MDF is a pretty poor material for the application if performance is your criteria. It's popular because it's cheap and relatively easy to work with. With ply there are factors which determine it's performance, both the resin and layers used are critical ... and ply with poor quality interior layers are everywhere, much of it I've seen lately has come from Russia. But if you can find a source for quality void free Baltic Birch ply, I think it's the finest enclosure material available to the hobbyist.
As far as veneers go, there are just too many to choose a favorite. I like the high contrast, heavy grain and figuring type veneers ... the ones that jump out at you!
I've had nice results from hand rubbed finishing as well, like French Polish ... the types where you wet sand the finish oil into a slurry and let it dry to fill pores. I've also had nice results with sprayed finishes like Poly, assuming you prepare the veneer first to bring out the character.
As far as veneers go, there are just too many to choose a favorite. I like the high contrast, heavy grain and figuring type veneers ... the ones that jump out at you!
I've had nice results from hand rubbed finishing as well, like French Polish ... the types where you wet sand the finish oil into a slurry and let it dry to fill pores. I've also had nice results with sprayed finishes like Poly, assuming you prepare the veneer first to bring out the character.