I’ll say this as an appreciation for anyone who makes impulse responses... it is truly a labor of love and passion. And it can get very expensive. I read your post, crunched some numbers, and learned that if my space burned to the ground, it would cost me (and don’t tell my wife) $27,775 in gear to do what I do now. And that doesn’t include my computer, software, my Fractal, cabs to shoot,
guitars for testing, or the cost to build my own studio and professionally treat it... let alone the time it takes to gain knowledge and experience in order to make the captures accurate and musical.
A small number of trusted artists and friends who have watched me make IR’s can attest to the fact that when you load one of my IR’s, it is IDENTICAL to the actual mic’ed up cab in a studio. Every IR producer has their “sound,” so I think you just have to buy some packs from various producers to see which flavor resonates with you. The great part about living in the digital age is that even though it costs a lot of money to make these, the consumer can get their hands on some of the world’s most coveted pieces of gear for the price of a delivery pizza.
So explore a little bit. You’ll know when something hits that sweet spot for you, and you’ll value it far more than the 15-20 bucks you invest in a cab pack.
Enjoy the journey! It’s worth your time.