Well, I thought this was a thread about this vague (and becoming even more vague) technique known as "Defoliation", but these are my opinions regarding your question...
I don't think that you would get the same quality. Not cutting it off will get a little bit more yield with less consistent quality of buds. If you do cut them off, depending on when you remove the growth and how much you remove (stress) you will get slightly less weight overall but more consistent dense buds.
Basically, what you are getting is... Less bigger buds rather than more buds of varying size, but the same weight for the most part. Slightly less.
Once again though... you are solving a problem you have in a way that includes taking leaves from your plant which the plant uses to make energy.
Your "problems" are...
1) over crowded - which is the SoG way... you have to take branches off to make them fit in the space.
2) inconsistent size and density - Growing SoG you have this problem worse than those who space plants up with the max potential of their genetics.
Then here are ways you can do the same thing in a less harmful way to your plant... but still solving your problems.
!) over crowded -
---- Stop over crowding them. Your genetics at the size that you put into flower have a consistent amount of space they will fill and a unique way they fill that space.
---- So find out that space that your plants fill and come up with the most ideal plant spacing that works under your lights. Now you do not need to remove branches, this
---- allows the leaves that were on that branch to stay on the plant and produce buds.
2) inconsistent flower size and density
---- Instead of removing an entire branch, remove only the growth tips along the branch that are below your desired height. (Space between the grow media lower growth)
---- You can remove the growth sites/tips along the branch without removing the leaves attached... These leaves will help the plant in those early weeks of 12/12.
It's just a different way to do what you are going for but is less stressful to the plant as it is not removing leaves.