Thanks for the reply - I wonder if through experience, the builders have since improved on this fading thing. Although I have grown to pretty much like the more "Vintage" Yellow-Green/Olive look my D Martin Box has now, whenever I look underneath where the original Green color is still intact, I get a little queasy, cause I had my heart set on that beautiful Emerald Green color. Serves me right to keep it out of its case all the time. However, the Trade Off is that the box gets practiced on regularly, being that it is out in the open in plain sight, right ?
Yeah, the "Butt-Joint" thing has always puzzled me - especially since my little beater Ariette-C (Chy-na) box is beautifully Mitred, both front & back. However, after thinking long & hard about this, I think I finally figured it out. Perhaps "Butt-Joints" on Cajun Accordeons have proven to be stronger than Mitred, so's that they can hold up to "Standin' On 'Em", like Marc once proved.