This question is asked about 50 times a year... and it's always the same answer... Try out guitars at a store and get one that you like. It doesn't really matter what other people think. As long as you like it and it plays good. Any guitar that you buy in the 1 grand range shoud be an excellent guitar. Like schmange said. Stick the name brands for now. They're the most common guitars... and generally are the best starter/beginner guitars. Check out ESP/LTD, Jackson, Ibanez, and Schecter for good metal/rock guitars. Look into a 2X12 combo for your amp. You don't need anything bigger than that! Especially since you're just starting. A 2x12 combo is a lot louder than most people think. So check out the Marshall JCM series and TSL series tube amps for a great rock/metal sound. Also, the 2X12 Peavey 5150 and JSX are pretty smooth amps for around a grand.