Thanks for the update. Sounds like you got yourself a good guitar at a great price...looks like you were rewarded for your diligent research and shopping around.
As far as amps go, I'm using a Fender Frontman 25R, which I purchased off a guy for well below its already low retail price - he bought it for his daughter and she used it once - it was still in its original packaging. I thought I would test the waters with this amp to see what I liked or didn't like (basically using it as a familar reference point) so I knew what to look for when I decided to purchase a more expensive amp. So far its meeting my needs -I'm not really taxing its limits so I have no real complaints because I feel it is performing well. Once I get into more complex sounds and start to push it more I might have different opinion, we'll see.
My next guitar will be an electric-acoustic that I can play through my amp. I already have an acoustic that I was given (Ibanez PF5). Its been a good guitar to learn on but I'm eager to upgrade to see if I can improve the tone a bit.
I agree with you - experimenting with the different types of guitars/sounds is half the fun.