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[BobM]

A dealer tried to sell me 4th row start instrument, but without the accidentals I wouldn't go near one. He told me that they outsell the 3rd row ones.. (?)

When you say '4th row', do you mean '4th button'?

A 4th button start box is fine for D/G or C/F. However, if the dealer is trying to sell you a G/C with 4th button start, my advice is to ignore it. As has been said several times, on a G/C box you need those highest (knee end) notes which you would lose on a 4th button start box. I would advise you to stick to a 3rd button start.

The only way I would possibly consider a 2-row 4th button start G/C is if it had a 23 button keyboard, i.e. 12 on G row and 11 on the C row. The Saltarelle 'Nuage' is like this. The knock-on disadvantage of this on a G/C is that the chin-end accidentals become even further away from the normal playing position in the upper octavce half of the keyboard. This is why many continental players of French music prefer a 2.5 row or 3 row box, with the accidentals on the 3rd row, within easy reach of the fingers.

Yes, I meant 4th button.. 

[Gena Crisman]

Something I'm growing to wonder with the ol GC, what with the whole, 'normally you play it in the upper octave': doesn't that mean that the accidentals are both inconveniently placed both physically and musically? All of them are below your 'home' C5 note.

It reminds me of whenever I see a half row layout that's transposed from a GC layout to a DG layout and it, to me, makes no sense at all because it adds an even higher F.

[Dick Rees]

Something I'm growing to wonder with the ol GC, what with the whole, 'normally you play it in the upper octave':

Normally?  Isn't normal an oxymoron when referring to the skweezbox?  Seriously, where you place the tune on a 3BS box depends a lot on where the tune lies.  If the range of the tune lies mainly between the fifths of the scale, then it lies in the middle of the keyboard.  The choice of octaves without going into dog whistle territory at the top end is very much to my liking.

doesn't that mean that the accidentals are both inconveniently placed both physically and musically? All of them are below your 'home' C5 note.

The accidentals are as well placed as can be for a two row box.  When used to yield a fully chromatic  octave on a 3BS box I see no problems.  Lekstugan speaks to this.  That said, I do love the placement of the accidentals and the addition of a duplicate set an octave up as found on my Preciosa in the four button helper row.

It reminds me of whenever I see a half row layout that's transposed from a GC layout to a DG layout and it, to me, makes no sense at all because it adds an even higher F.

DG and GC instruments really lie at opposite ends of the spectrum.  While the physical layout is the same as to the number of buttons and such, they're sort of "as different as can be" from one another despite the physical similarities. 

Stay well, post more videos...

[Squeaky Pete]

To help understand why choose a third of fourth button start (or any other) take a look at the keyboard layouts here.
https://halswaymanor.org.uk/event/melodeon-building-course-2-5-row-with-emmanuel-pariselle-3/
Emmanuel Pariselle gives the same options of accidentals in relation to the keynote but moves the whole layout up or down. You can see the 'gleichton' is in a different place on the keyboard in different keys but always in the same place relative to the keynote.
The actual range of each box will be much the same. The bottom possible note will always be within a few notes of the bottom note of a box in another key and the highest much the same.

[Anahata]

Something I'm growing to wonder with the ol GC, what with the whole, 'normally you play it in the upper octave': doesn't that mean that the accidentals are both inconveniently placed both physically and musically? All of them are below your 'home' C5 note.

"Upper octave" is a slight exaggeration: the same pitches are about half an octave further up the keyboard, which is two or three buttons.
Yes you do run out of accidentals on some tunes, but then that happens on a D/G too, at both ends of the keyboard. As ever, you have to pick your tunes carefully.

Remember, too, that the standard D/G is a simple transposition of the C/F, accidentals included, so everything is a tone higher than the original common design. When you add useful low notes to a D/G, you are short of low pitched accidentals for a whole octave.