Stick to the trusted name brands.
Marshall, Mesa-Boogie etc...
For guitars, it's a total personal choice. There's so many things to consider that you have to spend time trying them out. Again though, stick to the trusted name brands.
My personal requirements before I'll even pick up a guitar is that it has to have 24 frets and the control knobs can't be directly below the pickups so I don't smash my knuckles on em.
After that it comes down to how well it stays in tune across all the frets.
If it plays a perfect open E, then you fret an E at the 12th fret and it's outa tune, it either needs a major intonation or something's drastically wrong.
With 2 grand to spend, don't skimp.

Another consideration is how sticky the fretboard is. I like a guitar that's got some wear and tear in it so the frets are worn down slightly.
Brand new guitars are like washboards. Basically, I almost always buy used.

I've still got my old Roland 808 guitar for my synth that I hardly ever play and it's still got frets that havent' worn down. So if you plan on buying a new one, figure on taking a couple of years steady playing to wear it in properly.