ha! thats the eternal guitar player conundrum... tone. we spend 1000's searching for 'that' tone, whether we play live or record (or both) and find ways to justify another new amp. but at the end of the day, the average punter at a live show cant tell the difference. that said, if a guitar player knows their tone sucks then i am sure the audience picks up on it somehow. in the studio however... as for wilco, i reckon they would be very much into finding the perfect tone for personal happiness...