I think learning to record yourself is a great asset for any songwriter or aspiring musician and he might as well start learning on proper gear. If he's really interested in music then it's almost inevitable he'll end up buying an audio interface and a DAW at some point, why not get started now? I know Focusrite make a great little studio package that comes with an interface, headphones, a nice condenser mic, 2 different DAWs (Ableton and Pro Tools I believe) and a host of plugins.

Alternatively I've seen a lot of people get great mileage out of those Zoom handy recorders. They have built in mics, can record multi-track and can double as an audio interface. If he's only recording a solo guitar that would probably get the job done, plus you can use them anywhere so you're not tied to a computer. I used one to record college lectures and a few concerts and the sound quality is more than useable.

If he's really excited about going into a real studio, it might be fun to find a small local studio and set up one day where he can go in and demo a single track. Even if he's going to learn to record himself, seeing how a real studio is set up and how the pros get things done is hugely helpful and with just one tune he'll probably walk away with a decent sounding track. My parents did that for my birthday one year and I remember it really pushed me to polish one of my songs, and working with a producer just for one day taught me so many things that had never occurred to me before, even though at that point I'd been recording in my bedroom for a few years. It also remains one of my fondest birthday memories, right up there with our spontaneous road trip down to Columbus to see a hockey game!

Just a few thoughts from someone who walked this same road not too long ago, hope that helps.