I agree that duplicating tones exactly can cause potential issues. One album can have a drastically different spectral balance from another. My method is to first duplicate the tone as closely as possible to the record with special attention to the fine-grained equalization (IRs and Tonematching), then use broader coarse eq (PEQ) to bring the tones to a common center ground so they sit well with the rest of my band during the course of the show. The "character" of the original tone is preserved by IR/Tonematch, but each tone still fits in the mix.
I find using a preset/scene for each and every tone extremely satisfying. And not everyone will notice, but some will and do.
In my experience no one will notice. Normal people are not paying attention to guitar tones., And as has been said, a constantly shifting guitar tone that shifts throughout the mix can actually be jarring.
In my experience what do audiences pay attention to:
- The singer. He or she will get most of the attention, unless you're covering Pink Floyd, or some other guitar heavy band.
- That you play things right. I'll be far more likely to notice if you playing things differently, or wrong, then your guitar tone.
- The feel of the performance. Does the band play like the original, has its own interesting dynamic, or just stands there like a bunch of statues.
- The choice in songs. The right combination of songs will matter a 100x more then nailing every detail correctly.
But in the end, what I've noticed above all is that music is like a text that has lots of spelling errors. As long as the words are still recognizable people will still be able to read them. Similarly, if you play a song that people will recognize, people will fill in the blank spots with their minds. That's why people can still enjoy a cover band that plays shitty, but puts on a great show, and a band that play the best original music will often play for tumbleweeds. The power of recognition matters.
