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ORIGINAL: mistoferin

First you need to determine what type of guitar he is interested in playing, there are many different types. Bass, lead, acoustic, etc., etc.

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

well, I own a pawnshop, and gonna disagree with stef on that.

does this guy play in a band or is he just fuckin around? if he is just fuckin around stay in the $100 buck starters in a color he likes.

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ORIGINAL: JEB

I too would disagree with half of what stef says, and say the other advice given is good.  You can certainly get a good deal in a pawnshop, but if you don't know what you're buying, take someone along who does.  The best advice given is in the last post....you don't want to spend $700 on a guitar for someone just learning how to play.....for a beginner, a $100-200 Japanese instrument will be fine.  For a serious player, a nice Fender or Gibson can be had in the $300-700 range, but for that price you will have to expect some cosmetic wear.  Another consideration is what kind of music he likes....for someone into country, a Fender Telecaster or Gibson hollowbody is ideal....a rock or metal player would find a Fender Strat or any Gibson solid body guitar more desirable....this will not be as much of a concern for a beginning player, though.  You can get a much better deal on a used instrument, for sure.  If you must go it alone, sight down the neck and make sure the neck and strings are in a straight line....check and make sure the neck is not warped.....plug it into an amp and verify that it actually plays.  Might be worth hiring someone (check craigslist and try people who give lessons) to go with you for a few dollars, it would be cheap insurance against either getting ripped off or buying something he will be unhappy with....

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ORIGINAL: pahunkboy

what about your electric bill?

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ORIGINAL: JEB

I too would disagree with half of what stef says, and say the other advice given is good.  You can certainly get a good deal in a pawnshop, but if you don't know what you're buying, take someone along who does.

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ORIGINAL: Toppingfrmbottom

I don't think he'd play it enough to make the bill shoot up, or are these such horrible energy guzzlers that just a couple hours a day would sky rocket your energy bill?

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ORIGINAL: igor2003

Another consideration would be to simply rent a guitar for a month or so to be sure he will stick with it.  Once the fingertips start getting sore and a bit of frustration sets in there are a lot of people that change their minds about wanting to learn to play. 

If you rent, then once he has learned a little about his own talents, abilities, and desires you could take him with you and let him pick out a guitar that would suit his style best.

Same advice for an amplifier.  They come in everything from simple practice amps up to big monster amps that will blow the roof off the house.  If you go ahead and buy you might end up spending money on "extras" he won't want or need that could be going into quality instead.  Or you could end up buying something too simple that his ability will quickly outgrow and end up needing to trade up in the near future.  If you rent for a short time first you will know more about what to buy, when you buy.

And unless you get something outrageously huge you probably won't even see any real change in your power bill.