I'd be inclined to get a lunchbox and start out with a good all purpose pre like
the API 512c or A-Designs P-1. Keep in mind that many classic albums were made on API consoles and thus used nothing but API pres. The boutique pre mix and match phenomenon is relatively recent. A used API lunchbox (6 slots) and a pair of used API or P-1 pres would set you back @ $1600 or so and you would still have 4 slots to fill.
I'm not a big fan of Avalon. I'd rather go with Millennia, Grace or DAV if I was looking for a clean preamp. Better bang for the buck. In you want a lunchbox format, I'd look at Buzz Audio or Forsell if I wanted clean. If you wanted more color in a lunchbox format, I'd look at Great River (although it takes up 2 slots) or the Avedis MA5. You can save quite a bit of money buying used and there are quite a few modules now available used. Go haunt the GS classifieds. There are LOTS of interesting preamps out there.
Decent affordable EQ and Compression is a bit trickier as there are fewer options than with pres. The DBX 160 (x, xt, a) is good on instruments, especially drums. Voice not so much. Wouldn't use them as a 2 buss comp either. For a very good all purpose comp that can be used on 2 buss as well, I like
the Drawmer 1968. It is two channel and can be a real bargain used. I've seen them for @$1000 used. If you don't want to spend that much, the RNC is decent enough for voice (it is stereo, but not 2 channel mono). A couple of DBX 160s and an RNC will cover a lot of bases.
Good EQ, like good compression, can be pricey. The GR MEQ-1NV is a very nice unit, but is single channel. Other considerations would be 2 channels of Speck ASC-T (for less than one channel of GR) or the forthcoming Great River/Harrison
32EQ which would fit in your lunch box ($775 a channel new). JDK also makes a 2 channel 4 band EQ for @$1000 new. I haven't tried it, but JDK makes some very nice stuff.
Have fun!
