But you DO have to play well enough for people to look past your errors and appreciate the sound...

Few people, even musicians, can look past an awful performance and go 'that synth sounds great'.

Performance first, sound later. Use what you would have spent on the TOTL on lessons with a sympathetic understanding teacher, and your music grows by leaps and bounds. Spend it all on the best synth and continue to self educate, and your progress is a fraction of what it COULD be...

Just a thought.