Would ZZ Top sound the same without the beards and fuzzy guitars?

I have been listening to ZZ TOP's "Greatest Hits" album, closing my eyes and trying to picture Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons (pictured) sporting 1950s crew cuts and clean faces while playing standard-issue electric guitars.
The Houston, Texas legends have always been one of those bands whose image got in the way of me fully appreciating their music -- although I have always appreciated the irony of drummer Mike Beard being the only bloke in the band without a beard.
With eyes closed, I have been equally impressed by the tightness of the rhythm section and Gibbons' great lead guitar playing.
Actually, after listening to the album with eyes closed and picturing crew cuts and shaved faces, I finally determined the exact reason for my traditional unease with ZZ Top. It's not the image, it's the decision to laden their 1980s output with synthesizes.
I just don't think you can play the blues with a synthesizer, although Moby might prove me wrong some day.