I think this method of trading is unfair for a few reasons;
1, product mis-representation, as noted above.
2, I question the quality and work level that has gone into the overhaul to justify the price hike - change of string and fret ‘glaze’, whatever that is.
3, Buying an instrument should be an experience that leads to a life long skill, buying something like this can only dissuade beginners.
Mr Philips may be the nicest bloke around to chat to, no personal sleight intended, but his luthery capability, methods and rhetoric are certainly suspect and to a beginner or someone on a tight budget I would question the realistic value add he provides.