From an architect's perspective, Craig has a point. A miter joint is directionally neutral: up or down are treated the same as left and right.

While Cajun (melodeon or one-row) accordions aren't designed to be load-bearing objects (unless you're Marc and like to stand on them), they do have a distinct orientation when being both played and stored: the stops are the top. So in that sense, one can visualize the vertial frame members as being like columns and the horizontal members as beams spanning across the top or providing a foundation below.

If we were to approach this like many tradtional furniture makers, we might actually carve some flutes in the verticals to make them look like Greek columns, and maybe put some steps in the top piece to remind the viewer of a stone cornice (these thoughts are very "un-modern")!

Looks like Claude is not the only one to be shocked by naked end grain (unlike, say, Gustave Stickley): I looked at a picture of one of the Shinto shrines in Ise, Japan, because I remembers the prominent and exquisite extension of the roof frame. Behold! The covered the rafter ends with gold caps! (see link #3, above).

Many European accordions get parked on their bass end on little rubber feet when not being played, so that really confuses the architectonic agenda. Obviously, this can all get really deep and wading boots can only protect one to a limited degree

There is one maker who used mitered corners exclusivly and that is John Roger on his Cajun- brand name accordions. Now there may also be others that I don't know of.

Randy Falcon does.

Oopps!,Sorry, Randy uses "Bootty" joints!.

In reading this thread and all of the previous ones on the subject, it seems to me that there are several types of builders, if you will...

1. Performance & Asthetics
2. Asthetics
3. Performance

There are players who aren't necessarily concerned with look as they are the "playability" of the box, and there are those who are more interested in the beauty of the box. I myself like a middle of the road box, looks with perfomance !

I look at the whole thing as pride in workmanship.

Cest tout!!

Very Nice J. !! Very Nice !