adorshki
Reverential Member
Brazilian was regarded as the best available tonewood long before it was scarce, the scarcity only enhanced the perceived value of existing items and the wood itself, whether a particular specimen justified it or not.I have wondered if the Brazilian rosewood mystique is more due to market rarity versus tonal differences. That said, whatever makes folks happy. I'm not immune to marketing and "perceived rarity". I want to know if there are tonal differences between "typical" and "sinker" mahogany, or is it hype.
As far as I've seen "Sinker" wood is prized primarily for aesthetic value.
Apparently some types might also have compromised strength:
https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/magazine/fdmc-magazine/sinker-cypress-vs-regular-cypress
Regarding neck resets, I agree with you. But if the owner/seller took the guitar to a luthier and asked that it be made as good as possible without having the neck reset, then one could say that it had been professionally set up, but the action was (still) high. It happens. Of course, we don't know the back-story, but I think the answer to "Why?" is that they want maximum profit from it.
There's also at least several of us here who'd rather buy it that way and send it to guys like you and Fixit, than worry about whether we're paying for work that's not up to our personal quality standards.