When everything is said and done, a lot more is said than done.

,Allons les enfants, la Recreation is over,come on boys, let's resume class.

Anyway, I just got of the phone to Junior Martin"s daughter( very nice lady, just like her dad), and she took in her dad's absence my email adress, and is going to make sure that Junior emailed me back when he returns from a trip,with an appropriate answer about making boxes with mittered corners or not.

I also asked her to ask her dad ,wether he would mind having his answer posted on this board or not.

She didn't think that he would opposed to it.

When I told her about this accordion discussion board, she seems to be aware of it.

So let's wait and see.


Claude.

Hi Claude,

I have in fact been in Marc's shop. You seem to be doubting that he was one, but I have been there.

At one point a few months back, you made the rather astonishing assertion that Marc has never built an accordion in his life - or similar words to that effect. I don't know where you get your information from, but I have seen first hand his shop and his tools. I am sure that there are many others besides me who have also done so.

I am not a skilled and experienced woodworker, and it was over 10 years ago that I was there. But, I am here to say, that he had many woodworking tools, jigs of all kinds, and numerous workbenches with accordion materials in various stages of the construction process. I could see on one table the nearly complete accordions which were near the equipment used for tuning. I could see other tables where particular assemblies were being, uh, assembled (for example, bellows frames, keyboards, bass box). Then there places where the basic raw materials were cut and shaped for their respective end uses.

It was near Mardi Gras time, but I don't think I hallucinated all of this.

I am sure that if I looked around, we could find photos of his shop - it's right there in the back of his music store just outside of Eunice.

By the way, I am neutral in this miter debate. I am not knowledgeable enough about woodworking to have an informed opinion. I do own several accordions, some with mitered corners, and some without. In one case, (my Master in Bb) it has mitered corners, but since the box is painted black, this detail is not noticeable unless you exercise a high degree of scrutiny. It adds nothing whatsoever to the aesthetics of that particular accordion. I also have a very old (as in 100 years or so) imported accordion that has mitered corners. This accordion is a total cheapo piece of junk and always was. It was the Arriette of its day. The mitered corners did nothing for it's playability or sound quality, which were both very poor. On the other hand, I also have Acadians and Bon Cajuns without mitered corners which are superior in every way. At the end of the day, that's what matters to me. Perhaps that makes me an ignorant heathen. If it does, so be it. I really don't care, since as I said before, I am neutral on this topic which has gone far beyond the point of beating a dead horse. I for one would have no objection to never revisit the topic ever again. It truly is tiresome.

-David

Ok, David, that's fine I'm off, you're right.

Claude.

have a fine dvd (thanks Br) in which you can see how an accordion is made. Very nice to watch, very nice to see some folks make nice CAJUN music in between the instruction parts. One of them is coming to Europe this summer.
Hope it will be a looong hot summer. (Not too hot, otherwise my reeds will fall off).

Gus

Just saw the original post in this thread...

Having some free time yesterday afternoon I drove the 20 minutes from my house to Savoy Music Center -- totally unplanned -- to ask Marc to make an adjustment on my Acadian accordion. Marc came out from his workshop to greet me. We chatted a bit about a few personal things and when I got around to explaining why I was there, he sat and played my accordion for a few minutes. He quickly explained what adjustment was needed so that in a matter of minutes my accordion was playing and sounding as good as when I first bought it. Then, while I was talking with Tina Pilione about her latest Sterling Production CDs (2 volumes of recordings of Maurice Barzas and the Original Mamou Playboys playing Live at Snook's during the '60s, '70s and '80s -- great, by the way!) Marc headed back to continue at his worktable. For those wondering who will repair your Acadians when Marc retires, fortunately I don't think that will be happening any time soon! I feel very lucky to be able to visit Marc at his shop, as well as enjoy the Saturday morning jams as my time permits. What a genuine treasure he is.
Dale

I agree. Marc is one of the crankiest, orneryest son of a guns you ever met. But If you are well met on that day, he is also one of the nicest fellas in Eunice. I've always had a great time chatting with Marc in the shop. (The one where he and Tina make the accordions) Marc as many others do, (and this has been discussed here before) apparently subs out a fair portion of the woodwork and then the rest is done in his shop.
As for mitered corners. Are ya'll still on that debate. Who really gives a rats ass. The darned thing is just a tool. A tool to make music. A pretty one albeit but a tool nonetheless.