learning guitar

ive been learning on/off for abut 10 years. im ok seeing as i had a 3 year gap of not playing. ive started playing again now and want to learn some good songs. thing is i have a crappy little amp and no pedal so i have no distortion so nothing sounds right. is it worth investing in a cheap pedal or something? whats the best thing to get for more sounds? particulary the ones in music like red hot chilli peppers and queens of the stone age? also can someone recomend some good solos i can learn without distortion for now to practice my speed? cheers

i started off acoustically, then tried electric. i have a Vox Amp and a boss pedal. They work for me.

Play without distortion as much as possible. If you're trying for technical skill, you'll benefit from not having distortion covering up your mistakes.