Exactly... Look at a TubeScreamer Overdrive or a Metal Zone distortion pedal... any modern amp with decent wattage (over 50) will give you plenty of crunch, some more than others... Modern tube amps are the best amps to get that crunch sound but they're expensive. So I suggest that you get a good guitar effects/amp processor. The GNX series from DigiTech are nice and the Boss GT6 and GT8 are both awesome. As for the guitar... I'm not so sure I would go with an Epiphone Special II.... You will get tired of that guitar in a hurry... it's a beginner guitar and theres nothing wrong with that. Bit Schecter makes some really nice guitars for low price... sometimes I think the under price their guitars... and they get great tone. It takes some time to develop your own tone and takes a lot of experimenting with what works best... and money is always an issue. So theres some stuff to think about. It's a good starting place.