I know this is a controversial subject, but I genuinely believe now that unplugged acoustic response doesn't appear to make a difference to amplified tone.
I've been playing guitar for nearly 40 years in gigging bands, recording and in pit bands for amateur theatre and I've been fortunate enough to have owned and played a great number of Stratocasters in that time. I still own an embarrassing number of them, from early Japanese ones to Custom Shop modern and Time Machine models. My oldest one is an original '78 which I've had from new, and I've had the pleasure of playing extensively on an original '63 sunburst, which also has been owned from new by a friend of mine who used to be a pro in the sixties. I guess this background is to illustrate that I'm not totally ignorant on the subject.
I've just acquired what I believe to be my finest Strat ever (in my opinion), which is a '57 Closet Classic with a lightweight ash body, a chunky handful of a neck and a beautifully subtle crazed lacquer checking on the two-tone sunburst body. I had the opportunity to choose from 20 or so Custom Shop guitars in a variety of levels of relic'ing, and I specifically asked the dealer to select what he thought was the lightest he had, then the best playing, the best sounding etc... each time, comparing them until I found what I felt was the nicest one amongst those I could afford (most of the Master Built's were out of my price range).
The one I selected is lovely and light, I can honestly say that I've never played a Strat that's more 'alive'; when played acoustically it positively moves the air around it, and the vibrations ring through it from deep inside the body to all the way up the neck. I already have some nice Strats, but this one rings like no other. The feel of the instrument is addictive and I've not been able to put it down.
Does it sound great? Yes. Does it sound significantly better than any of my other Strats? No. Do any of the ones I own stand out from the rest in terms of the plugged in tone, either clean or overdriven? No. Have I ever known a Strat (including the real vintage ones I've played) which sound head & shoulders better than the ones I'm used to? No.
Do I believe that the Stratocasters I own are in some way above average in the way they sound? Absolutely not! I chose them because I believed them to be typically 'Stratty', if you know what I mean. I guess that begs the question as to why I need more than one. Well... do they sound different from each other? Yes, subtly. The ones with noiseless pickups sound the most 'different', but then I need to have those to play in orchestra pits with lots of sound and lighting gear in close proximity. They still don't sound like a different ball-park, though.
So... why does my new, almost perfect Strat have an amazing response acoustically but not blow my mind when I plug in? Does it have poor pickups? Well, no. In fact the pickups are genuine Abby hand-wounds. Not the initialled '69 'supervised' ones, but properly signed and dated Custom Shop fitted ones. Am I playing it through a poor or 'tired' amplifier? Not really. I tried it at the dealer's through a H&K combo alongside the other beautiful guitars that I auditioned. At home, I've played it through a Mesa Boogie and a Fender Tweed Deluxe - sounds I'm used to hearing with my other Stratocasters.
My only conclusion can be that sadly and with much regret, I have to concede that no matter how great a Strat should sound based on it's build quality and the quality of it's materials, and no matter how 'alive' and resonant it sounds and feels unplugged, at both practice and gig volumes it just sounds like a good Strat. Virtually identical to the 'bitsacaster' that I built from cheap parts I bought on eBay.
I won't deny that it's a hugely enjoyable guitar to play, and I'm sure you do get a lot of very real value from paying for a premium instrument. The tuning stability is unquestionable, the tremolo performs perfectly and the satisfaction gleaned from playing it with the acoustic vibrations against your chest and your left hand is addictive. Do these things give it a perceptively better voice in my opinion? Not at volume, no. Does the 'Thinskin' nitro finish allow it to breathe more than the thick polyester finish on my '78? Unplugged it does; absolutely! Does it at 100 decibels? Nah!
I have a pub gig with a 60's covers band next Saturday. If I'm comfortable enough with my new guitar I'll play that for most of the evening, then I'll know if 40 years of what I've hoped was true, is indeed true to my ears, or if it's absolute bullshit!