I would pick a 6 (yesyes) or 8 (noooooo...) button SF layout - easy to play (how strange that it may sound
) & you can use it for multiple games...
But as a MadPlastic owner, I would strongly recommend bang for your buck and go AIAB or other custom builder - just like Tim said.
And btw -> you'll get plenty in return for the +-100 that you pay extra for the AIAB. A rugged design, nicely wired (WTF Madcatz, my cat could do a better wiring job!), dual modded & "unique" stick!
If you decide on a TE it would cost you "roughly" the same ammount extra to have an extra plexi (15 - 20 bucks), art print (+- 5 bucks), dual mod board/extra PCB (+-50 bucks - DIY - double that price if you want a modder to do it). And I don't know about buying an expensive toy (if you buy a new one), just to screw it open and customize.
just think:
wood vs plastic
vinyl art vs plexi/print
dual modded out of the box vs DIY
AIAB vs MadPlastic
Oldskool Cab design vs Plastic Vewlix replica
AIAB!
And for the ecological boys&girls, an AIAB stick is a lot better for the enviroment. Most big company sticks allready traveled half the world and are mostly made of plastic.
Another nice point of view is that you instantly pay a more local creator, instead of some big ass multinational corporation (that probably has cheap ass workers working triple shifts)...
Check Latif's AIAB