mgbills,
No doubt, the Allmans did not have the long term productivity, evolution, or depth of the dead.
The dead sorta started out slow, and continuously grew.
The ABB rose like a rocket and then crashed like one.
The ABB are a little like the Beach Boys. They have a core group of songs that they sorta ride forever.
The dead had a core group of songs also, but it was much bigger and always had new tunes added.
Duane however is a different story. Duane had more of a three year career verses Jerry's 30 year career. Duane made a huge mark in the short time he was here, and there is no telling how great he might have been had he lived longer. Of course same could be said for Jerry, but we have a large body of Jerry's work to cherish.
BTW, the ABB drew me to my first dead show, RFK in 73 Dead, Allmans, Wet Willie, WOS!