I agree that nobody in an audience gives a fudge. However, no difference in sound and playability? I have great modern instruments and tonally they get close enough for all general purposes, but they couldn't touch the resonance sustain and just the thickness of tone of some of the vintage instruments I owned. No way. They just don't make 'em from the same stuff they used to, we used it up, especially old growth maple, ash alder & rosewoods. Then there is the aging, can't fake 60 years of seasoning.
Having said that My brother has 2010 factory made bog standard jazz bass. It remains one of the best sounding jazz basses I've ever played - why who knows....