I've enjoyed reading this thread.
I've come to the conclusion after lots of years and lots of money and lots of gear that the more I have the more likely I am to find that I only need a little.
Probably sounds a little cryptic. After getting a clean signal, and I don't necessarily mean without crunch, I mean the sound I want free of undesired artefacts that's it. When it comes to guitar if I can get the sound I'm after outside of the box I record it with a split for possible further processing in the box. Gives me the ultimate in choices but most likely I stick with the room sound of the guitar and stay with that. Only a touch of eq to sit in the mix and it's done. Definitely if you start with what you want there's little left to do.