Wouldn't it be an important matter to get the gear that would match his musical taste? If he likes punk, give him any crappy amp with any ****ty guitars. If he likes rock, get an amp with the nice crunchy sound. If he likes metal, get a guitar with a descent humbucker pickup. All I'm saying is that you should get the gear for the music that he would like to play. Then again, if a low budget is important, then you can always go with the Kramer Focus at musicyo.com or the Pacer.