I have to take exception with the statements: "While most of us are music lovers, in many cases, musicians tend not to worry about sound reproduction as excessively as we do" and "My opinion is that people who are intimately familiar with live music find it easier to make that cognitive jump from a poor reproduction to the actual performance".

As a previously working musician, most people I was in contact with in the live performance ring were exceptionally particular about the way their sound came across. Especially to guitar players, sound and "tone" is everything. That combined with "feel" is what translates to emotion for the crowd. I've heard myself recorded poorly and recorded well playing the same song and believe me the poor recording is unbearable to listen to. I realize that you are talking about reproduction and not the live performance, but for me they go hand-in-hand. If you are a live band that also records music, you don't want a recording that sounds like junk, because it won't typically sell worth a darn. Although it may be easier to make the jump between a recording and the live music because of familiarity with the peice, if it's recorded like junk it still sounds like junk and becomes quickly unlistenable for me and many I know.

Just my thoughts, FWIW.

BTW, I hope you and yours are having a great holiday season and I can't wait to hear what you have to bring to Dallas in the spring.