Ed, A few thoughts: four of the five people you name play (mainly) Strats. That seems to be your preferred sound. So start there. You can get a made in Mexico Stratocaster new for around $400, I believe. Cheaper on ebay. A Squier Strat goes for even less.

Next, get a low power tube amp--fifteen watts tops. The Blues Junior and Princeton Reverb (both fine amps) are around this range. What would be even better, I think, would be something like a Gibson GA5. This is a 5 watt amp that goes into smooth sweet overdrive at low volume. This is not a cheap amp ($500-$700). But I would put more money into the amp than the guitar until you settle on what is, in fact, the right guitar for you.

Finally, practice with your amp turned on (most of the time, anyway). Ambient hand noise you don't notice on acoustic guitar becomes quite apparent when playing electric, and it takes awhile to get used to this.

Good luck.