I've owned Brazilian, Indian, mahogany, and maple guitars. In the end, it's always been the sound that dictates whether they've been good to my ear. I don't know who built my plywood Ibanez, but it's very nice. My first steel string was a plywood Yamaki. It was wonderful. Later on, I owned a Sada Yairi D-35 copy that outplayed the real things five times out of ten. I agree that the blindfold test is a very important part of choosing the right instrument. Pretty wood, and inlay are nice to look at, but they don't mean anything if it don't sing. Your serve.