Hey, thanks for all the awesome tips, gentlemen! I can see where using a slightly thinner baffle might add some color, and 3/4" is awfully heavy for that.
Got a nice sheet of birch cabinet-grade ply...if the edges are an indicator, I'm not seeing any voids and it is Heavy (lol). But not as bad as MDF. Good dowel joint there, WaZak. I have a science degree so am totally comfortable with base-10, just used to doing my heavy lifting stuff with inches for the last 22 or so years!
Using the AS212A plans, angling the baffle is possible while clearing the 'lip', and I'm going to make the cab Slightly deeper by 2"-3". I think I like the idea of a 'flat' looking cab w/the angle inside, out of sight behind the grill cloth. More traditional.
So this weekend it is off to do some cabinetry! Hoping it works out well by just using the cabinet plan and modifying it to get that angle without any strange happenings.
Nicely evolving topic, I hope it helps others, too!