Do they even have one? interested to know?? (caveat is of coarse you can apply one and to tune above what your mate is trying to achieve some people can and do use them).
In a generic sense on petrol engines, if a person cannot find his way to an acceptable enough result without a vacuum setting he might consider stopping for some hands on help, 3 carbs do complicate things but the mixture screw set to or near standard is most often very much enough to gain a smooth enough running motor...unless there is something as still undiagnosed complicating the issue and then until sorted a vacuum gauge will be more or less a waste of time.
Has he tried dumping all fuel in the bowls...it's almost the first place worth a look.
cheers fnq