So... does that mean everyone in the US gets their free can of Dr. Pepper?
I will agree and disagree with your statements. Although I believe that you are correct, that without Axl, it's not GnR, but not everyone can just jump in and make the same impact playing guitar. Some bands have very distinctive sounds and fans of those musicians can pick out their signature sounds even before hearing a singer or confirming the name of the band in other ways (such as checking the display if it's on the computer or newer car stereos). Guitarists can even mess up by changing their signature styles - take Metallica for example. If you take out the signature sound, yeah, you practically have replaced the guitarist. Hopefully it makes the sound better, but that's not always the case.
By the way, do you like all of the GnR albums, or do you just really, really like Appetite for Destruction?