Davil:
I'm a keyboard person but maybe I can give you a couple of ideas.
I used to have a compressor/etc. box hooked into my studio set up. It is now in storage in the basement because I could really hear any benefit to the final product and the less wires you have running sound from one point to another is a plus for a clear crips cut.
I do use a mic preamplifier by ART. This is not an "exciter," but it does help get a nice clear vocal AS WELL AS some nice keyboard sounds. I often run my keyboard into the mic-preamp and then that sound goes directly to the track I'm recording.
The Yam MD-8 I use has three modes of EQ which I hardly move from the straight up and down position; however, there are times when I might crank the bass a bit to a fusty gritty sound, depending on the cut I'm doing.
As it may sound, all of this takes time and when a three minute cut takes four or more hours to do, well, if the end product is good, it's worth the effort.
You might rent a mic-pre amp, a good one, and try your guitar through it. Then, go from there to the 800 numbers to find the best price on the unit that suits you.
Keep trackin`
Green Hornet