Well it seems you want quality,but are you willing to pay for it?Mabey...

Here is the biggest question though...are you willing to put the effort in?

To get good sound you DO need good equipment(nevermind the guru youve met that can make that broken squire and 'prime' amp sing),but its only worth as much as your skill.

With that in mind I feel anywhere from a $200 1x12 combo to a $2000 half stack will give you a descent sound.Guitars are a little tougher in terms of quality/price performance.Look for something from $500 or up....brands like schecter and ESP.Both good companys with quality guitars under a grand that may appeal to you.

find your crunch/rhythm channel on your amp(it wont have more than 2 or 3 channels)and turn all the knobs except the volume to 5(leave the volume on zero).have your guitar knobs turned up all the way and have your bridge humbucker selected(if your guitar is bought new it may have a schematic).gradually turn up the volume knob on the amp until its at a desirable level...adjust the other knobs as needed to aquire a 'good' sound.

this is easily one of my worst posts ever...