Presuming that you're not intent on "surprising" him with the new mando, it's strongly recommended that he should "play before buy" to decide if you've (both of you) found what "fits" him. My own experience is that brand alone doesn't determine that a particular instrument is going to be the right one.

I've spent about $1300 for a very nice one that I thought I needed at the time, but I've been playing a $150 no-name Chinese "plywood special" almost exclusively for about the last three years, simply because it plays better and sounds better than any of the more expensive ones I have.

And when he tries them out - take a good tuner along. I've seen even reputable dealers who "accidentally" had all their display instruments tuned a half-step low to make the action feel "lighter." (And besides, it's real embarrasing to break a string if you try to tweak it into tune a little too high.)

John