Looking for (Guitar) Amp

For a tight budget, but wanting a good variety of tones, I'd definitely check out Line 6 amps. I've used tube amps all my life pretty much, and continue to do so especially in the studio, but recently I've started using Line 6 heads for live purposes and I'm pretty happy with the tone I'm getting. And even on the more "budget" model Line 6 amps I've heard, the variety of tones really can't be beat. Sorry to sound like a commercial, haha, but that's my honest opinion. Good luck to your mate and his amp quest!