That's a HIGH price for a paper-tuner.He could get a 3 2x4's for about $3/piece, and one 8-10' piece of PVC pipe for about $5-6 and build it out of wood just using a drill and a handful of nails or screws to put it together.
I did say he could make it as simple or elaborate as he wanted didn't I? Depends on what he wants and how much he wants to spend.