Author Topic: Harmonics in pot calls  (Read 73021 times)

Offline ADAM PROUTY

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Harmonics in pot calls
« on: May 28, 2011, 03:22:01 PM »
Well I just turned up a new style /design of a pot call nothing special more rounded.  I always get hung up on this part and I know we have talked about this before is the height of the sound board/pedistal.  Is it the closer you get to the striking surface make it higher or lower and on a 3in call what sound board size would you suggest I made one with copper with a 2in sound board and the thing sounds AWESOME not so much with the slate..  HUM Im stumped because I tried a 2 1/2 and it got worse so im going out on a limb and saying my soundboard is to low.   What ya'll think????  I have tried numerous stikers the best being walnut 2in top with a purple heart dowel

Thank

Adam

Offline Prairie Game Calls

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2011, 11:47:55 PM »
Here's a few things to keep in mind. The sound board aids in the roll over in the call. Get it too far away from the surface and the call will be flat. Get it too close and it will be high pitch to screechy almost and not much roll over. Get some glue in between the sound board and the inside of the pot or the sound board and the call will be flat. If you want a loud call make your holes larger. Quiet call = less holes and/or smaller holes and/or no holes.
The deeper the pot the more hollow sound the call will produce. Thinner the pedestal the more rasp the call will produce if you did everything else right.
If you want a decent sounding 3" call don't make the pot real deep and keep the sound board close to the underside of the top surface. Slate, Glass, and Aluminum keep the bottom of the pot about 1/4" thick for a 3" surface. For a 3.5" surface it doesn't matter the thickness of the bottom and yes I can prove that. Rule of thumb is 3.5" surface use a 3" sound board and on the 3" surfaces use a 2.5" sound board. If you want the call to have a low sounding pitch use a heavy striker and if you want the sound to be higher pitched then lighten the weight of your striker. The harder the sound board material the sharper the yelps will be as in faster roll over assuming you did everything else right. Wood and slate sound boards will mellow the yelps out or in other words slow the roll over down.  :2:

Larry
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Offline lazyMlazyK

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2011, 01:29:11 AM »
 :nthrd:  :yes: :bow:
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Offline VECtor Calls

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2011, 08:43:41 AM »
Larry, I really hope folks reading take the time to appreciate what you have written up there.  It is a very impressive compiling of thoughts.

Parker
« Last Edit: May 29, 2011, 01:03:00 PM by Parker »
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Offline jcz

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2011, 12:52:18 PM »
A big  :thanks:  should go out to Larry. That is a lot of great information for all of us to read. Im an experienced (Atleast I think) turkey call maker and I can tell you his write up came from alot of hard work on his part. He didnt get those figures overnight. He didnt stumble onto them either.

Another good example of the knowledge shared on this site.
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Offline Aaron at Wingerts Woodworks

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2011, 10:08:05 PM »
Yep.....Everybody that is interested in making a turkey call, and those that can't figure out why their calls don't sound the way they should.....Read and re-read what Larry put in that paragraph.  If there were commandments of turkey call making those words would be carved in stone.   :yes:

Offline Braz

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2011, 10:26:46 PM »
I felt this was a great topic and so made it a sticky.
Braz
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Offline Crawdad

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2011, 11:14:33 PM »
Thank's Larry for that valuable information & thanks to you Braz for perserving it to a sticky .

Offline Prairie Game Calls

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2011, 09:52:08 AM »
 :up1:  :welcome: Your all very welcome! Hope you put this to good use. Let me follow up by saying, in my first sentence I stated these are guidelines. From this information you can build a Great Call but by all means please experiment with your measurements and log both successes and failures. Change up your sound boards so you know in your mind what the sound should be from each type of material. Change up your dimensions. I know when you first start out you want to make everything you build work but if you don't understand the basics it won't always work and you will never know why. The Late Dick Kirby helped me the most when I first started out making calls and he was the one that put the idea in my head to build pot calls and then play them and rate them and then take them apart and remeasure them and log your notes. You have no idea how many glass & slate calls I broke out with a hammer and then remeasured and said I ain't gonna do that again. But that is how you learn and then sometimes while doing this kind of thing you develop a call you never thought you would ever make. This is how I came to making my Jake Pot call and My Copper call which is so popular with hunters across the USA. I made calls with no sound boards and calls with 2&3 sound boards and I still have more ideas than time right now but I will get to them some day.
Pick a pot wood that is easy to turn and easy on the pocket book but still a good pot wood. Maple is a excellent wood to start and has Great sound potential and so does Cherry, and Mahogany and both are easy to find. I started out bringing home old furniture on garbage day. Bed head boards are good ones some are Maple and some are Sycamore which is a good find. So don't let money be the issue there are other ways of getting material. It's all in what you want out of this and where you want to be with it in say 10 years or 20 years down the line. Thanks for reading all this mumble jumble now lets see some Calls!!!!!

Larry
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Offline Crawdad

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2011, 10:22:24 AM »
What a great guy.

Offline ADAM PROUTY

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2011, 04:47:02 PM »
Larry Thanks so much.  That was some good intel .  THanks to whoever made for it a sticky.  It worked like a charm

THANKS AGAIN

Adam

Sorry it took so long to get back I was at six flags for the weekend

Offline sharpshooter

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2011, 07:34:10 PM »
 :bow: :bow: :bow: Larry, you are the man!
Thank you for all the help and for all you do for this board.
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Offline jimhall69

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #12 on: April 17, 2012, 06:22:46 PM »
Thank u Larry was get discouraged with my calls but u answered a lot of questions. Big thank u

Offline Prairie Game Calls

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #13 on: April 17, 2012, 08:35:22 PM »
 :thanks: and your all very welcome!

Larry
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Offline VECtor Calls

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Re: Harmonics in pot calls
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2012, 11:23:37 PM »
Reading through old tutorial threads. If you want to make nice pot calls, read up on Larry's advice!

Thanks again Larry.

Vince
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