Yes - when it comes to electric guitar, obviously the electronics are what govern the sound (as distinct from playability, a different issue).
And generally what electric guitarists like is the colouring - the distortion - that valve amps in particular produce. (And I don't mean distortion in the guitar FX sense, but in the engineer's sense. Even a "clean" valve amp distorts the sound in a particular way - a way that guitarists find attractive.)
The problem with that plank of wood with wires on is that the sound it makes is dead. With an acoustic guitar, the shape of the body, the type of wood, etc, all give the guitar its character - and we can tell a well-made, expensive one from a cheap one. That character is infinitely subtle, and can vary randomly from guitar to guitar, even the same make and model.
With electric guitar, you only get the same degree of random subtlety (quirky character) from vintage technology: valve amplification and (to some degree) handwound pickups. That's why electric guitarists spend so much time on effects, trying to dirty up the sound to add the character that the instrument itself doesn't contain.
The build of the guitar (its type of wood etc) is far less important, although some solid guitar fans will wax lyrical about wood types. They may be right, but I personally can't go that far. The denser the wood, the heavier the guitar and the more the sustain - I think that's about the only difference.