I just got a Hohner 3002 Ariette. The stops work in reverse. Pulling out all the stops produces no sound. Pushing them in activates the reeds as expected. Is this a common arrangement? Anything worth worrying about or is this peculiar to this instrument?
The only Euro box maker/hustler/rebadger I ever knew to reverse the stops was Saltarelle. Made by Baffetti. They went over like the proverbial lead balloon.
Never, ever, lift a box by the stops.
The Ariette is an acoustic appliance, not an accordeon.