Yep you got that right. The money would be better spent on a good teacher. There is no substitute for good teaching and a ton of practicing and getting feedback on how your doing.
I remember a story from a guitar magazine where there an aspiring gifted guitarist who wanted to break the rules and go where others had not gone before in music. He felt he had plateaued so he went to a teacher and after a few weeks he was still in the same place so the teacher told him to go to music school. He was good enough to be accepted into Julliard and spent 4 years there learning from the best. He came back to he teacher all inspired showing off all the new scales and licks he had learned. The teacher listened and then said “This is great now forget about everything you been taught and just play.” The moral of the story is you got to know the rules before you can break them.
I know it is not the greatest story but the point stuck with me. If your really into something learn everything you can about it and practice, practice, practice. Then have fun with what you love doing.
Hmmm, have you messed with a compresser/limiter yet?