I use pine. Oddly the cheapest wood is amongst the best. Most of the "better" woods sound inferior. Modern plywood doesn't work for me because they used plastic glue. Pine has the downside of being soft and dents easily, so you have to treat the speaker like a guitar. What a concept - the speaker is a musical instrument!I attached a pic of a JBL I did. Also of utmost importance is the finish... violin makers have been perfecting that for centuries.
MastroSnare; I also collect vintage guitars and amps, and you took the words from my keyboard, pine cabinets are what the top vintage companies used in the day, as you mentioned fender amp cabinets, also gibson. valco,and i can go on,not to knock pine but top grade pine is good stuff and a very good tone wood, with the signature sounds you mentioned you forgot celestion, and eminence speakers, fender amp. marshall amps. and vox amps all are very distinct sounding amps, your cabinet is good looking stuff.