Long live digital. Long live analog.
Metro, your quandary or conundrum sounds less like it’s about gear and more like it’s about rethinking how you tackle your long-run gigs.
All respect; your current approach as described over the years is cool, the fine-tuned tone specificity from one number to another. Definitely added-value for your md’s. The question is if those nuanced permutations are absolutely necessary or if there’s an alternative no-compromise way.
I’m guessing there is, since I’ve been at modern Broadway productions and high-end events with cover bands where broad spectrums of music are covered with minimal to zero guitar settings/effect/tone changes beyond clean to gritty, and where the essence of the material is nonetheless honored.
Regarding all of your other instruments, digital has in itself been a (valid) compromise, for convenience, since ukes and mandolins and acoustics can be mic’d efficiently.
If it is a mindset/musical thing, then it won’t matter whether you stick with your Axe or a Kemper or a Princeton with a 12” speaker and small board. It’s your approach to the musical assignment, not the gear, that may alter or hopefully rejuvenate your experience of doing these shows.
It may be worth experimenting with doing as little as possible technically on your next run, and seeing if choosing a great tone or two and simply taking the music and performance to heart cuts it. I’m guessing you already have an answer here, but who knows, trying it again at a different point in life may yield a surprising result.
