Ammeter Bypass a Must?

"HOW" inaccurate does it become? In other words, say my alternator quits, will I be able to "see it" on the gauge?
Yes you would see discharge. The added wire takes away some of the charging load. One would need to bypass voltage regulator, full field the alternator to see if the amp gauge would still peg on the charge side. That isn't a test I would be willing to do if I did still have the original amp gauge and wiring.