Practicing at low volume with a clean tone is a good way to keep your playing honest-distortion pedals are great for what they do, but in excess they can hide bad playing . A fuzz box is no substitute for a good amp sound. That great tone you got on your own will probably require some tweaking in a band context. See my Electric Guitar and Amps page for more opinions. Experiment with different string gauges and pick types, they are the most affordable changes you can make.
Electric guitarists are the biggest gearheads for obvious reasons.
Don't let the equipment quest sidetrack you from sharpening your musicianship. The universal quest for tone really begins and ends with your hands, delivering messages from your mind and soul . A nice old Tele and Fender Vibrolux is a good way to get those messages across, though. I use my J.R. Zeidler acoustic guitars and mandolins exclusively, also his excellent electric guitars ,and I'm very happy with my old Fender amps and '92 Matchless SC-30 amplifier. More stuff on electrics here.