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The most important part of getting a rock guitar tone is achieving the right distortion that you want. This certainly depends on the amp (or stompbox) you are using; however, I want to stress how to tweak different distortion tones from the same device. Dialing in the desired distortion is often nowhere near as simple as turning the "drive" or "gain" parameter until the sound is as saturated as you like. A typical guitar rig will involve 4 main possible distortion stages - stomp box, pre-amp, power amp, and speaker, and you generally use one as your "main" distortion stage. However, any stage being pushed to breakup will distort in a certain way depending on the nature of the signal sent to it. This section mostly discusses what ways to expect a stage to breakup and how to alter the signal before reaching that stage to get the distortion you want.
One final thought: a single guitar tone isn't going to sound like a double or quad-tracked stereo guitar tone in a mix. Layering guitars and adding space between them really helps to thicken up the tone. They each fill the gaps between any crackles or buzziness any one track has, as well as getting a 3-D effect from the stereo space that makes them sound fuller and richer. Similarly, bass guitar can make up for low-end (particularly the very low end), cymbals typically cover up guitar high-end, and bass drums add attack that guitars lack. Distorted guitar is primarily a midrange-oriented and low-dynamic-range instrument. Now, that doesn't mean you should settle for a crappy tone just because a lot of it will be covered up or enhanced by other players or studio wizards - just don't build yourself up for expectations that are impossible to meet.
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[[Category:Guitar]]