compression diagonally to square it up. I use sash cramps but you really wont need much force so you could improvise with some stout string and a piece of stick to wind some tension on.