My son has gotten quite a bit better in the almost year since. He is still self-taught and leans toward the rock greats. With Christmas coming I will be looking for gift ideas. He has (more than) enough pedals. He buys them himself. Often. He has two electric and a plug-in acoustic, so I’m not looking for an actual guitar. I’m think along the lines of an accessory (or accessories) that he may not have thought of yet. I realize you don’t know what he has or doesn’t, but maybe something a still-new player wouldn’t think about?
He will be 20 in January, yes. I haven’t thought about a strap. I wouldn’t have even thought that was a big deal, so thanks!
As far as spend goes, I usually spend 200-300 per kid (I have 3.) But his birthday is in January sometimes I combine them. Last year I got him his acoustic guitar.
If you get one custom made (name/ nickname) you might want to go with a gift certificate so they can fit him perfectly, especially if he’s not “average”.
Guitar straps are near-universal. The only exceptions are fancy locking ones like the DiMarzio Clip-Lock system, but avoid those and you’ll be fine. That said, strap locks are a good investment and you could equip all three guitars within budget. Not the sexiest of Christmas presents, but watching your beloved guitar bounce off the floor is a painful thing, and strap locks prevent that.
However, my main suggestion is a bit left-field: a course of lessons. A good teacher will look at where your son is now and what his playing aspirations are, and chart a path to get from here to there. After decades as a self-taught player, I started taking lessons recently , and it’s had more impact on my playing than any amount of new gear would have done.
One final idea: I recently attended a workshop with a luthier where we learned to set up our own guitars - which is a valuable skill for any guitarist. That might be worth looking into?
I came in to say this. It can be tricky sometimes, finding the right teacher, and there can be a mystique, mostly bogus IMHO, about being self-taught, but it can be very helpful.